Pontiac Bonneville in Context
In any Pontiac Bonneville overview, the seventh generation stands out as a repositioning rather than a straightforward redesign. Pontiac had built the Bonneville as its flagship full-size car since the late fifties, but rising fuel costs and shifting buyer tastes led the division to apply the name to its intermediate platform, the same basic architecture used by the Grand Prix and shared with other General Motors divisions. The result was a more compact, traditional sedan with a longitudinal engine, rear drive and formal styling aimed at conservative buyers who still valued a Pontiac badge.
Understanding 7 generation
Understanding this generation means appreciating how different it is from its neighbours in the Pontiac Bonneville generations. The only body style listed is the four-door sedan, so the coupes and wagons of earlier eras are absent, and it was succeeded by a front-drive Bonneville that changed the model's character again. Among Pontiac Bonneville body styles, this sedan is the last with the classic rear-drive layout, which gives it a following among enthusiasts who prefer the simpler mechanical approach of the early eighties.