The Pontiac Grand Prix’s game through the late 1980s was sporty luxury. Neutral ground between the Trans-Am freaks who wanted the raging party of 1970 to live on forever, and those who wanted Pontiac to be classy, dressy and upscale. It worked, too. Once the Grand Prix jumped to the G-body (the stretched A-body that underpinned the Monte Carlo as well), the GP hit it’s stride and rode the 1970s just fine. They were just like the Monte, the Chrysler Cordoba, and the Ford Elite: A luxury-trimmed two-door that made the driver feel special without having to shell out for their very own U.S.S. Eldorado or Continental-class battleship. Even with that kind of external competition, and internal action coming from the Oldsmobile Cutlass and Buick Century/Regal, the Grand Prix did well, moving 270,ooo units for 1977 alone.
Unless you were the unlucky soul who was conned into purchasing a 301-powered car, or you lived in California and had to deal with Oldsmobile engines in your Pontiac, the options were simple: the Pontiac 350 or 400. Both engines were embers of what they had been just a few short years prior, but compared to what was available they both still had some kick left. All you had to do as a buyer was to decide just how much you were willing to spend on a new car. And with that, meet the end result of the person who checked off nearly every box on the options list. Black paint, rally wheels, full gauges, T-tops, sport mirrors, what sure looks like velour upholstery to my eyes, and…yeah, your eyes are seeing correctly. I didn’t know you could still get a four-speed Grand Prix in ’77, but here it is, hooked to a Pontiac 400. It’s a barge, but this one would still be a lot of fun to drive around. Somebody had a vision in mind with this car!
130k on it, and they want 18k 18 LARGE.
I love the 73-77 a bodies, I have one. but think he needs to put down the pipe.
That handle me like glass 4 speed is not a bonus in that tank.
It be much better off with the th400 if you are going to keep it stock. Good thing by 1977 the 400 had no oats, or that 4 speed would be d.o.a.
18 large for a 130k mile car.
good luck.
I love the 73-77 cars, but the world doesn’t.
Sadly, priced to high , to mod, and that car screams, build the 400 and stuff a 5-6 speed in it. to replace that handle me as if I was glass 4 speed.
So here’s the deal. No 73-77 GP ever came with a manual trans. You could get a 73-74 Grand Am with one, or a LeMans, but not a GP.
This GP is a bit special because someone took the time to do it right, with factory parts. See the console? Common part, but the four speed insert is rare as hen’s teeth. Ditto all the other four speed parts specific to a 73-77 A body like the Z-bar and reverse switch.
There’s a Can Am out there with the same type of four speed manual conversion. Knew the guy who built it. Took great pains to do it all so it looked 100% factory. Flipped it for a significant amount of money (and profit), and this was before the Can Am values started taking off.
thats what i thought also. I can remember some 442 back in the day coming witha 5 speed and some early 73 and 74 lemans/gto coming with a 4 speed but never ever seen a G.P with either 4 or 5 speed from 73 to 77. If they did i stand corrected and would buy it be ause it would be such a low number car it will be worth its weight in gold some day.
If I remember correctly, 1970 was the last year that a 4 speed was offered in a GP. I had a 1976 SJ all loaded, honeycomb wheels, sunroof, and 455 (last year offered). Beautiful black with red velour interior
Looks like it would be great fun to bark the tires between gears in this barge!
Look at the undercar photo, at the left pipe. Someone did the crush-it-nearly-flat pipe to get under the original single hump catalytic converter crossmember. Now it has a 70-74 crossmember. Didn’t Brian deal with that on Buford T. Justice? When I was in the muffler business in the 80’s I had the local junkyards save me the early crossmembers for routing proper dual exhaust on these cars.