455 V8 Survivor: 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville
Wanting to further capitalize on the luxury segment of the market, Pontiac created the Gran Ville in 1971. It was positioned over the Bonneville which in turn displaced the Executive in the line-up. The nameplate was used through 1975 and the Bonneville was then reinstated as top dog. This ’73 Grand Ville convertible looks like a nice survivor, and it’s had an interesting ownership history. Located in Marietta, Georgia, this open-air cruiser is available here on craigslist for $17,500. Our thanks to T.J. for another great tip!
Differences between the Grand Ville and Bonneville were not major, so you must wonder why Pontiac went to all the trouble of name swapping. While the earlier editions of the car rode on a longer wheelbase than the rest of the full-size models, the interior dimensions were identical. Rear fender skirts were employed to help separate one series from another. The 455 cubic inch V8 was standard on the Grand Ville, which didn’t help sales in the aftermath of the 1973 OPEC oil embargo. The rarest of the Grand Ville’s was the drop-top, which saw just 4,447 copies in 1973, like the seller’s car.
We’re told this Pontiac has had something of a distinguished ownership history. At one time, the car was owned by the Root family, the investors of the original Coca-Cola bottle. Later, Truett Cathy, founder of Chik-Fil-A, held the title and that’s who the seller purchased the Grand Ville. But none of that matters much as the condition is what’s important and this automobile looks to have been well-cared for across its 78,000 revolutions of the odometer.
The seller says the big boat runs great and its 455 V8 is the car’s original engine. The body and white paint and top look quite nice and the interior doesn’t seem to be wanting for any repairs. You’ll recall that (except for Cadillac), General Motors got out of the convertible market (at least for a while) after 1975, so there would be no Bonneville drop-top in 1976. For whatever reason, the Grand Ville convertible had the lowest production numbers of all its corporate cousins, including the Oldsmobile 88 Royale, Buick LeSabre/Centurion, Chevrolet Caprice Classic, and Cadillac Eldorado. How many of these big cars do you suppose are still left?
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Comments
Delete.. gone like the wind !! 🐻🇺🇸
Same colors as my 75. Scissors top cars are rising in value, that’s a lot of car for the money. Not surprised if it sold quickly. Not too much to say other than parts are pretty easy to come by for these.this one is presented nicely with low miles. What’s not to like?
What’s not to like? Let’s see…these behemoths were from one of GMs doldrum periods. Poorly engineered, poorly assembled, and IMO overtly ugly. I would rather have almost ANY Mopar from the same era.
Looked at a 75 conv in about 1991 that was for sale near me. Baby blue with white interior 455. I passed on it but can’t recall why. The price then was less than $6,000. Oh well. Now I have to pay more.
And just like that, it’s gone!!!!
Nice car all around
That would be a candidate for a white interior, true spokes, and 1.5 inch whitewalls
I know the former owner of this car, from Roswell, GA. David and his partner, Vance had a garage that held 10 classic cars. He was a huge Studebaker fan and also owned a Hawk, prior to his untimely death in 2010. RIP David.
The Grandville….was the top prize on a morning game show I use to watch all the time. Or maybe it was afternoon game show….as I was in school in the mornings, till like 3:30 pm. Haven’t seen a Grandville since then.
Could have been….on ABC.
There used to be this game show named “Split Second” that gave away only cars as the prizes. If you won the round, you got to try to start a car. If it started, you won it. If not, you were on the next episode and if you won again, they eliminated a car or two, giving you better odds of winning.
I’m not sure how long it was on in the 70’s, but I loved watching it when I was home from school for the day.
I’ve owned a lot of late 60s to mid 70 GM cars and never saw any difference in the paint from fender to door. I dont think anyone would pay the money a Grand Ville cost back them with noticeable paint differences