The Pontiac Grand Prix debuted in 1962 as a personal luxury car with some muscle. At first, it was based on a full-size platform, and – from 1964 to 1968 – sales declined every year except one. The shift to a mid-size body in 1969 mixed things up – and sales nearly tripled, leading Chevrolet to emulate the Grand Prix with its new Monte Carlo. The seller bought this ’68 Grand Prix in 2008 to restore and that project has largely been on the back burner. Declining health means it’s time for the stately machine to move on,
A styling update in 1967 brought hidden headlights and a convertible body style to the Grand Prix agenda. The former was continued into 1968 when a “beak” was added to the front of the GP, but the drop-top offering would be a one-and-done. The seller’s dark green example has had one repaint and is one of 31,700 produced in 1968 – the lowest in 1960s GP production. So, change was clearly needed, and buyers scooped up more than 112,000 of the new A-body ’69 Grand Prix.
As the story goes, this Pontiac has just 50,000 original miles and the seller believes he/she is its third owner. The body is practically rust-free, but the 40-year-old repaint is ready to be redone. The interior looks surprisingly good, attesting to the dormancy of the vehicle in recent years. This Grand Prix isn’t laden with options – no bucket seats, no console, no power windows. But it does have an automatic transmission and tilt steering.
We gather the 400 cubic-inch V8 doesn’t run as the fuel delivery system needs a thorough “tune-up”. The brakes were redone in 2012, and the intake manifold was changed to an Edelbrock (the original was retained). The factory A/C, converted to R134A, needs a recharge. There are a few things that don’t work properly, like gauges and interior lights, so some troubleshooting is required. From a garage in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this Poncho is available here on craigslist for $18,000. When was the last time you saw one of these Pontiacs up and in person? Thanks for the tip, T.J.!
Nice car but i’ll take the Monte Carlo SS in the background.
From that pic of the MC in the background, I can only assume you wish it were a SS since you can’t see any badging other than the MC tag on the roof. I have a 70 with a BB but not a SS I wish for one someday
If you go to the Craigslist add I’m a fee of the pics you can see the ss454 badges on the trim below the front fender. I had 1970 with a 350.
Darn spell check. Should be in a few of the pics
Well, the last time we saw this particular GP was about 2 years ago, when Jim M wrote it up, same seller, but down from $19,500. I remember the poverty caps, and an unusually sparsely optioned GP. The 8 lugs were available through ’68, and really makes the car. I read, they were a $120 option, now expect to pay 10 times that for some. This looks awful cheap and detracts from the great looks of the car. These were beautiful cars, rolled like thunder, they did. These cost just over $3700 new, so $120 bucks more for the wheels shouldn’t have been a big deal. Perhaps they “went missing” for another Poncho, but one thing clear, if I was looking for a Gentlemans cruiser in 1968, this is what I’d drive.
Full wheel covers were standard. The dog dishes on this one are someone’s custom touch. In addition to the 8-lugs, Rally IIs were also a cheap upgrade.
Cool ol’ Poncho. Kinda sparse but Verduro green is always a winner for me. Love the door cards! Seem pretty stuck on the price. If there was room for a few thousand off, this could be a decent buy. A set of correct Rally IIs with correct paint, caps and rings on some red stripe Cokers and this would be such a looker!
Pontiacs turned so ugly after making the beautiful 65 and 66 models. What a drastic change in styling and not for the better. Change of styling for the sake of change is not always a good idea. Just my opinion.
John
Even the ’69-’72 Grand Prix’s?
These Grand Prixs were certainly better looking but still not for me.
Well if it was a 428 w options it would be worth 18, but not a 400 w roll up windows
I find the 1968 Grand Prix to have a very matronly look to it. As in, it’s something that Mr. Middle Management would buy for his wife after the kids flew the coop and she had more time to socialize. Pardon the misogyny, but it would have been 1968, so…..
Not misogyny at time either. But if your looking at it from the modern progressive perspective….well, you’d still be wrong.
Great original Pontiac, I agree with it needing a wheel upgrade. Ralley IIs would be perfect with a modern redline radial.