I don’t think I appreciated how life-altering my first Bonneville would be.  It would be the car that would lead me to start one of my most successful projects thus far, BonnevilleClub (later sold, now defunct).  It almost never happened.

In the summer of 2001, I was still happily driving around in my Thunderbird.  My dad decided that it would be good if I had a newer vehicle, so he set about finding one.  The result: a first-generation Acura Legend sedan.  It was a nice car, one that would go on to give years of service in another role, but I didn’t see its benefits over the Thunderbird as offsetting its relatively significant cost.  Thus, it was rejected.

My dad’s second attempt was a red 1993 Pontiac Bonneville SSE.  Now that was a superior machine.  Television ads from the era suggest that it was GM’s answer to BMW: a luxury sports sedan.

Me with my 1993 Bonneville and my 1986 Thunderbird

About half a year after acquiring my Bonneville, I became frustrated by the dearth of quality information on the web pertaining to those vehicles.  Thus, I did what any good entrepreneur does when he sees an unmet need: I built a solution.  Modeled after ClubGP, BonnevilleClub came into being in early January 2002.  The only advertising I ever did for it was a couple of posts on rival car forums.  All of the subsequent growth was due to word-of-mouth and user-organized campaigns.

What I’ve failed to mention is that BonnevilleClub took years to gain significant traction.  And, like most successful companies, it experienced a nadir where its very existence was in jeopardy.  That time came in April 2002 when my car was crushed by a Chevy Avalanche while parked in a parking lot at Rose-Hulman.

My Bonneville, totaled by a Chevy Avalanche

My first Bonneville’s driving days were over.  That much was clear.  What wasn’t clear was what my next car would be.  Would BonnevilleClub die along with my Bonneville?

Stats

• Red 1993 Pontiac Bonneville SSE
• 3.8 L naturally aspirated V6
• 170 hp / 225 lb-ft
• 4-speed automatic transmission
• Miles when acquired: 105,000 (ca. July 2001)
• Miles when crushed: 115,000 (April 26, 2002)