Column-Shifted Survivor: A 1963 Pontiac Bonneville Sport Coupe Emerges From a Farm Shed

Few American luxury coupes of the early 1960s stir up curiosity quite like a Bonneville ordered with three pedals and a shifter on the steering column. This 1963 Pontiac Bonneville Sport Coupe, now listed for sale out of Hardy, Arkansas, is exactly that kind of oddity — and it has apparently been resting in a farm shed since 1986.

The Bonneville nameplate had an unusual trajectory. It began life in 1957 as a limited-run convertible spun off the Star Chief, earned series status a year later with a hardtop added to the lineup, and then broadened into a full range of body styles from 1959 onward. Pontiac kept the badge alive all the way to 2005. The third generation, built between 1961 and 1964, is remembered for its stacked headlight treatment, introduced for 1963 and retained through 1967.

What makes this particular car stand out is its transmission. Buyers of a luxury-oriented Pontiac normally ticked the automatic box, and the occasional enthusiast opted for a floor-shifted four-speed. A three-speed manual shifted from the column — the classic “three on the tree” arrangement — is a far less common sight in a Bonneville of this era, which raises the question of whether it left the factory as a special order. Just under 31,000 Sport Coupes were assembled for 1963.

Mechanically, the car is very much a project. Its 389 cubic-inch V8 is said to need a rebuild, and one valve cover is missing, hinting at why the Pontiac was parked decades ago. The seller notes the car may have sat in Iowa before making its way south. Otherwise it presents as largely original, wearing aqua paint over a white interior that shows only light wear — though whether the odometer reads 20,000 or 120,000 miles is unclear.

A few details will need attention: the backup lights are incomplete, and period-correct replacements don’t come cheaply online. The tires are old, but three reportedly still hold air well enough for loading onto a trailer. The owner had intended to get the Bonneville running again but is relocating out west and won’t be taking it along. Delivery is offered at $2.50 per mile, and the current eBay bid sits at $2,225 with the reserve not yet met. Other vintage Chevrolets are also being sold, including a 1958 Apache pickup, a 1971 C10, and a 1954 Bel Air.