The term “time capsule” is one that I believe gets overused in the world of classic cars, so it is one that I will avoid. What we have here is a 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix, and with a genuine 8,300 miles showing on its odometer, it is in strikingly good condition for its age. The Grand Prix is located in Brighton, Michigan, and is listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set a BIN of $16,900 for the Pontiac, but the option is available to make an offer.
The owner says that the Pontiac wears its original Firethorn Red paint, and while it presents incredibly well, there are a few nicks and chips on the car. Depending on the storage conditions throughout the car’s life, the occasional nick in the paint would not be surprising. There are no signs of rust or any other real problems with the Pontiac, while the color-keyed Rally wheels and beauty rings look to be in good condition. One thing that I will note is that while the owner mentions the incredibly low mileage that the car has accumulated, he doesn’t mention whether he holds any verifying evidence to support this claim. Still, it shouldn’t be too hard to work out whether such a claim is plausible once any potential buyer undertakes a personal inspection of the vehicle.
Opening the doors of the Pontiac reveals a sea of red trim. The presentation inside the Grand Prix is extremely nice, and by-and-large would seem to support the mileage claim. I did notice that the carpet is not a great fit on the driver’s side near the seat. More worryingly, it does appear as though the top of the wheel is worn, although this could also be a trick of the light. If the red finish is wearing off the wheel, this is something that I wouldn’t expect from a car with only 8,300 miles on the clock. The rest of the interior trim looks to be flawless, and the air conditioning is said to blow ice cold.
Lifting the hood on the Pontiac reveals a 400ci V8 engine, a 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. The owner says that the Grand Prix runs and drives like new, and a buyer could fly to the car’s current location and could drive it home with confidence. Overall, the presentation of the engine bay is pretty reasonable, with only minor issues such as some corrosion on the top of the air cleaner to potentially address.
If the mileage claims for this 1976 Grand Prix are accurate and can be verified, then that would make this car one of the lowest mileage examples in existence today. Certainly, the condition would generally seem to support these claims, but they need to be taken on face value at this point. Assuming that they are accurate, then what would a car like this be worth? Looking at what is available in the market at present, and what has sold in recent times, it would seem that a price of between $14,000 and $16,000 would be in about the right territory. That seems to suggest that the price of this particular car would be about right.
The rally 2’s with whitewalls just never looked right to me, on this car & even on the firebird. In fact i would prefer to see this car with full wheelcovers …
http://cdn04.carsforsale.com/3/586774/28454931/1328799566.jpg
as i would the 1970 monte carlo.
Most of these cars were purchased as luxury models with std motors.
Not muscle cars.
That is a jbeautiful car. GP is always a beauty , sometimes with muscle. Back in the these machines were described as a body builder in a tuxcedo. I am the original owner of a 1976 GP LJ / SJ . These cars drive like big luxury cars. The high performance is there with a few minor Tweeks and goodies. As far as the gentleman’s selling price , it is way too low, that car is near mint condition and has been garage kept. Nothing wrong with that car
That is a jbeautiful car. GP is always a beauty , sometimes with muscle. Back in the these machines were described as a body builder in a tuxcedo. I am the original owner of a 1976 GP LJ / SJ . These cars drive like big luxury cars. The high performance is there with a few minor Tweeks and goodies. As far as the gentleman’s selling price , it is way too low, that car is near mint condition and has been garage kept. Nothing wrong with that car
I always liked these cars. This is a very nice example. Always thought the instrument panel with all the circles looked cool. Ebay ad says “original paint” in the header description, then says “original pink car” in the text. ???
The seller is set to get rich if he or she gets a bunch of offers, as a $500 non-refundable deposit is due for each “excepted” offer.
Thanks Adam.
Yeah, I was struck by the pink notation too. That is definitely not pink.
I forgot a point of interest on the 1976 Grand Prix. That is the jubillee year for Pontiac. They designed or modeled part of the looks of these cars after the Duesenberg. It is in the history of Pontac’s GP program .The looks are there.for that year.
I am having Blue’s Brothers flash backs.
My 1st car was a 77 GP back in 1985. Parents bought it new and gifted it to me on my 16th Bday. Have had 7 GP’s since from ’75 thru ’77s. Never realized the rallye rims had the option for factory color matching? There’s a few things that throw the claimed mileage into the suspect category. Still a stunning example though.
My ’77 had color keyed rims too – in this exact color – and they were factory original – so yes, the color keyed rims are correct.
Thanks for sharing! I haven’t seen any personally but wish my 1st would have had them.
The earlier models like 72 GP 455 looked better in my opinion. This is just the boat edition of big and bulky. I wish seller Good luck on sale 👍
FYI ; it’s a low mileage car until you drive it and then your just in a high mileage car loosing cash 💰
1976 was one of the best styling years for the Pontiac Grand Prix prior to the 1978 downsizing and engine displacement reduction. I love the matching red color scheme. Today, one can’t get any Pontiac let alone a passenger car with a 400 V-8 and a colorful interior. If the mileage can be verified, this vehicle deserves an inspection.
Well said, Lance.
Classic steel, while it’s true that when you put miles on a low miler like this you loose cash. But isn’t also true that if you by a brand new car and start to throw on some miles don’t you also loose cash? The whole point of having this car is to enjoy it. Cars have always been money pits and in this case the cash you lose is payment for your share of your wear and tear that you put on it…! Isn’t it…?
If you don’t add any extra value for the low miles you have nothing to worry about. I wouldn’t pay more for this because of the miles for the simple fact that I am going to have to change all the rubber and brakes and everything else to get it back on the road. I doubt all that work has already been done.
That must be because of your climate up here in Canada the rubber stays good for much longer my 68 year old dodge still has some usable rubber, not all but it is on it 68th year.
Happy to see it doesn’t have a white half landau roof.
Much prefer the ’69 to ’72 version of the Grand Prix but this one is in fantastic shape and looks great. Particularly appreciate the lack of the vinyl landau top.
Bob in Tn, I am guessing that he is referring to the title, for the “Original Pink” statement. California titles were pink, and probably other states as well. The Beach Boys made the term popular, “One more thing, I got the Pink Slip Daddy” in the song Little Deuce Coupe
That makes sense. But what really confused me was the pic of the door seam which looks pink. Maybe weak paint, or primer showing through, or whatever. Anyhow, nice car.
A little too much red for my taste, nice car though!
Strange that it does not say if its an SJ, LJ or base. The bench seat leads me to believe that it is the base model which means it would have a 350 and not the 400 engine.
Base would have had the 301 and vinyl interior. My 1st ’77 was a base with 301 and white vinyl bench. The cloth bench was optional on base, SJ and LJ models. If it is indeed a 400ci engine then it would never have been standard in the base model. Leads me to believe it has been repainted with LJ or SJ badges left off. As with most things though, I could be mistaken. Been many years since I restored a ’77 Grand Prix.
This is a 1976 which had the 350 as the base engine. The 1977 base was a 301.
Overall condition makes the low mileage seem pretty believable. Buckets and a console would have been nice.
I never liked how heavy the doors were on the GM cars. On my 74 thunder bird the doors were larger but open and closed real nice and easy. Nice car though.
I can’t say I’m a fan of these cars, but it sure is cool to see such a nice one. The price is definitely high, but I think it’s generally a good decision to pay top dollar for top quality. It’s cheaper and a better investment in the long run.
Just don’t ask me how often I’ve heeded that advice.
Little signs look like the possibility of a very well cared for 108,000 mile car.
This is a slight departure for the seller, who usually traffics in Tran Am’s…she’s still a Pontiac though.
Great car BUT…….I am surprised no one mentioned the amazing residential garage space !! 3 doubles and a single off of a courtyard! VERY nice.
The recession bought my luxury home where I had an 8 car 1500 square foot garage inside of my house off of a single 8′ x 18′ door. 3 cars wide & tandem with another 2 cars in an L shape.
The recession also bought most of the cars that I needed that garage for! Oh well, not easy come BUT easy go.
Oh well. I thank the good Lord for all the blessings in my life, I can always buy more cars after rebuilding. LOVE THAT GARAGE !!
I always had a soft spot for the Grand Prix this is a good looking vehicle, I like the 400 engine like the wheels but it could sure use buckets and center console. With that these were an extremely nice cruiser!
Great color combo, much better than the preserved “time capsule” GP of similar vintage we all fussed about over a year ago. Remember it being brown with off white top and some hideous interior, photographed in the sellers man cave. Adam, as far as the fit of the carpet, my 76 Firebird came from the factory with bubbles and wrinkles around the contours of the front seat so I’m not concerned on this car. Steering wheel wear is a concern though.
Beautiful car. The seller states that you can fly in and drive it home. I wonder if he has ever driven a car that has sat for an extended period of time. I would suggest shipping it home. Because most moving items and the rubber will need to be replaced or rebuilt. Unless the new owner wants to park it as this owner did.
I am interested in this car. Is it still for sale?