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.
The mid 60’s Grand Prix models were most certainly amongst the most handsome designs of the 60’s in my humble opinion. There wwre so many great cars during those years from all the manufacturers honestly. The 8 Lugs always dress up any 60’s Pontiac. Curvette….. You found another winner!!! And Aaron thank you for writing this handsome Pontiac up I enjoyed it.
Who doesn’t love a big coupe, with a big and powerful motor 😎 👍
complete with the 4 to 6 body trunk
Back in the day, I never would have even noticed this car. But today, well that’s another story. What a beauty.
He put sidemarker lights from a ’68 on it.
Still a beautiful car.
1967 the only year you could get it in a convertible.
Angel, happy Easter to you! In ’68, the side marker lights were incorporated into the wraparound front turn signals as were the rear marker lights in a similar wraparound.
The ones on this ’67 look like J.C. Whitney/ Warshawsky cheap add-ons.
The rust on this car is a little disturbing at the rear wheel openings and, as others have said, the trunk. A thorough look-see should be a prospective buyer’s first priority.
I think the tape deck had universal availability across the GM line.
i see a lot of rust hiding in the 1/4 and the trunk is soaked so it leaks water. cool car be you need to be ready for all that’s hidden
Didn’t see mention of the 8 track tape player. On a Chebby, that chassis also supported a multi-plex stereo system; not sure about a Poncho.
The only ’67 Pontiac that didn’t have stacked headlamps. Instead having the louvered parking lamp up front. Just a cool 😎 looking car. Typical 60s Pontiac.
I always liked the styling of the 67 GP, especially the front end, from an era when designers had an imagination and weren’t turning out look-alike boxes. I believe this was one of the first cars to have ventless front door glass, which really adds to the sleek look from the side view. She’s a beauty for a 59 year old; I’d want a thorough examination of the undercarriage, but nothing from the photos suggests anything that couldn’t be corrected.
The ’66 Toronado and Riviera were the first GMs with ventless side windows (I believe).
Just my opinion but to me the 65 and 66 Pontiac were far better looking cars. Especially the 65. A friend of my brothers had a 65 Custom Sport in a kind of lavender colour. Beautiful car
John
Nothing was ever better than the 65 & 66 Catalina 2+2s. They equaled the best GTOs.
If this one wasn’t so far away I’d have to look closely at it. I had a 67 Catalina which was one of my favorite cars. But then, all my Pontiacs of the 60s were my favorites and I owned several.
I’ve always considered the ’65 Pontiac the best body and interior design of all the 60’s Pontiac’s, with the ’66 coming in at a close second, and then the ’71 GP. The ’67 tried to be innovative, but I don’t think Pontiac buyers took to it much, and then the ’68 was like ‘let’s build a full land yacht and call it a car’, and again the sales dropped.
This ’67 GP looks to be in fairly good shape. The rear quarter panel rust issues can be resolved without much ado, but the trunk having that much rust in it is rather concerning. Being in the Northwest, did they fill it with water and haul salmon in it? A leaky trunk seal would usually be detected long before the situation got to be that extensive – so buyers; look closely at that issue .
I never knew the 67s had ventless windows, the convertibles still had them.