Pontiac Grand Prix

The Grand Prix is a line of automobiles produced by the Pontiac Division of General Motors from 1962 until 2002 as coupes and from 1989 through 2008 model years as four-door sedans.
First introduced as a full-size performance coupe for the 1962 model year, the model repeatedly varied in size, luxury, and performance over successive generations. The Grand Prix was the most expensive coupe Pontiac offered until the 1970s, when the Bonneville Brougham and the Firebird Trans Am became more exclusive; the Grand Prix moved into the intermediate personal luxury car and later the mid-size market segments.
All Grand Prixs from 1962 through 1972 were pillarless hardtops.

First generation (1962–1964)

The Grand Prix was an all-new model for Pontiac in the 1962 model year as a performance-oriented personal luxury car. Based on the Pontiac Catalina two-door hardtop, Pontiac included unique interior trim with bucket seats and a center console in the front to make the new model a lower-priced entry in the growing personal-luxury segment. The Grand Prix was available with luxury features from the longer, top-line Bonneville coupe. The bucket seats were upholstered in "Morrokide" vinyl, while nylon loop-blend carpeting covered the floor and lower door panels. It was also installed with a center console with a transmission shifter, tachometer, four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts, and "acceleration" rear axle ratio. It used the Catalina coupe platform with minimal outside chrome trim, and included the "Trophy" version of V8 engine with a three-speed manual transmission or optional console-mounted four-speed manual or Hydra-Matic automatic.
The Grand Prix featured distinctive grille and taillights. It effectively replaced the Pontiac Ventura model while the Catalina was available with an optional "Ventura" trim package for 1962. The rear bench seat included a center fold-down armrest and a speaker grille that could be made functional with the extra-cost Bi-Phonic rear speaker. Included were a padded instrument panel, deluxe steering wheel, courtesy lights, and other features. The listed retail price before optional equipment was $3,490 and was the most expensive model when it was introduced.
The standard engine was the Bonneville's V8, which came with four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts. Tri-Power carburation raised output to. Two other high-performance 389s were offered, including a four-barrel version rated at and a Tri-Power. Late in the model year a "street" version of the race-orientated 421 Pontiac offered in 1961 and 1962 became available, but only in a four-barrel form rated at. Pontiac also offered the Super Duty with two four-barrel carburetors, rated at, as a US$2,250 option.
John DeLorean, head of Advanced Engineering at Pontiac, contributed to the development of the Grand Prix as well as the GTO.

1963

For the 1963 model year, the Grand Prix received revised sheet metal shared with other full-size Pontiacs, but with a squared-off roofline featuring a concave rear window that contrasted with the convertible-like roof styling of the previous year. New was a split grille with vertically stacked headlights and round parking lights as well as "hidden" taillights. Aside from grille work, taillight covering, and bumpers, chrome trim was limited to lower rocker panels, wheel arches, and roofline.
The Grand Prix continued with luxurious interiors featuring real walnut trim on the instrument panel and bucket seats upholstered in "Morrokide" vinyl. The center console was now built into the instrument panel and featured an intake manifold pressure vacuum gauge along with a dash-mounted tachometer for cars with manual transmission. Pedals received revised custom trim plates. Options included power steering, brakes, windows, and driver's seat; air conditioning, eight-lug aluminum wheels with integrated brake drums, and Safe-T-Track differential. New options for this year included an AM/FM radio, cruise control, and a tilt steering wheel adjustable to seven positions.
The 389 four-barrel V8 remained the standard engine. A new lineup of optional engines was introduced this year which included the 389 Tri-Power and three versions of the V8 including a four-barrel version rated at, a Tri-Power option, and the 421 HO option with Tri-Power carburetion and. The same selection of transmissions continued including the standard three-speed manual, optional four-speed manual, or three-speed Roto Hydra-matic. Brakes were drums.

1964

The 1964 Grand Prix received minor appearance changes. Those included a revised grille with new "GP" logos and rear deck trim with new taillights, still hidden, again following the design of the other big 1964 Pontiacs.
Revised upholstery trims highlighted the interior, still featuring expanded "Morrokide" vinyl bucket seats and console as standard equipment.
Engine offerings were mostly unchanged from 1963 except that the standard 389 four-barrel V8 gained, with the extra-cost Hydramatic transmission. The standard three-speed manual and optional Hydramatic transmissions were unchanged from 1963, however, a new GM-built Muncie four-speed available in either a wide-ratio M-20 or close-ratio M-21 options replaced the Borg-Warner T-10.

	Yearly Total
1962	30,195
1963	72,959
1964	63,810
Total	166,964

Second generation (1965–1968)

1965

Grand Prix and all other full-sized Pontiacs were completely restyled for 1965 featuring more rounded bodylines with coke-bottle profiles, and a increase in wheelbase to . While other Pontiac coupes received the semi-fastback rooflines shared with other GM divisions, Grand Prixs retained the exclusive squared-off roofline with concave rear window but a bit more rounded than the 1963 and 1964 version. This generation also introduced fender skirts over the rear wheels for an upscale look, shared with Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile senior models.
Interiors were revised with new instrument panels featuring more walnut trim which now extended to the center console standard with bucket seats, along with a new steering wheel with horn bars replacing the horn ring used in previous years. The standard bucket seats could be upholstered either in expanded "Morrokide" vinyl or new cloth-and-"Morrokide" trim. New for 1965 was a no-cost bench seat option with a center armrest available with either upholstery choice. The Grand Prix retained the market position as the most expensive model, offering all equipment offered on the Bonneville hardtop coupe as standard equipment, and had a listed retail price of $3,426.
New options included an automatic air conditioning system called "Comfort Control". This system, first introduced by Cadillac in 1964, was available in addition to the regular Circ-L-Aire Conditioning. Hazard flashers and seat belts were also optional.
Engine offerings were revised for 1965. The standard four-barrel V8 was uprated to with a manual transmission or with automatic. Optional engines included a 389 Tri-Power and 421 four-barrel — both rated at ; a 421 Tri-Power rated at and the 421 HO Tri-Power with. The standard three-speed and optional four-speed manual transmissions were carried over from 1964, however, a new three-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission with torque-converter that was similar in principle to Ford's Cruise-O-Matic and Chrysler's TorqueFlite replaced the older three-speed fluid coupling Roto Hydramatic. The Turbo Hydramatic also featured the now-standardized P-R-N-D-S-L shift quadrant pattern in place of the P-N-D-S-L-R setup of previous Hydramatics.
A 1965 Grand Prix road test was featured in the February 1965 issue of Motor Trend magazine, which was focused on the entire Pontiac lineup receiving M/T "Car of the Year" honors for 1965. Other Pontiac road tests in that issue included a GTO convertible, Tempest Custom sedan, Catalina Vista hardtop sedan, and Bonneville hardtop coupe.

1966

The 1966 Grand Prix received only minor appearance revisions including a new more rounded split grille and new taillight trim. Inside, a revised instrument panel included a squared-off gauge panel and new Strato bucket seats in either "Morrokide" or cloth upholstery with higher seatbacks and more contoured cushions for improved lateral support. The Strato buckets were standard equipment along with a console, but a notchback bench seat with a center armrest was a no-cost option.
Engine offerings were largely unchanged from 1965 except that the Tri-Power 389 option was discontinued, leaving only the larger 421 available with the three two-barrel carb option, which was offered for the last time this year due to a new General Motors edict that banned the use of multi-carb options on all GM cars with the exception of the Chevrolet Corvette starting with the 1967 model year.

1967

Revised sheet metal with rounded yet even more pronounced Coke bottle styling highlighted the 1967 Grand Prix and other full-sized Pontiacs. A convertible was new; this lasted only for the 1967 model year. Also new to the G.P.-concealed headlights with horizontal mounting, concealed windshield wipers, and ventless front windows on hardtop coupes. The louvered taillights were similar to those found on the GTO.
"Strato" bucket seats and console were standard equipment with "Morrokide" vinyl or cloth upholstery, or a no-cost optional notchback bench seat with either trims. Other changes included a revised instrument panel and door panel trim.
The 389 V8 was replaced by a new V8 with four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts and. Similarly, the 421 V8 was replaced by a new V8 rated at or an HO version with - both with four-barrel carburetors. Both the 400 and 428 V8s were basically bored out versions of the older 389/421 block but with various internal improvements including bigger valves and improved breathing capabilities.
New this year was a dual master-cylinder braking system and optional front disc brakes along with Rally II wheels. Also new for 1967 was an energy-absorbing collapsible steering column. Plus, Pontiac added an 8-track Stereo tape player.