1960 Pontiac Bonneville X-400 Convertible - Department X

The steering wheel is one of the thin, hard plastic types with the translucent rim top. They are long out of production, for safety reasons. To modern drivers never exposed to them, it must feel strange, especially with the little knobs for the driver's fingers. I love the way they feel, and it immediately sends me back to the B-cars of my own past.

Putting the X-400 into gear, I was instantly reminded why Pontiac went to Hurst shifters. The stock B-W shifter is not very precise. It didn't feel like it was worn but rather that it had always been a little on the rubbery side. The handle was fairly short and the throws were reasonable in length. I was expecting the throws to be as long as a school bus and was pleasantly surprised in that respect. The clutch had been recently adjusted and was a little on the stiff side but nothing out of the ordinary. Joe had commented that he missed the light feel of the clutch before the engine rebuild, though it still wasn't at all difficult to operate.

Once underway, I became aware of the X-400's length and girth. Having owned '60s-era B-body Pontiacs in the past, it was a familiar sensation, and in a convertible, it felt like I was piloting an aircraft carrier-a very quick one, mind you. The handling was what I remembered of a typical '60s-era GM B-body but with a tauter ride. It wasn't a wallow wagon, but it wasn't at all harsh, either. It was what I would expect a Catalina Enforcer might feel like. The steering was overassisted and fairly slow by modern standards, but hey, it is 45 years old.

I have commented in the past about putting late-model radials on older cars, but in this case, it didn't feel as if it was a necessity like on others I have driven. Granted, I wasn't on a skidpad with it, but I didn't find it lacking in manners in my brief drive.

Though the driving route was mostly through local surface streets, there was opportunity to get it into boost a little bit, mostly in Third and Fourth gear. I saw about three pounds accelerating up to a bridge, and it was obvious the torque was abundant, without a hint of detonation. Had this engine ever reached production, it would have been regarded as one of the all-time greatest performance engines of the era. And that sound! It truly stirred the soul. The quartet of Carter YF carburetors operated flawlessly, with no flat spots or uncivilized behavior whatsoever. The X-400 was tractable in normal street driving, yet had plenty of oomph when called upon. I suspect the rearend ratio was fairly steep, perhaps a 4.11, as the need to upshift came in quickly.

With the power it had on tap, I would expect 0-60 times to be well under 6 seconds, and I wouldn't be surprised if the X-400 could run a high 13-second quarter-mile with a little bit of prep and some traction. I seriously doubt it will ever get the chance (it's worth a freakin' fortune). My seat-of-the-pants dyno might be off a little, but that's what it felt like to me-big, loud, and fast.

My ride with the X-400 was all too brief, but it was fantastic to put in some seat time with this legendary machine. Though it's far too valuable to take out for long distances, it felt like it was ready for an extended run through the countryside.

Thanks to Joe Bortz and Debbie Powless for their help in making this incredible drive a reality.