Words: John Gunnell
The National Museum of Funeral History recently installed a new special exhibit honoring Roy Rogers that includes a special Pontiac created for the renowned cowboy film and singing star of the ‘40s and ‘50s.
A Tribute to Roy Rogers celebrates the memory of Rogers, who was billed as “America’s Favorite Cowboy.” The highlight of this special exhibit is a “Westernized” 1963 Pontiac Bonneville convertible that represents the ultimate statement of cowboy chic.
The car, formerly owned by Roy Rogers, was last sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction in New York City in December 2015. It fetched $308,000 at that sale and become one of the priciest Pontiacs ever to cross an auction block.
Nudie Cohn designed this “you have to see it to believe it” automobile and gave the car to Roy Rogers as a token of their friendship. Nudie, known as “Nudie the Rodeo Tailor,” designed and made fabulous embroidered western wear with rhinestones for TV and motion picture personalities. Roy Rogers’ personal Nudie’s outfit is also featured in the exhibit.
When Nudie Cohn “Westernized” the ’63 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, he added a pair of steer horns to the front of the car.
The interior of the car – known as “Roy’s Bonneville” - is lined with hand-tooled leather. The top of the dash is encrusted with 150 silver dollars. To accommodate an extra front-seat rider, Nudie placed a silver saddle between the bucket seats. The saddle is decorated with rhinestones and has 150 silver dollars on the black leather around the saddle seat. On the back of the front seats are two pistols, holsters and belts with bullets in case rustlers show up unexpectedly.
The centerpiece of the custom interior is a hand-tooled saddle that sits between the Bonneville’s front bucket seats.
The National Museum of Funeral History is located in Houston, Texas. This exhibit is open to the public until Dec. 31, 2018. The museum’s hours of operation are 10 am to 4 pm weekdays, 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and 12 pm to 5 pm on Sunday. It is located at 415 Barren Springs Dr., Houston, TX 77090-5918. For additional information, call (281) 876-3063 or visit www.nmfh.org.
