Pontiac Bonneville
The Bonneville Salt Flats is the location of so many land speed records, which is why Pontiac decided to use it for the 1958 model. The Bonneville was available only as a two-door hard top or convertible, emphasizing its performance appeal. Under the hood was a 370 CID V8 engine, which had 255 hp in its base form. For those who wanted more power, there was the Tri-Power option with 300 hp and the top-of-the-line fuel-injected version with 310 hp. With this engine, the 1958 Bonneville was one of the most powerful and fastest GM cars of the day (via Auto Evolution).
The 1958 Bonneville was to pace the Indianapolis 500 race due to its performance and beautiful design. It had moderate success on the market, and Pontiac managed to sell over 12,000 copies. The performance reputation of the early Bonneville was only the announcement of what was going to happen with the GTO and muscle models.