Pontiac Bonneville Special
| Pontiac Bonneville Special | |
|---|---|
1 of the 2 Bonneville Specials | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Pontiac (General Motors) |
| Also called | SO 2026 |
| Production | 1954 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Concept sports car |
| Body style | 2-door canopy coupé |
| Related |
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| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 268 cu in (4.4 L) "Special"-8 I8 |
| Transmission | 4-speed Hydramatic automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 100.001 in (2,540 mm) |
| Length | 158.3 in (4,021 mm) |
| Height | 48.001 in (1,219 mm) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Pontiac Strato-Streak |
The Pontiac Bonneville Special is a concept car unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1954, the first two-seat sports car prototype the division had ever produced. Conceived by designer Harley J. Earl and hand-built by Homer C. LaGassey Jr. and Paul Gilland, the Special is a grand touring sport coupé that incorporated innovative styling like a Plexiglas canopy with gull-wing windows on a sleek fiberglass body.
The name "Bonneville" was meant to convey high performance, inspired by a trip Earl had taken to Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to observe speed trials there. It was the first GM vehicle to carry the name, subsequently given to the Division's full-size performance car, the Bonneville, which carried it for 47 years.
Two "Special" prototypes, one painted metallic bronze and one emerald green, were built in order to unveil them simultaneously at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf in New York and the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1954.