The Pontiac Bonneville is an automobile built by Pontiac from 1957 to 2005. Bonnevilles were full-sized, with the exception of a brief period of mid-size between 1982–1986. The brand was introduced as a limited production performance convertible during the 1957 model year. The Bonneville (known as the Parisienne in Canada until 1981), and its platform partner, the Grand Ville, are some of the largest Pontiacs ever built; in station wagon body styles they reached just over 230 inches (5.8 m) long, and at 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) and more were also some of the heaviest cars produced at the time. Also, they came with a Jetaway 315 and also were available as hearses.
Seventh generation (1982–1986)
The Bonneville nameplate didn't go anywhere following the discontinuation of full-sized Pontiacs and instead was simply swapped onto the midsized LeMans, which also suffered from poor sales, thus GM planners reasoned that attaching a more well-known model name to it would spark demand. This model had been produced since 1978 along with its siblings the Chevrolet Malibu, Oldsmobile Cutlass, and Buick Century, and sported a Buick 231 cid V6, Chevrolet 305 cid V8, or Oldsmobile 350 cid diesel V8. (A Buick 4.1 liter V6 was available in 1982.) The 1982-1986 models were officially known as the Pontiac Bonneville Model G (built on the GM "G" platform), although later models were not badged as such. Styling was revised to bear a closer resemblance to the departed B-body Bonneville and coupes were dropped. GM also began marketing the Bonneville in Canada for the first time starting in 1984 (1982 and 1983 Canadian models carried the Grand LeMans name), as GM's full-size Bonnevilles in Canada were referred to as Parisienne.
While the previous LeMans, on which the new Bonneville was based, was classified as an A-Body, introduction of GM's new front wheel drive A-bodies (e.g. Pontiac 6000) in 1982 prompted the change to "Model G" on these RWD cars. 1983 was the last year for the G-body station wagon as the Pontiac 6000's wagon replaced it. The Bonneville sedan continued in base, Limited Edition (LE), and Brougham versions through 1986. The 1982-1986 Bonnevilles are direct descendants of the 1964 Pontiac Tempest. These 1982-1986 Bonnevilles were the smallest and the last of the old breed of Bonnevilles, having rear wheel drive, full perimeter frame (body on frame), and old-fashioned American car ride and styling.
Some Pontiac customers did not take to the "downsized" Bonneville as a portion of new-car buyers were switching their preferences from compact and mid-sized cars back to full-sized, V8-powered cars thanks to improving gasoline prices. Late in the 1983 model year, Pontiac reintroduced a full-sized car to the American market by bringing over the Canadian-built Pontiac Parisienne (which was essentially a restyled Chevrolet Caprice and powered by Chevrolet V6 or V8 engines). The Bonneville was then again one notch below the top of the line from late 1983 through 1986.
However, exactly as before, a downsizing proved its salvation. In 1987, the Parisienne was discontinued and the Bonneville was completely redesigned as a front-wheel drive car, rejoining its pre-1982 platform mates: the Buick LeSabre and Oldsmobile Delta 88 and it regained its status as the senior Pontiac.
Source: Wikipedia
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