Sport + Luxury Together in One Package: The 1973 Pontiac Grand Am
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- Опубліковано 23 жов 2022
- Learn more about one of the most storied nameplates in Pontiac history: The Grand Am. And, stay tuned for an interview with John Manoogian regarding his involvement in the 1992 Grand Am!
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A 73 Grand Am was my first car, and I still own it today! I thought about selling it many times, but glad I kept it. Thanks for sharing this video description of what was a very unique car in 1973!
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HOPEFULLY you upgraded the ignition to transistorized ignition, GM never had that until 1975 and mechanics these days wouldn't even know about points and condensers unless they are 70 years old!
Lucky you. So rare to hold onto a car for so long. All mine are long gone
Mine was a 73 luxury Lemans.
I'll always remember getting to drive a triple black Grand Am in 78 from Springfield Oregon to the Pacific coast that an acquaintance had. It was of this vintage, it was so smooth and hugged the corners so well, but I swear you really could see the gas guage move. I had a 70 chevelle at the time the ride in it was not even close to this. Love these cars.
I drove a 74 Grand Am when I was in high school. Now, 40 years later, I have one in my garage awaiting restoration.
My father had this car. We drove from Pennsylvania to Canada to the Olympics in 1976 in Montreal, when it was three years old. I remember it overheated a lot (don’t know why) when he owned it. Overall, it was a really cool car. All of my friends thought it was the coolest car. I was 8 years old in 1973. RTS “Radial Tuned Suspension” was the big deal then. It even had it on the dashboard.
I have a 73 GA myself., and surprisingly, the 73 GA didn't originally have an RTS badge on the dashboard anywhere. The car did have RTS, but they didn't put a badge on the 73's. If you look closely at the dash views in this video, you won't find an RTS badge on the dash. If you see a 73 with an RTS badge on the dash panel, it's not the original dash panel. The first year of Grand Am to get the RTS badge was 74 and it was on the right upper corner of the dash glove box door. On the 75 Grand Am(and Grand Prix), they relocated the RTS badge to the instrument panel, directly above the ac/heater controls, where it would be more prominent.
We had a 78 grand prix growing up. Same thing.... overheated all the time. All my young road trip memories have us oveheated at a rest stop lol.
@@dmac19050 may be from the beak nose grill on Pontiac vehicles back then. Lol Same memories for me... 😂
My parents in 1973 bought a demo exactly like the one at 2:24, but it had white wall tires. It was a beauty. Nicest car I've ever driven next to an 85 grand marquis. They paid below the sticker price of $6000 as it had 1700 miles on it. 400 2bbl carb. The wood on the dash aged badly over the years as it seems like it was wood with stickum on the back... it would bubble up because of the heat in georgia. It was the first car where we had to go thru the wheel well to change the right side rear spark plugs. I ended up driving that sucker from Atl, to San Diego, then Monterrey CA to give to my brother as it was retired from mom driving it (1982?).
On the way to California, around 1982 I think, the water pump was slightly leaking in Dallas... I bought a water pump before I continued on the trip at the local auto parts store. It finally gave out in Midland, TX - fan went into the radiator, but did not breach it. Stuck on the side of the road (with no cell phones at that time), a guy from a local service station happened by and towed me to his service station. He had JUST been robbed! He let me use his tools and his garage that night while he dealt with the cops and stuff. I got that damn water pump installed thanks to him.
I was on my way back to my duty station in San Diego, to eventually deliver the car to my younger brother stationed in Monterrey. Eventually I made the trip and delivered it... only... 3 years later he told me he SOLD IT!!!! I was SO PISSED!!! This car will never be made again and you got rid of a masterpiece! For what? (He was not mechanic like I was). I knew this car would be valuable later on.
One of the major marketing pieces on video from '73 is the advertisement of compliance with the 5mph bumper crash and not doing substantial damage as required by the new rules then. It was a close up of the front end of a 73 Grand Am crashing into a fixed barrier, where the entire front end literally CRUSHES, and it all pops back out! Yeah, that's important in the history of the 1973 version. This was never done or advertised ever again, which makes this particular year and version of the Grand AM, truly unique.
Great video and thanks, this brings back many pleasant memories of my teen and early 20's.
The Colonnade cars are special to me as I literally grew up in a 1975 Malibu Classic wagon my parents bought right after I was born. It was our only car for about 10 years, and I drove it though high school and occasionally for years after until we couldn’t justify keeping the rust at bay anymore. We did a partial frame transplant from a junkyard Olds wagon around 1990 that kept it drivable to the end. Almost 199,000 miles on the 350 2bbl and TH-350. She wasn’t fast or efficient, but stone reliable with only a water pump, fuel pump, carb and transmission vacuum modulator replacement needed over the years. Never left us stranded and was a beast in snow despite not having a posi. Too bad the rust prevention and build quality weren’t better because it was mechanically sound. We sold it to a contractor that needed a replacement motor for his pickup, always wonder how long that plant kept on going. I can still feel and hear it in my mind to this day.
These cars were not considered high quality GM models in my mind. My uncle always drove a Buick and his '69 LeSabre got totaled parked in front of a friend's house, so his Buick salesman son-in-law had him buy a pea-green '75 Century that soon revealed all sorts of annoying design issues, including paint that bubbled and peeled off the hood within a few years, and air conditioning vents that didn't seem to be placed correctly to cool the driver (thanks to the vents being outside the cockpit-style dash on the driver's side).
My mom got this car when she was commuting from Philly to northern New Jersey, and I drove it when I was in high school. Love seeing it again!
My father bought a '74 Cutlass Salon new (4dr, brown with the beige velour interior). The whole family went to pick it up (those were the days!); I was 8 yrs old at the time. I never experienced such a luxurious ride! and the 350/4bbl was so smooth! I'll never forget that ride home...and velour seats, no less! It was a special time in my life.
I had an Apollo Green 1974 Cutlass Salon International Series back in the late 1990's. Sold it in 2005 and ran into the guy ten years later. He used it as a daily driver and let it rust into junk. I should have never sold it.
@@jeffrobodine8579 Wow! That car had quite a run! Yeah, those are almost impossible to find now.
The 1973 Colonnade Intermediates had their problems, sure... but damn, if GM wasn't trying with them. If not for the pure stunning and often muscular preceding generation, I think these cars would be remembered far more fondly (and maybe have been preserved by more people). You had absolutely beautiful cars (73 Buick Regal and Century) and some fun new "niche" products like the Grand Am, which really sought to do something different. Was it anything like a European car? No. But it did manage to offer something different than a typical LeMans, with distinct styling and other unique details.
I am always so happy to see these cars get some love. It pains me that there are so few of these still around today...
Even though looked down upon by some "car guys", I prefer the 73-77 GM a-bodies over all others. Actually it makes them more affordable, so I have 4. So, I'm doing my part to preserve them ;-) . Some people think they were poor quality, but I submit they are as good and last as long as any old car depending on where you live and the care you give them. And complaints about low power is only some engine work away, since any V8 fits them all. They have better suspensions, brakes and interiors than older models, and are often well optioned. I like the size, the style and comfort. I even like the bumpers that some people complain about. I drive my 75 Lemans Sport Coupe regularly and it always draws some attention. It's original and still looks great, even though a bit worn with 183K miles on it. People enjoy seeing it. Some even try to buy it from me :-D. But I've had it for 20 years and is the model I wanted since they were new, so will never sell. One my others is a 73 GA with 455 that I have to do some paint and interior on, but it runs well. there are still some good Colonnades out there....the internet making them findable of course. I think anyone that really wants one can still find one. I think they're getting more valuable as time goes by and more people get nostalgic for them, so a low mileage, nice original needing little or no work may be fairly expensive. But even so, look at the cost of a new car, or one of those "muscle cars"...yikes! if you can do some work yourself, there are inexpensive project cars too. And just as they were in the 70's, there's no reason they can't be a daily driver. That's what I do, and I don't have any expensive car payments, high tag fees and insurance.
OK, here's where I can really contribute...
This was not only my first desired car, it was my second car!
Adam mentions the lumbar-adjustments & the full-Grand-Prix dashboard, but because of this car's aims, it WAS the first GM car with the 'European' dimmer switch AND twin-trumpet horns that didn't sound like any other American car... He is correct about the "genuine african crossfired mahogany dashboard", but it was a REALLY thin veneer. On the other hand this 4200-pound "mid-size" DID handle amazingly well with those sway-bars and the maximum-sized 15" PolyCast honeycomb wheels instead of the steel wheels with those hubcaps, or the 14-inch? PMD wheels! I remember running 255/60/15 tires... My 1981 Eldorado only weighed 3900 lbs, but it never handled like that Pontiac - which also had THE perfect programming for the Turbo 400 tranny - which tied in with the sideways 'slap-stick' shifter that Chevrolet did not have... To be fair, those damned copycat Laguna S-3's DID have sideways-swivel seats - and I never could figure out how they did it!
Of course, the same body - minus the Endura Nose - was resurrected for the final year of that body, but I think the 455 & maybe even the 400 was gone...
Last year for the 455 was 76. The 400 was still available through 77 in the a-body though. The 400 lasted into 79 in the Trans Am, and then was gone.
fun car...I washed and drove a lot of them working at a Pontiac dealer as a detailer where my Dad sold cars. Remember the interior very well....miss those days and you, Dad
My first car
When I first saw this I thought about Detective Kojak's car. Turns out that is the 1973 Buick Century. Learn something new every day.
I still own a 1973 Luxury LeMans 4 door that I purchased used in 1988 with just 57k miles. It has just 77k on it now and features an unusual color combination of Green Gold Metallic paint, Buckskin tan vinyl top, and Harvest Gold "Morrohyde" vinyl interior.
Use to work in the parts dept at a Pontiac dealer in 1973, a Dodge dealer was next door with a back entrance 1/8 mile black top back. Sales managers use to compete their fastest new cars. I will say the SD455 was a very competitive power plant against 440s!
Had a 73 Lemans 2dr.Great car. Still miss it.
Was a service advisor at the local Pontiac dealership where I started my 42 year service career. I loved the 1973 Grand Am when they came out in the fall of 1972. Favored the coupe over the sedan, but both drove very well. Would buy a coupe in mint condition if I could find one. Thanks for highlighting this unique Pontiac Adam!
We had two in the early years of our marriage.... the maroon car at the end of your video is exactly like our 400 2bbl car except ours had an electric moon roof. It had AC, PS, PB, Electric Windows, electric moon roof, factory dual exhaust, the buckets you talk about in your video. We got it with about 65k miles on it in 1984 and drove it every day until the early 1990s, I hated it that we had to drive it.... the other one was a silver car, with the finned hubcaps, but that car had a 455 4 bbl in it, and it was pretty stout for a car of that era... I wish so much that the 73 model year could have had the 69-70 spec 400 / 455 ... they would have been good for about another 150 horses... I wish I could buy that maroon car now, and put a 455 in it spec'd to 1970 standards.... or even the 400 4bbl spec'd the same way... that car would be a pavement shredder. My wife and I spent our youth running the roads in that maroon car and my 67 Impala sport coupe, never having a thought about buying a new car...... in fact, we both learned to drive in the 70s and never owned a 75 to 1992 ANYTHING.... we only bought a new car when our 1974 455 Catalina Coupe was spent and we couldn't find another old car fast enough.... sickening... I have not had a car I've given a hoot in hell for since....
My first grade teacher had a brand new 73 grand am all black, loved that car
Those old Grand Am look super nice. I love em
Of all the GM colonnade cars, I'd say the Grand Am was the most interesting but the Oldsmobile Cutlass maybe had better lines. Loved that mahogany wood paneling!
Even a Ford/Mopar guy like me would love a '73 Grand Am.....I've wanted one since I was in 3rd grade!!
Can you imagine working the Grand Am front end onto an El Camino?
Excellent video. Thanks for the clarification about the SD 455 engine (as shown in brochure). I had a ‘74 LeMans with a 350 2 bbl. Moved out pretty good. Wish I still had it now. Oh well.
One thing about those early to mid seventies Grand Am's and Grand Prix's is they had the best overall interiors and gauge clusters of almost any cars out there...
Fully optioned Ford Elites compared but were less jewel like ...
Parents bought a new 73 demo Lemans Sport Coupe. When we were lucky enough to drive it WE DID!!!!❤❤❤❤❤ it lasted thru 4 or 5 family members. I put new lifters in it the last job I did for my little brother
I want one. My dad had one and I loved it. Need to return one to the garage.
Thank you, great explanation, beautiful old cars, don't forget, well done for the explanation and pictures
My brother had a 66 Impala SS and took a 74 GrandAm for a test drive. Unbelievably, he settled on a loaded 74 Pontiac Astré (Vega). Head gasket hijinks ensued a few years later.
8 years later, I bought that Astré for $300. It simultaneously had head gasket and rings issues, dark green paint showing through the Earl Scheib grey of 2 years prior, and mega-rust where it counted.
I tried to fix it and ended up selling it for what I paid for it to a guy who wanted a parts car.
funny....you probably overpaid @ 300 for that at the time. GM really hit the skids with the Vega, Astre, Chevettes and Citations. The early Cavaliers were an improvement and still junk.
That eras' entry level GMs were widely considered insurance co. disposables.....the junkyards were full of fairly repairable carcasses.
Thank you for all these small details. I love the 73 Grand Am 2-door. I think ir looked great.
Owned a 73 two door. As is common with most people, I wish I’d never sold it. Wonderful machine. Great video thanks for posting.
Tell me about it... Ciao.
73-75 were a beautiful design.
I fell in love with the Pontiac Grand AM the first time I saw one in real life. We were on our way to the Central Valley in California driving from San Jose on Monterey Road, known at the time as Blood Alley. Anyway it was Thursday September 28, 1972. It was white with red interior. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. When you mention the small trunk, I can see why. The Grand Am trunk is elliptical in shape which I can imagine would definitely hinder space. Trully beautiful car. I realize that I'm one of the odd balls that loves cars from the 1970's, but those are the cars that I grew up with.
I didn't notice the trunk on my '73 2-door being "small" except in comparison to my '54 Chevy that it replaced. 😄 I do remember the "space saver" spare tire which was deflated (no bigger than the wheel) and had an air cylinder to blow it up with. Luckily, I never had to see if it worked. I kept the car for only 5 years. 😪
If it was 1973 I'd buy one of these new.
My dad had a 455 Grad Am coupe. Loved if. Pretty good screamer,
I remember one of the coaches at my high school bought a white two door with bucket seats. I always loved the front end and the dashboard.
Seems to me you should have a LOT more subscribers Adam. You are an amazing (that word is used casually these days, I mean it literally) source of information and you actually OWN so many of the cars you tell us about. Come on people! Tell your friends, tell your co-workers... Once they watch once they'll be hooked! Seriously, this guy deserves so much more love and attention...!
Thx! Oh well, I’m not into all the fake hype, so whomever enjoys this style of presentation can join me.
Had to click this video right away.
That black 73 cutlass you showed, also on the GM Abody, was my very first car I bought when I was 16 in 84.
Love this channel, Adam.
Also love the pic of the 73 Chevy Chevelle SS w/454 big block. Nice looking car. Always liked GM's A-Body platform 1973-1977. Owned a nice 1976 Chevy Malibu Classic Coupe A-Body around 1982-83. These A-Body's were great reliable cars.
There are some old car magazines from back in the day that tested a 455 Super Duty '73 Grand Am and GTO, this was pre-production when it had the 310hp camshaft in it. They were absolutely FLOORED and all were eagerly anticipating those cars, I think one magazine named it the Car Of The Year, of course the Trans AM and Formula Super Duty were a lot quicker and easier on fuel being so much smaller but, having that kind of an engine in a midsized car that was a jack of all trades go anywhere automobile with performance, comfort and luxury really is something. That's why there is such a Cult following for cars like the (94-96)Impala SS, (03-05)Mercury Marauder, (04-06) Pontiac GTO, Pontiac G8, Chevrolet Caprice PPV, Chevrolet SS sedan, 1st and 2nd Gen Cadillac CTS-V sedans and ESPECIALLY 2g wagons even more so the manual transmission models. Guys like a big, comfortable car they can justify to their wife or family members that has genuine performance capabilities and a raft of aftermarket upgrade possibilities without getting the negative attention or stigma a guy gets in a muscle pony car or some sort of exotic that makes you an automatic douche whistle who is over compensating.
Looking forward to the Manoogian interview on the N-Body Grand Am, and would love to see more about the N-bodies in general!
I rode around in a girlfriend's black-over-white Grand Am 2 Dr, back in the 80s. I FUTILELY tried to detail those godawful rear windows, in a fit of chivalrous stupidity 😑. Great car with the 400-4 barrel, but a pig to clean! 🖖🙏🇨🇦
I love these and want one. I missed buying a white one years ago at a very good price. Hindsight is 20/20 vision.
Great video, but even better was to see a picture of my 1971 Cadillac sedan Deville, from my 2015 Hemmings listing, featured in this video! I miss that car.
My dad had the Bicentennial edition. It was such a sharp car.
My stepmom had a ‘74 GrandAm sedan in Avocado Green! Cannot get more 70s than that! She loved the car but traded it in for a brand new Pontiac J2000 (cavalier sibling) in 1982.
I had 3 73 coupes 2 Luxury LeMans and a Grand Am Great handling car with one of the best interiors available at the time.
Love to have another but hard to find a good example needing little work.
Sweet! I always loved the '73 Grand Am coupe. One unfortunate thing about these cars is that the plastic front fascia tends to disintegrate over time, but fiberglass replacements are available (or at east they were at one time).
The fiberglass replacement noses for the 73-75 Grand Ams are still reproduced by Motorealm, located in California. Their website can be found with a google search.
I remember seeing these on the road then, as they were quite remarkable and I thought a beautiful design. Owning a 1969 Pontiac GTO, I was aware of the power of the 400 Pontiac V-8. Later in 1974 I ordered a Formu!a Firebird with a SD-455. I guess I ordered it too late as after months of waiting the car arrived with the standard 455. I passed on the car as the salesman was not forthcoming with the knowledge it was not a Super Duty.
Today I own a '76 Olds Cutlass Salon with the optional 455. For its size it handles fairly well.
Great review. I had two of these. One the 3-spd auto and the other a 4-spd manual. Both drove nice and handled well (for the era).
My grandfather had a beautiful white with maroon top and interior Lemans coupe for his company car. It was his company so he could get whatever he wanted. That car was fully optioned. As I recall it even had fender skirts. He kept it until he got his retirement company car, a 1981 Volvo GLE.
We all recall our Driver Ed car-mine was a '73 Pontiac Ventura. Vanilla white, tan vinyl bench seats with a 6 cyl and 2 speed automatic. Perfect learner car as it could not get out of its own way. 55 MPH was asking a lot of that motor vehicle.
Love your videos i think subscribed your channel early on and watched everyone since. Really learned a lot thanks for sharing your passion!
I liked the floor mounted headlight dim switch.
Yeah - got used to that and then we were all told it was a safety hazard of some sort , or not foreign-car enough?
Used to call these the Canned Ham for some reason. I prefer the Cutlass and the Chevelle personally but the Grand Am is more unique and interesting from a styling perspective.
The 455SD WAS TESTED in the 73 Grand Am, and a few magazines tried it out.
I had a 1974 Pontic Lemans Sport Coupe, my 2nd car; I had that car for along time!
My friend had a 4 door 1973 grand am. With 455 . It was a beast . This was 1977 .
luv all the '73 colonnades...esp the Pontiac and Olds. Bucket list car is a '73 GTO with a stick, but a Grand Am or even a Luxury LeMans would be great too. I was a lot boy in mid-70's when the Grand Am's were 2nd owner cars, and was amazed by their performance and luxury...got to drive a couple of them.
I came very close to buying one of these back in the late 1980s. I love the combination of sports and luxury. Love the Grand American.
I rode in one brand new, silver, red interior 400 2bbl. It was surprisingly very fast and smooth. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end of muscle car enthusiasm from an industry standpoint. I read that managers were hired for their marketing experience not necessarily related to cars. In other words, bean counters took over completely. lol
After this, I never saw a new car I fell in love with. I had loved a number of them before 1975.
The louvered quarter windows aren't really very hard to clean. It's just a matter of using a terry cloth car wash towel soaked in the car wash soap, and sliding the towel up and down between each louver a couple times, and rinse. Been doing it over 20 years on my 73 GA and 75 Lemans Sport Coupe. Well worth it for the added sporty styling they give the cars.
1:19 _My God that paint is mesmerizing_ !!
Dad had a 72 Grand Ville and then a 74 Grand Am coupe that my brother and I loved to borrow whenever we could. Great memories!
Love your video histories of these great cars. I owned a 1973 LeMans Sport Coupe with 350 V8 when I was in HS in the 80's. Definitely out of place in that decade, but all my buddies loved my car. they were driving Chevettes, Nissans, and Civics. They were jealous. Pontiac was always a favorite of mine as my parents drove the land yacht Bonnevilles of the 70's when i was young. Thanks for your jump back in time.
I love this channel.
Good feature, great episode.
A friend had a Grand Am when new. I never cared for styling on these models. Excellent video as usual.
These remind me of the Camaro/Firebird bodies only larger. This really opened my eyes to the medium bodied cars of that time period.
Yes they did handle beautifully, my dad and step mom had a 72 Cutlass Supreme Convertable coupe and it was gorgeous brown with brown leather/nogahide bucket seats and console, air conditioning. Beautiful mid-bodied just like these Pontiac's.
Thank you so much for showing this clip.
My Mom had a 73 Cutlass Identical to the one shown... Nice riding car!!
IO so enjoy your video's. You have so many of vehicles that I have wanted to own.
I had a 76' Grand Am. Mine had the 400cid. It wasn't particularly fast. It handled fine for what it was. What it delivered on was a feeling of being sporty from the cockpit. I enjoyed the car and have no complaints.
Aaaah they didn’t make a 76 grand am
@@markross-corbett7957 fat fingers
These cars had an interesting commercial where they crashed the car into a wall with a camera mounted behind it or on it that gave the impression of the car crashing into the TV screen so you could get a closeup of the rubber nose as it compressed and then reformed when the car backed up.
Yes, and that video can be found on youtube
One of the first American cars with the headlight dimmer on the turn signal stock ... yes indeed and when that turn signal lever broke (as it inescapably would), good luck finding a replacement. I went through two of them on my 1975 before I reconfigured it with the floor switch.
The funny part about the GM Colonnades is simultaneously how massively popular the coupes were in contrast to how relatively poorly the sedans sold. The coupes - even if you take out the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix which had fairly unique bodies relative to the other Colonnade coupes - outsold the sedans 3:1 overall.
By comparison, Ford & Mercury only sold about 20% more intermediate coupes than sedans (excluding PLC Elites, Thunderbirds, and XR-7s). While Chrysler only sold 35% more intermediate coupes than sedans (excluding Cordobas and Charger SE’s) over the same period.
GM’s Colonnade coupes were wildly popular, but their sedan counterparts were not nearly as comparatively successful. In fact, the Montego/Cougar sedan line pretty consistently outsold the combined LeMans/Grand Am sedan lines in this era. A rare feat for Mercury.
I am so glad to see these car models i had forgotten about, i was born in 79, so these cars were cars that were in movies before my time, and since the build quality was so bad for that era en general , many were in junk yard 15 years later, but the grill and the dash of this car is beautiful, really Pontiac owned the 1970’s in American car design, and quite frankly were 2nd only to mopar in the 60’s in my opinion , Chevy being 3rd in the 60’s. Great video , i love car history crunching , carry on mi lad
What a beaut !
Four of us guys took a road trip from Tupelo , MS to Memphis in my friend’s dad’s 1974 4 door Grand Am. Cameo white with dark red interior and a red white and blue stripe around the beak and to the rear. The car was special then as it is now. Great suspension and ride. Quite a fun trip. My friend was later killed in a motorcycle wreck. This car is a special memory for me.
What a sharp looking car!
Back in the mid 80s,I bought a 73 Grand Am with a 400 4 barrel motor and a 4 speed.I bought it 4 $400.It was white with a tan interior and vinyl top and had honeycomb wheels.
had a 73 with the 4sspd blk on blk fully optioned. heavy car, i miss it
Wish I could find one. Had a ‘74 back in the early 80s. Loved that car.
My best friends brother had the exact car in the same burgundy color and a 4 speed with a 455 V8 so they did exist. He custom ordered it from the factory and was told he would never get it with a 455 , He did actually take delivery of it and it had the same burgundy finish Gorgeous ! I remember riding in it at 13 years old. Great machine.
My Dad bought a 1971 Grandville, it was Red with a white top and a 455 !!!
I always liked the Grand Am. Rare even when new. I also was a fan of the mid 70’s Chevelle Malibu’s.
Pontiac excitement! Grand Am did become legendary. I do recall doing the European thing with Cutlass Salon and Grand Am. They( GM) built on that too. The Seville took on the imports a few years later. GM did a good job with that, but somehow it only translated with the Pontiac 6000 STE in the 1980's. There were so good attempts like the Oldsmobile Touring Sedan and a few others. When GM used to let the brands be who they were, they produced some good things. I like the video for the information. I liked you mentioned Grand Ville, Grand Prix and Bonneville as well. I also liked you talked about the connection to LeMans as well. I thought it was interesting this car had the same interior parts as Grand Prix and LeMans and had a little Trans Am in the mix. They knew how to utilize the parts back in the day it seems.
I started my career in automotive retail in 1972, selling Pontiacs in DC at Buddy Pontiac on Bladensburg Rd, I was 21 years old I had dropped out of Howard University over the summer, and my parents were livid, especially my dad who told my mom I was only interested in the women on campus. I loved selling Pontiacs the Grand Am was badass, and the Gran Prix had changed body styles from 72 to73 and the new model was cool and controversial all at the same time. Good times!
I owned a 72 Grand Prix Model J Black on black with an AC that would freeze you out of it lol. Wish so bad I kept that car! I kept it thru 2 engines. 1st was a 400 and the second was a 455 built by a friend with special cams and things.
Had a lot of cars. Had a 73 Grand Am. Fantastic Condition. Had a great time with it
I bought one of these brand new: 1973 Grand Am, 2dr, triple burgundy, 400 engine/auto. Loaded car, had the 'honeycomb' wheels. It was a great driver. Traded it to get a new Dodge van. After all... It was the 70's...
These 1973 and later A bodies were 10 years old and common hand me downs when I went to high school. I love these cars not for really what they are but what they represent about American car styling - it seemed like it was the last gasp of different/unique GM division styljng.
I owned a 1973 Grand Am coupe. It was silver over red with a red vinyl top. It had the 400 cid 2bbl and delivered about 30mpg highway. Loved that car, bought it brand new for $3600. I was a freshman in college. This car was amazing, it was quiet, had a very comfortable ride, and had the power it needed. Owned it until 1979 when it was totaled after a small accident. It was found that the structure of the vehicle had rusted and was un-repairable. However ears later I purchased a 2000 Grand AM GT-1 in December of '99. Another excellent vehicle, traded in for a new 2012 GMC Terrain. the 2000 had about 90K miles on it when traded and it looked as if it was brand new.
I remember those when they were new. My dad used to call them the ole Rubber Nose. There were basically a Pontiac Lemans. I really loved the dash in the Grand Prix. My dad had a 73 Lemans at the time
Yes, the Grand Am was a Lemans body, but with a Grand Prix dash, upgraded interior, and the urethane nose. And it was one of the first GM cars to have "radial tuned suspension", plus radial tires standard. So it handled better than a regular Lemans.
Adam, thank you for presentation on the 1973-1975 Grand AM, I totally forgot about the real wood dash. The 74 Grand Am (2dr) was my first used car I purchased in my youth. Owned it for 4 years, and sold it to purchase a 1980 Trans Am with a 301 cubic inch engine and a turbo 200 transmission. If only I could go back an tell my younger self what a mistake that was. the 1st gen grand Am provided great ride and much better performance to the 1980 trans am. like capt Ahab from Moby Dick, I keep looking for the elusive, 74, white 2dr with red interior to own again
My second car was a 1974 Grand Am coupe with a 400 2-barrel. It wasn't fast, but I loved the interior and the comfort. I had to trade it in on an Accord in 1980 because the Pontiac only got 10 MPG and it was completely rusted out (thanks Chicago).
I always liked this car! I constructed a plastic model kit of it back in the day.
Wow, Adam! You just keep putting out great content! You must be a busy boy with work, video content and also lining up guest appearances! Good job bud! Love that you are keeping them alive as I am trying to do with my cars! I'm starting to look for more storage space for mine... I think I have reached my limit.. lol
Again! Great work!!
👏👏👏👏
Hey Adam my mom had 2 Grand Ams, one was a black 92 Grand AM (which got totaled) and the other was a Red 93 Grand AM (which was the replacement of her black Grand AM which was totaled in an accident) and she loved em.
More Pontiac videos please!!!!
My girlfriend had one. I thought it was a perfect blend of Europe and US. One day we met at a stoplight. She with her mother. Looked at me a brief moment. Then, I knew we were gonna run. Me in my 73 Olds Cutlass 350, Jumped timing a few degrees, drilled out secondary jets, trimmed spark plug gaps...against the 400 Pontiac. We left the light, me better reaction time and thankfully....the Olds pulled away. She said she didnt hold back. I still think the tin Indians are cool. 👍👍😎🇺🇸
72 Grand Prix black on black in black 400 auto in floor bucket seats duel exhaust,was a very nice ride
I rememember when this came out I just started the Third grade me and my friend thought this was so cool maybe even more then the GrandPrix
Totally LOVED my 73 Grand Am 2 door 400 4bbl. Just a wonderful all around car IMO.... I liked it so much when I saw it at the local Pontiac dealer's used car lot in March of 1978, I traded in my 1977 base Trans Am black on black non t-top I had bought June of 1977. i was tired of tickets and insurance premiums, and just plain bored as any car nut would have been at 18 years old... And the sunroof along with both front reclining bucket seats made for a great date car. My wife and I had a lot of dates just parking back in those days on out of the way secluded spots. LOL
one of the people who worked at my school had one of these, i remember it well cause i was a fan of the t/a and that one had all the t/a options, the wheels the dash the seats and even the hood scoop. it was very cool
Was likely a 1977 Can Am in cameo white with orange and red stripes. That was the only lemans based car to get the trans am shaker. The grand am and GTO did have a hood option with 2 recessed in vents though.
Quite a difference in the panel gaps & alignment in this generation and what is in production now.