Nineteen seventy-three was a tough year for Detroit. It seemed nothing coming out of the federally regulated world was good, what with emissions plumbing galore in the engine bay and an awkward front bumper that hurt styling. However, not all was lost, as Pontiac introduced a car that hopefully would bring the brand in the public’s favor: the 1973 Grand Am. This Pick of the Day is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Ramsey, Minnesota. (Click the link to view the listing)
If you don’t know it yet, Pontiac was the one to beat in the 1960s. Though not the best-selling brand in America—that was Chevrolet’s by default—Pontiac’s image was so strong that it managed to outsell perennial number-three Plymouth for most of the 1960s.
Of course, Pontiac is credited as being the beacon of the performance market in the 1960s. Its Super Duty 421 was killing it on the drag strip and NASCAR, but when General Motors decided to pull out of racing, Pontiac was devastated. So much investment in a performance image and now racing was illegal according to the bosses? It was a bummer, but Pontiac proverbially turned the lemons into lemonade by the introduction of the GTO, a car that took Pontiac performance from the track to the street.
It could be said that Pontiac had to manage a similar evolution for 1973, a time when the performance market was heavily diminished due to the triumvirate of changing psychographics (and perhaps demographics too), the insurance industry, and draconian federal mandates. With all the investment towards a performance image, now what was Pontiac to do in this world of Malaise?
Build a driver’s car! A car that had power—maybe not like in 1970, but the feeling of torque goes a long way—but also had handling chops and was distinctive inside and out. “The feel of a Grand Prix…the response of a GTO…the qualities you’ve admired in the desirable imports,” said Pontiac when introducing the Grand Am. It arguably was the most attractive of Pontiac’s new mid-size “Colonnade” cars thanks to the Endura nose, as the traditional chrome-bumpered LeMans simply didn’t have the Pontiac charm of previous years. The Grand Am featured a specially tuned suspension that was “designed for the standard steel-belted radial tires. With thick front and rear stabilizer bars, it keeps Grand Am level in corners.” Also standard was power front disc brakes and fast, variable-ratio power steering.
Inside, you’d find genuine African mahogany complementing a full array of instrumentation. Seats were cloth and vinyl buckets for the four-door, or vinyl buckets for both body styles, with the reclining buckets featuring adjustable lower back support. Pull straps were on all doors. “We think Grand Am is one of the purest, no compromise cars to come out of the U.S.” Pontiac added.
This 1973 Pontiac Grand Am two-door Colonnade hardtop nicely demonstrates the direction Pontiac was headed once the freewheeling 1960s were over. Powered by the 400 four-barrel and console-shifted automatic (one of 10,455 coupes built with this engine and tranny), this Poncho features power windows, Rally II wheels, Saddle interior, air conditioning, upgraded Bluetooth stereo with CD player. “The body is very solid on the car and straight,” says the seller. “The paint is nice with just a few small flaws.”
The Grand Am never really caught on and was discontinued after 1975, only to reappear again with the downsized 1978 for another three years until meeting a similar fate. Starting with the 1985 model year, the Grand Am returned once again, now mainstreamed as Pontiac’s compact car, but when most people think of the Grand Am, they think of this. For $19,980, you can finally stop thinking about it.
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Source: www.classiccars.com