The sad thing about classic cars is that many of them were sent to the scrapyard when their owners got newer, more modern automobiles. But some got luckier than the rest and ended up in garages and barns.
Sure, these cars also got neglected for decades, but some of them eventually came out of storage to get restored. The 1967 Pontiac Bonneville you see here is one of those cars that got a second chance after spending a whopping 40 years in storage.
A one-owner car, this Bonneville was last registered in 1982. There's no info as to why it was parked but what we do know for a fact is that the Poncho didn't see daylight until early 2023. That's when the owner's nephew took it out of storage and sent it to the folks over at "WD Detailing" to have it cleaned up and detailed.
But not before his grandmother got to see the car for the first time in decades, getting all emotional about it. Much more so when she was told that the Bonneville was about to get a makeover.
Even though it spent four decades off the road, the car left the garage in surprisingly good condition. Yes, it was all covered in dust and dirt and the soft top was a bit shabby, but the body panels were still straight as an arrow and devoid of serious rust issues. More importantly, the Bonneville still had all the chrome trim that makes mid-1960s automobiles a sight to behold.
Things were a bit more tricky inside the cabin and in the trunk due to rat infestation, but everything cleaned up nicely in the end. Not only do the leather seats look almost like new, but the dash is crack-free and the floor panels are still in one piece.
The interior is just as gorgeous. The chrome trim shines again, while the Champagne paint looks almost as good as it did from the factory. Yeah, it still has small paint chips and it's far from perfect, but this Poncho returned from the dead as a wonderful survivor. And needless to say, the result left the owner speechless.
Definitely worthy of a spot in the Barn Finds display at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, this Bonneville only needs a bit of work under the hood to roam the streets again. And hopefully, it will have its V8 revived sooner than later.
This Bonneville is part of the fourth generation iteration of the nameplate, which was produced from 1965 to 1970. Built on the same B-body platform as the Chevrolet Impala, Buick LeSabre, and Oldsmobile Dynamic 88, it was offered in a variety of body styles, including two- and four-door hardtops, a convertible, and a station wagon.
The engine lineup included five different V8 mills, with displacements ranging from 389 to 455 cubic inches (6.4 to 7.5 liters). In 1967, the convertible was offered with a 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) mill rated at 265 to 333 horsepower and a 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) unit good for 360 to 375 horsepower. Pontiac sold 96,708 Bonnevilles in 1967, but only 8,902 were convertibles.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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