When companies start to see their sales take a dip, they try to do something different in the hopes of revitalizing their brand. Take Pontiac for example. After being branded as a vehicle class for senior citizens, the company took the next (and right) step to capture a new set of audience. It released a performance car of its own. This led to the birth of the company’s first performance car, the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville.

As a limited edition performance car, the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville sported a fuel-injected, 347 cubic-inch engine. This allowed the car to produce a horsepower ranging from 227 to 290 horsepower. And when equipped with mechanical valve lifters and three two-barrel carburetors, the enhanced engine could go up to 317 horsepower.

Aside from having a powerful performance engine, the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville also sported other unique features. There’s its fiberglass body which includes a Plexiglas bubble top. The full-sized performance car also had a 124-inch wheelbases chassis, front-fender hash marks, a ribbed panel on its rear, fuel injection badges (to notify motorists that your car sports a unique fuel injected engine), power steering and brakes, power windows, an eight-way power seat adjuster, leather upholstery, a Wonderbar radio complete with electric antenna, padded dashboard, an electric clock, and a combo of whitewall tires and tri-blade wheel covers.

These features, along with its powerful engine, are what made the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville a hit. And despite being priced (at that time) at $5,782, people couldn’t get enough of this full-sized car. As a result, a total of 630 units were built to address the clamoring need of the masses who wanted one.

So thanks to the 1957 Pontiac Bonneville, Pontiac was able to revitalize its image and remove the stigma that it had of being a car for oldies.

Sources: Car Domain Blog, Wikipedia, Old Car and Truck Pictures