Most people don’t know that when the 2nd generation of the Pontiac Grand Prix was introduced, it was available with either a 370 horsepower or 390 horsepower 428 HO engine. Here is a beautiful example that is located in Peoria, Arizona. The Grand Prix is listed for sale here on eBay with 7 days remaining in the auction. This car is as popular today as it was upon its introduction and bids have already passed $27,000. The car is one family owned and has only 69,119 miles on the odometer.
This Grand Prix is one of 94 Grand Prixs ordered in 1969 with the 428 HO engine and 4 speed transmission. There were over 112,000 Grand Prixs built in 1969 and most of them came with the 400 cubic inch engine. The 428 cubic inch V8 engine with the HO designation was rated at 390 horsepower from the factory. Pontiac installed all 428 cubic inch V8 engines in their largest cars. Sometimes you will see a 428 cubic inch V8 engine retrofitted in a GTO or Firebird. My brother has a 1970 Formula with a cubic inch V8 engine in it. The 428 cubic inch V8 engine was replaced by the 455 cubic inch V8 engine in 1970.
Pontiac also designed a special interior for the new Grand Prix in 1969. The instrument panel and dash were wrapped around the driver like a cockpit in an airplane. This unique design is a favorite of many enthusiast. As you can see, the 4 speed shifter from the M20 Muncie manual transmission is located in the console near the dash. Many people have never even seen a 4 speed Grand Prix. The power is sent to the rear end and spins the rear tires via a 3:23 rear gear.
This car is painted in Expresso Brown with a Gold interior. While the car has a great engine, there is no power steering or air conditioning. I bet that gets hot in Arizona. It was frame off restored in 2012 and shows know indications of rust. The car is beautiful and just a joy to look at. I bet it is even more fun to drive.
I really love this Pontiac, but I can’t say I be real excited to drive this with manual steering every day…
This car had been for sale on Ebay recently. They are trying again. This is the Holy Grail of the 69 Grand Prix. They want a lot of money for it . But I have never seen another one like this one
You are right, it was also featured on this site last October.
Steve R
Based on past posts, do have any Idea what they want for the Grand Prix?
Power steering, power brakes and a/c were still somewhat uncommon options in 1969. Anything that was powered off the engine was thought to rob h/p from the rear wheels and was usually not ordered if performance was the mission. Manual steering is only a minor annoyance when parallel parking. Options such as these could be ordered individually and if you needed to get the purchase price down to afford that big V-8, those boxes remained un-checked.
I could see skipping the power steering on a GTO, maybe, but not on a GP.
No A/C offered with the 428 HO.
It looks as this car comes with P/B. Good thing it took a lot of brakes to stop this muscle car. Pontiac made a factory add-on P/S kit. It came with everything you needed to make it look as if the car came built with factory P/S. Maybe some one of these NOS kits hidden under a work bench somewhere.
“Do not turn the steering wheel while the car is stopped. It scrubs the tires and it puts strain on the whole steering mechanism,” my father told me when l was learning to drive in 1957. So, when you parallel parked you turned the steering wheel while in motion, it was not unduely hard to do. Got the same instruction when learning to drive a truck, years later, it had power steering, but “only turn the steering wheel while in motion” for the same reasons. My ’69 Camaro, ’68 Chevelle, and ’67 Ford did not have power steering, but after that, they all did, even those that did not really need it like my ’83 Cimmaron.
Speaking as a old truck driver. We would rock the truck by releasing and engaging the clutch while turning the wheel.
Good advice from your old man there – today we’ve become too accostumed to PS, people have forgotten that lesson, and I’m pretty sure the automakers design today’s steering gear and linkages KNOWING everyone turn the wheels at standstill
Every modern car uses rack and pinion steering. No Pitman and idler arms to put “stress” on. I learned to drive on a 1967 F100 with manual steering, and later owned a 1971 Fury with a 440 and manual steering. Besides having a better feel for the road, parallel parking isn’t as bad as you might think.
Dave; regardless of rack-and-pinion or steering box, turning the wheels without moving the vehicle still puts unneccessary stress on the mechanism, its installation hardware not to mention the tires. Just observe the traces of rubber left in the tarmac after a fully loaded big rig has turned its wheels at a standstill
Unbelievable. This is a truly awesome car.
This has to be a 1-of-1 special order GP. I can’t imagine a dealer having this as a normal in-stock unit. It would’ve been sale-proof.
Truly one of Grand Prix’s (and Pontiacs) best designs.
I’ve seen this GP in person at a local show. Pick the complementary adjective,
they are all accurate. Great car.
The service writer at my dad’s shop had a 69 in this color, but with a black vinyl roof and an automatic. For a big car, it hauled. I loved the driver-centric interior.
This one was definitely purpose-built. Lovely, but probably a pretty unworkable street car.
Back in 72, one of the guys I hung around with that summer at the Jersey shore, had a 4 speed 69 Grand Prix SJ. Like most 69 Pontiac’s, it was Verdoro Green, with a black vinyl top and black interior. All Model SJ’s were 428’s, but after 49 years, I have no idea if his was an HO. As strange as a 4 speed Grand Prix seems, back then I don’t think we considered any car with a 4 speed “rare”. About the same time, one of my cousins had a 70 Monte Carlo with a 350 4bbl, bench seat and a 4 speed, and I knew a guy with a 4 door, 4 speed 68 Chevelle too.
This is a beautiful and unique car, though the color wouldn’t be my first choice. Being a Model J, which came with the 400 standard, I’m guessing this car is even rarer than the 4 speed SJ I once knew.
Wasn’t there a similar Grand Prix on here sometime back, with a 3 speed floor shift?
Beautiful car and listed on Phoenix C/L at $75K. My main concern would be why was a full resto done at only 69K miles. Perhaps neglect or let the elements get the best of it. All in all, a very rare and unique piece of American muscle. At $75K, not sure, but someone may get close such as a collector with alot of $.
This stripper is my new favorite GM. Just WOW! Big iron at its best is what you see here.
Really just think how much better this would look with a nice set of Rally 2 wheels. Looking at the build sheet it has a special rear gear order. I would think standard gear for a 4-sp was 3:55 so they went down a gear on ordering this car. The up gear would have been a 3:90 but that would have put a close ratio M-21 trans in it not the M-20 wide ratio that it has. They only built 22 M-21 trans 428HO Grand Prixs.
Now this is a Grand Prix that I would own! Color combo, 428/4spd, and dog dish hubcaps! This is one sweet ride!
I have never seen a ’69-73 GP with hub caps, or even a ’70-72 monte with em.
& of course, never with redlines.
The original “hub caps” i can guarantee you are WHEEL COVERS.
Too many people today are too bashful to put those back on an old car after restoration if the car had em originally, & that goes for ’69 camaros, etc. as well! Even some of the magazine ads back then showed Camaros, late 60’s
Chargers, etc. with wheel covers. Try to find 1 at a car show just before covid like that.
On a ’69 GP, i would have ordered radio delete & even manual brakes even drums up front – if they were offered, before i would go with manual steering. lol
I just read that the ’69 GP was the 1st car to get radio antenna in the windshield.
I thought that didn’t start till 1970 at GM. It was also the 1st car to get hidden wipers – in ’67.
I don’t think any car would need a frame off restoration with just 69k miles, unless it was driven in bad weather – A LOT. & kept outside most of the time.
How much bad weather do they get in Arizona? It’s gotta be a dry oasis, compared to the rain-every-2-or-3 days Northeast.
Another thing the 69 Grand Prix had that was a first for the auto industry was a wire grid type rear window defroster as a option.
Nice car! Did the 428HO become the 455SD? I thought the 428 had larger bearings than the 350/400 engine.
Looks familiar from this site, several “brown” Pontiac screamers lately like the tribute GTO everyone ragged on yesterday. Power steering back then, especially in some barges, was deft, finger tip stuff. Heck, my ’72 Chevy half ton had manual brakes and steering, of course it had slightly larger tires. No problem in motion which was key, as mentioned above. From a dead stop it was a good workout!
428 HO, 4 speed, low options,,, yeah I’d say it was ordered with speed and acceleration being priority number one, I bet this car sported some nice mag wheels back in the day! Very nice…
Love the 428, love the 4 speed, no love for a manual steering no a/c no power windows Grand Prix, GTO? Yes, Grand Prix, pass
I was the proud owner of a 69 Grand Prix 428 automatic if you don’t think these cars will haul ass you’re badly mistaken
At least today a dirt ball kid trying to car jack you at a Chicago stop light would run away with his pants down around the Michael Jordan sneakers he just stole. Why? Because most kids cannot drive stick. Beautiful car. On how the once mighty GM has turned into dog crap.
Little Pontiac trivia here. Which Pontiac engine had the highest rated HP? Answer: 1969 428HO.
Better go back a few more years to 1963 when the 421 SD was 425HP
Love these cars!,but would definitely convert to power steering asap, even if it detracts from originality!,I would buy this to drive, and enjoy, not worry about re-sale,with that said,I would save the manual steering box. A true tuxedo wrapped, muscle car.
I think that even a period-correct set of custom wheels,
or correct wheel cover would make this look so much better.
Plus,the redlines don’t work with this color.
Agreed it would look better with Pontiac mags,or even cragar s/s wheels,and no redline tires,but again it’s all in what the guy driving it wants.