To this day, one of the things I hold against GM the most was the execution of Pontiac. In terms of where the General has allocated resources over the last few years, it still boggles my mind that Pontiac didn’t survive but we continue to see Cadillac hobble along with no meaningful change in terms of its reputation. As the company’s “driving excitement” brand, Pontiac was actually pretty close to delivering on the promises it was making, and at the height of this migration, the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP was an outstanding sports sedan that was a classic case of being too late to the party. Find this stock supercharged example here on craigslist for $6,200.
I can still remember the ads Pontiac was pushing, which highlighted not only the rowdy powerplant but also the car’s wide track. The ad showed both sides of the front end spread across two pages, highlighting that the wider stance led to more surefooted handling. It didn’t hurt that it was also just a very good looking sedan, with a design that seemed to show Pontiac was maturing from its days of air inlets everywhere and buttons littering the cockpit. The clean, 5-spoke wheels were a key clue that the Grand Prix in question was a top-shelf model with the supercharged 3800 V6 under the hood.
Built on the then-new W-car platform, the Grand Prix was joined by another excellent entry into the mid-sized class, the Oldsmobile Intrigue. To me, these cars were both strong signs that things were finally clicking at GM, with the right combination of aggressive but restrained styling and punchy powerplants. The one thing that always undid the good work the R&D teams were cranking out was due to how many base- and mid-tier models littered the roadways; it was hard to want to switch from a BMW 5-Series into a Grand Prix when 90 percent of what you saw was base model, rental car-spec, and usually fairly trashed.
Trashed, this Grand Prix is not, as it has seemingly lived a charmed life despite racking up over 100,000 miles. It has all the hallmarks of being well-loved, and the seller notes it was meticulously maintained. That’s a good thing, although if there’s ever a GM motor you can ignore, it’s likely the 3800-series, as this powerplant is known to go the distance mileage-wise, even if it not religiously looked after. Aside from some clearcoat fading and old tires, it’s said to be a turnkey driver, and I personally think this is a smart buy for anyone looking for a fun daily that likely also won’t lose much value. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for the find.
The folks that are lucky enough to have a company car with their job, may have been able to sneakily check ✔️ the hot supercharged model, and got to cruise in comfort and speed. 😌🏁
Mine please!
Nice looking Poncho, but the interior color choice is unfortunate. Much as I don’t like black it would have looked better. I prefer the G8 anyway but this one is priced right.
I’ve owned 4 Grand Prix in my time – a 96 (earlier body style) GTP with the 3.4 DOHC, a 2000 SE sedan (wife’s) and two 2002 GTP coupes. My last was a 40th Anniversary Edition. These are wonderful, fast, great handling cars. Can’t say enough about how much I love them. Would like to find a good Daytona edition.
Yeah, they’re great, and yours looks beautiful. I had a black ‘01 GT Special Edition that I really enjoyed for 2 years but sold it in favor of a beautiful and loaded dark red ‘97 Bonneville SSE without a monthly payment. After that I had a nice ‘02 GP GT 40th Anniversary Special Edition. It became an extra car when I found a beautiful low mileage ’06 GP GT, so I passed it down to my son who totaled it about a month later… Stay blessed.
My 40th was near perfect and I kick myself for not holding on to it. Only reason I sold it was that I’m a hot rodder at heart and couldn’t bring myself to modify such a special vehicle. Only things I did were reversible, like engine dress up, led lighting, etc. Did a bunch of carbon-fiber hydro dipping under the hood.
I built these alongside the Oldsmobile intrigue hahha. I was building cars a long time before I went into skilled trades…fun times building this vehicle.
Agree that Pontiac shouldn’t have been the brand GM sacrificed; I would’ve preferred Buick going. Owned two Grand Ams and loved both. Right before Pontiac’s demise there was talk of a Grand Am based Ute, which I would’ve bought.
Apparently Buick was selling a lot of cars overseas which could have weighed heavily in their favor. I too enjoyed many Pontiacs over several decades and was sad to see them go.
Worst mistake GM ever made was discontinuing the Pontiac line. Ship ‘o fools they are.