Pontiac offered a limited-production Grand Prix in connection with the February 15, 1998, running of the Daytona 500 race. Even its wheel center caps bore “Official Pace Car” branding. Let’s take a look at this special edition.
The Pick of the Day is a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix coupe listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. (Click the link to view the listing)
“This Pontiac Grand Prix is a collector car that is very rare,” the listing begins. “It is #719 of 1,500 models produced in 1998. It is the 40th Anniversary limited-edition Daytona 500 pace car and has had the same owner since it was purchased new in 1998.”
Showing 98,268 original miles, this Gulf Medium Blue Grand Prix coupe looks well-kept overall. The checkered-flag decals on the sides and rear are subtle clues that this car is something a little special. The Grand Prix was initially born in 1962 as a grand-touring coupe on the General Motors B-body platform and lived through eight generations and various body styles before being replaced by the G8 sedan. This car comes from the seventh generation which launched in 1997 on the W-body with assembly taking place in Kansas City, Kansas. Design language was unveiled at the January 1996 Detroit Auto Show, and one of the key talking points revolved around its “wide track” engineering. Television commercials for the car used the tagline “wider is better.”
Power for this pace car comes from a 240-horsepower “Series II” supercharged 3.8-liter V6 combined with a four-speed automatic transmission. The listing outlines a list of areas that received recent mechanical attention, including a rebuild of the supercharger as well as replacement of the rear brake pads and rotors, water pump, power steering pump, valve cover gaskets, spark plugs and wires, and fuel injectors. The interior has typical Pontiac switchgear for the era, with plenty of gray buttons along with options like dual-zone automatic climate control, a Delco CD stereo with an equalizer, head-up display, and of course a placard on the center console identifying this as unit 719 from the production run of 1,500 total.
Worth noting: there are a couple of flaws mentioned, which can be expected for a vehicle that is 25 years old and has about 100,000 miles on the odometer. The air conditioning system needs service, and there is a blemish on the rear bumper cover. Additionally, the plastic engine cover was removed but will be included with the sale.
The asking price for this Grand Prix is $14,500, which includes some swag like an embroidered baseball cap from Daytona International Speedway.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
Source: www.classiccars.com