Parking Lot Spotlight – 1967 Pontiac Bonneville!!

I haven’t written a Parking Lot Spotlight (#ParkingLotSpotlight) in a while, but this beautiful Bonneville was worth breaking the dry spell for.

Spotted this beauty just today as I had to run back to the grocery store because there are days, although armed with a list, things just don’t make in the shopping cart.  This particular return trip paid off.

The ’67 Pontiac lineup these days are pretty much dominated, at least in the collector world, by the Firebird, GTO, Tempest, LaMans, Gran Prix but I love the other two door offerings you could find in the showrooms.   These include some awesome cars with long, low lines, roomy interiors and massive trunks.  They came in hard and soft tops as well.  Some of those sported model names like Executive series which in NO-WAY looked like a stuffy exec car.  These were muscular and sporting.  Cars like the  Catalina 2+2 with (eight lug wheels) and the Pontiac Executive are exceptional looking cars and powered with V8s and 4bbl carbs.

I have always coveted the Bonneville models of the mid-1960, they remind me of my first car, 1966 Impala.  Same long lines  and big interiors and I loved the dash and instrument setup.

So check out this beauty:

Great looking paint - not original but beautiful

Great looking paint – not original but beautiful

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These are the lines I’m talking about. Long and low….AWESOME.

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HUGE trunk!!! Love those inset taillights and how the bumper is incorporated into the design of the rear end.

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Long and sleek belt lines and the white-painted top does this car justice!!

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Over/Under headlights with the bottom set incorporated in to a beautiful distinctive chrome bumper.  (One drawback of having to manage a good pic in a crowded parking lot – I couldn’t get the perfect front end shot.)

That year the Bonneville came in a 2 door hard top like this beauty as well as 4 door sedan, 2 door convertible and even a station wagon.   Engines available were the 230 CID in various configurations as well as the 326 CID and the 400 CID engine and the 428 CID  all as options.  Sychromesh or Turbo-Hydromatic transmission were available.  There were 96,708 passenger Bonnevilles produced.  Of interest was that 483 Bonnevilles were sold to car converters and at least one of those turned up as the car that the fictitious (at the time) band the “Monkees” tooled around on the television show of the same name.  Oh, you might have heard of the guy that bought at least one of the Bonnevilles and turned it into the this cool car – George Barris!!

MonkeeMobile

MonkeeMobile

According to the for sales sign this Bonneville is powered by the 400 CID topped with a 4bbl carb which would put this between 333 HP and 350 HP.  The transmission is the 400 Turbo-Hydromatic.

I love the interior  of this factory air car!!!

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Love the linear gauges!! Is that a factory 8 Track!?!?!!! Come on that is SO COOL!!!!  Options list I found doesn’t show this as an option.

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Cloth seats and look at all the room!!! Love the large center speaker and it has the front bench seats with the pull down arm rest. It looks as it should!!!

 

Of course I’m at the grocery store and no time to hang around and wait for the owner to show up.

As a side note I don’t know this car nor the owner.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

I don't really need a Lambo....but.....

 

Parking Lot Spotlight – 1969 Mercury Cougar – Awesome!

I haven’t done a Parking Lot Spotlight in a while and this is a great car to pick the series back up with.  Check this one out!!!!!

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Wheels look great!!!!

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Love the chrome work and the wrap around backup lights. That two tone paint is pretty good looking too!!!

I find these to be such a great looking vehicles and dare I say in some cases even better than some of their Mustang cousins.  The hidden headlights and the full (nearly full) length tail lights make these so distinct and much more difficult to restore then the Mustang – as far as getting NOS parts.

I’m not alone in thinking that the new for 1967 Cougar was unique and that first year through 1970 were the best years.  After that they became cross-bred with a Marauder and then by the mid 70’s virtually indistinguishable from the squared off T-bird not to mention it’s overtly plushiness.

In 1969 you could get the Cougar with a 302, 351W  in either a V2 or V4 configuration or Boss 302.  Previous years a 289 was available and in early 70’s  the 351C, 351 CJ, and  351 Boss were options.  Those are the best engine Ford had to offer at the time!!! (May be ever!!)

For 1969 you could get the Cougar in the Coupe, Convertible with a standard trim, Eliminator or XR-7  packages. Production numbers totaled just over 100k units broken down like this:

 

Coupe –  66,331 Convertible – 5,796
XR-7 Coupe – 23,918 XR-7 Convertible – 4,024

 

Got a Cougar?  Let’s see it!!!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim

1973 Mustang SportsRoof

1973 Mustang Sports Roof

 

Readers Cars 01/03/2010

I enjoy seeing readers’ cars.  Here is a 1982 Mercury Cougar Stationwagon…..YES!!!  That’s what I said…”They did what????” Submitted by Steve Sears. There were 19,254 Cougar wagons built, in GS and Villager trim, in 1982. The only other year there were Cougar wagons was 1977 when 9,700+ built. I’d be willing to bet that …