One of the lesser known cars to carry one of automotive racing’s greatest names is this 1990 Pontiac. Most automotive enthusiasts will rarely see a McLaren supercar roaming the streets, let alone consider the asking price of such a car. But this Grand Prix, found here on craigslist in Hesston, KS, at least carries the supercar name and can be owned for a fraction of the cost.
While the connection to the real McLaren’s may be indirect, finding a Grand Prix like this that carries the supercar name still means something. ASC McLaren upgraded these factory Grand Prix’s with a widened body, better suspension, a unique interior, and a turbo that upped the 3.1 V6’s horsepower from 140 to 205. These upgrades are good for more than just some special badging.
This one listed here has only 40,000 miles on the clock and looks extremely nice. It appears as though it has been well-cared for and that the future collectibility may potentially have been considered from the start. It’s believed that less than 3,500 of these cars were produced in 1989 and 1990.
The seller does say that the car needs TLC and love, but how much of that could it possibly need? As a harder to find Pontiac this one might be a future museum quality piece. So, is the $5,750 price tag too much to ask to tell your friends that you own a turbocharged McLaren?
In high school I lusted after these! Or course I wished they came in a manual.. but that was pure fantasy in a GM product of the era.
Beautiful example.. tempted 😇
This was one of the few that had no manual version, the earlier non turbo 2.8 and 3.1 Grand Prix’s had a 5 speed available, and the Twin-Cam 3.4 DOHC models that came after the turbo’s in 1991 also had a 5 speed available through 1993.
Oh yeah i knew that.. hardly anyone bought them.. I meant post 93.. loved the look of the updated model hated the lack of a manual.
Man this is a looker brings me back!
I like this car and the price isn’t bad at all..
I can’t believe it. I had one of these unril a sinkhole swallowed it. After being pulled out, the electrical was gone from then on. Everything went crazy, seats would move, windows opened, stereo turned on/off… I got it detailed, removed fuses and drove to a Jeep dealer then found the tallest salesman (wouldn’t need to move the fuse-less seat) and traded it in. But it was fun while it lasted…
That’s a great story, if it’s true 🤣
I would check the Carfax with the way the odometer works, but I would buy and proudly drive this car.
I like this a lot. Seats look comfy and unusual.
I see quite a few McLarens as I work near the factory quite a bit. I am a life long McLaren F1 fan although not a lot to celebrate for some years now!
This happened near my home also …
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/03/mclaren-supercar-crash-200mph-sports-car-wrecked-smashing-house/
Hopefully you’ll have plenty to celebrate next year Paul with a McLaren in IndyCar, running a Chevy engine & being driven by a certain Spaniard !
That would be great Bob … fingers crossed! He did a good job last time, I was gutted when the engine went.
How can this be so beautiful and the Lumina built on the same chassis be so ugly?
This is way better looking than the Lumina, but I certainly wouldn’t call the Lumina ugly.
I briefly worked at a car lot when these came out brand new- one of the very few cars that I liked on the whole lot. It had the heads up display that I had only seen on the vette until then.
I think these still look great.
These are great looking cars, despite the body modification… McLaren exercised the restraint that Pontiac seldom did, and it paid off. There was if I recall a GTP model, that bears a strong resemblance – this must have been the inspiration.
The GTP pretty much replaced this car from 1991 and up but with the 3.4 DOHC V6 instead of the turbo 3.1 V6, same body package and interior, the front was updated with Guide “mini-quad” headlights.
It’s amazing that under this car lies essentially the same chassis as the Lumina Z-34 featured a few days back.
I don’t remember these at all, and I must admit it looks very good compared to other sedans from back then. Too bad the second coming of the GTO couldn’t have looked more like this back in the 2000’s, sales may have been slightly better. Great looking car here.
I bought one of these new as a GM executive “brass hat” demo. The dealer had two identical cars. I think they were a hard sell because the MSRP was much higher than the regular GP. Loaded with leather and a moonroof that aren’t on the car here. It was nice looking and drove well. Build quality was horrible. I traded it in within a year on a ‘91Corvette 6spd convt.
Needs TLC and love?? Car looks immaculate… Seller doesn’t say it actually runs though… hmmm…
I am not a GM fan but, I do have respect for many of their cars. To my knowledge the Pontiac line produced more profit for GM than Cadillac and Buick combined. So GM decides to cancel Pontiac !?!?! STUPID.
You need to check your sources. The exact opposite is true.
Couple weeks back I subscribed to Barn Finds. Excellent site! First comment- I’ve always been told when the numbers of the miles are not in center of display, miles have been messed with.
I would like to be the first to welcome you to barn finds gossip page! Welcome my friend, but I can’t answer your question with a definite answer!
It doesn’t matter what name is on it this is a very clean car! I think that the asking price is good for a car this nice!
I love these cars i drive one daily. Not near as good looking as this one. A few more years of work she will be right where i want it..97k on mine for 1500 bucks
If you buy this and go around telling people you own a turbo McLaren, prepare for alot of disappointed people. lol!
This was like a super car to me as a kid. I longed to play with all the buttons on the steering wheel.
That steering wheel is amazing.
The seats do look so comfy. I want one for my office ..
Pontiac made great seats… My 1987 Pontiac GTA had some of the best seats ever…
They do look good!
I like Pontiacs … maybe one day.
Not so easy to find over here.
Here’s another shot of my GTA
One showed up a couple years ago in the local U-Pull. Got the hood vents, the emblems, exhaust tips for $25. Pulled the turbo stuff for a buddy…don’t anybody get too upset- it was wrecked on the RF corner and partially stripped when I got to it.