Thanks for the memories. When I was 3 years old, my dad bought a ‘67 4-door blue Catalina, the first new car he ever owned, which replaced a homely Valiant. I loved the Catalina and thought it was my personal Batmobile. As a kid I didn’t have the strength to push in the button on the door handle to enter. But when on a warm day the car was parked in our driveway, and if the front window was rolled all the way down, that sturdy chromed door handle gave me sufficient handhold to pull myself up and walk up the side of the door with my feet until I could tumble over into the front seat and then sit looking at all the gauges, pretending I was driving. I loved the Pontiac Indian head emblem that glowed red at night when the driver hit the brights switch on the floor. My older brother eventually inherited the car when in college. I think it stayed in the family around 10 years, until it was sold off with 200,000+ miles. If my dad ever saw my little sneaker prints on the driver’s side door, he never said anything about it, or maybe I did a good enough job licking my hand and rubbing them away upon egress.
@tntanto So you weren't strong enough to push the button on the door handle, but you could use the same door handle to assist in climbing up the door and through the window??? Nice story there bud.....
My first sight of a 1967 Pontiac was at elementary school during recess. All the kids on the playground stopped in their tracks when a Bonneville 4-door hardtop cruised by a nearby side street, heading for the main boulevard. Every kid ran to the fence that stretched along the boulevard to see this car float by. That '67 front end looked awesome and I can still hear the "oohs" and "aahs" from my classmates as the stunning looks of that Pontiac sank in. I made sure to pick up a showroom brochure when me and dad made the New Car rounds the following week.
Indeed. I grew up in a little African country called Swaziland and cars like this were never seen there. I really like American muscle cars from the era and Pontiac is simply awesome
These GM full size cars, 65-70, are my absolute favorite cars. All of them. Don't care if it's a Coupe DeVille, a Bonneville, a big bad Buick Wildcat, or a sweet 88. GM's design, engineering, and manufacturing were at their peak during this period. For as outlandish as the front of the 67 Pontiacs was, the rest of the car was seriously gorgeous while also managing to be quite muscular and handsome.
My childhood neighbor was a pilot for TWA and he bought a new 67 Gran Prix Convertible. He let me take care of it. It was silver with a black top and interior. It had a different front end with little lights in the upper ends of front above bumper. It held up really well. Didn't rust and Maryland used salt in winter. He kept it for about 5 years and I wanted my dad to buy it but he wouldn't buy a used car. We had a 68 LeMans and it had a sort of aqua vinyl with the metalic coloring. These are exceptional Pontiacs. Glad to see one again.
I'm not as big a lover of Pontiac's as you but I have to admit, and I'm old enough to remember this, that there was nothing to compare with the sound of a 65/66 GTO opening up the three two's on a warm summer evening.
My dad bought a new 1967 Hardtop (black vinyl) coupe in deep blue with the 400 4-barrel and bucket seats with console. Absolutely awesome vehicle! “Bonnie”, as we called her, would go down the freeway at 90+ all day with little effort!
You’re totally right! The styling is just stunning particularly in the side profile. An attractive interior too, and it has COLOUR (I’m English so that’s the spelling), modern designers please note that you can have car interiors that are not all black, after all how many folks decorate rooms in their homes entirely in black. With a very few exceptions SUV’s are boxy and dull in comparison. Such a beautiful car. Many thanks.
@kellynestegard5208 And who might you be, the sheriff of all things Pontiac? Larry Hagman, on I Dream of Jeanie, always had a new '60s Pontiac. I don't recall you being present at the time.
@@jeffreyrogers8151 well considering that Pontiac only had one block casting size, unlike Chevy, Olds, and Buick, then yeah, there wasn't a "big block Pontiac".
I remember sliding down my neighbor's '65 fastback Bonneville after they waxed it. As a child and many decades ago, of course. It was a 421 and could do legendary burnouts.
Thanks for doing 67 Pontiac. This was my first car. My father gave it to me in 75 to commute to school. It was a 2 dr fastback silver with black vinyl top with spinners that said PMD in the middle. My brothers friends called it the batmobile. My second car which I paid for was a 72 Cutlass saturn gold with black vinyl top I paid $1800 in 1977.
I paid $450 for my first car in 1978. It was a 1969 Camaro 350, maroon with a red interior. Boy do I miss that car and after all these years still can’t afford to replace it. 🤦🏻♂️
My Dad had a '66 Caddy, and this Pontiac's dash was very similar. I think the late 60's was the peak of automotive styling. This Bonny fastback is a clear winner.
@MarinCipollina Don't you like the 1973 and 1974 Grand Ams though? Their very stylish front ends would have made an awesome Safari mid-size wagon conversion or El Camino conversion..... for a talented GM-enthusiast bodyshop. I realize the 1970s cars aren't automatically popular...but remember they were new running up & down my neighborhood roads when I was a happy little kid with aspirations. Plus, today hearing ANY 1970s hit record like, "Bad time ( to fall in love )" from Spring 1975 - Grand Funk Railroad..... automatically floods my mind with childhood memories I couldn't trade for the entire world...
@@67marlins Yeah, I get it.. My next door neighbor had a 1973 Silver 2 door Pontiac Grand Am with a maroon interior and the 7.5 liter 455 V8... My cousin had a 1974 Pontiac TRANS AM with the 455 SD Super Duty engine, a full on racing engine that Pontiac dared to produce, but that was the end of the era for pure Pontiac V8 power.. and yeah, I turned 18 in 1975.. Music was much better.. Rolling Stones, The Doors, Alvin Lee, Pink Floyd, Cream, Allman Brothers Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, George Harrison, Rod Stewart and Faces, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Doobie Brothers, UFO, Eagles, Robin Trower, Johnny Winter, Joe Walsh, Neil Young and that barely scratches the surface.. much many more great artists.. real quality rock and roll.. it was a great era to be a teenager !! But I was driving a couple of cars.. I had a 1964 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, and a 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix with the 428 V8.. Pontiac factory dual exhaust used resonators that gave Pontiacs a very distinctive deep V8 rumble.. It would bark and snarl.. Pontiac was so badass that era, year after year was unforgettable.. .. Those cars were the greatest !
@MarinCipollina Your Gran Prix reminds me of Henry Hill's in Goodfellas except his was a 1968 with the unique almost Edsel-like taillights dropping South as they drift to the center license plate I'll bet it was a beautiful car!
My Dad had a 1967 Catalina Executive this exact color but with black interior. He sold it to me as my first car. It was such a nice driving car. It was in great shape and I got from him when I turned 17 for just $300. This sure brought back some memories.
My late father had 2 1967 Bonneville convertibles. Both had the 428 engine. The first one was a Burgandy one with a white top, which was destroyed when it was burned by a jealous ex- boyfriend of my future mom when dad was still dating her in 1970. The 2nd was an insurance replacement and was a dark green (almost black looking) model with a black top. Both cars were fully loaded and had a black interior. I have pictures of the burgandy one that got torched before I was born, but the dark green one he had when I was little was beautiful. Sadly, he parked the car in 1979 due to the 2nd oil crisis when he couldn't afford to "feed it" any longer and sold it shortly thereafter. I wish he would have kept it longer so I could have had the chance to drive it when I got older.
Great description of a great car. I had a bright red one that I bought used in 71 when I was a senior in high school. It was everything you said and more. It was not unusual to be riding around with 8 of us in it and not uncomfortable. Once while camping at the local lake we had a total of 12 people (4 in trunk) going from the campsite to (couple miles) the beach, it was on the bumpstops. Like you said it floated out easily but it would cruise at high speed no problem and plenty of torque. Several times I would messed around with muscle cars on the interstate where we were already running 70 mph or so. Most were geared lower and I could run with them and when they topped out at 90-100 mph I would be beside them and shift into 3rd and leave them behind. The speedo would go past that big turn signal to the gas gauge. It was stable and just floated eating up the road it seemed. I just loved to cruise and take long trips (at the speed limit also) since the car was so so comfy you could travel and not get tired. I don't remember it being that hard on gas but the high test was only 30 cents a gallon. I think it usually took $8.00 to fill it up. It was so shiny and beautiful and I was so proud of it I would polish it every month. It never once left me stranded, it was so awesome I wish I still had it, I would take a cruise right now to wherever it took me, sometimes it would be a couple states away! Thanks for the memories my friend.
I always loved the 'exotic' front-end of the '67 full-size Pontiacs, and the swoopy fastback coupe styling on the full-size platform is incredibly dramatic when viewed first hand.
I loved those burgundy and maroon colors of the mid sixties GM cars. The Pontiacs and even the Corvettes were beautiful. Corvette had Milano and Marlboro maroon, both of which were lovely, especially with the tan-ish interiors. Some of the Pontiacs had the two or tri tone interiors with burgundy and maroon. Amazing! thanks for posting.
My dream car is the '65 Catalina 2+2, (I myself, being a '65 model year lol) but I would settle for any of the variants of the B-Bodies of '65-'67. My grandfather had a '66 Catalina 4dr, and I spent much of my childhood in the back of a cavernous '69 Catalina wagon. I still remember the day that we picked it up at the dealership. I wanted my dad to get the GTO that was next to it, but he didn't listen. 😂I was 4 yrs old. Good times.
We had a 1967 Impala SS Coupe also very beautiful, but not a beautiful as this Bonnevile. We also had a ‘68 Catalina with the 400. Your description of this engine is exactly how I remember it.
I had a 1967 Catalina. It had the 400 2 barrel. When people were in the car they thought it had stalled when it stopped at a traffic light. Such a smooth engine.
Mom had a beautiful 65 Bonneville that I actually, luckily, started driving her around in at age 14! I loved that car, n also passed my test in it the 1st time at 16. That 3 point turn was no joke! Not sure I could've done it without almost 2 yrs under my belt! That front end was long n high n felt like u were literally on the water in a boat! They sure don't build'em like that anymore!! I also had a 76 Grand Prix that I wish I still had! Pontiacs beauty back then can't be mached 2day. I now have a gorgeous 05 Grand Prix GXP, no class at all but it's got sum balls with a 5.3 V8 n 160 on the speedo! Luv ur vids, thanks!!!❤😎👍👍👍
I still remember sitting outside on the sidewalk waiting for my grand parents coming to pick me up for the day or over night in their Blue 1967 Bonneville which was majestic looking and as a 9 year old I loved the styling and power windows. My grandpa always kept every car (he was the Family Car nut I inherited the car bug from NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT) running like show room new. All the Relatives wanted his car when he was ready to buy another one knowing nothing was wrong with them. I knew very little about cars then except the makes and models and just learning the years. We had no car material to read in our home or anyones home I visited. Once in a blue moon dad would bring me a magazine from his work that was lying around always Racing car type magazine which was not my thing but I still would look for the new car ads in the magazine. If it was 1967 and I had a choice of any GM mid range priced car I would of picked Pontiac all day. Dodge and plymouths styling was different but the interiors let them down. Our ‘68 Ford wagon was a tank and did everything a wagon could possibly do and was a work horse. We owned it until 1978. I grew up with that car.
If you watched My Three Sons or I Dream of Jeannie you pretty much were watching a Pontiac commercial. I always liked Major Nelson's choice in GTOs. On My Three Sons, the Douglas family had a Pontiac station wagons as well as a Lemans convertible...but used Mercurys in the last season of the show.
Hawk, played by none other than Burt Reynolds, drove Pontiacs of this era. The show only lasted maybe a little over a season, and I forget what network it was on...
I have 1967 Pontiac _Parisienne_ convertible in "JJ" Verde Green Metallic with white top and white seats and door panels. It has the original 283 V8 with 2 speed Powerglide. Power windows, power convertible top and AM/FM radio with "flip over dial scale" but fairly basic aside from that. No AC. Heater / defrost controls are slider type, not the "radio" style. No passenger side "grab handle" under the glove box either. Bonneville has triple taillights on each side, Parisienne has dual taillights.
Thanks for the video. I'd like to comment on few points made relative to my 1967 Catalina. I drove the car for 9 years, replacing it with a 1984 1/2 Escort wagon (my first new car) after getting married and anticipating children. It was stepdown, for sure, but the ol' girl had gotten long in the tooth in too many ways to justify the needed extensive repairs. In high school I worked as an audio/video tech at Motech Automotive Education Center in Livonia MI, which, by being to exposed to heavy mechanical work done there, gave me the confidence to rebuild the engine. I later attended full-time, completing the year-long program and obtaining my NIASE certification in the (then) all 8 areas. It always ran great with the only issue being that in extreme hot weather after running at highway speeds, would not crank fast enough to start until it cooled down. When I sold the my Yak, the guy who bought it told me it was just for the engine. My dash had the real walnut veneer, which unfortunately swelled up and pulled away from the dash in few spots, ultimately cracking from being inadvertently bumped while reaching for controls. You mention the standard 4 barrel 400 V8; perhaps standard for the Bonny?...mine had a 2 barrel Rochester and single exhaust. Lastly, to my eyes the engine shown looks to be painted GM "bright blue" opaque rather than the blue/green metallic, which mine certainly was. Thanks for the memories; my wife and I both enjoyed the presentation enough to want to sell our Camaro for another Grand Dame '67.
Many fond memories for me of 1967 Pontiacs, we had a light blue 4 door Hardtop Bonneville and a beige 4 door Hardtop Catalina Since I was the youngest of 4 brothers, I sat in the front between Mom & Dad. What a wonderful dash !! Great cars indeed. Thank you the awesome videos.
Thank you Adam. Thank you for mentioning and sharing the Canadian Grande' Parisienne. It was sold in Australia as well. Pontiac carried the round gauges in one form or another on its models over the years. The last Bonneville 2000-2005 had the round gauges and air vents. The 1982-1986 G Body Pontiac Bonneville had round gauges and air vents. You are right about car interiors today in 2024. They used to pay so much attention to detail in the interior and exterior.
My dad bought a '67 Bonneville new. Four door, but with the 428. My god that car would run! I got to drive it occasionally in '70 and '71 after I got my license. Thanks for the horsepower numbers, no wonder it ran so hard. Thanks for showing this one, beautiful car.
I had a 67 two door with turquoise paint and interior. Beautiful car. A little Easter egg is the high beam indicator light, it's in the shape of a chief head. All other badging is the Pontiac Arrowhead.
I was a kid in the 60's. In Canada, we had the Parisienne 2+2 for 67. No fender skirts on that one. I have a distinct memory of seeing a few on the streets of the city where I grew up. My mom was a nurse in a health care facility run by the Grey Nuns. The nun who ran the place when my mom started working there in 67 eventually left the order. A few years later, she came to our house to visit my mom, and pulled into our driveway in an eye-popping dark blue Parisienne coupe.
Rest his soul: Uncle Roger Scott, Sr. was a U.S. veteran until his death, some 3 decades ago! During the 1970s era, a Pontiac Catalina was always the car he'd drive; in the late '80s-early '90s, he drove a Ford (Lincoln Continental)!!
My mother had a 68 Bonneville Brougham coupe that was purchased when it was not quite a year old. It had been ordered by an oil distributor in our small MO town. After a parking lot incident the local GM dealer told him it would be several weeks before the damage could be repaired, so he traded it on a new Toronado. Strangely they had it on the lot within a week! The car had been ordered with almost all options. Power locks, windows, seat, steering and disc brakes, AM-FM stereo and 8-track player, AC (not sure if it was std or comfortron), cornering lights, and cruise control. This had the knit cloth upholstery with the strato-bench seat and fold down armrests front and rear. It was by far the nicest car my parents had owned. It was also equipped with a 428 which was identified by the numbers in red just aft of the front wheel. Sadly I never got to drive it as it was traded before I was old enough to drive. I think the 67 front is much better looking than the 68, otherwise they are almost identical, interior wise the IP and door panels were revised for 1968.
My dad has owned probably 25 cars since the late '50s. Of all of them, we both agree that his '67 Ventura was our favorite for style. It was cream color with a black vinyl top and black interior. Same wheel covers as your feature car. High compression 400 2bbl. I particularly love that front end styling.
In Canada the 67 Pontiac Grand Prix front end also went on a station wagon - the Grande Parisienne Safari. It was essentially the 67 Pontiac Executive wagon with the Grand Prix front end. A neighbor had one in white with the woodgrain panelling.
I can relate to this! I had a '67 Ventura 4 door hardtop for a few years. I used to occasionally commute from ABQ to Los Alamos in that thing, and it would get 18 mpg, even climbing some pretty good grades, and at high elevations (Los Alamos is at 7500 feet). It was a freeway sled.
In the Fall of 1966 Dad cross-shopped the 4-door 'Bird, Chrysler Newport and Bonneville. That year Dad must have gotten a raise because we got new furniture, an RCA color TV console, new avocado green kitchen appliances, new green exterior house paint and the '67 Bonneville 4-door, green of course with black vinyl top and interior. It was a beauty and we felt like millionaires cruising around town. I hoped he would get the Grand Prix but he wanted the 4-doors for his carpool. Unfortunately it was plagued by ignition problems and Dad grew to hate the car, trading it for a T-Bird in '72 and swore off GM cars for ever. I continued to love Pontiac styling and to this day thing the '69 Grand Prix is awesome.
Adam, thank you so much for this highly laudatory review of the 1967 Bonneville. To me, the 1967 and 1968 models are the ultimate expression of Pontiac style among its full-size cars. I agree, the profiles of those coupes are indeed some of the most sweeping you'll ever see on any car. I think that holds true even for the four-doors and wagons. I myself have a Bonneville station wagon in Montreux Blue and even with a faded finish and a deteriorating vinyl top, people tell me it's a beauty! BTW, there is one significant feature about the 1967 models you would have been keen to point out: they were the first cars ever to have concealed windshield wipers, and in 1967 it was a Pontiac exclusive. Pontiacs had been setting many styling trends prior to 1967 and that was just the latest. Many other GM cars would have them in 1968 and the rest of the industry began to follow from there! That said, indeed I hope you do find a big, beautiful 1967 Pontiac of your own soon! Thanks again, Adam!
I remember the best thing about rainy days was seeing the 1967 wipers in action. There was never a more spectacular wiping pattern than those dual articulated wipers. I think the 1968 Cadillac did also, but couldn’t swear to it.
I had a 1970 four door Catalina with small block 400 and I had that same front end that you didn't like and I just loved that front end.....so it had a mug only a mom could love I guess.
My uncle had a beautiful 2+2 in a dark turquoise. Beautiful car, and the stacked front end with the arrow head. I think I have a 67 brochure in my collection.
Adam - this channel is fantastic! I’ve been binge watching it for the past week. How about a brief video on your story; your background and your car collection? Thanks for all the great content. The videos with the GM designers discussing the evolution of the designs are fascinating.
My Aunt had an old Pontiac station wagon, maybe a 1965?, low mile, garage Queen, in 1995 I was 16 and she let me drive it for a day, that car had so much power...people think old cars had no power, this one had the "big engine", that car would go from 0-60 in like 6 seconds...floor it at 10 mph and it would leave black marks on the pavement...
The full-size B-Body coupes (like this Bonneville) are my favorites. I would love one of these Bonnevilles and add, as companion pieces, the Olds Delta 88 Custom coupe and Buick Wildcat Custom coupe. All three are beautiful variations on the coke-bottle, fastback styling theme.
My Dad's friend (and our mechanic) had a '67 Parisienne 2+2 in blue with the buckets and console. Even as a kid, it left an impression as a great looking car! Just timelessly beautiful.
The 1967 I feel has the most aggressive styled front end the angular brows over the top and bottom headlamps just looks sinister like the Batmobile. If it was a 2+2 that's the only way to get better than this. Refined, stylish, and powerful enough to get you there quickly if you choose. What a great example this Bonneville is that you have shown us.
Thanks for this one, Adam !! It never gets better than 1960s big Pontiacs, and this 1967 Bonneville coupe is a prime example.. With you on the 1970, which looks like a bloated pig compared to the svelte designs of the mid and early 1960s Ponchos.. I'd have one for every year, 1961 through 1969 if I could find good ones. By the way, the 1961 Bonneville had the triple round tail lights which really mimicked the Impala that year..
Pontiacs of this era really stood out! The styling AND performance was always a cut above other GM brands. They still had some highlights by the early'70s but the aura was quickly fading.
My friend had a 67 Bonneville as his first car in that very color, just with a black vinyl roof and black cloth interior, and it was a 4 door hardtop. Interestingly, the original owner (an old man who smoked a cigar, I was told) ordered it without a radio. But it was a nice car, and powerful!
I agree Adam, Pontiacs are my favorite overall line of cars from the 1960's and '70's. If you look up the prices, they really weren't much more than Chevrolets, especially when you factor in the additional standard features, larger standard engines, longer wheelbases, etc. I'd say they were every bit as nice as Oldsmobiles, almost as nice as Buicks if optioned that way, and best looking of all of them. Add in less expensive than Olds and Buick, those Pontiacs offered great value for money.
The Full Sized Fast Back's or Hard Top's from Ford & GM are some of the best looking cars. IMO Always bin a Full Size Fan but the best looking were the bodies without a B piller. 😎👍
