It must have been hard to choose a General Motors car in the early-1970s, at least a full-sized one. They seemed so similar now in looking back at them. This is one that I keep forgetting about, a 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville. This looks like quite a car and it can be found on Craigslist, or here on the CL archive, in Pinconning, Michigan with an asking price of $5,000. Thanks to Dan in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan for sending in this great Grand Ville!
Man, what a car, gorgeous. Sure, the photos aren’t too hot, there aren’t nearly enough of them, they’re grainy, they don’t show the driver’s side really other than in the photo above, there are no photos of the trunk or, gasp, the engine. But, what is shown, other than a couple of flat rear tires, looks fantastic.
The seller is also very short on words, this is the entire description in the ad: “1973 Pontiac Grandville 455 Eng., 49000 Miles, (1) owner, (4) door, interior like new.” For some reason I would be less worried in buying this car than I was, or than I ended up being, when I got my 1966 Lincoln Continental Coupe. This Grand Ville is a much less complicated car and as such things like power windows or even belts and hoses should be cheaper and easier to fix and/or replace. And I’m assuming that the next owner will want to change almost every rubber part, change all fluids, shocks, brakes, etc. It won’t be cheap, it never is.
A brocade interior, ahhhh.. my favorite. This one does appear to be in drop-dead perfect condition but without a personal inspection it’s impossible to tell. In 1971, the Grand Ville took over Pontiac’s top spot from the Bonneville and they were big, just under 19-feet long. My dad had a 1970 Olds 98 which would have been a similarly-sized car but I think that the Grand Ville would have been a much more unusual car to own, which is a good thing in my world.
As most of you remember from living through it or at least remember hearing about it in your ancient history classes, the 1973 oil crisis wasn’t exactly kind to car companies or to owners of giant, heavy cars like this Grand Ville. There are no engine photos but it has a 455 cubic-inch V8 which by 1973 would have had somewhere between 215 and 250 hp. If it runs as good as it looks this could be a fun weekend cruiser. Have any of you owned a Pontiac Grand Ville?
My uncle bought a 1973 Pontiac Catalina new, after my aunt wrecked her 1964 Impala I remember it was a butterscotch color with beige top and upholstry.
another cousin and his wife had a 73 Grandville coupe Navy blue inside and out with a white top
I owned a 72 Grandville 2dr coupe and believe me it would hall the mail especially on the highway.120 mph on the speedometer didn’t mean nothing!
I remember Monty Hall giving one of these away on let’s make a deal.
If it’s rust free it’s a good deal, any rust or prior rust repair, pass.
Steve R
Nice car!
One of these was being chased in a terrific car chase scene in the movie The 7 Ups, starring Roy Scheider. Very good movie.
Some trivia: the stuntman driving the Grandville is the same guy who drove the Charger in Bullit and Gene Hackmans LeMans in The French Connection. Probably the three best chase scenes ever made.
The stunt driver was named Bill Hickman. A friends mom dated him years ago. Bill was driving the Ford station wagon towing the trailer that was supposed to haul James Deans Porsche Spider to Salinas. Bill, and a friend were about a mile behind from where James Dean had the unfortunate fatal accident at the junction of US 466, and SR 41 in Sept of 1955.
Same soundtrack too. The exhilarating cocophany coming out the exhausts of these two iconic cars the mustang and charger.
I was going to say the same thing. The movie ‘The 7 Ups’ has one of the best car chase scenes in it starting Roy Scheider and the 1973 Pontiac Granville mentioned previously.
Problem with Seven Ups is it used the BULLITT soundtrack for those strangled, tipsy Pontiacs. Not even close to good.
Disagree on the idea of them all being the same. In ’73, they were all based on the same platform true but they had distinct styling flourishes, and their own unique engines, and were still true to the “progression of affluence” model GM had, where this Granny would be between the Chevy Caprice and Olds 98. Maybe a middle manager’s car.
The true homogony came in the later 1970s, when GM began painting all engines “corporate blue” and interchanging them across the divisions. The beginning of the end, that was.
Nice car but $3500 seems much more realistic. Same car as the Oldsmobile Ninty Eight, but different bumpers. I would buy it but to far away and they take up alot of space.
Same thing but a 2 door.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/cto/d/1973-old-98-ninety-eight-2/6535988917.html
The Oldsmobile Ninety Eight you speak of was a C body car just like the Buick Electra and Cadillac Deville. Those were longer than the B body cars. This Pontiac was a B body car as was the Buick Lesabre, Oldsmobile 88 & Chevrolet Caprice/Impala
I had owned a 74 Bonny with a bice v8 Pontiac engine in it. Drove it for many years until it was rear ended by a guy driving a 1 day old Taurus. His car was totaled. The Bonny drove away – it was a battleship that served my fleet in honor.
Nice car, some of the last big Poncho’s. A shame in the 70’s and ’80’s, nobody wanted them. Anything with a big motor was immediately traded off. Only people like my old man held out until he literally couldn’t buy a big car anymore. And for the record, that ’66 Lincoln was 10 times the car this is. Too bad you needed a warehouse to store it.
Demo Derbys consumed so many of these around here. Just this week the hard core boys in town brought in a Cadillac,same vintage as this,fresh from some ones garage,fully intact and would be an easy restoration. Makes me sad to even look when I drive by knowing its fate,we can’t save em all I guess. Hopefully this one survives, still a good looking Pontiac.
Don’t recall ever seeing a 4 door Grandville. In my mind’s eye there were lots of 2 doors and occasionally a convertible. Would be interesting to see production numbers.
I agree, I have never seen a 4 dr Grand Ville, and was thinking they didn’t make them ( maybe the one in the Movie was a prototype) would love it but finances prevent it
Based on the [crummy] photos, $5K is a good starting point. If appearances are indicative of the condition under the skin, it wouldn’t be a bad deal somewhere near the $4K range
Seems to me that the numbers
of 4 and 2-door cars were pretty
much neck and neck. GM sold
quite a few of each type back then
and it really didn’t matter which
style you bought, you still got a
really great car for your money.
Even the pimps loved them!
Used to see some of them pimped
out with those gamgsta white walls,
mag wheels, and all the other trappings
that said “superfly” so loudly back then.
Other than that, my back is screaming
at me to buy this car!!
Buick made them “Pimp Superfly” from the factory lol
My grandfather had a 1974 Pontiac Laurentian two door hardtop. He regretted buying it. It was slow; he missed the 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 that he traded in. And the Pontiac was so softly sprung if wallowed.
PS GO Jets GO !!
MPG was awful but does not matter much if you buy this car, you won’t be driving it that much. A great car for car shows, cars and coffee, etc., and if you replace all the belts, hoses, gaskets, brake pads, tires, it ought to serve you well on the yearly long distance trek to somewhere. 4 doors with no B pillar are, to me, just about as attractive as 2 doors with no B pillar, and better than a 2 door with a B pillar. A great highway car, not so much on the twisty mountain curves, and finding a parallel parking space big enough can be a challenge. But the price, more or less, is right, a good way into the hobby.
Our family had a 1975 Grand Ville convertible in the early 80’s. I drove it for about 6 months just out of high school. Man that car was a lot of fun. Lots of room and a convertible top to boot!
At the same time I was working at a Pontiac dealership. The owner also had a 1975 Grand Ville convertible, triple black ordered with every option. He never titled it, rarely drove it and it still had the window sticker affixed to the passenger window. Although he passed away many years ago I believe the family still has the car.
When my wife said I can go buy anything I wanted last year for my 70th (except a hooker) this is what I wanted. Back then we were in our station wagon days with kids, dog, etc. Enjoying every mile!
Beautiful Steve! What year?
This was my drivers ed car…really like the way they drove, good handling and quick (variable ratio) pwr steering. I wonder if they had the radial tuned suspension in ’73? Any how, this is probably the only malaise era car that I think actually looked better with rectangular headlights (’75), especially the convertible. But, if the owner sounds honest on the phone, I think I’ll be driving to Pinconning this afternoon. Pinconning is known for it’s cheese!
Hey me too except it was a 1970 Buick 225.
The teacher told us filthy jokes and we tried to keep it on the road.
The turn signal had the same tempo and key as the opening notes of the Carpenter’s “Close to You”.
Anyhow this Pontiac is a real time capsule.
I owned a Grandville! It was my third car. Like my Dad, I tended to keep a car two years or so, and then get antsy for something else. Anyway, it was a 72 Grandville convertible with all the options that I bought from the widow of the original owner. Although I had worked on my first two cars (69 Riviera GS, then a 78 Volvo 242GT) in a limited way, the Grandville was the first that I truly got my hands dirty with, trying to squeeze more power out of that 455 torque monster. I bought it in 1988, and it was a blast to pile in tons of friends and go to the drive-ins, or cruise down highway 1 with my girlfriend at the time!
I agree with others, there were differences between the models of this platform. Outside of the many maker appearance differences, the Grandville was longer than its siblings, outside of the El Dorado of course. And the 455 was Pontiac specific. It always ran great, and was truly a bulletproof tank! I’ve kept my eyes open for another 71 or 72 for years now (and hopefully the one I used to own!), but mostly you see the 1975’s coming to market. Hate those rectangular headlights! Anyway, this ad obviously brought up a lot of fond memories. Hopefully, someday, I’ll find the 71-72 convertible for sale that I want. Fantastic cars!!
P.S. LOVE the cloth interior! Mine was green, with green paint and a white top. In Sacramento 100+ degree summers, that green vinyl was painful!
Hey BopGuy
1974. 455 is a monster. 68k miles.
What a pleasure to work on.
Nice 👍 Does it have the super rare adjustable brake & gas pedals?
That’s a great question? It does have the super rare – ugly hubcaps…Rally II’s, finned, or even spoke hubcaps would look so much nicer, leading me to believe it does not have the optional RTS :(
Those big GMs in the early 70s were great. Believe me, the only drawback was mileage. I had a 74 Electra Limited, complete with velour interior. Great ride, not a sports car in corners but a highway cruiser for sure. took one on a trip from Chicago to DesMoines averaged 18 mpg cruising at 80 on cruise control. In the city 9 to 12 mpg. Kept it till 84. I’d love another.
I worked at a Pontiac dealership from January 1972 to April 1975. (In college at the time) I originally did not like the model change from the 1972 to 1973. (not to mention the smell of the cat converters when pulling in the shop from the car transporters) But the RTS (radial tuned suspension) made a HUGE difference in the ride and handling of the car for the better. (drove many of before and after)
We had a customer that had purchased a Grandville Wagon from us that they used for business. (cemetery) Once on the interstate for more than about 30 minutes. The car would just quit running. The tow truck would bring it in and the car would start up and run with no issues. We changed everything we could think of including the “new fangled” electronic distributors. And it still had the issue. SO,,, when the factory service rep came to call. He was driving a Grandville with a 455. The service manager took him out for a breakfast of food and drinking that lasted until 4:30 that afternoon. About 45 minutes after leaving we were notified that he was on his way back on the tow truck. And the cemetary never had another issue!
And yes, these were hard to sell during the gas crunch. But we were a Honda dealership also. We placed an ad in the news papers and were very successful with our BUY A GRANDVILLE FOR STICKER PRICE AND GET A FREE HONDA CIVIC campaign. We moved more Grandvilles than any other dealer in the Chicago area. (Which made Pontiac happy enough that they did coop the add!) And got out from under the flooring to boot. Most Pontiac/Oldsmobile/Buick dealers were selling the big cars for a loss just to get out from under them.
What language is this?
I’m thinking the same thing after reading some of these posts…
I had a 1972 Grandville convertible. Great car, wish it was still in the stable.
I hear you there I had a 1972 Pontiac grandville conv jade green white top green interior man that 455 4bl would get down the hiway . loved that car had it almost 10 years.
Oh yeah, big bad powerful Poncho. Roy Scheider chased one of these in a Pontiac Ventura in the Seven Ups. That car chase blew Bullitt away by a long shot.
The movie The 7 Ups saved my life. I was driving a Volvo 142. (with all the IPD goodies on the suspension) It was late at night and it had snowed the night before. I rounded a corner and noticed a truck stuck in the ditch on the other side of the road. (strange angle, flashers going, etc.) I backed off a little on speed as I figured that there may be someone running around. And It was tough to see as the trucks highbeams were on and blinding me. As I got closer I hit my highbeams and found out that the stuck truck was attached to a flatbed trailer blocking the road! (no side clearance lights lit!) I went to swerve to the right to go around the trailer and all I had there were trees. Once the trees where noticed I nailed the brakes and laid down on the right hand seat (slipping out of the shoulder harness) as the car hit the trailer. Slipping out of the harness still partially puts your face in contact with that big Volvo steering wheel. Once the noise stopped all I could think about was Roy Scheider sitting up after he totaled the Ventura, white as a ghost and all the glass falling off of him. (I started laughing like a drunk) The flat bed was reinforced underneath so the car did not go completely under. The car stopped with the trailer side 2 inches from the front of the headrest. (where my head had been) If not for that movie, I would have never thought to “slide down and to the right”!
I bent the brake pedal sideways under the clutch pedal as I laid down. So the tow truck driver had to climb in with a crow bar to bend it back to release the brakes. As the car was holding the back wheels of the trailer (loaded with snowmobiles) off the ground and would not move. None of the trailer lights worked! As all were broken. (yes before the accident) Needless to say the trucker got a ticket.
I have a soft spot for the Pontiacs as it was the only car my Dad would own. I wish GM had dropped the Buick instead of the Pontiac.
Great car, interesting place for the rear cigar lighter.
Wow ! These cars just get better with age I had 1972 Granville convertible in back in the day she was jade green with a white canvas top green leather interior she had a 455 4bl high rise that would flat get it down the hi way loved to hear the duel pipe’s rack off the car was a Master piece of the floating boat era
Hi is this 73 grandville still avalible please let me know
Thanks Mike
I have a ’73 Grand Ville as well. Great car, sadly I have let it set and the weather has got to it. :(
I owned one identical too this, color, interior and all, except mine had the Rally II’s
and dual exhaust. Wish I’d kept it. The person I sold it too ran it to death and ultimately totaled it. What a great car it was. Served me well with minimal issues.