The 1958 Pontiac was a one-year only body design and the most flamboyant of GM’s chief designer Harley Earl. After World War II Earl decided cars should look like jet airplanes and rocket ships. As the 1950’s blossomed cars started to take on wild paint jobs, tail fins and chrome. Lots of chrome.
The 1958 Bonneville had a rocket ship chrome emblem on the side and airplanes on the tops of the front fenders. Colors were bright and happy and two-tone paint was considered very stylish. Rangoon Red and Greystone White were the preferred colors for the convertible.
The 58 Pontiac has been an iconic design of the time and is actively sought after by collectors. 1958 was a economic recession year and total production was low for all manufactures.
This was the second year for Pontiac to offer the Rochester fuel injection unit and the only year it was offered as a dealer installed option. It’s high price of $517 on a car with a base price of $3700 was considered extreme and not many factory installed units were produced. The 1958 production of Bonneville convertibles was only 3096 units and it is estimated less then 200 were ordered with fuel injection.
Bucket seats were another “first time” option for Pontiac. The 2 plus 2 seating, in red and white leather, replacing the standard bench seat, made the interior of the car unique and stylish.
This car is equipped with power steering, power brakes, Hydramatic transmission, power windows and dual spotlights with integral rear-view mirrors. The radio is one of the very first transistor car radios offered. Pontiac called it the “transportable” because you could pull it out of the dash and take it with you. It came with its own internal battery and an automatic electric rear fender mounted antenna that extended when the radio was turned on and retreated when the radio was turned off.
The speed minder option was not a cruise control but rather a warning buzzer if you exceed the preselected speed. The gas filler was carefully hidden behind the drivers side rear back up lamp. A chrome tissue dispenser is mounted under the dash. Even the carpets had silver threads running though then.
This car was awarded “best original car” in the Original Parts Group, (OPG) all Pontiac car show in 2018.
