Pontiac Bonneville result being a fully equipped Bonneville could cost more than a larger, entry-level Cadillac. Only 630 units were produced that first year, making it one of the most collectible Pontiacs of all time. The following year it became a separate model, and it would endure until 2005 as the division's top-of-the-line model. The name was taken from the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the site of much early auto racing and most of the world's land speed record runs, which was named in turn after U.S. Army officer Benjamin Bonneville. Bonneville became a separate model in 1958, available as a
Pioneer 1 (land speed racer) making it eligible for "FIA" Class 1 ( and under). It was claimed to have set a Class 1 record of for the measured kilometer at the Baskunchak dry salt lake, and was the first Soviet land speed racer to exceed . In 1962, the power of the engines was increased to , while weight rose to . The improved car raised the Class 1 and Soviet national records for the measured kilometer to . In 1963, Tikhomirov modified "Pioneer 1" even further, to create "Pioneer 2M". Pioneer 1 (land speed racer) Pioneer 1 is a Soviet "FIA" Group VII