Comparison: 1965 Pontiac Bonneville (421 V8) vs. 1971 Pontiac Grandville (455 V8): Which is Better?
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2023
- Learn more about the 1965 Pontiac Bonneville and a comparison vs. the 1971 Pontiac Grand Ville!
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No contest. The '65' is the superior in every way. What a great looking vehicle.
Yep you got it brother
Almost every way, except safety. Both are great cars nonetheless.
Yes, the '71 has front disc brakes standard, a dual master cylinder and a collapsible steering column. The latter two were in place by '67, though, and disc brakes were offered at least as an option in most GM lines by then, too.
Totally agree. I have a thing for '60's Pontiacs. Ever since i was a kid i've wanted a '65 GTO.
Still haven't quite got there yet.
I hate the fender skirt look.
'71 doesn't hold a candle to the classic '65 styling.
Exactly mate
Nah I can't do those stacked headlights tbh look bugish.
65-67 Pontiac's were great looking
Agreed. No comparison. Mid to late 60's GM cars ruled. 71 and beyond just were not the same caliber as the 60s.
Still, a pre 74 is still a good car, but not a great one
It's so hard to believe that GM still can't understand why they were on top of the world back in the 60's compared to every time since, including today. Those cars were truly world-class in every way.
Too many bean counters.
1969 was GM's last truly great year. From 1970 on, it was all started falling apart.
No competition: Europe, and Japan were still digging out
Awesome cars! The 1960's, in my opinion, were the epitome, the apex of American automotive design and styling. The most beautiful cars in the world came out of Michigan in the '60's.
My Uncle, in El Reno, Oklahoma sold Fords and Mercurys during the late fifties and early sixties before returning to be a school counselor in order to have a retirement/pension. He drove Mercurys throughout the fifties and then a 61, 63 and 65 Mercury. In 1969 he bought a new full sized Merc as always and the two piston AC compressor was noisy and had to be replaced the first year. The car always had a vibration at 65-70 mph and the dealer could not locate the issue. He claimed that Mercury had cheapened their cars so badly that he traded for a 1970 Bonneville. He was in love with that car and said it would run circles around the Mercurys. It was a dark green four door hardtop. When it needed exhaust work at 35,000 miles he traded for another new Pontiac (1973?) but was not as impressed with it as he always had been with the 70. This has always made me think that the last of the great Pontiacs were 1970. I bought a new 78 Trans-Am which was a decent car but the power was gone and the doors sagged so badly that I had to replace the hinge pins at 18,000 miles.
A neighbor had a 65 Bonneville in Iris mist paint with the same interior as your car. What a classy machine that was!
In 1990 I worked at a parking garage and a regular customer was this sweet elderly couple with a 65 Bonneville in avocado green with a matching green interior.
That interior was like factory new. They had owned it since new and took impeccable care of it.
They wanted to sell it to me for the princely sum of $4,500. To this day I'm kicking myself that I couldn't seal that deal. Thanks for rubbing it in with this beautiful example. 😔
The 65 had the looks and performance. My dad bought my mom a 66 Bonneville station wagon when we lived in El Paso. We lived up a steep grade on the mountain, and my mother always complained about not having enough power.
So he purchased the 66 with the 421ci 3 duce engine. It had the three individual air cleaners, all chrome. It had power steering and brakes, but no A/C. Two yrs later we moved to Houston and he installed an under dash A/C.
Thanks!
Your dad’s answer for more power was classic. It reminded me of classic Ron White, when he had the perfect reason to give her a diamond ring…..That’ll shut ‘er up!
Is it me or do the 1965 Pontiacs look like best looking cars of the 1960's? I always liked that stacked headlight look. They were cheaper than Buicks and Oldsmobiles, yet the Pontiacs are clearly the coolest cars of 1965.
"You do get cigarette lighters though in the back of the front seats.... so that you could smoke your way to the hospital." You caught me mid-sip on that one. I narrowly avoided shooting water out of my nose.
People didn't think that way in 1965.
My dad always bought Pontiacs. I remember when I was just 5 years old in 1960, we had a massive 1955 Pontiac Super Chief with the double chrome stripes down the middle and the Lucite Chief's head that lit up at night. As the 60s went on, we had a 65 Pontiac Bonneville, a 67 Catalina station wagon and a 69 Catalina station wagon, then Dad got a beautiful two door Caprice Classic which was my first car (which tragically blew up because the mechanic didn't put the screw in the oil pan tight enough), then he gave me the two-door 71 Catalina for my "executive" car when I graduated and moved to Houston for my first professional job. They were all very sleek, plush and comfortable, but the 71 Catalina was bulky and clumsy looking compared to Dad's '65 Bonneville. I would never have traded that beautiful 65 Bonneville for the inferior 71 Catalina! I sure do wish I had it now!
I love every time you show us that 65 Pontiac in the direct sunlight, particularly the interior.
Fantastic comparison! My Dad has a 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix in the factory colour teal turquoise with the Kelsey - Hayes 8 lug wheels. Would have to be one on the prettiest cars I’ve ever seen and dives beautifully.
The 1965 Pontiac was one of the best American cars ever made. Absolutely beautiful!
65-68 Pontiacs are some of my most favorite classics. Pontiacs were gorgeous
65 all the way, I wish that we can go back to an era when styling and engineering are on the same page.
Love your channel Adam.Thank you for the great content.You should get all of your vehicles together,sort them by make and year and let us see your whole collection at once.That would be a great video.
By function of their scattered storage that would be a feat. I doubt he'd do it.
For the Lessons Learned File: don't go cheap on the things that you touch every day. As Adam points out, while there may have been technical improvements in the 1971, the cabin feeling and detail is of significantly lower quality than the 1965. The everyday reality of the plastic and fake wood is soul crushing. The interior of the 1965 sparks joy. [Edited for spelling].
My grandfather had a 65 4 door Bonneville in Navy Blue. I loved riding in that car. It was so big and I loved the dash!! My grandfather would trade it in for a 69 4 door Bonneville.
Love this video. I own a65 and 66 Bonneville as well as a 71 Grand Ville and Bonneville. I can honestly say, in breaking down the 65 & 66 they were probably the MOST solidly built of any years I have owned. Sherman Tank by Pontiac.
Some fine Pontiacs. The 65 is a masterpiece.
cars like the 65 will never leave my heart. cars like the 71 are only in my heart because i dont see them anymore and is probably more nostalgia, as i had no time for such a letdown of a generation from many glorious consecutive previous gens
My parents had a '66 Bonnevile with a 421 and it was a fine car. Later they had a '71 Bonneville with a 455 and to me it just wasn't quite the same.
My Mom traded her 66 Bonneville 389 convertible for a 69 Bonneville 428 convertible. You could tell right away that the interior was cheaper looking on the 69. It had a bit more power and the exterior looked good, but that was it.
71 looks quirky and interesting. But 65 is just magnificent and "top class".
Forgot to say: The trunk on the 1965 would be great for "sneaking" a few friends into the Drive-In movies. Adam, I lean more towards the 63 Pontiacs but you are making me appreciate the 65's as well..... If you ever make it out to the Redondo Beach area you should stop by for a look at our family car collection. Thanks again......
The 71 is a beautiful car
The front end is unique especially considering the Caprice , Oldsmobile,98 Buick Electra and Cadillac
I was a teenager when the 71 came out and the wrap around dashboard was so modern at the time it made an impression me
Yes, I agree, because to me, the 1971 GM cars are thoroughly more modern than the previous generation, both inside and out. In fact, the basic principles of that 1971 interior, with its extensive use of color-matched plastics, and use of fewer individual parts, continues to be the way car interiors are still made today, albeit with fewer color choices. I can understand how someone might prefer the old school 1965 interior, and I certainly acknowledge its beauty, but to reduce the differences to merely being all a function of cost-cutting seems to ignore the fact that the 71 represents a clean sheet departure from the past in its overall esthetics and design principles.
@@toronado455Well said! Though the 65 may well be the better car in many aspects, I just love the 71-76 GM styling. It does seem more usable and less of a ”museum-piece” to me, as well. Probably due to me being born in the early 70’s…. Not in the US though, so they were by no means common….
AT 5:40 we see a black '63 Corvette split window coupe. My dad had one of these, he bought it in the spring of '64, just before graduating and just before marrying my mother. Apparently, my father was on academic "probation" his senior year, and his college friend told me that he actually drove it up some steps at the main building at Purdue University in 1964. The police of course chased him, and of course since he had a 300 hp engine in a 2800 lb car, he simply left them in the dust.
My father, Norman Bednar, died this morning at the age of 81. I'm in a great funk-
1965 was Pontiac's high point, and one of the defining examples of what pre malaise American cars were- and how amazing they could be. The 71 is an average GM full size model, offering a mix of good and average aspects. I struggle to find a fault at all with the 65.
About the only advantage I can give the 71 is that it has a rear seat armrest.
All the best things came along in 1965 (says 58 year old me 😉). My friend had a 67 Bonneville in that same maroon color. I drove it a couple times, and even though it was getting old at the time, it was a really nice car.
I don’t hate the ‘71. But I love the ‘65. And the color is amazing!
The 60s Pontiacs had some of the best looking interiors, especially the triple-tone styles of the early 60s bubble top Catalinas.
Thanks for the education, Born in 1963 these cars were ahead of my time and I never realized how much nicer those mid sixties cars are in comparison to the 70's models , I became interested in cars during my junior high years in the smog dog era, lived in Michigan at that time and remember all the rust buckets, became sold on your channel from your winter porch chats, Beautiful Mid sixties Pontiac ! Thanks again. 😊
Yes, we lived through a lot of rusted out cars back in the 1970s. Some '70s cars started rusting in like a year, but I recall 1960s bodies usually having rust (friends referred to as "body cancer") where salty snow accumulated - lower body at the wheel wells; and around the rear window. Sometimes the frame/body joints were too rusted to pass state inspection in Pa. where I grew up, so the car went to the junkyard, sometimes with less than ten years of age.
@@70sleftover Yes took auto body and paint class my junior and Senior year high school 80 , 81, Classmate from Pa first told me of their state inspection, walking to school had to watch out for teen drivers who would splash us kids on the sidewalk, when I got my first car 71 VW type 3 fastback my turn to splash, backfired on me the water came up thru the rusted floorboards and splashed me !
@@benpatrick1860 I remember those VW fastbacks. When I was a kid I really admired that body style, more than the Bug/Beetle. haven't seen one in like forever. A friend in 2nd grade's father drove a Karmann Ghia - now there was a cool car I had a chance to ride in. It popped out of gear driving along the pot-holed street behind mine as he drove us to something or other. I guess all those other "squareback" VWs of that era were so rusty they just disappeared, at least in the eastern U.S.
@@70sleftover like your handle that's funny ! funny like that old pic of me at 18,. maybe someday I'll figure out how to update to current age 60, Followed the Parents to SoCal in 1982 eight months after completing high school those air cooled VWs were every where, cars last longer here but I never see air cools here anymore either, my parents had a square back when I in second grade , my brother and I perferd that car on longer drives because rear seats folded flat and we could lay down to avoid getting car sick, recently watched 90's movie The Stoned Age with the blue square back, Back in early 80's coming from Michigan was surprised how popular VWs were with Socal kids so much nicer then the Michigan winter beaters, saw different Variations of the Bus models I'd never seen in Michigan
@@70sleftover Probably, as they were unit-constuction.
I think the 71 Grandville would be considered much more attractive if it had the same gorgeous burgundy color as the 65 Bonneville. GM was hellbent during that era to produce all the boring beige colors. Many GM models from 70-76 would greatly benefit from a dark, more regal color. Take your 70 Caprice for example. Gorgeous in black with a blue interior. Way more interesting than the boring beige of your Grandville.
That optional under hood light with roll out extension cord has the same glass lens that came from the 1955-1956 Pontiac back up light.
I’m jealous of your entire collection, Adam… but mostly your ‘60s Pontiacs.
LOVE the 65 and with the 421 - what a special car!
I think 1965 was the height of Pontiac's styling and interior looks. Good choice in your purchases!!
I love the 65,but then I love all Pontiac’s! Love your channel for the best video’s for information and interviews!
The ‘65 and ‘66 Bonnevilles were both beautiful American Cars. Of the two you showcase, definitely I would choose the ‘65. ❤
When I was in college back in the early 80s, someone on the faculty, I never found out who, had an absolutely perfect 1965 Star Chief 4 door. I fell in love. It was light turquoise inside and out and was fitted with rear fender skirts. Have been looking for one ever since….
This is good content. I liked the Pontiac line and Bonneville. I fondly recall Grand Ville and Parisienne and Bonneville and Grand Prix. I liked the 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville. They really focused on details in the 60's Bonneville. I recall how Grand Ville became Bonneville Brougham in 1976. I used to call Grand Ville "Grand Bonneville". I wondered what a C Body Pontiac would have looked like in the 1980's and 1990's. Driving Pontiac indeed. Thank you for the content and information and video Adam.
The older I get, the more I love fender skirts - especially on those long and low mid-'60s beauties! That '65 has a universes more style than does the '71. The quarter-shoulders and 'skeg-fins' below them, that subtle W shape of the tail panel, the 'overbite' of the fenders over and around the stacked headlights, and then the woodgrain and Lucite, those angled center gauge pods - and the funnel shaped lock buttons... And those slick stalks for the gear selector turn signals, and tilt! Also the chrome pieces on the engine. But I think I would've left those vertical dividers out of the grills... It is appropriately racy enough to sit next to that beautiful Corvette. The entire '71 GM full size lineup (except for Cadillac) reminds me of a large brick high rise apartment building, with their much more minimalist design, as compared to the earlier models.
Hello Adam, to me there is no comparison between the 65 Bonneville & the 71 Grand Ville!!! The 65 is gorgeous inside & out with quality workmanship while the Grand Ville seems to have a less elegant look plus the 65 Bonneville has that amazing translucent steering wheel!!! The Grand Ville just doesn't seem to be top of the line. Thanks for sharing this interesting comparison video!!! 👍👍🙂
Absolutely loved this comparison Adam! Thank you for another fantastic video. A friend of mine had a 73 Bonneville 2 door hardtop, loved that car, but I totally get where you are coming from per the 65.
Another great vid! The early -mid sixties Coke Bottle Pontiacs were beautiful machines. Stylish and powerful.. The cheesy bloated 70's Granville no comparison. Like everything else out of Detroit the 70's were the beginning of the end.
A friend of man whose dad was a doctor only bought Pontiacs in the sixties. I remember they kept an old 61' or 62' Catalina around for their kids to use when they first learned to drive. It had a 421 engine in it. I remember that car absolutely hauled. Those Catalinas and that 421 engine were also at the drags during that time frame. Probably a lot of fun back then.
Great video...! These are both classic big Pontiac models. Although the car industry was changing rapidly between '65 and '71. Cost cutting became a big issue, but the styling with the '71s were still classic Pontiac.
My family had a 1965 maroon Bonneville like your beautiful example, with a different color interior. What a super nice car! We drove it to River Hill campground in Colo. (9200 ft. elevation) and forgot to adjust the four barrel carb. Thought we'd never get it started the next day. We also had a '65 Mustang 289, and in 1966 got a Dodge Charger. Those mid '60s cars were fantastic. The Grandville is great, too, loved the 455. As you probably know, a '73 starred in the car chase in "The Seven-Ups". Thanks for bringing back lots of memories.
It was 1971, I got my JR license, but I had been driving and working 5 years with my dad at a Chevy Store that he managed. My first complaint at the time was all the components that were shared and not as well disguised between the GM divisions. I remember the faux wood placement on the Impala & Caprice dash that were not squared place. Unfortunately we saw many quality issues that seemed like it was purposely done. Lot of union issues in the early '70s.
MANAGEMENT caused the fit and finish problems, not unions. MANAGEMENT is the one who wanted to operate without spending any money.
I miss my 1965 Parisienne with the 283 and power glide.
Hi Adam, Although I am a Ford/Mercury guy these Pontiac's were attractive cars, but of these two I would give the edge to the 1965 for overall styling. My Uncle in Michigan had a 1971 Catalina two door hardtop that he and my Aunt towed an Airstream trailer with when he was on a nationwide lecture circuit. Those big full size cars were capable trailer haulers when properly equipped. Thanks for the video.
That '65 is absolutely gorgeous, looks much better than an Cadillac IMO of a similar vintage.
Again like we all have said, peak GM was around 1965-66. The last of the golden era for overall styling, high quality materials, build quality and cool factor.
This goes for their entire division as well. All the Buicks, Chevys, Cadillacs, Pontiacs and Olds all looked so amazing in their own unique ways and were well made vehicles. It’s like something suddenly drastically changed in the late 60’s for entire auto industry and well into the 70’s. Their cars became crap and felt god awful cheap in comparison to their 1950’s-mid 60’s jewel like works of art.
That '71 Grandville is horrendous looking. I also can’t imagine what buyers were thinking when it came time to trade in their beautiful '65 Pontiac Bonneville for that crude looking Grandville? Like seriously? If I was the OG owner of that '65, I would have turned around and left the Pontiac dealership in a heart beat and would have just kept the '65 forever.
Similar story with Lincoln and Mercury cars. Their early to mid 60’s right up until 1965 was the golden years specifically for the 4 door suicide Lincoln Continentals were their build quality and style was top notch.
Suddenly it all ended in 1966 or 67 for with more cheap feeling materials, more plastic and less chrome on the interiors, bland looking dash and flimsy door panels. Even the seat materials were lower in quality vs the '61-65 Continentals.
The Mark III however was a different story, that car blew away Cadillac interiors and construction quality from 1969-71. Pontiacs were no different.
The '65 Caddy was a looker, too, in fact all the '65 full-size cars were winners.
I place Peak GM at 1970, because the displacement limit was lifted from the intermediates, but 1965-70 you can't go wrong in general.
The Seventies.... The decade that taste forgot.
The split front bench seat in the Gran Ville is nice for when a short person drives and a longer legged person is the passenger. That luxury feature became available in some full sized Ford and Mercury products in the late 1960's and became more popular on other makes in the 1970's and 1980's. It was no longer reserved for the upper and near upper luxury class cars.
Gr8 Comparison, Adam and Both are Terrific Vehicles....The '71 Grandville is a Huge Car and Gr8 to look at, but I prefer the '65 Bonneville, especially in Maroon😊🙌
The Bonneville is such a beautiful car!!!! It is so much better looking!!!!! So much more luxurious!!
My dad had a '65 Catalina. He said that it needed a valve job at 35K miles. Still, he had a 70's Bonneville later on. But then he also owned an MG-B. I'lll miss Dad. :(
Look at the care they put into the 65 wheel covers. The 71's look like a JC Whitney generic wheel cover. Great video.
Love those Poncho"s. Only one I ever Owned was a 1968 Catalina 4dr Sedan, 389 2bl carb, was a used second Car but it drove and ran well , very Quiet and plenty of Power, it was a Tan color with a Buckskin Interior..you have a fantistic collection......
1965 hands down much better looking car, I've been in both. The 65 Grand Prix was also beautiful inside. My uncle had a silver blue one with matching interior. Rich brushed aluminum and chrome and wood. Pontiac was at the top in those days.
I love that there's so much room under the hood of the 71 you have a gallon on antifreeze stored under there!
Thanks, for the video. I love the design of the 65. They were the best looking of the 65 full size GM cars that year. However for the 71 GM full size cars, I thought the Buick line were the best looking and I'd love to see you review them and do a video on them. Thanks again 👍😎.
Point made, about the interior materials of the 1971. Looking at that spongy plastic dash, you can almost hear it saying, "I am Gumby, damnit!"
While the fabrics look cheap, the '71's seating is more luxury-oriented , with dual center arm rests and split (and probably reclinable) front seats. Maybe such a configuration was an option on the '65. In any case, you are spot on with everything else. I never realized GM went from real wood to killing off acres of plastic forests.
I guess I'll have to do more research on that era as I don't see why GM needed to cost cut . . even with the EPA and oil embargoes, they were selling vehicles like mad so could afford real wood, lol.
Because the bean counters showed how GM could make more profit.
De-contenting is not unique to GM. Remember when Toyota got caught with its accelerators going haywire? They decided to cheap out on the part and got burned.
Also, GM put all manufacturing under one administration. the GM Assembly Division, rather than the divisions controlling their own factories. That's when quality control took a nose dive and Caddies were no better built than Chevies.
All of this in the name of squeezing every extra penny of profit. Since competition was limited, all of Detroit got away with it for a little while. But not for long. The imports took a huge bite out of the market, from 15 percent in 1970 to 26 percent in 1980. GM held on for a little while longer but started to lose market share through the '80's.
@@msquaretheoriginal "Being overly preoccupied with costs is the kiss of death to a business.
"So you could smoke your way to the hospital." Adam, you made me laugh out loud...thanks! Love your videos!
Always had a soft spot for the ‘71s because it was the dawn of my love affair with cars but the ‘65 is a more exciting car. Amazing how much a gauge package dresses up a dash.
Hi Adam. Really enjoy your channel and the explanation s you provide on these classic mid century cars ! Great look back. I own a 65 Chrysler New Yorker fist of the Elwood Engle versions, which was one of my first rides as as a kid. As this was a one year only design would love if you could do a video on this year C body . 😎😎
My best friend’s dad had a 66 Bonneville and he would take us down Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie Maryland. His dad would race all the American made muscle cars . His Bonneville won some races, and the ride in that car was spectacular. I have been into American muscle cars ever since and I still drive down that road on Saturday nights occasionally looking for a race. Long live the internal combustion engine. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Two very beautiful cars Adam. My parents had a 65' Laurentian with a 283, then bought a 74' Parisienne Brougham with a 350 2 barrel. So I can definitely relate to your lineup on this video. I had fun in my teens driving my friends around in the old 65. There was no AC and the 283 was smaller, so the engine looked tiny in the engine well with lots of room to work on the engine.The 74 had AC and it was cool quality air. Regrettably though, the 74 only got 11 miles to the gallon. So frequent freeway stops for gas were common when we were vacationing. That aside, it's good memories for me..
The 65 for me, or even a 65 Impala, love the styling of both of those.
Variable pitch torque converters available in the mid 60's gave cars so equipped an major advantage on brisk acceleration.
The '65 Bonneville is hands down the winner. Nothing else even dares to come close.
The 1971 can’t even begin to compare to the 1965. In 1965 Pontiac really put out an excellent product. By 1971 GM corporate must have put the brakes on content in these vehicles and it really shows.
I really hope that you realize how fortunate you are to have a shop that you can trust to work on your older cars. Like you I do a lot of the mechanical work myself. However, there are certain items that require presses or lifts or special tools. Most shops now will not work on older cars.
I would have that problem too, but I too do my own work.
I had an early '70's Grandville and it was a disappointment on so many levels. I remember it had a 400 CI engine and was just a dog.
Be happy this unit doesn't have the optional gauge package. The four gauges all in the same pod surrounding the clock, which was in the center like the one in this video. Especially at night, when you just wanted to scan the gauges, it appeared as a forest of needles pointing every which direction. What were they thinking?
It did have a nice ride and was quiet. That's about all. Fit & finish was okay-ish.
Nothing can discount the overall beauty and styling of the 65. The Grandville really had a lot of potential that wasn't captured unfortunately. Love the look of the car from the side, but the tail lights not so much. The front is a swing and a miss as well. Nonetheless, I really do like the cockpit design on the 71 dash, even like the three spoke steering wheel. A little more thought, and a few more dollars could have helped indeed. I remember my friends' 74 Grand Safari wagon. I gotta say that car was tight, no "jigglies", handled amazingly well also.
Both are beautiful cars. But yes, I tend to agree, the 65 gets the nod!!
The Coke bottle shape has never really gone out of style ...right through to the Fisker Ocean.
We all can see the personal styling put into the 60's era Pontiac's. They were gorgeous! Once our government got into manufacturing in the late 60's style fun and heart went out the window. It took 4-5 years but they never were the same. High dollar classic cars at auction usually weren't built after 72.
Love the white seats and doors with contrasting red dash and carpets. Someone optioned it wisely.
I think the 71 suffers for the colour
My grandfather had that grandville with a 455 CUI engine was a great car
I grew up in Royal Oak in the 70's. I thought the 70's Pontiacs were wonderful cars. I didn't see a lot of 65's that weren't badly rusted. If I had seen more, I'd of sure admired them.
"...you do have cigarette lighters on each seatback to smoke your way to the hospital." HYSTERICAL! Thank you for doing this comparison, I've been wondering when you would. And, I agree with you -- a low point in GM interior design. And quality. Too much obviously fake wood and plastic -- those lower door panels were in just about every, if not every, B-body car, shrieking cost cutting. And of course, after about 5 years, most started to turn to powder. *sigh*
Had a 72 Catalina with 400, great car 😊 good highway cruiser
I have a 75 grand ville convertible 400 which I love, and I had a 69 Bonneville brougham 428 so am somewhat familiar with this matchup. The GV handles great and is effortless, but the earlier bonnevilles had luxury detailing and performance that the later cars could not match. I think the color of Adam's GV does it a disservice...a richer color and the optional wheel covers or Rallye II's really wakes these up. And no comparison between the interiors...the 65-66 bonneville/GP was the high water mark for post war dashboards and trim IMHO
As far as the 'pointy schnozz', the '72 and later GV's raised the bumper which really lightened the look over the '71
428 Pontiac could have been most HP v8 they ever made. Before low compression unleaded fuel killed all us. cars
My 72 Catalina tended to get a body crease low in front of the rear tire. After a couple times of doing this I began looking at others and some had the same crease 😮
1965 was really the pinnacle of style and quality for GM. Unfortunately it went down hill after that and never really got better.
My first car was a green ‘68 Catalina. V8, wa a total land cruiser. Pile up 10 kids in it! JZD was a maverick and a genius.
I have to appreciate the '65 more, but the '71 in convertible form was Pedro's cousin's car in Napoleon Dynamite, so it's got that going for it.
Great comparo, Adam! Definitely the '65, no contest, Pontiac was at its peak then and unfortunately, as with many other makes, in my opinion, they were on a downward slide in the 70's as performance, styling and build quality took a back seat.
The whole industry went on a downward slide which paved the way for the Japanese.
@@msquaretheoriginal And then, two decades later, the whole industry went spiraling down once again due to relocating much of it to the Chinese. Isn't it just sad? What's with Americans screwing themselves over for no reasons? Hopefully, it can change for the better.
All true, but they had no choice with performance. If your car couldn't pass the EPA's 50,000 mile certification test, you couldn't sell it, unless you wanted to sell it as a racing car that can't be driven on the street.
@@msquaretheoriginal Blame much of that on the EPA and, especially, CAFE. The rest, though, is excessive preoccupation with cost cutting, and the fact that the Japanese massively subsidize their auto exports, and passed laws that penalize you if your car is wider than a certain amount and longer than a certain amount.
@@Wolf-Spirit_Alpha-Sigma You can blame that part on Saint Ronnie. He championed out-sourcing and off-shoring.
My Dad bought a ‘71 Pontiac Granville, it was red with a white vinyl top and white interior with the 455 😊
This is a stark reminder of how we've been regulated since the 70's to unimaginative car designs. Pedestrian impact (did it really save any lives?), bumper standards and CAFE have brought about designs that no longer stretch the imagination. The 50's and 60's were a great time to be a car buyer.
To me, CAFE was the ultimate killer. Became impossible to make full-size cars in this country.
Great video as always. You should make a video about gross vs net horsepower as most people don't know the difference
I love your descriptions of these two eras of full-size Pontiac, only five years age difference between them but a world apart in quality and beauty.
Those early '70s Pontiacs never appealed to me body-styling wise (just plain and fat), although I agree the side of that Grand Ville is clean and smooth, so maybe it was just the front with those weird pairs of headlights floating in between the shnoz grille and corners, and the plain rectangles for taillights that just struck me as ugly). Your best comment was the optional front seating with back seat passenger cigarette lighters "so you can smoke your way to the hospital." My parents were disappointed when they realized our lovely '71 Buick Skylark that seemed so upscale from previous cars they owned had no rear door armrests and therefore no armrest ashtrays - not even one set into the back of the front seat - for my dad's elderly Aunt Anna to use when we picked her up for family dinners. (Both my parents were smokers and Mom loved the old front vent windows for disposing of ash and cigarette butts.)
I do like the exterior style of the grandville and I do like the instrument cluster and sort of wrap around dash, but agree with you about the cheapness with all of the plastic, especially if I remember correctly the lower part of the door panels being all plastic. My aunt had a early 70’s grandville and my grandma had an early 70’s Bonneville both red with white tops and white vinyl seats. I loved both but to remember the cheapness of all of the plastic making them not feel so luxurious.
Love this channel
Excellent çritique. I learned a few things!
I had a 71 Grande Ville I bought in 1993 for $400. Very good shape too. Had a 455. The lady I bought it from, bought it new off the lot . She said she had the motor replaced under warranty a year later. Instead of waiting a month for another engine to arrive at the dealer, they offered a very low mileage engine from a "totaled car" they had in the motor pool. I assumed it was another Grande Ville or Catalina. She said it "always seemed a little more peppy since then". Fast forward to Western Auto 6 months later. I was buying a water pump, and the counter guy came out to look at my engine, he started writing down various numbers and went back to his parts catalog. He said that motor didn't come in that car, and I said I know it was replaced in 1972. He said I had an
H.O. 455 from a Trans Am. He offered to buy the whole from me for $1000 as it sat. I declined, because it was my only transportation... Damn, that car was gas-hog. It floated down the hiway though.
Need a mention of the 67, a great translation. The hidden windshield wipers alone changed the whole industry
My dad had a 65 Bonneville two door hardtop with the 389 4bbl, automatic. My brothers used to win bets by burning rubber from a standing start all the way into third gear. Dad said he topped it out one night and figured he was somewhere in the 140mph range because the speedo was pegged and the car kept pulling strong.
The 65 Bonneville for me as well. Or any full size 65 -66 Pontiac. I like the 71 over the 70 Pontiac.