Pontiac Grand Prix:

The term ‘personal luxury car’ was coined in the 1950’s and the Ford Thunderbird was really the first mass-market example of one. GM developed several personal luxury cars in the ‘60’s. At Pontiac, John DeLorean designed the third-generation Grand Prix, taking it from a full-sized car with declining sale to a mid-size personal luxury car. It was a sales success. Engine choices for 1971 were either the 400 cubic inch V-8 or the 455, both low compression and designed for reduced-lead/unleaded fuel just like the Chevrolet engines. This example, my 1971 Model J features the optional 455, rated at 325 horsepower. It’s backed by a 400 Turbo Hydra-matic transmission and a 12 bolt, 3.07:1 rear axle. Performance was comparable to both the Nova and the Road Runner, with 0-60 mph performance in the 7.5 second range, and mid 15 second ¼ mile times. This example now has just over 65,000 miles, and has power steering, power front disk brakes, air conditioning and power windows. It is one of 58.325 Grand Prix produced in 1971. The Tropical Lime paint is still mostly original, and the car features a white interior and white vinyl top.



That is a quick look at a few cars from 1971. Some say 1970 was the last year for the muscle car, but I think 1971 and 1972 were the last gasps of a dying muscle car era and still offered solid performance if you checked the right option boxes. By 1973, things had changed enough that the muscle car was effectively dead. Thankfully, as technology evolved, performance cars began to reappear in the 1980’s and have been getting better and better ever since…