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.
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.
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-
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.
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….
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.
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.
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. 😔
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!
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.
"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.
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!
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......
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.
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.
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 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. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
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 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. :(
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......
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!! 👍👍🙂
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.
"...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*
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.
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
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.
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….
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 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.
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.
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.
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😊🙌
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
Had each one of these. The '65 Bonnie is by far the nicer of the two, in every respect. The GranVille had a good engine, was quiet, had KILLER A/C, but felt like a dressed up Chevy. Wallowed in corners, not easy to stop, etc. I came up with an idea to make the 455 quit breaking driver-side motor mounts, had to, engine was too torquey! As I said, my vote is the '65...full of sass and class and could haul...butt!!! PS You better be good with fiberglass on the Gran, that nose breaks at least twice a year!
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!
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.
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 👍😎.
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.
Can you give us an idea of how much cost-cutting took place? Like, how many dollars or what percentage of sale price would it take to bring the ‘71 up to the level of the ‘65 - in terms of style, looks, etc.
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.
crazy comparison for me. i had a 71 Catalina and my buddy had a 65 Bonneville, at different times though. I can vouch for the 71 being a great highway cruiser. It had pretty good highway acceleration with that 455. I once did over a 100 all the way from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, like it was nothing. The 71 didnt break a sweat. BUT, theres no way in hell id take it over that 65 Bonnie. lol
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.
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..
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.
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 . 😎😎
The gorgeous dash and interior weren’t possible after the major cost cutting at GM in the late 1960s. The fit and finish also suffered greatly after the 1971 full-size restyling across the GM line-up.
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 😮
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.
@@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.
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.
The 65 is an absolute beauty. GM made very attractive, high quality full-size cars during the early and mid 60s. Changes in styling during the late 60s started to become either more simple or not as attractive. Then came the big change in 1971, with GM's full-size cars losing quality and styling.
Truth be told it's not really fair to compare any vehicle to the stunning, bulletproof 1965 full-size Pontiacs. Any car sitting next to one of those is going to pale in comparison. What always fascinated me was how many different models the full-size '65 Pontiac came in: Bonneville, Catalina, Ventura, Star Chief, Catalina 2+2, as well as convertible and wagon. As far as engines, you just couldn't go wrong with that sweet 389 V8---what a great engine.
Adam, you didn’t mention it but another change that cheapened the interiors of GM cars by 1971 was the use of hard plastic trim for the lower door panels. Even on a top-of-the-line model like the Grand Ville, GM couldn’t see fit to add at least a patch of carpeting or other trim down there.
@@RareClassicCars Thanks for clarifying that. I do remember lower trim levels of those full sized cars often were hard plastic without additional soft trim.
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.
A neighbor had a 65 Bonneville in Iris mist paint with the same interior as your car. What a classy machine that was!
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.
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-
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.
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….
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
65-68 Pontiacs are some of my most favorite classics. Pontiacs were gorgeous
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.
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 1965 Pontiac was one of the best American cars ever made. Absolutely beautiful!
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!
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.
I love every time you show us that 65 Pontiac in the direct sunlight, particularly the interior.
Look at the care they put into the 65 wheel covers. The 71's look like a JC Whitney generic wheel cover. Great video.
"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.
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!
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......
Variable pitch torque converters available in the mid 60's gave cars so equipped an major advantage on brisk acceleration.
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.
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.
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 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. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
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 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. :(
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......
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
65 all the way, I wish that we can go back to an era when styling and engineering are on the same page.
The ‘65 and ‘66 Bonnevilles were both beautiful American Cars. Of the two you showcase, definitely I would choose the ‘65. ❤
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!!! 👍👍🙂
Some fine Pontiacs. The 65 is a masterpiece.
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.
"...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*
71 looks quirky and interesting. But 65 is just magnificent and "top class".
The 65 for me, or even a 65 Impala, love the styling of both of those.
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.
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.
The '65 Bonneville is hands down the winner. Nothing else even dares to come close.
I don’t hate the ‘71. But I love the ‘65. And the color is amazing!
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.
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….
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 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.
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.
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’m jealous of your entire collection, Adam… but mostly your ‘60s Pontiacs.
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.
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.
The 60s Pontiacs had some of the best looking interiors, especially the triple-tone styles of the early 60s bubble top Catalinas.
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.
I love the 65,but then I love all Pontiac’s! Love your channel for the best video’s for information and interviews!
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😊🙌
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.
"So you could smoke your way to the hospital." Adam, you made me laugh out loud...thanks! Love your videos!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Bonneville is such a beautiful car!!!! It is so much better looking!!!!! So much more luxurious!!
The Coke bottle shape has never really gone out of style ...right through to the Fisker Ocean.
Love the white seats and doors with contrasting red dash and carpets. Someone optioned it wisely.
I think the 71 suffers for the colour
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.)
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.
Had each one of these. The '65 Bonnie is by far the nicer of the two, in every respect. The GranVille had a good engine, was quiet, had KILLER A/C, but felt like a dressed up Chevy. Wallowed in corners, not easy to stop, etc. I came up with an idea to make the 455 quit breaking driver-side motor mounts, had to, engine was too torquey! As I said, my vote is the '65...full of sass and class and could haul...butt!!! PS You better be good with fiberglass on the Gran, that nose breaks at least twice a year!
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!
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.
My grandfather had that grandville with a 455 CUI engine was a great car
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 👍😎.
1965 was really the pinnacle of style and quality for GM. Unfortunately it went down hill after that and never really got better.
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.
'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
Can you give us an idea of how much cost-cutting took place? Like, how many dollars or what percentage of sale price would it take to bring the ‘71 up to the level of the ‘65 - in terms of style, looks, etc.
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.
crazy comparison for me. i had a 71 Catalina and my buddy had a 65 Bonneville, at different times though. I can vouch for the 71 being a great highway cruiser. It had pretty good highway acceleration with that 455. I once did over a 100 all the way from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, like it was nothing. The 71 didnt break a sweat. BUT, theres no way in hell id take it over that 65 Bonnie. lol
Yes, you could do that in a 71, but a 73 would have been sweating to maintain that speed.
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.
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 many many reasons, but it's all about the Lucite for me. I would Lucite the whole damn car if I could.
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!"
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.
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 . 😎😎
The gorgeous dash and interior weren’t possible after the major cost cutting at GM in the late 1960s. The fit and finish also suffered greatly after the 1971 full-size restyling across the GM line-up.
My Dad bought a ‘71 Pontiac Granville, it was red with a white vinyl top and white interior with the 455 😊
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.
The 65 Bonneville for me as well. Or any full size 65 -66 Pontiac. I like the 71 over the 70 Pontiac.
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 😮
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.
The 65 is better but I love them both❤. I would be happy with any old mint condition hard top.
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.
The 65 is an absolute beauty. GM made very attractive, high quality full-size cars during the early and mid 60s. Changes in styling during the late 60s started to become either more simple or not as attractive. Then came the big change in 1971, with GM's full-size cars losing quality and styling.
Truth be told it's not really fair to compare any vehicle to the stunning, bulletproof 1965 full-size Pontiacs. Any car sitting next to one of those is going to pale in comparison. What always fascinated me was how many different models the full-size '65 Pontiac came in: Bonneville, Catalina, Ventura, Star Chief, Catalina 2+2, as well as convertible and wagon. As far as engines, you just couldn't go wrong with that sweet 389 V8---what a great engine.
Had a 72 Catalina with 400, great car 😊 good highway cruiser
Adam, you didn’t mention it but another change that cheapened the interiors of GM cars by 1971 was the use of hard plastic trim for the lower door panels. Even on a top-of-the-line model like the Grand Ville, GM couldn’t see fit to add at least a patch of carpeting or other trim down there.
It does have a carpeted lower, but indeed hard plastic trim
@@RareClassicCars Thanks for clarifying that. I do remember lower trim levels of those full sized cars often were hard plastic without additional soft trim.
Great video as always. You should make a video about gross vs net horsepower as most people don't know the difference