Pontiac Grand Prix
The Ford Thunderbird of the late 1950s was a juggernaut that was crushing other vehicles in its class. In 1959, Pontiac was establishing a reputation for exceptional performance on the racetrack taking the checkered flag in the Darlington 500 and the Daytona Beach 500. Pontiac swept the competition taking the first, second and third positions in the Daytona 500 in 1961. NASCAR was dominated by Pontiac as the company took first place in over 50% of the Grand National stock car events. Thirty of 52 to be exact.
In 1957, Pontiac was ranked sixth in the sales race. They then started to climb out of the trenches. They took fifth place in 1959, and fourth place in 1961. In 1962, they were able to capture the third place position, a slot they would retain for eight years straight. The division was emerging as the car company for performance enthusiasts.
Wanting to capture this market, Pontiac released the Grand Prix in 1961 as the flagship vehicle for a new line. It was established that the Grand Prix would compete directly with the Ford Thunderbird. The Grand Prix was a solid offering that was dependable and a lot of car for the money. Many thought it was in a class by itself in regard to performance.
Design of the 1962 1968 Grand Prix
A Catalina hardtop coupe was the first Grand Prix. The design of the 1962 -1968 Grand Prix had a 120-inch wheelbase and a sticker price of $3,490. Pontiac gave it an interior inspired by a sports car and improved the Catalina’s styling. A slightly modified grille ornamented the outside in addition to Pontiac badges that were placed on the front and rear grilles.
The interior featured bucket seats furnished in Morrokide, a top of the line vinyl upholstery offered by Pontiac. It was long-lasting and had the look and feel of genuine leather. Also standard was full instrumentation on the dashboard that included a tachometer in the center console near the shift lever and locking glovebox. A speaker for the rear seat was placed just above the fold-down armrest in the center.
The Grand Prix Had Power- A Lot of It
The Grand Prix was powered by Bonneville’s 389 cubic inch V-8 which generated 303 horsepower. If that wasn’t enough, Pontiac proudly offered a 318 horsepower version of its V-8 that boasted three two barrel carburetors. Still not enough? The Grand Prix also had the Trophy A model which had a high-performance V-8 producing 333 horsepower.
A four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts were also included. Standard was three-speed manual gearbox, though buyers often opted for the Hydra-Matic for $231 extra.
With a power to weight ratio that was almost 9% better than that of the Thunderbird, the two-ton Grand Prix could go from 0 to 60 in a flat eight seconds.
The Pontiac Grand Prix coupe had a good run from 1962 through 2002. The Grand Prix sedan was offered from 1988 to 2008.
The Grand Prix was replaced by the G8, a rear wheel drive sedan, for the 2008-2009 model year. But the G8’s run ended after 12 months.
