Bonneville Tri Power 1958 for sale

You don’t need to know anything about a ’58 Bonneville Convertible to appreciate it. It’s a car that could only have come from America; it was 211 inches long and weighed 4,040 pounds of steel and chrome, and had all the powerful engine options you could ever want. In its first year of having its own line of cars, the Bonneville was among the hottest cars in the searing GM lineup, and a Tri-Power Bonneville Convertible led the 1958 Indianapolis 500. It was an expensive and exclusive car, though: both the price and production were comparable to that of the Corvette - and only 3,096 convertibles were sold in that first year. Beyond the styling, Pontiac was a high-performance engine company with its own unique offerings. The 370 cubic inch V-8 was oversized, reliable, and supremely powerful, especially with the Tri-Power/Hydra-Matic transmission combination that produced 300 horsepower, thanks to a 10.5:1 compression and a high-lift camshaft. Hot Rod tested a Tri-Power sedan in 1958 and found it could reach 60 mph in 7.6 seconds, but the convertible weighs about 200 pounds more than the sedan, so it would be a second or two slower. (Since few enthusiasts today buy Bonnevilles to win drag races, it’s an easy compromise to make for the styling of the convertible.) There was also a Rochester fuel injection system rated at 310 horsepower available, but in testing, Motor Trend found that the Tri-Power was actually faster and, of course, much less troublesome. Restorations of 1958 Bonneville Convertibles are difficult and expensive, as supplies of NOS parts and parts cars are both highly limited. Fortunately, this car not only had an incredibly well-preserved restoration, but the consignor also ensured it is in optimal running condition. The carburetors have just been tuned, and a new top and wide whitewall radial tires complete the interior work, which includes new color-matched seatbelts. A recent one-day rally demonstrated the car’s ability to travel at highway speeds without difficulty. In fact, this car wouldn’t be available if the consignor didn’t think it was too nice to be exposed to the salt air of his beach house.