Class Act: 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac introduced its third generation of the popular Pontiac Grand Prix in 1973. This car is located in Goodyear, Arizona and can be seen here on Craigslist. While the car has needs, the seller is only asking $5,000. Equipped with a Pontiac 400 cubic inch engine, the Grand Prix delivered style and power. The personal luxury car market continued to boom in 1973 and Pontiac had the right car to fill buyer’s wish list.
The seller states that the car has its original 400 cubic inch V8 engine and a rebuilt turbo 400 transmission. The 400 cubic inch engine produced 230 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. The compression ratio was lowered to 8.0:1 compared to higher compression Pontiac engines a few years earlier. It appears the valve covers and intake manifold have been removed and repainted on this car. The air duct is also a homemade attempt to get cool air to the Rochester 4 barrel quadrajet.
While I am not much of a fan of the light yellow paint, the black interior looks great. The Grand Prix engineers designed an awesome “cockpit” instrument panel that was focused on the driver. This interior looks very clean but I wonder if the hot summers have cracked the dash of this GP. Although this car was bulkier than the previous generation, it handled well and could be ordered with a radial tuned suspension which came with front and rear sway bars.
This body style was produced from 1973-1977 and the 455 cubic inch V8 was available all the way up to 1976. Despite strong competition from the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix sold over 150,000 units in the year. I think I would paint this car black and drive it. What would you do?
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Comments
A proper repaint is going to cost almost as much of the asking price of the car. I would drive it as is and put any extra money into brakes or suspension.
Very nice! I’m not a fan of the colonnades, but this one works.
The air duct on the snorkel is factory, btw. The duct tape, not so much.
Love the front end… Just screams “outta my way ! Newer cloth seats help in Arizona with a car that doesn’t appear to have A/C. I’m lucky to have survived a nasty high speed crash along with all my friends in the late 80’s in a 455 version of this car. The quadra-junk 4 barrel needs all the cool air it can wheez in !
This car was originally equipped with A/C but it appears that the compressor and all the underhood periphs have been removed. Nice car for the right collector at the right price, worth a closer look.
I’d like to keep the car in that yellow tone fading slowly and upgrading brakes and suspension, as Primo said. Many of these were transformed into Stutz Blackhawks and I stay with the original design. For 230 net (270 gross) HP, isn’t hard to uncover those extra 30 horses with aluminium headers, basic port and polishing.
Black interior and no AC really ?
Of all colonnade body styles, I would say that this is one of the better looking ones. I’ve owned one that being a 73 Monte Carlo, 350ci, which was my first car at age 16 given to me by my brother.
Wasn’t this gen’s body style offered until ’77?
Nevermind, me need more coffee…
73 – 77 same body style. Since the interior is black you can paint this car any color which is great. I would def do a black exterior..black on black. With gold or silver pinstripping. And put cragars on it with whitewall tires. That combination works well as I’ve seen it before..
Looks like it DID have A/C when it left the factory. Frigidaire 6 cyl compressor is definitely a.w.o.l. on the right side of the engine.
I had a ’73 Type J with the same drivetrain, from 1979 until 1988. Ascot Silver, with red vinyl roof, and red interior.
This would make a terrific classic cruzer. It had power to pass everything, but a gas station.
I own a restored 73 SJ version of this car,455 every option including sunroof, mines black w white interior and white half roof, it’s got Vogues and Spokes on it, rides beautiful, handles well for car it’s size great on the highway, passes everything but a gas station, and I’m the only one at car shows with one, love my car,
in a perfect world the 70’s emissions standards would’ve never happened and this animal would be tearing up the streets
Yes!
My first car was a 1976 Grand Prix LJ and it was painted in the 50th anniversary color brown. It had a full vinyl top and even had a rear defroster and “pulse” wipers. It was hard loaded even had the 455 engine which was the last year. I got it 3 week’s before my 16th birthday bought used in November of 77 from a Pontiac dealer in Arlington Texas. Boy I wish I still had that one. Lot’s of good memories. They said when I got it the owner purchased a new Grand Prix every two years and always special ordered them. Not sure if that was true, but it was exciting to hear that as a young teenager.
Front seats have been reupholstered in a non-original pattern. Still, to my eyes the ’73 GP had by-far the best interior of any of the GM intermediate specialty coupes.