It is kind of amazing how good the car companies were at identifying their customer in the 1960s, right? GM really knocked it out of the park in this manner, especially how they positioned each brand and then within the brand positioned each model. Pontiac was an upwardly mobile performance brand that had great leadership with guys like Jim Wangers, John Delorean, and others making critical decisions that would help to skyrocket sales.
Of course in 1964, the launch of the “option package” GTO was a stroke of genius that turned a simmering performance marketplace into a blast furnace, fueled by the youthful cash that people had to spend. The GTO was small (for the time) it was light, and it was inexpensive. It didn’t have all the trappings of other Pontiac models that were, how should we say, “aspirational” to younger buyers. You know, cars like the Grand Prix.
This is basically the gentleman’s GTO. With 63,000 1964 Grand Prixs sold, it was a success. The car was a little more of everything than a GTO. It was a little bigger, it was a little heavier, it was a little more styled, it was a little more luxury minded, and it was a little more eye catching with its stacked headlights and the inset lights in the grill as well.
This one is packing a 348hp, tri-power topped 389 V8 and a four speed manual transmission. It’s basically a GTO in better clothes. The color of this car is pretty unique. In fact we’ve never really seen another Pontiac wearing this shade, like ever.
Neat car and one heck of a fun cruiser!
eBay: 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix has a four speed, tri-power, and a unique color
Don’t believe that is factory exhaust tips ?
Great Car
My Uncle had a 64 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible, with the 421 , 3 Deuces and a 4 speed. My first good ride. Those Tripp’s came in and it was music to my ears
White on White . Beautiful car.
A little info on the color: In those days, if you knew what box to check on the order form they would paint your Pontiac any color Pontiac ever offered regardless of year. I had a friend who was a recent GMI grad and he ordered up a ’65 GTO convertible painted in 1959 Pontiac copper, which, BTW, appears to be the color on this car.
I don’t know if other GM divisions offered this service. The cars that were ordered with a custom color were taken off the line and sprayed by a specialist painter.
Special order colours weren’t uncommon, IF you knew how to get them.
GM was still doing them even in 2000 at the latest.
Anyone else notice it’s got 8lug wheels?
I couldn’t help myself from looking at this beautiful sleeper of a car! Wow they just don’t make em like that anymore..But I noticed someone said something about 8lug wheels? I never seen a picture of the car with out the hubcaps?
You can see the lugs exposed thru the wheels. The bolt circle is ridiculously large.
Not hubcaps, these were aluminum wheels with eight lugs.
You nailed it DS. Special order paint was the norm if you had the right guy and checked the right box.
I suppose you’re probably right. That explains the Mary Kay pink Cadillacs.
Oddly I had a 1964 Pontiac 2+2 the same color. I had never seen it before until now. Very unique.
Looks like salmon pink. A common color that year.
The color is Sunfire Red. I had a Catalina 2+2
Color is Sunfire Poly. Same as my 64 GTO. Coral in newer cars. Lighting affects the look.
I know you could still get any color you want but had to wait until they had 50 vehicles to do. This was true at least til the late ’90s when I worked for the general.
How much
This Grand Prix is the holy grail; 389 tri power, 4 speed, buckets, console, ac and likely the only one in this color. Of course it needs build sheet and window sticker to prove it was built this way. BTW this car is either a 63 or 64; the body changed completely for 1965.
My Uncle had a 64 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible, with the 421 , 3 Deuces and a 4 speed. My first good ride. Those Tripp’s came in and it was music to my ears
White on White . Beautiful car.
Check the emblem on the front fender in front of the tire. This has the Royal Bobcat conversion from Royal Pontiac in Royal Oak Michigan. Cool ++
My first car was a 65′ GTO which my dad bought without a motor for $100, A guy at my school has a Catalina 2+2 421 HO motor with a spun bearing so I bought it for $40 and we rebuilt the motor. It had a four-bolt-main. put in a BorgWarner T10 with a Hurst Shifter. Wish I had kept that car. Thanks for the posting, really brought back memories.