If you were looking to buy a 1977-1979 full-size Pontiac today, you would have a long road ahead. Looking online and in Hemmings, you could be forgiven for thinking that all Pontiac built in the late 1970s were Firebirds and Trans Ams. Believe it or not, Pontiac really did offer a full lineup of vehicles, including their bread-and-butter offerings, the Catalina and Bonneville.
It’s no secret that the 1977-96 GM B-body is a favorite of many of us here at Curbside Classic. My personal favorite is the Bonneville, as my dad had one when I was born. In late 1978 or early 1979, his office bought three brand new 1979 Pontiacs from Horst-Zimmerman Pontiac-Cadillac for the investigators to use: blue and brown Bonneville sedans and a silver Catalina sedan. Dad got the brown one. It replaced the silver-blue 1977 Monte Carlo he had been using. He did occasionally drive the silver Catalina (no vinyl roof, red interior) and the blue Bonneville (I have no memory of that one), but the beige over brown Bonneville was his.
It was either Sierra Copper or Heritage Brown, but I’m pretty sure it was brown. It had a beige vinyl roof and beige cloth interior, with the standard full wheel covers. My first car memory was riding in the back seat of the Bonneville while going through the car wash at a Shell station with my dad. This was back when car washes actually had brushes, so it was a while ago. The photo above, although a Canadian-market Parisienne, is very close to what our car looked like.
It has been told many times before, but GM downsized their vehicles at exactly the right time. The 1971-76 B-bodies were the largest full-size cars GM had built, and it was time to trim the fat. Really, there was nowhere to go but down, size-wise. The 1977 Pontiacs followed the format of their corporate siblings in utilizing the ‘sheer look’, as had been first introduced on the first-generation Cadillac Seville. The new Bonnevilles (and Catalinas) were built on a modified version of the 1973-77 GM A-body chassis, but were much more space efficient. In fact, the 1977 Bonnevilles had more front headroom and rear legroom than the gigantic 1976 versions.
The standard engine for Bonnevilles was the 140 hp 4.9L 301 CID V8, with Turbo Hydramatic transmission. Optional engines included a 170 hp, 4 BBL 350 and 180 hp, 4 BBL 400. The Pontiac 350 was replaced with the Chevy 350 in 1978, and the 400 was discontinued in 1979. The lineup consisted of Catalina, Bonneville and Bonneville Brougham coupes and sedans, plus Grand Safari and Catalina Safari station wagons.
Bonneville and Catalina coupes could get an optional Landau vinyl roof. The Brougham added niceties like extra window sill trim, electric clock, power windows and an extra-plush interior trimmed in velour. All Bonnevilles had bright rocker moldings, a unique grille and taillights, and standard rear fender skirts to distinguish themselves from the more basic Catalinas.
1978 Bonnevilles received the usual front and rear styling changes. What had been the 1977 Brougham interior was now the standard Bonneville interior. Broughams had new loose-pillow seating in velour for extra decadence.
The Brougham interior would not have looked out of place in an Oldsmobile or Buick and actually reminds me a lot of the 1978 Park Avenue’s interior. Those who thought the acres of pillowed velour were a bit gauche could opt for the standard Bonneville and get a much more understated interior.
The most distinctive seating option was the Valencia interior. Available in red or tan, it consisted of special striped velour seating and door panel trim. It was an option on the Brougham only for 1977, but in ’78 could be had on any Bonneville.
One of the Bonneville’s best features was the instrument panel. A black trim section wrapped around from side to side and concealed the heating and air conditioning vents. Full gauges were also available as an option.
For whatever reason, the B-body 1977-79 Pontiacs were not big sellers. Perhaps it had to do with the Impala and Caprice offering a similar package for less money. At any rate, when comparing Caprice vs. Bonneville for 1977, there was no contest, with the Caprice’s 284,813 units eclipsing Bonneville production of 114,880. 1978 was slightly better with 125,297 Bonnevilles, but once again, the Caprice ruled the roost, with 263,909 built (figures cited exclude station wagons).
Although I prefer the Bonneville, the combination of rear fender skirts and the rounded rear deck may have made the Pontiac look less attractive than the Caprice to new car shoppers. The Caprice does have a somewhat trimmer, leaner look when compared to the Pontiac.
For whatever reason, the Pontiacs were the least-popular B-bodies, and Pontiac actually eliminated all their full-size cars after 1981. For 1982, the A-body Grand LeMans was given a new front end and renamed Bonneville Model G, replacing the true full-size Bonneville. The Catalina was axed. This proved to be a bad idea in the long run, as after the 1980-82 recession, car sales started picking up again, and Pontiac found itself without an entry in a market that was suddenly showing renewed interest in full-size cars.
There actually was a 1982 full-size Pontiac. GM of Canada did not feel it was a good idea to completely abandon the full size market, so they offered a Caprice-based Parisienne for 1982. The really rare variant was the coupe, built that year only.
Pontiac wound up importing Parisienne sedans and wagons to the US market starting in 1983. Sedans continued to be available through 1986, adding the 1980-81 Bonneville rear sheetmetal in 1985. The Safari wagon would last until 1989, then disappear.
I found this 1978 Brougham earlier this year and took some pictures for the Cohort. I remembered seeing it years earlier and was pleased to see it still parked on the same street, nearly ten years later. With the memories of Dad’s ’79, I had to stop and check it out.
It is well equipped, being a Brougham, and also has Rally II wheels and sport mirrors. The color is Chesterfield Brown, with velour interior in Camel Tan. It is also somewhat rare in that it does not have a vinyl roof. It has current tags, so it is still transportation for someone, though I’ve never seen it being driven.
As with just about every other Midwestern Bonneville still on the road, the rear fender skirts are gone.GM must have used the flimsiest hardware to attach them, as nearly every one I’ve seen since 1995 or so have them missing.
Here is a retouched photo of what the car would have looked like when new. Although I prefer the fender skirts, this car does look kind of nice without them, especially with the Rally IIs. I’d add some bright wheel trim around the rear wheel wells, though.
As for our 1979 Bonneville, it was traded in on a maroon 1981 or ’82 Volvo 242DL coupe. Mom had a ’77 245DL wagon, and I think Dad wanted something a little sportier. It turned out to be his last two-door car for almost twenty years. My brother came along in 1983, and Dad got a silver ’84 244GL shortly thereafter. When I asked him about the Bonneville while preparing this article, he really couldn’t remember much about it – we usually took the wagon on vacations, and when he was home, he was usually puttering around with the Porsche 356 he had owned since 1973. I guess it must have been a good car, as I’m sure he would have remembered it if it had a lot of problems. The 1977-79 Pontiacs were pretty good cars, even if they weren’t the most popular B-body.
Note: a rerun of an older post.
“My first car memory was riding in the back seat of the Bonneville while going through the car wash at a Shell station with my dad. This was back when car washes actually had brushes, so it was a while ago.”
Believe it or not: Here in Europe, these car washes with brushes -along with other types -are still widespread.
And well – the Bonneville wagon, as is often the case, looks the best of all.
There are still a few automatic car washes out my way that use brushes. I’ve never had them scratch my car noticeably, and I’m not convinced they’re inferior to brushless car washes.
They’re a problem if you use them on a brand-new vehicle or one that’s freshly painted. This can cause scratches in the paint. Once the paint has cured -I mean, really cured – they’re fine.
Foreign matter in the brushes can always be a problem, of course. But foreign matter isn’t good for the paintwork in other systems either.
I suspect the heavy rotating brushes consume quite a bit of power…
I’ve had a 74 Grand Ville and a 1980 Bonneville Brougham. Both were beautiful, luxurious automobiles. When the 80 was in for service, a salesman loaned me his Firebird ,thinking he might convince me to trade. When I picked up the Bonneville, he asked how I liked the Firebird. That was a HUGE mistake, as I told him I never wanted to ride in a low slung uncomfortable car with a seeming lack of shock absorbers. Yes Pontiac DID make great Luxury cars in the 70s and early 80s. Too bad that Pontiac, like so many others is now a memory of an era,unfortunately never to be seen again.
My brother had a 1979 Pontiac Parisienne with a 305. It was bought used in 1981. After only a few weeks of ownership, the horrid THM200 failed. His car then cost an extra $1000 or whatever it cost to swap out a THM350. It was a nice car and it drove just like a Chevy.
My father had an unusual penchant for automobiles. He bought a 1967 Cadillac which went immediately from the dealership to the tire store to be fitted with radial tires and Monroe-matic shock absorbers. It might have been the best handling Caddy in town, if not the state at the time.
He eventually sold the Cadillac and bought a 1974 BMW 3.0 sedan (a Bavaria with leather upholstery and power windows). Wow! What a difference in the dynamics of the two vehicles. Besides the desire to try something more “continental” he was also looking for better fuel economy after the first oil embargo.
After four great years with the BMW Dad began to get antsy about the cost of maintenance and eventual repairs on that car. The downsized GM B-bodies were well received so it was off to the Pontiac dealership to acquire a new 1978 Bonneville Brougham.
Dad owned six Pontiacs over the years but had never been a first adopter except for the 1959 Catalina 2-door hardtop he bought new in late 1958, the year he graduated from college. I guess he waited a year to see if the new downsized B-body cars were not a half-baked effort which so many later GM products proved to be.
Despite the Bonneville being the “brougham” version of the Bonneville with its carmine red pillow seats, the proper boxes where checked – F-41 suspension, 400 cu. in. V8, gauge package, and NO vinyl roof. Of course, no other transmission besides the 3-speed Turbo-hydramatic 400 was available with that engine.
Even with the 2.29:1 rear end the car accelerated very well for that era. It would even chirp the rear tires going into second in some instances. It also handled well for what is still a large American car, especially compared to its immediate predecessors.
All that said, it was comfortable and quiet and devoured the expansive highways of Texas like a magic carpet. Too bad the speedometer pegged at 85 mph. It would have been interesting to see what the top speed really was (drag limited of course).
The car did come standard with fender skirts. At one point they were stolen and the Bonneville did look a bit awkward without them. They were replaced of course. Dad was particular about his automobiles’ performance and looks.
Mr. Klockau, this reply is also a repeat of a previous one but slightly edited since my father passed last September at age 88. He was a GM man through and through; his other favorite brand was Buick which he usually chose for my mother except for new Volvos in 1973 (oil embargo induced) and 1983 (because he realized how safe they were and she was really racking up the miles in the ’70s and ’80s).
Dad’s penultimate ride was appropriately a Buick Park Avenue but, sadly, his last mode of transportation was a 2019 Buick Encore. He would never admit it just didn’t measure up to its antecedents.
The GM full sizers from 1977 to 1979 (all of them) are some of my favorite cars by them. Well designed and engineered. We had a ’77 Sedan DeVille and it was a very good car.
I have a vivid memory of walking through an acre of tightly-packed Bonnevilles and Catalinas at Dick Ide Pontiac in my hometown of Penfield, N.Y. with my dad, who was “just looking” to upgrade from our 1973 Plymouth Duster. Originally from Flint, he must have had a thing for fender skirts. While there were some beauties on the lot, budget constraints resulted in a 1980 Malibu instead. The kind with fixed rear windows, ugh. He didn’t even spring for air conditioning, which made muggy summer drives back to Michigan really brutal. Come on dad, get the Bonneville!
My father had a ’77 Bonneville. It was a good car for him and he kept it about 10 years. The rear bumper was polished aluminum and the bracketry supporting it was also aluminum. Unfortunately GM chose not to coat the bracketry and when the car was older the rear bumper fell off due to corrosion of said bracketry. It looked like delaminated plywood.
I’ve written about our 1981 Bonneville Brougham here before. I really enjoyed that car. Cindy’s grandfather traded in his 78 BB with the 400 for the 81, and Pontiac was running a special if you took their here today gone tomorrow 265 V8.
If my memory serves, it included A/C.
It was a really good car until the weak transmission failed. We took it in and the shop ripped us off. With no more money to get a proper THM 350 installed, it was sold to a friend. They had the correct transmission installed and she drove it for what seemed like forever. Great article