This is it, the last of what I would call the classic Grand Prix models. Some of you will scoff at that or at any mid-late-1970s cars as being anything even remotely classic but there it is. This 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix can be found here on craigslist, or here on the CL archive, in Versailles, Indiana. The seller is asking $7,495 for this beauty. Thanks to Rocco B. for this submission!
How can anyone not like this shape? Come on, you call yourself a car guy/gal?! Hhmmpphh.. This is the last big Pontiac or at least the last big Grand Prix. This classic shape with the long hood was a winner, design-wise. The third-generation cars would be the last of the big ones and 1977 was the last year, so this is the last of the last. Was that confusing enough?
The seller “purchased it from the original local owner in February of 2017. He purchased it from Al Reynolds Pontiac in Greensburg, Indiana in November 1976. This is a well taken care of, full size, classic Pontiac. All maintenance is up to date. Drive it anywhere!” This is one nice looking car, I don’t see a flaw on this one so far, do you? They do mention that the “Body is very clean and rust free with one older repaint. Rustproofed when new. Car is in great condition.”
A lipstick red interior is hard to beat and this one looks fantastic. There are no photos of the back seat but they did include a couple of trunk photos. That’s one of the problems with the long hood/short body is that the trunk space is a bit tight but it looks great in there. The seller mentions the “3 speed automatic, air conditioning, power windows, power steering, power brakes, cruise control, rally wheels, runs and drives excellent. Dash, headliner, carpet, and interior are in very good condition.”
This engine is Pontiac’s 400 cubic-inch V8 which with the 4-barrel carb would have had 180 hp. 270,000 Grand Prix models were made in 1977 and this looks like one of the nicest ones left. Have any of you owned a third-generation Grand Prix?
Hard to deny the appeal of that look even for a Ford guy. Old girl friends dad worked for the local B O P dealer. Her brother wanted one of these with a t-top. Dad found one with the top the boy wanted and nothing else. The most stripped down thing any one had ever seen,in a very nondescript color to boot. He drove it to school but wasn’t to proud of it.
Why is the glove box area black? Should be red,unless it’s because of shading in the picture.
I vote for shading.
Oh WOW!!! I’ve always wanted to get one of this, and “uncork” the engine, with a : decent cam, worked heads, aluminium intake and a proper exhaust. What a good platform to play with!
I have had a few of these. Last one was a ’77 with a modified 400. Car would float down the interstate at 140-150 MPH all day long! Miss that car! Had doo much fun in high school with it!!!
140-150? Mm-hm.
Dig it, I would drive it as much as weather permits. First thing is to spend time detailing under the hood. Great find!
I’m not sure if 71-72 Grand Prix is 3rd generation or not, but I had a 71 J model with 400,turbo 400, Ac, pw and seats, great car until I hit a deer. For such a big car was quite fast. Any way loved that model.
All it’s missing are t-tops in my opinion.. 😎
I second that!!!!
On one hand T tops are nice, on the other hand they can leak and creak and I suspect the car loses some torsional stiffness with those big bites out of the roof.
Damn. Damndamndamndamndamn!
Considering the condition of the rest of the car, the underhood view is a bit puzzling. Whomever decides to buy the Poncho might want to look a bit deeper before handing over his/her cash.
Like the others have said, these GPs were nicely styled. A friend of mine over here had a ’73 with a 455/TH400. I met him and his now ex-wife parked on the side of the road, trying to work out why the engine just quit, unexpectedly.
Knowing that the nylon timing cogs on Pontiac engines were prone to stripping teeth, I took the distributor cap off and asked the wife to turn the engine over for a short burst – yup, there was no movement in the distributor, and explained what the problem was. We became close friends after that.
You and him or you and the Wife, Beatnik?
To uncork these 400 in some states smog laws is illegal to begin with. As new they barely could move these gadget laden barges into a 10 mph headwind.
Nice plushy (sloppy) handling boulevard cruisers.
Extra flip room, I do not see it except in some culturally background affecianados, but who knows.
Nice example of a once proud named auto, gone to bling.
From Poncho to Pauncho.
I live in Colorado. Pre 1983 vehicles are smog exempt. Florida where I’m from, and most of the South (except Metro Atlanta) has no emissions testing at all.
this one is lost. Where did you get this load of bull?
This is my favorite Grand Prix of them all. Back in the day we sold a lot of them, especially the ’77 models. I always coveted one but ended up with other cars, such as a Grand AM, which I wish I still had. Sure licking my chops on this one…
This one is very nice indeed but my favorite is an earlier model SSJ with actual horsepower. This one has a hood tach and 4 speed…
Interior not mint but could be detailed to look better.
Tease me again …The ’77 that I bought in ’80 had this exact interior with the exception of cloth seats. One of my favorite cars and drove it for nine years.
Beautiful car. The looks of these GP’s were stunning. My 76 GP was one of the best cars I’ve owned. I would love to have this. I would by it today if I had the room for it.
That one looks pretty good to me, Not like most of the cars we’ve seen in the past. That one looks like it’s ready to hit the highway.
A girl i went to high school with had on of these in the early 90s. Rear brakes did not work thus it was a burnout king. Neat cars especially the interior.
No one mentioned the CB radio
I did. A MOTOROLA, isn’t it?
I would imagine that the radio is tuned for Ham radio, and will not be included in the sale.
The white body makes the dark red top pop. Great find.
I love these 73-77 GM intermediates. I just wish someone would make quality replacement parts for them. Especially a one-piece replacement floor pan. The windshields would leak, and if not fixed, would rot out the floors. The replacement pan sections, on the market, were made off a 2 door pattern and don’t work on wagons and El Caminos.
If seller said it was original paint, I’d be on my way to look at it. The quality of the re-paint would make it, or break-it for me, unfortunately pictures don’t represent paint quality, especially in white.
Good looking car at a reasonable price. Now that’s a surprise!
one of my favorite 1970’s intermediate designs. Always liked the front end.
I always thought that the left large dash pod should have had a tachometer instead of a clock in these cars.
This is a very nice example of one and seems to be priced pretty fair too.
The optional instrument panel pkg does put a tach in that spot, then the clock moves to the cubby below the radio.
My mom had one 77 Lj with t tops and a 400 power windows,gold colored everybody loved it ,used to take it out immediatly after leaving driveway i would pull over take off the hurst t tops and flip the lid on the 4 barrel which when properly used gave you that wonderful deep hungry for fuel sound ,of course i would reverse the process as granny like eased it into the drive motor still cooling from 4 hours hours of hormone induced therapy by a teenager . Ahhh those were the days ,,,my parents traded it in for a 82 buick riviera pos ,wish i could reverse that.?……..
My brother and I did the ‘flip the lid’ thing on the air cleaner of the 300hp 350 in my dad’s new (used) 69 Chevy wagon. I don’t know if it actually made a difference but it sure did make a big HOOOOT sound when you got on it.
I think the 77 was the last year for the beautiful GP; the next year it looked like something out of a comic strip.
400 yes! 301 YUK! Excellent power plant for this car.
You could get the 301 with a turbo and it made something like 200hp. Pretty sad. Of course that was in the stone-age era of carburetors.
I too, love these GM A-body intermediates. Great style, great comfort. Excellent cruisers. It seems nowadays, people forget that personal luxury cars were all the rage at the time. It’s a damn shame that most people don’t appreciate this kind of style, in today’s automotive market. A market that is slowing killing off the car, as we knew it. In favor of boring, utility-oriented, 2-box design, soul-sucking appliances. Tugged around by their front wheels. Sigh.
Not that I’m fixated on front wheel drive but there’s something to be said for being able to do a steady 80mph on the Interstate in heavy rain without the front end of the car trying to play ski-doo, or getting through snow in winter or starting out on an icy street without taking half a minute to get moving.
I grew up driving tons of RWD vehicles and they’re great – but as I said, FWD does have advantages in regular use.
The style of these older GP’s just serves to make the later ones look so pathetic – they looked stubby with a too-tall roof and forget about any actual power.
I bought one new. It was Berkshire green w/wht top & green doeskin int. Great car & always loved the GP up through that year!
I had a 76 Grand prix 400 4barrel and it would get 22 mpg all day long didn’t make any difference if you drove 55 or 90 mph. but I did put a different cam in it at 66K (got a flat lobe on the factory cam )so I upped the performance a bit with new mildly modified version., Sold it with 222000 miles on it ,and still ran great