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43rd and More - Model reviews by Wayne Moyer
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Review: Ground-Bound Jet Fighter
Highway Traveler's 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special
by Wayne E. Moyer
The attention and public interest generated by the 1953 Corvette gave the other GM divisions a reason to develop "sports car" designs too, and several were featured in the 1954 GM Motorama. GM's Design Chief Harley Earl seemed to have a fetish for making his "dream cars" look as much like the latest airplane designs as possible, but very few of them took the "ground-bound fighter" idea as far as the 1954 Pontiac Bonneville Special. The basic Corvette shape is obvious, but Earl opened up a gaping nose "inlet", transformed Pontiac's trademark "Silver Streak" twin hood stripes into concave "blast tubes" that led directly to cowl airscoops that more than suggested machine gun fairings. The 'Vette's conventional folding top was replaced by a wide "canopy" with top-hinged panels like those of a P-38, and the whole thing was topped off by large twin "fins" and a rear-mounted "Continental" spare whose cover and hubcap were deliberately shaped to look like a jet engine nozzle! My airplane has a clear canopy about that size; fortunately it can be opened in flight during the summer. I don't know how the driver of a Bonneville Special was to have kept his cool! I'm not sure what the two chrome panels on each front fender were supposed to represent-- nothing vaguely similar from aircraft or automobile designs comes to mind.
The Bonneville's nose is longer than that of a Corvette because it was powered (??) by Pontiac's venerable straight-8 engine. While that probably did provide more "go" than the 'Vette's "Blue Flame Six" (that's what GM called it, honest!) it certainly could have done nothing good for handling qualities that already were less than world-class. Pontiac actually built two Bonneville Specials; a metallic bronze car was part of the 1954 GM Motorama exhibit while a green car was shipped (or in some cases apparently driven) to selected dealer showrooms across the country for short-term display. I believe both cars are now part of the Bortz collection.
Tom and Paul Patterson have been fascinated by the Bonneville Special and when the opportunity arose they drove for 12 hours to measure and photograph the green car so they could produce an accurate miniature for their Highway Travelers line. After examining this hand-built white metal beauty, I'd say that they certainly succeeded! Although the body is very complex for a white-metal casting, it's flawlessly smooth with good crisp panel lines and the metallic bronze finish is smooth and highly glossy. The April 1992 issue of the British magazine "Classic and Sportscar" had a feature on this car and the photos show that H.T. did indeed get the shape and unique (to be kind!) features of the Bonneville Special accurately. Like all Highway Travelers' models, it's fully detailed, with bright chrome wheels (the huge two-bar "flippers" are correct), windshield and "canopy" frames, bumperettes, triple stripes on the lower side of the nose scoop, fender trim, taillights (which have hand-painted lenses), rear "bumpers", and exhaust tips. The concave "Silver Streaks", and the "Pontiac" and "Bonneville Special" badges are silver decals, applied before the clear gloss top coat, while the hood badge is photo-etched chrome and the headlight cover surrounds appear to be hand-painted.
The interior is clearly visible through canopy "glass" that fits out into the frames well, and is as completely detailed as the exterior. The semi-gloss bronze "upholstery" pattern matches the photos, right down to the thin chrome trim on the seats, while the dash has a full set of gauges with chrome bezels and decal faces, correct central "natural metal" console, and a chrome grab handle for the passenger. Photos show that the concave or "hollow" panels in the door are correct, too. Highway Travelers includes a small card with the car's dimensions, so you know that they had to get them correct; they did, everything checks out right on 1/43 scale.
To sum this one up, it's a very accurate, fully detailed miniature that's beautifully finished and assembled with painstaking care. What more could you ask? Highway Travelers makes both this bronze "Motorama" version and the green "showroom" car; price is $170.00 plus shipping from Highway Travelers, c/o Paul Patterson, 400 Shelter Rd., Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 (FAX: 516/737-2163). If you like those Fifties "Dream Cars" you have to have this one.
Contact Wayne at mailto:wmoyer@infinet.com
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