Six Post-Muscle Pontiacs That Will Stir Up Some Excitement

Since the early 1960s, Pontiac stood as the performance flagship for General Motors. Even through the muscle car years, when every brand had some sway as far as performance was involved with models like the GTO, the Bonneville, and the 2+2. Even through the years where it seemed like the company’s leadership was doing everything to be equal to Buick and Oldsmobile and embrace the calm, comfortable lifestyle. All the way to the end of the brand in 2010, a casualty of the 2008 financial crisis, you could find some kind of performance heritage within the Excitement Division.

But here’s the thing: if you search for Pontiacs after 1972, you’d be hard-pressed to believe that they made anything but Trans Ams. Sure, the hot-headed Firebird was popular and often was the image leader for Pontiac, but they did make other cars along the way. Grand Prix, Can Am, Bonneville and of course, the GTO all exude their own take on speed and capability, with the mission defined by the model year’s demands. 

Fifteen years on since Pontiac was shut down, there are still plenty of examples of the machines that wore the Arrowhead proudly and put the excitement into the driving experience. You can find these and many others for sale or put up for auction at Hemmings.com.

1973 Pontiac Grand Am

The advertisements started with a question: “Who in America would build a new car like this?” To understand what “like this” meant, you simply need to ask what would happen if the luxury trappings of the Grand Prix met up with the performance aspects of the GTO, and you’ll have your answer. Pontiac was ahead of the curve when it came to the arrival of personal luxury cars with the Grand Prix, and it only made sense that the new-for-’73 intermediate line got a car that carried an upscale image and the performance that Pontiac fans had been asking for. 

This 400-cu.in. powered Valencia Gold two-door is the result: not as hard-core as a GTO Judge, but no wallflower by any stretch of the imagination. The only way to top this would be to find one of the four-door sedans optioned with the four-speed manual transmission, which was still an option.

1977 Pontiac Can Am

In 1977, Pontiac had two personalities: those who held onto the power of performance, and those who wanted to sink further into luxurious trappings. With the Firebird and Trans Am, the argument for speed was easy. Outside of that realm, however, it seemed like the company was in the middle of a civil war. The GTO had been killed off in 1974 after spending a year as a Ventura’s performance trim. Jim Wangers, Pontiac’s chief marketing manager at the time, believed that the Le Mans could still support a performance model. 

Using the W72 400 from the Trans Am and some visual assistance from Wanger’s side hustle, Motortown Corporation, the Can Am turned the pedestrian LeMans into a proper don’t-say-GTO muscle car for the late 1970s to pair nicely with the Trans Am.  Unfortunately, Can Am production was a very short-lived affair: the spoiler mold broke, and with Pontiac execs believing that the Can Am was pirating Grand Prix sales (and a new-for-1978 LeMans on the way), the project was ended early, with only 1,377 units built.

1979 Pontiac Firebird Formula

Yes, it is a late-1970s Firebird. But look at what you don’t see: there is no Shaker scoop, no Screaming Chicken decal on the hood, no wheel spats and front spoiler. The Firebird Formula was meant to be the middle ground between a pedestrian Firebird and the raging Trans Am. A good idea in practice, but the real truth was that if you wanted to have the guts of a Trans Am without most of the flash, the Formula was the way to keep costs down.

 This Sierra Copper is a Canadian-sold example that features 19,117 kilometers on the odometer. This Formula features a 301-cu.in. Pontiac V-8, which was a credit option, as well as an automatic, a bevy of power options, and a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio in the 10-bolt.  Even though this Formula is a relaxed cruiser, it still gives off a sense of excitement just by looking at it.

1986 Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2

Let’s be honest: this is the most controversial car on this list and one of the more controversial Pontiacs produced. It is a homologation special: the distinctive nose treatment and the rear fastback sloped glass and short trunk were meant to alleviate some of the G-body’s imperfections when it came to NASCAR superspeedways. On the track, it did the job. On the streets, however, the Grand Prix 2+2 was a resounding flop. 

Pontiac built 1,225 Grand Prix 2+2s and they were all built fully loaded, but with the 150-horsepower LG4 305-cu.in. V-8. Not a good option when the Monte Carlo SS was packing the 180-horsepower LB9 305, and of course, the Buick Grand National and it’s giant-killer turbocharged V-6. Buyers weren’t keen on spending over $7,000 over a standard Grand Prix for the package. That doesn’t take away from the fact that it is still a NASCAR homologation special you can put plates on and drive.

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTX by SLP

SLP (Street Legal Performance) had made quite a name for themselves by taking Pontiac Firebirds and Chevrolet Camaros of the 1990s and unleashing considerably more power than GM was initially willing to sell them with. The Pontiac Firehawk and Chevrolet Camaro SS had street credit straight off the car hauler. It stood to reason, then, that if the company could make the same kind of magic happen using the 3.8-liter supercharged V-6 of the Pontiac Grand Prix, that lightning could strike twice. 

While not as well-known as the Firehawk, the Grand Prix GTX wasn’t dull. The engine was up 20 horsepower courtesy of SLP’s modifications, including a cold-air intake hood and system and cat-back exhaust system. A hot front-wheel drive mid-size car might not have been the question asked, but GM certainly made one happen with the supercharged W-body cars. Room for adults, a punchy powertrain, and the sensibility of a sedan. Who knew that would work well?

2004 Pontiac GTO

When Car and Driver tested the new 2004 Pontiac GTO, they praised its performance, comfort, and handling prowess… and then turned around and proceeded to absolutely slam the styling. “Did the dolts at Pontiac even take a peek at the 1964-’65 Goats, the first truly vivid and now classic muscle cars?” snorted Brock Yates. Yes, Mr. “Cannonball Run” himself wasn’t impressed with the styling of the modern, rear-drive, V-8-powered two-door coupe that enthusiasts had been begging GM to produce ever since the Chevelle shifted from Detroit’s brawler to its more calm, comfortable Malibu alter-ego.

Based on the same platform that delivered the Cadillac Catera to our shores, the GTO was a rebadged Holden Monaro, a modern take of a muscle-era Aussie hellraiser. The styling of one of these imports shouldn’t even be a concern, as the GTO’s performance. Frankly, with plenty of Hellcats, Camaros and Mustangs roaming, being able to hide in plain sight is a plus. Go ahead and confuse the GTO with the Grand Prix above at your own risk. This one-owner 2004 wears a dealer-installed Sport Appearance Package kit (note the front and rear bumper caps and the twin-scooped hood that would be standard for 2005 and 2006).

The post Six Post-Muscle Pontiacs That Will Stir Up Some Excitement appeared first on The Online Automotive Marketplace.