Pontiac added the Grand Prix in 1962 as a personal luxury car with punch. In some respects, it sounds a bit like what Chrysler set out to do with the Letter Series cars of 1955 to 1965. The Grand Prix would remain a Pontiac fixture for decades, and the seller’s example is from the first year’s outing. This Poncho is covered with patina, was owned by the same party for 40 years, and does not run. It sounds as though it’s being offered by a dealer in Edmonds, Washington, and here on craigslist for $4,450. Hats off to “Curvette” for fielding yet another cool tip.
Early Grand Prix’s were based on the B-body platform used by the Catalina, but with a higher level of trim. And a 389 cubic inch V8 was standard, and this example is equipped with an automatic transmission (though you could order a 4-speed). Pontiac cranked out more than 30,000 copies of the Grand Prix in 1962, so it was instantly popular, and competitors like the Buick Riviera would soon follow. The indicated mileage is 27,000, but we’re betting the odometer is on its second time around.
This Pontiac looks like it was parked years ago, running or not at the time. But it doesn’t now and probably needs a cleansing of the fuel system before you can remotely expect the engine to come to life. The Grand Prix came with bucket seats and a console, and this one has the optional 8-lug wheels that John DeLorean cooked up. They’re supposed to help cool the brakes, which of course were still drums back in ’62.
We’re told this is a complete car that will not be parted out. The body may or may not be okay, and the white paint looks mostly orange due to heavy patina. It’s had the same owner since the 1980s, and it appears that said party may have passed on, and the car was handed over to a dealer to make it go away. If you’re looking for a project, this Pontiac would be way cool once restored.
Seems like that owner didn’t do anything to it for 40 years…
My first car was a 62 Grand Prix back in the early seventies it was awesome
Nice car
Okay, dose of truth… It is not patina. It’s a rust bucket. It’s obvious that it was probably abused and why it was parked. Worth about 500 dollars at this point and miles and miles away from replacing almost everything before it’s road worthy let alone pretty again.
8 lug wheels needing restoration sell for $500-$1000 alone. The tachometer is an easy $300 and up. A pair of bucket seat cores are $500 and up. Tinted glass, power window setup, etc all add up if this car was to be parted out. While it does have a ton of “patina” (it’s almost the same color as my Ontario Orange Corvette!) it does have a fair amount of parts, and even at the asking price (if the engine turns over) and you got the price a bit lower it would make an excellent parts car. The interior doesn’t appear to have any mold, which is a positive. Obviously an in-person inspection would be the smart decision to make.
TRUTH, do you think this could be a good candidate for a soda blasting? I’ve seen a fully painted ’57 Chevy with all the trim left on, and when the blasting was finished, no paint and no harm to anything else.
The dealer probably wants to double or triple his money “to even mess with it” Of course, he may have grabbed it for 3 figures from the children who just wants Dad’s eyesore gone.
I’d be proud to have that sitting under a tree in my yard just for the memories.
Those were beautiful cars back in the day with the one negative being the automatic transmission. With the 4 speed there were no negatives just a car to turn heads. Nobody made cars like Pontiac did.
i have seen worse and bought worse. this body style poncho is not found too often for under 10k. an i person look over with cash in pocket most likely get it cheaper.
Too bad it was left out in the cold for 40 years, ’62 is probably one of the best looking full size Pontiacs ever.
Never mind the Pontiac: what about that Ford or Mercury next to it?
The seller wants $4,999 for it.
Steve R
The only concern I have about this is when you look at the surface rust and the engine compartment it makes you wonder if this car has been in flood water at some point.
That’s 3 62 Grand Prix this week. Wonder if it’s the parts car from the other add?
Used as lawn art for 40 years?