The Pontiac Grand Prix was produced between 1962 and 2008, with a total of seven generations bearing the nameplate during that time. The Grand Prix hit its third generation in 1972, with the last of the third-gens offered for the 1977 model year with a revised front fascia, bumper, and grille. And although the Grand Prix sold an impressive 270,000 units for the 1977 model year, you’d be hard-pressed to find one as well-preserved as the example you see here. Now, this classic two-door is up for auction.
According to the vehicle listing, this particular 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix was delivered new to Peter Irish Pontiac Cadillac in Pennsylvania, and acquired by the selling dealer from the original owner just last year. The exterior sports the revised 1977 fascia design, as well as delicious Cream Gold paint with a Firethorn Red top. You’ll also find red accents and removable T-top panels, the latter of which can be stored in the original vinyl bags included with the sale.
This Pontiac Grand Prix also rolls on 15-inch Rally II wheels, which are wrapped in GR78-15 Uniroyal Steel Belted Radial tires.
Inside, the cabin is awash in Firethorn Red vinyl upholstery, down to the matching plastic and carpets. Standout equipment include air conditioning, cruise control, and a Delco AM Radio with 8-track player.
Under the hood is the standard 301 cubic-inch V8 engine, which, as it turned out, was rather underpowered for the big, heavy Grand Prix, producing just 135 horsepower. As such, this particular example is not as desirable as a models equipped with one of the larger, more-powerful V8 engines (350 cubic-inch, 400 cubic-inch, or 455 cubic-inch), but regardless, the condition of this vehicle is still noteworthy.
Now, this ultra-low-mile 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix is up for grabs on Bring A Trailer, with over five days left before the auction ends on Monday, January 4th. The auction currently has eight bids in, with the highest bid set at $15,000 as of this writing (12/29/2020).
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Source: Bring A Trailer
Comments
I really enjoy these articles on here about older GM cars and trucks. This one really hits home because I was just a young 10 years old in 1977 and in the dawn of my love affair with anything cars. I had a brother who liked the GP of this vintage and he had two of them. One in a gorgeous two-tone maroon and the other a dark brown with tan suede swivel bucket seats and the T-tops. The first one was sadly totaled out when he was hit by a drunk driver. The brown one replaced it, but he got rid of it because his wife wouldn’t take care of it. Anyhow, I’m not a Pontiac fan at all, but this vintage Grand Prix is one car I really like. Not sure about this particular color combo, but what a nice car.
It looks virtually flawless like as if it just came out from the dealer, i wonder how they accomplished to preserve it in this condition.
The 3rd generation actually came out in 1973. I owned a 1973 SJ model with a 455 maroon with a white interior. Loved the car. It was deceptively quick with that 455. Loved the way the center console was tilted towards the driver and the dash wrapped around the driver as well.
The third generation began production in 1972.
You could tell I’m older when I say I miss Pontiac, I had one of these, very comfortable and the car drove like a Cadillac, however sadly the car was bought off the lot and it was fully loaded with the exception of one thing I’ll never understand then had the 301 V8, that was the only downside to that car, it was a stone.
It was a sad era, due to emissions and fuel economy and sad it took 2 decades turn the corner.
I had a black over black 77 GP with the 400 engine and T-Tops. Quite the looker and rode like a caddy. Loved that car. This one with that color combo….Give me a minute….
Steve in KC
Steve, My parents had the same without the T-Tops. It spent every non-driving moment of it’s life in the garage. My mother traded it in 1990 to get a newer GP- wish I could have held on to that car, it was a creampuff.
There was no 455 in the GP in ‘77
True. The 455 would have fit–only bore and stroke differed between it and the 400–but GM was big on saving gas by then and discontinued the bigger engine. That model year saw the downsized Catalina and Bonneville introduced, and the 301 was developed for that new full-sized car, same size as the LeMans and GP for one year until the ’78 downsize of the mid-sized cars.
I was referencing the third-gen vehicles.
If you want to see your big 3 Ford,Chrysler & GM in their hey Day watch all the Classic TV shows on MeTV and Classic Movies of the 50’s,60’s & 70’s of that genre, that’s when you knew had,driven & owned back in the day Detroit The Motor City, Motor Town or MoTown at its Finest. You couldn’t get no better than that.
Absolutely a gorgeous Pontiac. Although the assembly precision does not match today’s standards, this luxury coupe was a fine machine in it’s day. RIP Pontiac.
If I were buying the car new, it would be something other than yellow (even though yellow was popular on all cars back then) and if it had to be yellow, a red interior would be my last choice. However I would love to have this car even as it is.
Eldo, I agree 100%. I actually like the yellow (especially the “cameo ivory” yellow that Cadillac used for many years. So like you, I would probably not choose this color for a GP, but if I did, I would have gone with the dark brown top/interior.
I agree with all of you. My favorite was the 77 Firebird. Did anyone notice the window sticker??? The condition of the sticker makes me wonder a little? It’s awfully wet looking for a car with no miles??? I have a 1998 GM product with 8,000 and it’s never been in the snow or rain it doesn’t have the sticker in the window but if it were it sure wouldn’t look like the one in that Pontiac? I’ve been disappointed with GM for years now… Pontiac was probably their best in my opinion. Because Pontiac was stealing sales away they discontinue the brand?? Anyone can certainly understand how that decision was customer related. I now see on the new Cadillac with super cruise… You have to pay $25 a month until you die if you want to use it? Why would I buy your vehicles and then have to pay monthly to be able to use it’s features? I’m either old in my thinking? Or maybe this is yet another reason the company keeps shrinking in size. Guess the good old days were just that the good old days. A time when it wasn’t always about screwing everyone out of every penny they have for as long as we can. Sorry for the rant at the end.
Pontiac was discontinued, despite better sales and a larger lineup, because Buick is more popular in China, which is still a growth market for car sales–the U.S. is a mature market. I don’t like it, either.
I know when I was there I was amazed the Suzuki’s sold here (which I believe were part of Daewoo) were all Buicks. Buicks to me are like Mercury’s, all of my older aunt’s and uncles had them? Just my opinion… Sorry if this offends someone.
David: My comment is only about the window sticker. When I started selling cars (Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Honda) back in 1988, the stickers were applied to the side windows and were ONLY able to be removed by wetting them. Kind of like soaking it to allow the “glue” to release. However, due to that process, they would look like that. So this car doesn’t have an issue from that. It was just the way they came off. Thankfully they have changed things today.
I had a 1977 LJ white with red vinyl roof was a 350 4 barrel carb. was pretty good on gas and was a very good car…
A change in the times,foreign competition, unable to no longer sell the same cars in a different wrapper in high volume and promises made to union members that the union leaders and the OEM’s knew they could not, in the long term deliver.I guess they figure people will pay to let the car drive itself and cover the cost of updating as roads change and adding less traveled roads. I like controlling my own vehicles and when I cannot any longer safely,rely on others to do the driving.I believe in written and road tests every 10 years and after at-fault crashes and 5 yrs. after age 65 but it will never happen because any politician voting for that would never be re-elected or recalled.
I completely agree with you. I’ve had satellite radio on many of my cars and my truck. I actually used it for a year and a half and cancelled. I work from home and I’m rarely in my vehicle and new the repeat pattern. I’m with you I’ll drive and enjoy my vehicle for the reasons I bought it. If I wanted car service I would order one. Lol
Nice car !! I started my mechanic career in 1977 at Harry’s Cadillac-Pontiac -MG back then ,these were very popular cars in the day. Gave very little problems except for the T-Tops leaking on some models. This one sold for about $5,800 back then give or take. Oh, that dealership is in Asheville,NC . Still there !!!
That’s cool. I’d love to but the Pontiac emblem… Looking online the people that have them, think they’re made of gold. Lol.
Great story and nice GP. Reminds me of the one I currently own, 1974. I’ve owned it now for 46 years. I bought it brand new and it’s now considered a survivor. It’s still all original and has 27K on the ODO. If fact the rear tires and spare are original also. Now that I’m retired, the plan is to show it at cruise nights and car shows.
I have been enjoying this daily digest for many years. Keep up the good work.
Thanks
Randy: Please share just a little more about your car! Color combo? Options? I (maybe more on here too) love stories like yours.
Dan, like I indicated, ‘74 Model J , 400 4V, and the last of the dual exhaust power trains before converters were required. The color is cameo white, red cloth interior. Sunroof option and of course rally wheels. It was my first NEW car and I still have it.
Nice color combo. Sounds like a fantastic car. Enjoy.
Had the Olds version, a ’77 Cutlass Salon. Olds 350 in Dark Green with Buckskin landau top and the Salon specific buckets. We had a huge Pontiac dealer, JM Pontiac in Hollywood FL and they had a large inventory. They had this same color combo Grand Prix on the showroom floor, everyone thought it was an ordering or factory mistake. Cream Yellow with Red? Combine that with the boat anchor 301 and this car’s odd option combo and I’d have to pass. But they are very nice driving cars and I’d love to find another Olds or a GP in my old cars color combination.
Very nice and a classic! Personally speaking though, I am not too enamored of most post 1973 domestic autos. Malaise era cars never did it for me.
I remember the lining hood’s on these cars. The engine was way back from grille. Fan shroud was like a barrel.
Owned a ’73 GP.
Great car.
As nice as this one is, the color combo and lack of options would make it less desirable, I think.
I wonder if the door hinges are already worn out.
This was my father’s car from new we bought it & the color combo is not available but we special ordered it &:had to purchase every car that Pontiac was making at the time.. it was special order & was the last one that Pontiac grand prixmade in that body style .. had the Hurst tee tops & was keep in side our house from new.. not in the garage.. but In the family room… Boy I miss those days!!… Car is from Pennsylvania. Had just over 100 miles on it when we sold it.. my father collected classic cars he had over 50 of them at one time. From corvettes to edsels and pacers.. his favorite being a 58 Chevy Impala convertible , red!good seeing the car again. Thanks Ellic
$15k is cheaper than you could restore this car for. This should make a good car for someone. It is a shame though to enjoy it the car will lose its low miles.
Pontiac was listed to die in the early 80’s. The Cutlass was selling well so it protected Olds. That changed as the ne TA was popular. The Fiero was a it and both led to amazing Grand Am sales.
But the True Pontiac DNA was lost in the corporate scheme that GM was using. The heart of Pontiac was their engines and they were down to 4 cylinders in cooperate black. Pontiac became more a styling exercise than a true engineered performance car they once were.
Even if Buick was not big in China Pontiac was slated to die. Lutz was their last champion but there was just little money to save them.
I am a life long Pontiac enthusiast. I have been blessed to experience the true great ones. I have been in a number of SD cars driven countless tri power GTO’s. I grew up with some members of the Tin Indian racing clan.
It is just a shame many who claim Pontiac excitement have only experienced the latter years. Trust me they were good but nothing like the older Pontiac’s.
The GTP never could stand with a 64 GTO 4 speed tri power.
I too am a old Pontiac person. My father worked at a Pontiac dealership for 40 years, which covers most of my life. He would drive cars for dealer exchanges and my mom and I would ride with him. I have ridden in many true great “driving machines” in the days before the 55 mph speed limit. My dad bought me my first car there, a used 72 Le Mans which was somebody’s special order. It had more in common with the GTO than was usual for a normal LeMans. I still miss that car, the trouble I got up to in that car. The only good in the whole GM mess was that my father died several years before the death of Pontiac, if he had been alive it would have killed him. He was very proud of being a Mr. Goodwrench, and working at a Pontiac shop.
In a sea of black trans ams it nice to see something else be the only at cars and coffee/cruise nite
This will show my age , but I owned a 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ . It was 2-tone with a brown bottom and cream top . The interior was a tan crushed velvet w/ bucket swivel seats that wre super comfortable . Of course there wasn’t much bolstering on them but this wasn’t a race car anyway . I think the 350 was standard fare for ’76 and at the time seemed adequate .
No t-tops but had a tan half vinyl top surrounding the ” opera window ” . It was a cool looking car and enjoyed it alot . It got through the snow with no problem and four years of college and many trips to the Pontiac Silver Dome for concerts and Lions games .
I actually still have the hood ornament ( somewhere ) . I pulled it off at the junkyard after a drunken fool totalled it from the headlight all the way to the tailight one night . No air bags but that thick heavy steal saved my life . I am still a Pontiac fan , thanx for letting me reminisce .
Had a ‘76 GP SJ in white with firethorn red suede/corduroy seats, with a 1/2 firethorn red vinyl roof and pinstripe. Pretty loaded with the 455. Wonderful car. These cars were fantastic hwy cruisers. What memories!
First new car was a 1976 Cutlass Salon, dark green with tan landau top and tan interior which was special ordered from Oldsmobile because they said that color combination wasn’t available. Then got a 1977 Gran Prix. Silver with silver landau top and blue velour bucket seats and moonroof. Had dual exhausts with turbo mufflers installed. Ran crager s mags with Goodyear OWL tires in summer time and stock rally wheels and tires during winter. Loved that car and kept it until 1982 when I got a 1982 Olds Toronado (got spoiled with big cars)
Seems to me there are a lot more folks here expressing love and fond ownership memories for this GP than will ever wax poetically about an Equinox or Envision 45 years hence. Cars, especially the beautiful ones, the fast ones, and the ones that instill passion, stay in our hearts and minds for a lifetime.
Essentially everything today is a practical boring appliance that’ll be forgotten much more quickly than cars like the GP that stirred the soul. If Americans are losing their love affair with the automobile, I would suggest it’s likely out of sheer boredom with today’s offerings.
I, for one, wish they still made carefully and beautifully sculpted cars that folks love to look at and could fall in love with. Sadly the best we can do it seems is collect those from the past.
I know in the GM stable there is the Camaro and C8 but neither has the unadulterated beauty of their forebears. A 1970 Camaro or Firebird, a 1963 or 1968 Corvette all have a beautiful aesthetic that are still stunning to behold after all these years.
The trouble is this. Automakers no longer have the ability to style at will. They are restricted by aero and size. No longer can they build what ever they dream.
Add in crash and roll over standards the back gets smaller.
This has lead to cars that hardy seat 5 and trunks that can have an opening that would accept a tall box.
People have migrated to CUV models as with today’s high cost they put practicality first.
If you note today’s CUV and Trucks are closer in size and space of an older car. My father never owned a truck but his older Chevelle. Could carry p,wood on the roof and a bike in the trunk. Neither can be done by any car today.
The dynamics have changed with regulations pushing people to models they can use vs look at.
The ownership of a car was a status symbol to all today it is just to some. Practicality has replaced envy.
I still have my 1977 Grand Prix LJ with T tops tan leather interior bucket seats AC AM/FM stereo eight track player luxury carpeting in the car has under 50,000 miles on it. The original paint is still on the car black color in good condition needs some minor work but nothing major it’s a great driving car a nice sunny days and yes I do have the vinyl bags to put the T tops in it someday it will be my sons car but until then my wife and I will enjoy the car on weekends it does have the smaller V-8 in it and the one mistake I made when I purchased the car or when I have the original window sticker and documentation from the dealership where I purchased a car it has the rally ll wheels. The only non-original item on the car are the Lugnuts I put chrome lug nuts that match the original lugs that had an aluminum cover
Ya I had 1970 GP with a 400 in it was a Great car c drove it 1200 miles every weekend from Massachusetts to Virginia every weekend at Fort Lee 600 miles 1 way did that for 1 year Great car went 0 to 100 in a 1/4 mile. And it said 160 on the speedometer it did it Great Car Wish I still had it .
For those griping about the super slow 301 2BBL V8 it could have been worse. Imagine one of these with the 105 HP Buick odd fire 231 V6 which was the std engine in the 1977 Cutlass Supreme and Regal coupes or the 110 HP 260 boat anchor V8 that many Cutlass coupes had under the hood. The 301 made 250 LBS FT of torque at a low RPM so moved these around well enough on the low end. it was highway passing power that lacked compared to the 350 and 400 engines. Also note that these mid size Colonnade coupes were actually heavier than the B-body downsized cars of 1977 and that was more what the 301 was designed for. If I had the chance to purchase this car I would treat it to a 4BBL manifold and carb and a bit more timing advance into the distributor and that would get me around 150-160 horses and improve both power and mileage.