This car’s owner and I simply can’t be the only ones who like the downsized G-Body GP. It was a perfectly good-looking, capable entrant into the still somewhat popular midsize, personal luxury segment. My thought is that this car’s real problem wasn’t that it lacked substance on its own merits, but rather that it paled in comparison to the older GP in the Pontiac family that came before it – the popular Colonnade generation which bowed out after ’77, a high water mark year for production during which more than 288,000 were built. The downsized ’78s had some big shoes to fill, and probably had something of an identity crisis.
I always considered the ’81 refresh to be good looking – adding just a touch more of the character of the Colonnade GPs to the understated 1978 – ’80 models, along with a higher rear deck which also took care of the sagging butt problem. The front grille looked cleaner and better-proportioned, and the front turn signals were removed from between the headlamp clusters (which had never looked right to me). I liked the way the character lines on the hood swept back from the grille, unbroken, to the A-pillar. It grew modest hips. The slight kick-out of the rear panel and modestly sculptured trunk lid were other visual details I really liked, which took away a bit of the bluntness of the pre-facelifted cars.
Of the four G-body coupes, only the Chevy Monte Carlo looked better to my eyes than the ‘Prix, with its handsome, 80’s-aero take on the pontoon-fendered models of the mid-70’s. The Buick Regal, with its clean and linear look, always struck me as too plain, and I was bitter at Olds Division for removing the trademark Cutlass rear quarter panel “shoulders” for ’81. This Grand Prix is an ’83, identifiable by the lack of hood ornament and rear trunk lock cover. It is also one of 33,785 LJ models produced for 1983, out of 85,798 total for that year.* This was against 121,999 Ford Thunderbirds ** and 190,632 G-Body Olds Cutlass coupes *** produced for the same model year.
It’s true that by the time this car rolled off the assembly line, there were no Pontiac-sourced powerplants available (this one is likely powered by a Chevy 305). And this model will probably not go down in history as anyone’s favorite in the storied history of the nameplate. But was the car itself really that bad? What if it had been called something else other than “Grand Prix”? What if Pontiac had decided to hang up the Grand Prix nameplate after ’77, and had come up with another moniker that suited the decidedly luxury-oriented midsizer a little better than that of a famous race? How about the “Pontiac Palisade” after a kind of fortress of luxury? It’s just a thought.
I’ve seen rather dashing examples of this bodystyle, including a two-tone graphite and silver t-top model, which managed to keep its brougham jacket buttoned and look a little sporty at the same time. Since the Grand Prix’s dramatic reinvention for 1969 from a specialized full-sizer into a more closely-coupled boulevardier, it had been quite a distinctive, desirable, luxurious car which projected an image of success.
Then the ’83 Ford Thunderbird rolled out and reinvented the look of personal luxury. There was not a padded vinyl roof to be found on the new ‘Bird, and it looked every bit as elegant as GM’s offerings, and also miles more modern. What to do now? It wasn’t that big of a stretch to see a Monte Carlo fastback with a large wraparound backlight grafted onto it, as the Super Sport variant convincingly looked the part of a modern day muscle car to many since its reintroduction for ’83. (Suprisingly, my internet research confirmed that Pontiac eked out five NASCAR wins over Ford’s four for the ’83 season, despite the T-bird’s slippery new shape. Chevy dominated with fifteen victories, and Buick scored six.)
But by the time the 2+2 Grand Prix came out for sole model year 1986, it was almost like it was saying, “You want aerodynamic? I can do that! You want muscle? Look at me! I can do that, too!” I honestly like the ’86 GP 2+2 for its rarity and also for remembering that exact period of my life when I first saw one new at a local dealership, but that giant piece of wraparound, fastback glass on it reminds me a little of Jan Brady’s wig.
Like Jan, the G-Body Grand Prix was at its best when it was just being itself – its good, old, broughamy self – instead of trying to look like something it wasn’t. The G-Body GP’s successor, the front-drive W-Body that won Motor Trend’s Car Of The Year award for 1988, would be much like the energetic, attention-grabbing youngest child who was pretty much universally adored when it first appeared.
So let us not pass judgment on the 1981 – ’87 generation of Pontiac Grand Prix for not being anyone’s particular favorite or for not setting the sales charts on fire. Or for trying on a really bad wig that one season. It was a decent car with its own set of strengths, and a pretty darned good-looking Poncho when it wasn’t trying so hard.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
September 2013.
* 1983 Grand Prix production numbers cited from gbodyforum.com.
** 1983 Ford Thunderbird production numbers cited from foxbirdcougarforums.com.
*** 1983 Olds Cutlass G-body coupe production numbers cited from gbodies.com.
Related reading:
Curbside Classic: 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix – Grand Size, Medium Prize
Curbside Classic: 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix – GM’s Deadly Sin #14
Curbside Outtake: 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix 2 + 2 “Aero-coupe”- My Reward for 2,200 Miles on the Road
Curbside Classic/Driving Impressions: 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix – Getting In Touch With My Inner GM
This generation of grand prix is cool looking. And the spokes of the wire wheel looks sharp too.
Of this era, The GP and the Regal are my favorites, In fact a Regal with the GP dash and steering wheel,but with the Regal Limited interior and a 455 would be my “Frankenstein” Seville killer!
The K mart wire wheel hubcaps and yarmulka roof treatment dont do it any favours, it doesnt come across as a luxury or sport 2 door and with the extreme front overhang looks like too much car for the underpinnings.
The wheel covers look factory to me. They are secured to the wheel with a key patterned bolt under the center cap with a supplied key wrench. The key bolt threaded into a bracket secured under three lug nuts. This was done not only for theft protection but rather to simply hold them on over bumps and pot holes as they weighed about 3 1/2 lbs apiece.
and yet they still manged to rattle if there was even a slight imperfection on the road. ka-chink ka-chink ka-chink!!! this was because even though the mounting bracket was secure due to being attached to 3 lug nuts, it still had some space between the lug and the wheel so it moved about and caused a rattle. This was present in both my 85 and 87 Cutlass Supreme. With my 1985, I banished the wire wheel hubcaps to a box in a basement and replaced them with a set of nice condition 1960’s hubcaps off a Oldsmobile F85 from the local junk yard.
Here is a pic of the hubcaps
Here is a pic off my Cutlass with the hubcaps
Here is the Olds F85 i took them off in the junk yard. It was really sad that the Olds F85 as it was really complete and other then a tiny rust spot on the front fenders where the bumper met it and the clear coat coming off on the hood and trunk, the car was in great shape.
Even with the half vinyl roof they looked infinitely better with the classic Pontiac Rally II wheels which were available right to the end in ’87…..
Agreed. That is the look right there.
Second the motion. Very nice. Not ashamed to drive that anywhere.
Winning look, right there.
As to the wheel covers, if they’re the same wire covers that were on our ’86 Parisienne (and they sound very similar if not the same) they were definitely heavy. They needed that locking bolt, otherwise they would have fallen off at the first pothole. I don’t remember a rattle, though, maybe they weren’t the same (that Parisienne had 15″ wheels so if they were 14’s, then no, not the same.)
A definite improvement.
I love my 87 Grand Prix after I switch to 84 taillights and an 81 or 84 grill I will love it even more. The 16×8 Formula Firebird wheels (4 fronts) already make it look much more masculine. After I install the engine from the 1996 Buick Roadmaster and the axle, sway bars,steering box and transmission from the wrecked Monte Carlo SS I have it will be perfect. I just do not understand why people want to sit around complaining about how things were when they could be fixing them instead.
Very good points, Mark. Would like to see a pic or two of yours!…
I am having difficulty posting a picture but I will keep trying
content://media/external/file/20576.
These were fine personal coupes for their day. Pontiac should have called them something other than Grand Prix.
I didn’t mind the 78-80, but I really dislike these. The revised front was so frumpy, especially considering the 1981 Regal, Cutlass and Monte were all so handsome! And Pontiac never received a sporting version worth a damn (the 2+2 was no rocket) and thus these were another out-of-place car in the We Build Excitement lineup (along with Bonneville G, Parisienne and T1000). I’d love a 78-80 Grand Am, which has the same nice interior and better suited Pontiac’s image. And I’d take an Aero Thunderbird or Cougar or Regal Turbo over these.
For most, it seems to be the opposite. In fact, the 1978 Grand Prix even gets the dubious honor of being regarded as a GM Deadly Sin (#14). I have to confess that I’m in the camp of liking the latter ’81-’87, final RWD Grand Prix much better than the initial ’78-’80 version.
In fact, I might even go so far as to say that the 1987 Grand Prix was truly the last, true, sixties-style, affordable, personal luxury coupe. It wasn’t a musclecar, but didn’t pretend to be one, either (like the Monte Carlo SS or Olds 442) and, with a V8 under the hood, had adequate performance.
Oh, sure, the Thunderbird would cling to life until 1997, but it had too much of that aero styling, while the other GM RWD coupes were all just a bit too plain in their side sculpting. The final RWD Grand Prix pulled it together for one last hurrah, before it was all over, forever.
In 1982, I went from driving a 1975 Buick Century Colonnade to a 1980 Gran Prix. I liked the looks of that Buick the moment I saw it, but I had to warm up to the Gran Prix. At the moment, I can’t think of a late ’70s downsized American car that I thought was very attractive. Having grown up during a time when a lot of truly beautiful American cars had been built, for me, the cars of this period were a real let down. As for that 1980 Gran Prix, I found it relatively attractive for it’s time, but I wasn’t drawn to it. It was a very comfortable car and it’s 301 V8 was quite economical, returning 22 mpg. That was 4 mpg better than the 350 in my Buick. However, there was probably a few hundred pounds difference between the two cars. Looks wise, the updates made to the Gran Prix in 1981 created a much more attractive car which I would have easily chosen over the 1980 model. A couple I knew had a black 1982 GP. Like the one in this post, it was a very attractive car.
I’ll bet that Century was built in Flint! Referencing your former ’75, I really hope you don’t hate me after my next, upcoming post. 🙂 I think black suits the lines of this generation of GP really well.
These great pictures to do a lot to show these in their best light. I also agree with you that they are perhaps unfairly downgraded by what came before using the GP name.
You get a sense from your pictures of what a personal luxury car is all about. The comfortable, in command cocoon in which to spend a half hour before you face the rat race of a high power job, and a similar half hour to wind down at the end. A comfy seat, an attractive dash, effortless torque, and a quiet environment is what these provided, and what this great survivor still does.
Today it would be a four door pickup doing this duty. Well for me at least a Grand Prix with a SBC is calling me. You can keep the Ram with the big horny crew even if it has the hemi.
Joseph thanks for the writeup and photos. I look forward to your contributions
John, thank you so much. One of my buddies from elementary school had a similar-year Regal in his family that was traded for a G-Body Cutlass Supreme, and I remember those cars being really comfortable. I never rode in one of these GP’s, but I imagine they were similar.
These are what I remember as Grand Prixes. I don’t remember seeing many of the Colonnade versions around by the mid-late 80s, but these were everywhere, in Southeast Florida and to a somewhat lesser extent in Connecticut.
They wouldn’t be my first choice but I wouldn’t kick one out of the driveway, either, they’re nice looking.
I agree with you on the Monte and GP being the better looking of the G bodies. It’s not a popular opinion though. The GP is almost a throwback to the days of Coke Bottle styling.
It was less common than you think to see that large wraparound rear glass grafted on to a G body in the 80s.
1986 GP 2+2 production was 1118-1225 cars. (1200 cars is the typical # reported)
1986 Monte SS Aerocoupe production was 200 cars
(1987 MC Aero production jumped to 6,000+ cars)
Ordering a 1983 Grand Prix without T-Tops or Sunroof and adding the 305 V-8 and BS1 additional acoustical insulation yielded one of the QUIETEST cars to the present day.
This is a beautiful car. It was when it was new and it still is today. I owned a very similar black Cutlass of the same vintage and treasured it. Keep in mind that Boomers such as I were hitting out thirties and muscle cars, etc were starting to seem juvenile and it would be another five years or so until we had total faith in German cars (and the advent of leasing.). These were the best American choices then for many of us.
The G-Body Cutlass from the same gen with the bent grille panels was another looker.
I have to disagree with the pro-FWD sentiment in this specific case – if GM had played their cards right, between the Monte, Cutlass, GP, Regal/Grand National and the various V8s and Turbo-6s they had, they could have generated enough volume to have justified keeping the platform up-to-date.
Even with the milquetoast powertrains they were attractive and popular cars.
Right. They were well sorted, comfortable and good in the winter when shod with decent snow tires. I thought my Cutlass handled well, also. It’s a shame that revisionist history wants to dump on these cars. It would be like me continually ragging on pre-1955 cars as being ugly. I DO think they’re ugly, but they were not of my vintage, so my point of view is skewed differently.
I liked these cars a lot when they came out, and I never thought they were sports cars. “Personal Luxury Coupes” were not about 455 big blocks and 14 second quarter mile times. They were about ice cold a/c and a comfortable ride to work, or wherever you wanted to go. The overwhelming majority of G Bodies were set up to provide this and what’s wrong with that? I am not into boy racer, and I would be the the target market for such a car. Back in 1986, I would have ordered a Grand Prix SJ with 305 4 bbl, heavy duty everything and no t-top! I would have taken it from the dealership to have gas shocks installed, and Michelin tires. That would have made a very nice driving car for the time.
It is interesting how when GM switched over to FWD, it migrated every single nameplate. It would have been the perfect opportunity to pare down the line so that GM no longer competed with itself. Even by the time our featured car was built, the writing was on the wall for these big coupes. The market had simply moved on and GM failed to take notice. Instead of saying, “well, the market has moved on,” GM reacted by adding bling models, which also didn’t sell. Imagine how GM would look today if it had rationalised itself into what it is today, circa 1985.
When my aunt bought her new ’69 Gran Prix it would create a sensation everywhere she drove it. It was dramatically styled and powered by the famed Pontiac 400 V8. True it was mostly all about the styling and image, but so what. It was a car that made you burn with desire to own one. John DeLorean imbued this car with his own confidence and swagger and the public loved it! The slightly down sized colonnade cars were able to retain that attitude and enjoyed huge success. The next generation of these mid sized coupes lost a lot of their sizzle but still had a fair amount of appeal. I agree with the opinion that the popularity of leasing programs encouraged middle income buyers to “stretch” their aspirations into the emerging Germanic lower level luxury models. Back in ’84 I decided to put my money down on a new Mercury Cougar. I preferred the Thunderbird but my wife really wanted that Cougar. I traded in my ’77 Coupe De Ville and I wasn’t too wowed by the GM competition. I’m really thinking about getting one of those early Aero Birds if I can find a clean one.
I really liked the 69 Grand Prix when it was new. At the time I was looking at buying a new GTO, but would really have liked the GP if it had been cheaper. If I had it to do over, I would at least have looked at Chevy Impala’s.
Looking back, I really think the best Grand Prix’s are the first generation. At this point in time I don’t think much of any thing GM built in the 80’s. Almost anything that was good in the 80’s was better before that. During the 80’s GM shifted to FWD with nearly everything, most of which were better in the 90’s, but even better after 2000.
I always liked the looks of these. With the right color and trim options, it would make the great basis for a sleeper resto-mod.
Regardless of the generation, I’ve always found the Grand Prix and Monte Carlo butt ugly. The GP only redeemed itself in the 90s with the introduction of the 1997 models.
I’ve always felt the ’81-’87 model looked like it really wanted to be a larger car. The stand-up rococo grill would have felt more comfortable on a straighter, taller hood that didn’t try to make aerodynamic concessions by diving for the pavement. Then the expected 1980s GM corporate formal roofline brought what little fun had been started by the front of the car to an abrupt end. So many styling cues like this just look squeezed on.
Really, the more I look, the worse it gets. Take the dash-to-axle ratio compared to the front-end overhang. The length is in the wrong place. Now compare it to a ’69-’72 model, where you have a rather elegant, classical appearance just by cutting into the LeMans wheelbase and adding inches between the firewall and front wheel. And on the ’69, the more upright windshield allowed for some real hood length to develop without making the whole car stupidly long. And I could bemoan the fact that they swapped hardtop for opera window styling, but that happened years ago anyway.
There’s just something so traveling salesman about this era GP. This and the contemporary Buick Regal. But somehow I see the Grand Prix as the choice for the guy who wasn’t quite making Buick money. Oh well, plenty of room in the trunk for samples in either case.
The ’69 was doable because the A-bodies were already a two-wheelbase line (three if you count the extra-long Vista Roof wagons). They put the coupe bodyshell on the sedan/standard wagon/El Camino wheelbase with the extra length meant for rear passengers reallocated as hood length.
I might be more accepting of your opinions if you didn’t seem so contemptuous of the middle class folks who appreciated and enjoyed these cars. Looking down your nose of what is supposedly “so traveling salesman” about them doesn’t serve your observations well.
It was just a figure of speech. Didn’t mean to offend anyone. As for my opinion of this GP, note that I was lamenting its fall from glory, as I really like the ’69-’72 generation. I also appreciate the Colonnade generation, in all its swoopy, optimistic glory. But I just feel that the great American personal luxury car never translated that well on a downsized platform.
And isn’t it sad that we conceded the market to the Germans, who now make uber coupes like the BMW 650i and the Mercedes S-Class Coupe. But they don’t make many of them, and therein lies the problem. With the exception of the CTS-V Coupe, the Corvette and the Viper, I can’t think of any other successful low volume, expensive domestic cars. As the personal luxury market shrank, the big three gave up on the genre that they had invented nearly 50 years ago.
Is it possible that the personal luxury segment moved to SUVs? I own a Cadillac SRX with all the goodies. In some regards that seems a natural progression for many a Boomer. I’ve grown tired of German luxury and its obscene pricing strategies. Caddy these days has almost a retro-cool vibe that I find attractive.
It wasn’t a linear movement, that is to say, I don’t believe that the demographic who used to buy Monte Carlos and Thunderbirds started buying Suburbans and Expeditions. It’s more like the country’s population makeup changed radically, and the kind of people who used to buy personal luxury now have so many other types of cars to choose from. The market is much more fractured now.
I do believe that the people who used to buy station wagons started buying SUVs, and more recently CUVs and all other manner of crossovers.
I think that what happed to the “personal Luxury segment” is difficult to say. I think with the end of the hardtop, the 2 door coupe with fixed rear windows became less desirable. The BMW sports sedan was in its early stages in the 70’s as a highly fun car to drive. I think the large coupe became out of style, perhaps held together mostly by older (and fewer) buyers.
Is your SRX the current FWD? I owned a 2007 RWD SRX, which was OK, but a bit thirsty. As one who used to have a number of coupes (71, 76, 90 & 95 Riv’s ), I found that my 86 T-type Electra to be a much more useful car.
My SRX is a 2014 AWD Premium. It is my second SRX of this particular model. Both have handled horrible Syracuse area winters with aplomb while averaging 21 mpg over the long haul. Previously I owned back to back Porsche Cayennes. I like the Caddy better.
I agree with most of this, particularly the grille, which feels like the awkward compromise that it is and really doesn’t seem Pontiac-like. The contemporary Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, with its split waterfall grille, ends up feeling more like a Pontiac aesthetically while the GP seems like it desperately wants to be a Riviera. I would rate these Grand Prixes the least aesthetically successful of the bunch; I don’t love the looks of the contemporary Regal either, but it’s a better-resolved design.
When the grill speaks to me it says “I really want to be a Lincoln Mark V when I grow up.”
The late Peter Steele, former singer for Type O Negative (“the greatest doom-metal band in the world”, according to the Village Voice), owned an ’85 GP that he modified into a Mad Max-type urban assault vehicle he called The Doom Buggy.
Not sure who the girl is, but of the few available shots of Steele’s macho machine, this one is about the clearest.
Rear view.
Truly a car to show the potholes of Brooklyn who’s boss.
Here’s a nice pic of the 1986 fastback edition with the unique sloped front end and wrapped back glass.
Looks like a Firebird wannabe. Which is, I guess, the point.
Not exactly — it was a limited-edition homologation special intended to address the standard Grand Prix’s various high-speed aerodynamic limitations for NASCAR. It was what you get when you need to smooth out a brick and can’t justify spending any meaningful amount of money on tooling changes for a line that’s already due to be phased out.
Perhaps more a GTO wanna be. The original pictures of the writeup show what this car really is. Chevy had some success turning the Monte Carlo into a later day Chevelle with the SS and by then not marketing it has a personal luxury car. The excitement division had the same ideas and used a similar nascar excuse. The W car Grand Prix that replaced it was not luxurious in the least.
John and Aaron; preciate what your saying, but at first glance this looked to me like a Camaro/Firebird body. Combination of blackout panels and camera angle.
I kept hoping for a GTO return back then.
The fastback integration on the 2+2 worked for me, but the way they did the sloped nose just didn’t look right. The grille opening being shorter than the headlamps, with all that metal above it, just comes off as odd. The Monte SS managed the look much better, at least in my opinion. The 2+2 is certainly rarer though!
I’ve thought the 1981-87 restyle of the Grand Prix and the Buick Regal were better than the 1978-80 design, for the Monte Carlo and the Cutlass I prefer the 1978-80 design.
+1
This is exact car I learned to drive in! My mom had an ’83 GP LJ, same color, It had the red bordello interior. Brings back good memories. It was a nice driving and riding car.
I always thought it was so cool that the 1983 GP was the only year that had no hood ornament and chrome molding. It almost looks unfinished!
The ’69 GP’s were more sporty than ‘Brougham’, being the apex of muscle car era. Also, no velour bench seats until the ’76 base model, then increased sales.
The GP became the ‘base 2 door’ midsize Pontiac in ’82, after the LeMans was dropped. During the mid 80’s, I saw a new few dog dish GP’s driven by elders.
I remember working at a Chevy car lot in ’88 and having to pick a car to bring people to retrieve 3 cars we set on display one town over. I picked a ’79 GP. 301, full gauges, not powerful but nice.
Comments were:
“We took this in as a trade? Nice.”
“LIke the dash.”
“Who picked this car for the run?”
… Well, l’il ol’ me.
I was 21 or 22 then.
Still remember and love that car, though it’s long gone and has been a fridge since the ’90’s.
I think these cars are still a class act.
I’ve also always liked these GPs, though they were undoubtedly the rarest of the 4 G-body coupe siblings. The ’78 to ’80 models weren’t bad but I never warmed to the headlamp-indicator-headlamp layout, plus the body sides were a little plain. The cleaner nose styling and subtle hips, plus more detailed rear panel, fixed all that was ailing it. If I could have my pick of the coupes (not counting the league-of-its-own GN/GNX), first choice would probably be an ’87 Monte SS Aerodeck, but 2nd would be a very tough choice between an ’88 Cutlass Classic and an ’87 Grand Prix.
Rare today but I’ll still see one every now and again–though I’ve not seen one as clean as the featured car in a while!
The downsized A/G body Grand Prix started out right in it’s 1978-1980 iteration as far as focus in the marketplace. There was the basic coupe with bench, split bench or bucket sport seat options and choices of 231 V6 and 301 2 and 4 BBL V8 engines to cover most bases. Then there was the step up luxury oriented LJ which also had the same seating options with leather available on the bucket option and a std 2BBL 301 and option 4BBL. Then there was the sporty variant in SJ trim with suspension upgrade, bucket seating, gauge cluster top 4BBL 150 HP 301 and better rear gearing. For 1980 Pontiac upped the ante on the sporty SJ model by improving the suspension further and giving it the higher output 170 HP W72 301 engine, 2.93 rear gears and dual exhaust. It was a nod in the right direction and started to bring a little zip back into the GP line recalling the earlier years somewhat.
Then the second oil crisis happened along with ever tighter emissions and fuel economy requirements along with fears of higher gas prices which actually got lower as the early 80’s wore on and the economy improved. The G-body line was re-skinned with better aerodynamics and the Grand Prix was no exception. Sadly 1981 and 1982 were truly bad years for this car in particular as there was no turbo V6 available as it was for Regal and 1981 Monte Carlo so all the Grand Prix buyer was left with was the sluggish Buick 110 HP 231 V6 or the upgrade Pontiac 265 120 HP V8 as the top gas fired mill! 1982 dropped the 4.3 V8 as Pontiac retired from the V8 making business so the Buick 4.1 liter 4BBL 125 HP V6 was substituted for this one year as the top gas engine!
If that wasn’t bad enough Pontiac also deleted the sporty SJ trim and substituted a Brougham trim level even though the luxury oriented LJ was still offered which meant two cars were fighting for the same customer if the bench or split bench seat was ordered on the LJ. The Brougham came only with 50/50 pillow tufted luxury seats. This remained in affect for the duration of this model’s run into 1987. Thankfully one could still order bucket seats, sporty wheels, suspension upgrade etc on the base and LJ or later LE trims and starting in 1983 the 305 4BBL small block was re-instated as an option adding badly needed power to this car. Then there was the 1986 only low volume GP 2+2 with it’s Nascar rear window as mentioned in this fine article and it had the middle of the road Caprice spec 165 Hp 305 and SS Monte Carlo suspension bits and larger 15″ tires.