Seldom Seen: 1967 Pontiac GP 428 Convertible

I’d call this 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix convertible a twofer. Firstly, it’s one of only 5,800 GP drop tops assembled in ’67 – the only year that body style was offered, and it’s got an optional, big, honking 428 CI V8 under its Montana-sized hood. Well, that’s the good news; beyond that, well, tag along, and you’ll see. Discovered in Lexington, North Carolina, this big Tin Indian is available here on eBay for an opening bid of $5,000. There is a reserve, but you can take it away with no haggling for a BIN price of $8,500.

The Grand Prix name had adorned full-size Pontiacs (B-body) between ’62 and ’68, and the formula was always the same -a two-door hardtop. For whatever reason, a convertible appeared in the lineup for ’67 but just as quickly vamoosed for ’68. The total body count for ’67 was 43K units, with the convertible accounting for 13.6% – I guess not that surprising for the era. The Grand Prix, at its heart, was a luxury car with sound performance. I suppose the Pontiac marketeers determined the frivolity of a convertible was better placed on Firebirds, LeMans/GTO’s, or Catalinas. The seller states, “This is a big project with lots of rust, but a rare car worth saving. I do have more parts that can be added to the buyer that can be discussed, i.e., body panels that would help with a restoration.” Yeah, it’s rough, and the tin worm has done a number on the quarters. All that said, the underside appears to still be sound. And I suppose this GP should get extra points for its eight-lug wheels.

Standard Grand Prix power in ’67 meant a 350 gross HP 400 CI V8, but the original orderer of this car tripped the light fantastic and specified a 428 CI V8, likely a 360 HP version, though there was a 376 on the order sheet too. Stated is, “matching # 428. This car runs and drives, but is not roadworthy.” The mileage recording is 90K miles, but there’s no authentication of that reading. Being the sixties, a four-speed manual transmission was available, but as is often the case, this GP makes do with a Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic gearbox.

The images of the interior are not comprehensive, so a detailed description is not possible. What can be seen shows a damaged dash and degraded door panels. The black “Morrokide” upholstery looks OK, but the seller claims that he has extra bucket seats to help with the restoration, so I guess those installed have issues. The center stack looks like it had a tape player in place at one point, but it has been removed and is lying over to the side. I mentioned that the underside, in the included images, looked OK, but I’d advise interested bidders to look more closely. Convertibles from this era have a tendency to leak over time, and the floor pans usually take the brunt of the water intrusion.

I agree with the seller’s comment, “a rare car worth saving.” It’s not just the convertible body style and big-inch engine, but the cool hide-away headlight treatment is a defining feature that really sets the GP apart from its Poncho siblings. OK, that’s all I got; any takers out there?