Well-Optioned Driver: 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix

Years ago, I stopped on the side of the road in the midst of a soaking rain to look at a 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix Hardtop for sale. It was white, probably in similar condition to the one pictured above, and I couldn’t afford it anyway (from what I remember, it was overpriced for what it was back in the early 2000s). One thing about the Grand Prix stuck out as I examined it from head on: I thought it looked like a Cadillac. I’m not sure that I quite see it today, but anyone who looks at the distinctive 1967 model knows it has presence: Its unique front and rear treatments, not to mention its roofline, set it apart from other full-size Pontiacs. I think it’s a knockout, and so must Barn Finder Curvette, who sent it to us from here on craigslist in Olympia, Washington, where it’s being sold as a reasonably priced driver at $10,000, not too much more than the white one I ogled 25 years ago.

The standard Grand Prix engine was the hottest base engine in the entire full-size Pontiac line, a 350-horsepower 400. So equipped, the Grand Prix was a capable if not fire breathing ride in 1967; Car Life magazine road tested one and found it capable of a zero-to-sixty run of 9.4 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 17.1 seconds at 83 miles per hour. That car had the base 2.73:1 axle ratio, while our very well-equipped Grand Prix has the optional 3.08:1 “Performance Axle” and Safe-T-Track. The transmission is the robust Turbo-Hydramatic 400. The PHS report tells the tale of how many options were originally ordered on this car; underhood, we can see the air-conditioning compressor, power steering, and power brakes.

Inside, it has a power “Strato Bench” with a reclining passenger seat and headrests, cruise control, AM/FM Stereo with electric antenna, rear-window defogger, tilt steering wheel, and more. The interior appears to be in fine shape.

The seller is forthcoming, however, about a few flaws whose seriousness depend on how you plan to enjoy the car. The rear quarter panels have some noticeable bubbling around the wheel wells/fender skirts, which leaves a new owner with a few options: repair the rust and try to blend the paint, restore the whole car and give it a paint job, or leave it alone. Like the seller says, it “[depends] on your goals.”

You may have noticed in this picture that this Grand Prix also has the desirable 8-lug wheels, one of the greatest wheel options to emerge from 1960s Detroit.

There’s also a little rust in the trunk, but the serious stuff appears to be confined to the upper corners, which are certainly easily patched and will be covered by the trunk mat anyway.

I think I might just use the Grand Prix as a driver and figure out how to deal with the rust later, just as I would have done back in the day when I was transfixed by a special Grand Prix on the side of the road. It might not look like a Cadillac, but it’s got a character all its own.