When Pontiac’s new Grand Am was introduced in 1973, I thought it an odd addition to the lineup. It’s an A-body, like the LeMans/GTO and, really, the Grand Prix, too. So what unoccupied marketing niche did it fill? Well, the initial Grand Am’s sales brochure proclaimed, “The feel of a Grand Prix…the response of a GTO…the qualities that you’ve admired in the desired imports.” Today’s 1975 Grand Am discovery, largely unchanged from its inaugural year and cooling its heels in Chicago, Illinois, shows well so let’s check it out and see about those desirable import qualities. It’s available here on eBay for a BIN price of $22,500, OBO.

By ’75, Pontiac wasn’t so much comparing the Grand Am to desirable imports as it was self-proclaiming itself to be the “Great American Road Car.” One big difference between the initial ’73 Grand Am and its two-year later follow-on edition was sales. Knocking out 43K units in ’73, GM’s number three sales division could only muster 10K GA copies in ’75 – of course, it was a recession year too and that could have played into the equation. Unlike the Grand Prix and GTO, Grand Am was available in both two and four-door body styles with the two outselling the four by a four-to-one margin.

This example shows well and the listing claims, “Completely rust-free body painted black with gold pinstripes.” The wording of the listing leads me to believe that this car has seen, at some point recently, the inside of a paint booth but it’s not clear. The body is nice and straight and the black flanks, a very unforgiving hue, show no sign of waviness or other imperfections. The snowflake alloy wheels are a later addition and do this Tin Indian justice.

Employed behind that distinctive flexible, plastic nose is a 400 CI V8 engine. Both a two-barrel carburetor fed, as well as an optional four-holer equipped version were available with power ratings of 170 and 185 net HP, respectively. The seller doesn’t enlighten us with this Poncho’s original configuration but the engine is wearing an aluminum intake manifold that’s sporting a Holley four-barrel carburetor. Also noted is the addition of headers and a stainless steel exhaust system so the highly restrictive first-year, catalytic converter has been appropriately given the bum’s rush. The seller claims, “All original drivetrain rebuilds” and that applies to the Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission too.

The black vinyl bucket seat interior is said to be new, including the upholstery, carpet, and headliner. It looks snazzy and the interiors are one item, at least in this era, that really set a Pontiac apart from a Chevy – definitely a notch up in material quality.  The listing images of the interior aren’t too hot and what’s missing is a shot of the excellent Grand Prixish wood veneered instrument panel and curved dash – it has the same sort of a driver’s cocoon vibe going on. Of note, there’s no A/C occurring here as it appears that the compressor has gone missing. Black car, black interior, hot summer day – well you can fill in the rest.

The mileage is listed as 43K but there’s no authentication or claim to that reading so the real accounting is probably 143K or unknown – not that it really matters now. The seller mentions “need minor details“, so as long as his definition of “minor” and a prospective buyer’s interpretation line up, this Grand Am should be good to go. And that leaves one last item, the price, at $22,500 what’s your thought, priced right or not quite?