(first posted 1/22/2016) In our last installment, we looked at five Pontiacs that attempted to channel the brand’s sporty image to achieve commercial success. Alas, none of them were particularly successful. This week, we look at three more Pontiacs that attempted to prove Pontiac built excitement… and two that tried a decidedly different tack.
Star Chief Custom Safari Transcontinental
Years produced: 1957
Total production: 1894
The Bonneville name first appeared in 1957 on a limited production, fuel-injected convertible flagship model. A collectible today, the evocative nameplate was quickly applied to Pontiac’s flagship full-size. But there was another limited production Pontiac that year whose name would never be used again: Transcontinental, or as it was officially known, the Star Chief Custom Safari Transcontinental.
This exclusive wagon was priced at a rather lofty $3,636, approximately the same price as Buick’s gorgeous new Century Caballero hardtop wagon. For the asking price you received a 347 cubic-inch V8 and numerous special features not found on lesser Safaris. The rear quarter trim was similar to that of the new Bonneville, and the roof was topped with chrome luggage racks. Inside, leather trim was standard. The front bench’s passenger side could recline, a neat feature for the time. If these niceties weren’t enough, you could lux up your Transcontinental further with the full gamut of power accessories including power windows.
While the Transcontinental outsold the 2-door Safari that year despite a mid-year introduction, Pontiac opted not to continue the line for ’58.
Grand Prix Turbo
Years produced: 1989-90
Total production: 1000 (STE Turbo Sedan), 3500 (ASC McLaren Turbo Coupe)
By the 1980s, Buick had assumed the mantle of GM’s turbocharged division, offering everything from Skyhawks to Rivieras with the technology. As the decade came to a close, GM changed the trajectory of their second most prestigious brand and the boosted Buicks all disappeared. For a while, it seemed like Pontiac was to become the new home of the turbo.
If that was the plan, GM didn’t stick with it. The Grand Am received a 2.0 turbo four from the Sunbird for 1987, but by ’89 it was gone. The wild 20th Anniversary Trans Am, with the blown Buick 3.8, was a one-year, limited-production model. Even the long-running Sunbird turbo was axed in 1991 in favor of a naturally-aspirated 3.1 V6 variant. And yet, despite this context, GM’s LG5 engine – fitted to the Pontiac Grand Prix ASC McLaren coupe and STE sedan – is still an exceptionally peculiar footnote in the history of the excitement division, a brand that was selling up a storm in the 1980s and was the third best-selling brand of 1988.
Manufactured for only two years, this turbocharged 3.1 V6 was unusual in that it was never offered outside of the Grand Prix. No other W-Bodies from other divisions, nor any other Pontiacs, would receive the engine, developed by ASC/McLaren Specialty Products.
A turbocharged coupe came first, introduced in 1989 and priced just over $5k higher than a standard Grand Prix coupe. For the extra money, though, you received a lot of major differences over the already well-praised coupe (Motor Trend’s 1988 Car of the Year). The turbocharged and intercooled 3.1 V6 produced 205 hp and 225 ft-lbs of torque, 15 fewer horses than the Taurus SHO’s 3.0 V6 but 25 more pound feet of torque. The turbo engine also received a lowered compression ratio (down to 8.78:1) and new intakes. Unlike the SHO, the Turbo GP was only available with a four-speed automatic transmission; the SHO wouldn’t receive an auto for a few years. 0-60 was accomplished in under 8 seconds.
Standard features included GM’s slick head-up display, six-way power driver’s seat with three-position lumbar support, anti-lock brakes and keyless entry: impressive kit for 1989. There were also full power accessories, dual exhausts and a driver information center. The only options were a moonroof, CD player and leather seats. The turbo GP also had more aggressive cladding, functional hood louvers and 16-inch cross-lace alloy wheels.
The turbo coupe was intended to be a limited production model, and indeed it was. However, the 1990 STE Turbo sedan was even rarer with just 1000 units produced. The standard STE sedan came standard with the 140 hp 3.1 V6 and a five-speed manual; MSRP was $18,539 while the STE Turbo sedan listed for $23,775. Both models, using a trim level name borrowed from the Pontiac 6000, were differentiated from lesser Grand Prix sedans with monochromatic color schemes with color-coded wheels and a Mercury Sable-esque full-width front light bar, although only the turbo featured the hood louvers.
According to contemporary reports, both the turbo coupe and STE sedan had a surprising lack of both turbo lag and torque steer. While the steering was lacking in feel, the Y99 rally-tuned suspension provided competent and controlled handling with little understeer. The W-Body platform was rather heavy though, and the turbo Grand Prix models weighed around 3,300 pounds: heavier than a Taurus but lighter than the MN-12 Thunderbird.
Another derivative of the 60-degree Chevy V6 would replace the turbo 3.1 for 1991. This was the Twin Dual Cam 3.4 with identical horsepower figures, slightly less torque (down 10 ft-lbs) but an available five-speed manual. It was made available in the STE sedan as well as a new GTP coupe with a unique front end. The best part? Prices were down by around $3k.
GT-37
Years produced: 1970-71
Total production: 7221
In the late 1960s, the muscle car era was in full swing and GM offered a wealth of options, including the car that helped kickstart this trend: the Pontiac GTO. Plymouth had experienced a great deal of success with its good value Roadrunner, so Pontiac decided to field an inexpensive, entry-level GTO of its own. Somewhere along the way, that model, the GTO Judge, ended up launching with a higher price than the regular GTO. Take two: the 1970 1/2 GT-37.
The 1970 1/2 T-37 was introduced as the cheapest hardtop in Pontiac’s A-Body range, priced at $2683, and the GT-37 was a $198 option package available on it. You didn’t need to have selected the GT-37 package to get a bigger engine, as all A-Body Pontiacs were now available with not only the 350 cubic-inch V8, but even the previously GTO-exclusive 400 cubic-inch V8. The GT-37 package thus was a handling and appearance package, adding heavy-duty springs and shocks, hood-locking pins, dual exhaust, a floor-mounted 3-speed manual with a Hurst shifter, ’69 Judge striping, and Rally II wheels in GR70/14 white-letter tires. The interior was deliberately plain with a bench seat up front – no buckets were available – and less sound-deadening.
For 1971, Pontiac dropped the Tempest name and the T-37 became part of the LeMans family. A two-door pillared coupe was also available with the GT-37 package and all LeMans had a bold new grille. Performance of the 350 and 400 took a hit, lowered compression robbing the 400 of 50 horsepower. However, the 4-bbl 455 and 455 HO were now available in the GT-37 although not many buyers took notice: 5015 of the 5802 ’71 GT-37s built came with the base 350 2-bbl V8, with just 54 455 HOs built.
The GT-37 and T-37 names were gone for 1972, but inexpensive performance lived on in the new LeMans GT model. While the GT-37 had never had the whimsical advertising campaign and decorative touches of the Roadrunner, it seems only fair to assume it would have been a similarly strong seller had it launched the other side of 1970.
Firebird Sky Bird, Red Bird & Yellow Bird
Years produced: 1977-80
Total production: 4,248 (1979 Red Bird)
Pontiac was enjoying a huge resurgence in Firebird sales in 1977 and a lot of that was on the backs of hot-selling Trans Am models. But Pontiac wanted to offer a complete range, and so offered the base coupe, sporty Formula, sportier Trans Am, and the more luxurious Esprit. For 1977, the Esprit received the first of three special edition models. First would be the unique and beautiful Sky Bird.
Photos courtesy of jpezrox’s CarDomain page
It was dubbed Sky Bird because of its Lombard Blue over “Blue” paint and color-matched cast aluminum “Snowflake” wheels. It wasn’t just the wheels that were color-matched, as the vinyl or velour interior was blue as well. Artsy and rather feminine decals adorned the exterior, as did subtle pinstriping. Sky Birds could be had with or without a rear spoiler; if you opted for the spoiler, you received another bird decal. The grille was painted in both exterior colors to help complete the look. The color scheme was like nothing else on the road.
As the Sky Bird was based on the Esprit, the choice of engines included the 3.8 Buick V6, the Pontiac 301 with a 2-barrel carb, and the Pontiac 350 with a 4-barrel carb; the Oldsmobile 350 was used in California. According to Pontiac literature, both the Pontiac 400 and Oldsmobile 403 were optional on the Esprit as well. A 3-speed manual was standard with the 3.8 with a Turbo-Hydramatic optional; other engines could be had with the auto or a 4-speed stick.
The Sky Bird packaged continued for 1978 and was featured prominently in Pontiac’s full-line brochure. Changes included a new two-tone grille and the engine-turned aluminum dash was now tinted blue; Pontiac V8s and the Oldsmobile 403 were gone, replaced by a 2-bbl Chevy 305 and a 4-bbl Chevy 350. By mid-year, the Sky Bird was gone.
Its replacement was the Red Bird, once again sporting a two-tone paintjob but this time in two different shades of red and with gold accent striping; the Snowflake wheels were painted red. The interior, too, was red with gold metal trim.
The heavily facelifted ’79 Firebird retained the Red Bird package, with similar gold accent striping around the relocated grilles and redesigned taillights. Engines carried over but the Pontiac 301 returned with either a 2- or 4- barrel carb, the latter of which was the only Red Bird available with a 4-speed stick. Considering red Firebirds were not exactly uncommon, the Red Bird was the least distinctive of the three special edition ‘Birds.
The Yellow Bird of 1980 was nothing if not dramatic, with a paint job as bright and colorful as the original Sky Bird. Decals, wheels and striping was the same as it had ever been, but now the paint was two-tone yellow over a darker yellow. The taillights also received yellow ribbing. It was only the interior that was less distinctive than its predecessors, as it was a plain tan albeit with gold engine-turned metal trim borrowed from the Trans Am. Performance took a turn for the worse: the 4-speed was gone, although a 3-speed standard remained in the 3.8 V6. V8s were the Pontiac 301, Chevy 305 and the new, lackluster Pontiac 265.
The Yellow Bird would be the last of these special edition ‘Birds and did not return for the second-generation’s final year in 1981. Unfortunately, production numbers cannot be found for much of these special editions’ time on the market. The package itself cost around a few hundred dollars, but it was certainly worth it for some of the most visually distinctive pony cars ever made. Of course, it helped that these Firebirds were also arguably some of the most beautiful pony cars of all time.
(Those seeking more information on these gorgeous ‘Birds should visit this link.)
Can Am
Years produced: 1977
Total production: 1377
“Remember the goat!” Can Am ads declared. CAFE and the Oil Crisis had all but killed the muscle car, already mortally wounded from rising insurance prices and changing consumer tastes. The GTO had been de-emphasized by Pontiac, with the ’73 GTO receiving virtually no publicity and the related, “European-style” Grand Am instead receiving the marketing dollars. For 1974, the GTO shifted to the compact Ventura, featuring a 350 cubic-inch V8, and the following year it was gone. Perhaps rising Firebird Trans Am sales had convinced Pontiac a GTO revival would be successful.
1977 was no year for performance, but given the context, the Can Am was very racy. It was powered by Pontiac’s 400 cubic-inch V8 with a 4-barrel carb, putting out 180 hp at 3,600 rpm and 325 ft-lbs of torque at a low 1,600 rpm. 0-60 was accomplished in around 10 seconds, around the same as a ’75 LeMans with the 455. Californian Can Ams and those sold in high-altitude areas received the Oldsmobile 4-bbl 403, with identical horsepower figures but 320 ft-lbs of torque at 2,200 rpm. Californian and 49-state Can Ams could be told apart by the decals on their shaker hood scoop: those with the Pontiac V8 read “T/A 6.6” while the Olds V8 versions read “6.6 Liter”. Regardless of engine, the Rally RTS handling package came standard with heavy-duty stabilizer bars front and rear; standard also was a Turbo-Hydramatic transmission (no stick was available), power front disc brakes and rear drums, and power steering.
The shaker hood wasn’t the only visual difference from the regular LeMans coupe. Every Can Am was painted Cameo White with tri-tone accent striping and badges as well as rear quarter window louvers. GR70 x 15 steel-belted radials encircled body color Rally II wheels. The interior used the nicer instrument panel of the Grand Prix.
’76 Grand Am All-American concept
A ducktail rear spoiler completed the look, and this is one of the most important parts of the Can Am story as it was this spoiler that resulted in the Can Am’s premature death. This distinctive design element had been borrowed from the 1976 Grand Am All-American show car, another all-white Colonnade Pontiac that debuted for the Bicentennial. When the Can Am was spearheaded with the help of Jim Wangers, the marketing man who helped create the GTO, 5,000 units of the Can Am were planned. Each Can Am, after manufacture, would be sent to Detroit outfit Motortown to have the spoiler fitted as well as the stripes and shaker hood.
They broke the damn mould. And they didn’t have any backup tooling. Despite an extensive print adveritising campaign created by Wangers and enthusiasm from both critics and consumers, not to mention the fact the spoiler was just one small part of the Can Am package, the powers that be decided to axe the Can Am leaving those on the waiting list furious and critics disappointed. The Can Am may not have been as powerful as GTOs from a decade prior, but it handled capably and even had a compliant ride. With the production run stopped after just 2 months, there was more production capacity for the immensely successful and profitable Grand Prix. Was this the reason the project was so hurriedly abandoned?
Although Pontiac always offered a lineup of plain-Jane sedans and wagons in addition to its sporty models, the brand was always most successful when its advertising and marketing focussed on performance and driving excitement such as during the late 1960s and late 1980s. Had GM executives like Bob Lutz had their way and bankruptcy proceedings not forced GM’s hand, Pontiac would have reportedly become a niche performance brand with a small stable of focussed vehicles like the G8 and Solstice sold at dealerships alongside Buick and GMC vehicles. While this would have made the brand a much more low-volume entity, it is fascinating to imagine what could have been. Instead, Pontiac’s untimely death ended up creating another raft of desirable limited-run models like the G8 GXP, Solstice GXP… And, alas, the Aveo-based Pontiac G3. Let’s just forget that last one, shall we?
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1971 Pontiac T-37
Curbside Classic: 1969 Pontiac Tempest Custom S
Curbside Classic: 1983 Pontiac Firebird 25th Anniversary Daytona 500 Limited Edition Trans Am
What a nice cars, were those 77/81 F’Birds!!!
When I see them… AC~DC songs come to my mind!
Thanks for these infos you let us.
Time to remember these phony Pontiac versions
+1 one of only 2 new American cars I wanted in 1977.I’d like to hear Blue Oyster Cult’s Spectres album while driving it to a pool hall in the bad part of town. Then a drive in for a classic 70s horror film, The Legacy (AKA The legacy of Maggie Walsh )
Wow, a car I didn’t know even existed, and a powertrain I didn’t know existed.
I had never heard of the Transcontinental. I wonder if 1 reason why it was dicontinued was that extremely long name? Imagine what that “mouthful” would have looked like plastered on a tail gate or rear fender?
Actually, it was probably one of the few instances when GM realized it wasn’t very smart to let Pontiac push into a Buick market segment. In 1957, the Caballero was selling quite well for a very expensive wagon (10,000+ units). Buick shouldn’t have felt threatened, but the next years drop in sales of the Caballero (to under 4,500 units) must have proved Buick’s case?
The GT-37/T-37….I never knew it was available as a 4 door. The whole concept behind this model sounds a bit fuzzy. 1st, it was a sort of low-priced performance car, but you had to pay for that performance by selecting an optional engine. The original Road Runner came with a “big block” engine as standard. Then the car was aimed at buyers who were more interested in handling than straight line speed.
Never knew there was a turbo 3.1 and how ironic it never appeared in a Chevy.
I’ve seen all 3 of the colored birds. I’m not crazy about the 80-81 Firebird styling so I’d lean a bit more towards the 79 blue Skybird. The 1st time I saw one, I thought it was someone’s self-styled custom car. Then I wondered when we would see the “girl’s version”…..a PINK Firebird.
Of all these cars, I think I’d rather have the Can-Am.
I always liked the Grand Prix steering wheel with all the buttons…I knew its days were numbered with mandatory air bag legislation just around the corner.
Ah yes, the infamous Sky Bird! Somebody at Pontiac obviously forgot all the past attempts car makers made producing a ‘woman’s’ car. Guy I went to high school with traded in his gorgeous 1970 GTX on a Sky Bird – at least it had a 350 and not the V6. That GTX was dark green with a black vinyl top and interior. Bet he wishes it was still in his garage.
Buddy of my younger brother had a GT-37 that was a perpetual project car. If I remember right he pulled the front bench and installed a couple of seats out of a speed boat! Yeah, we did stuff like that in the 70s…
There was a woman in my neighborhood when I was growing up who had a Sky Bird, I always was kinda curious about it. Thanks for the insight
I’ve got an interest in the Can Am since my elder brother snapped one at a show on holiday along with some of the other go faster striped “muscle cars” of the same period, the Volare Roadrunner & it’s Dodge relative Aspen R/T ( I think).
It’s funny now, but I remember how ticked off I was when Pontiac went belly-up and I wouldn’t be able to buy a brand new G8 GT like I was considering.
I know they’re still available used, but I’m not paying thousands of dollars for an older car with all those miles that was beat to crap by a boy racer.
I liked it because it looked like a small BMW 3-Series.
2009 G8 GT GXP:
Looked smaller than it was–the G8 was far bigger than the 3-series. It might have been bigger than the 5-series, though I’m not sure about that.
I also like the G8 quite a bit, though I agree that right now would probably not be a good time to buy one because you’re still going to pay a decent amount of money and not know the history. Maybe one day when they’ve depreciated further, though, it could be a fun cheap car…
While some of the special editions are a bit overdone, Pontiac really did produce some attractive cars – right to the end. The brand still handily outsold both Buick and Cadillac in the U.S. when they pulled the plug. Strange how things work out.
I’ve always found the ’71 LeMans front clip with the chrome bumper to be very appealing. It looks great in the lead photo.
The demise of the CAN AM may help explain the general poor performance of the LeMans based mid-size Pontiac line in the ’70s. The managers were so in love with the Grand Prix that the LeMans apparently didn’t get any respect, and buyers gave the car an equal lack of respect. I believe that the LeMans based cars were the worst selling of all the GM colonnades.
Dave B,
I was going to mention the same thing. The GP and GMs typical management attitude really killed the Can Am.
There was the GP interior fiasco, the Honeycomb Wheel fiasco and then the spoiler which was the final nail.
They had something people really wanted, was actually selling and they basically forced it to fail.
I will own one before I die. It doesn’t even have to run. I just want one.
That Transcontinental resides in my 100 car fantasy garage. I had never heard of one until I was researching the piece I wrote a few years ago on a more plebian ’57 Pontiac wagon.
The ’77 Can Am is another car that I had completely forgotten about until reading about it in one of the comments here a year or two ago. You would have thought that with that kind of promo effort put out that someone would have ponied up for a temporary mold for a fiberglass spoiler. Especially when that someone was GM.
As an aside, I had only recently heard that the same thing was the ultimate cause of Studebaker shutting down Canadian production. The die for stamping trunk lids broke during the 1966 model run. Not that the car had long to live anyway, but that was where someone finally said “That’s all, folks.” This example is a lot easier to understand than GM’s decision on the Can Am.
I wonder how many Can Ams are the real McCoy, and not “tributes” (Sexton Blakes). The spoiler fiasco sounds like something from the bad old days at BL (more deadly sins than the big 3 combined)
It’s pretty hard to clone a Can Am, for that very reason. The spoilers are unobtanium.
Thanks I’ve yet to see a Can Am in the metal despite many years of going to shows.
A sad & sorry story of what might have been even if it was 10 years too late. Pontiac was starting to dig it’s own grave by the late 70s, there would be very little excitement from the factory in the next 30 years
Thanks for a fascinating look into more of Pontiac’s special models, replete with hits and misses.
For hits:
Anything that had more performance and/or bold style (in keeping with the times) than offerings from other GM divisions. Can Am absolutely, and Turbo GP and STE too. I’d also put the “color birds” into that category, as they were really comprehensive style packages and a smart way to broaden the pony/muscle car appeal at a time when performance was out of favor, and more women than ever were buying their own cars. Without question, these cars could only have come from Pontiac, and they were all totally on brand.
For misses:
I used to think Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royal Brougham LS was ridiculously long until I read Pontiac Star Chief Custom Safari Transcontinental! Ponchos had no business venturing into Buick territory. The converse is true as well: Pontiac arguably should have been the Turbo division–so why was the Trans Am Turbo just limited to a one year Anniversary model? Talk about a missed opportunity… The GT-37 was a poor copycat of a car–plus it should have been a Chevy to more effectively compete with the Plymouth. Pontiac needed to be more special and/or more memorable. This early example of a meaningless alphanumeric name did the car no favors, particularly in the face of the “Beep, Beep” branding for the Road Runner.
Actually, Chevy did have a “version” of the T-37 called the Heavy Chevy. I don’t know that much about the model beyond that it “mirrored” many aspects of the Pontiac. It was around for the 71-72 model years, nearly all had 350 cubic inch engines, but did not have a 4 door “companion”.
Strangely, Chevy also had a pickup truck called Heavy Chevy.
That’s right! I’d forgotten all about the Heavy Chevy! I think it made a lot of sense for the Bow Tie brand, though I don’t think it was a big seller at all. Timing was way too late… as William points out for the Pontiac, it should have been a late 1960s offering. By the time the Heavy Chevy was introduced, the entire segment was collapsing, including Road Runners.
The major difference was that the Road Runner was a genuine go package in plain trim, whereas the Heavy Chevy, GT37, and the Olds Rally 350 (anyone remember those) where mostly 350-2-barrel vanilla with some trim, although all 3 could be ordered with more hair.
RE: The Sky/Blue/Red/Yellowbirds…Intentional or not, those decals had a decidedly feminine flavor, and although for the most part, the cars looked good, I don’t think that very many guys would have bought one at that partcular time. I seem to recall that “manly” then meant chest hair, gold chains, platform shoes and disco (a la John Travolta/Saturday Night Fever)!! LOL!! 🙂
My great Uncle Ralph worked for a Pontiac dealer for over 40 years. The stories he had for me were incredible! He told me about a 1977 SkyBird they had in the showroom, and a gentleman who was having his current car fixed in service was looking at it and expressed interest in it. He had an older Grand Prix for trade. My Uncle asked him why he wanted a girl’s car – apparently all the dealer information had expressed the fact that the SkyBird was a package designed for women. The customer’s response was if women like the car, they will like him! So he traded his Grand Prix in for it. Well, the customer’s plan backfired and he was ridiculed beyond belief by family and friends for buying a “woman’s car”! He only had the car for three weeks and traded it back in for a new triple black Grand Prix! Every time I see one of these SkyBirds I always think of that story!
That is very funny! I’ll bet some lucky lady got a screaming deal on that barely used SkyBird 🙂
Exactly GN! I asked him about reselling the SkyBird and he told me it didn’t sit on the lot for too long as the SkyBirds were quite popular. The Red Birds also sold well but for some reason the Yellow Birds were a dog. They had two of them that sat and sat forever. One of them stayed in inventory for over a year as it was a cancelled special order for a customer. It had been ordered with a V-6 and no A/C and no one wanted it! The other Yellow Bird was a factory car – one that GM sent to only one selected dealer in the region – and it was totally loaded so the price made it very unaffordable when compared to other Firebirds.
Says a whole lot of something about the culture when a grown man can’t choose the car he wants without a bunch of d—fu— giving him grief over it. WHatever happened to MYOB?
Agreed. Decals aside, I don’t see how the Sky Bird is particularly feminine. And even if it is, who cares?
It is, however, very loud. The yellow and red editions are bright, certainly, but they just seem “late ’70s,” whereas the Sky Bird is very committed to being that color.
Every time there’s a piece here on Pontiacs I end up commenting on my sadness over the brand’s demise. Pontiac was most certainly my favorite of the GM brands back in the day. I hadn’t heard of the supposed plan to make it a “boutique” niche performance brand, but I’m sure lots of folks wish that had come to fruition.
Just wondering, is there no chance of a reemergence of the brand? I’m not exactly well-versed in the nooks and crannies of corporate bankruptcy proceedings, but I assume GM still owns the brand and the model names, I can’t imagine there’d be any reason that they couldn’t market a Pontiac model or two without relaunching a full-scale line. As styling seems to be an actual “thing” again at GM, and badge engineering is now at a minimum it feels like there’d be room for a couple of low-production coupes and/or convertibles (Like a high spec only badge-engineered Firebird, maybe coupe and convertible versions of the Cruze, or even a Bonneville begat from the Impala. I’m dreaming of a Grand Ville convertible built on an Impala platform. I know….pipe dreams and poppycock…but really? It really couldn’t happen?) I guess I should get some coffee and wake the hell up now.
I also loved Pontiac, had 2 Trans Am’s in my day. I’m sure gm still owns the name, BUT THE LAST THING WE NEED IS ANOTHER SET OF COPIES OF gm SUV/CUV’s.
p.s if they did they would probably me made in china
The T-37 was in response to a recession that came on the heels of changes in US economic policy in 1969.
So that they decided to make a “GT-37” version is somewhat curious.
Pontiac had a great run but now those features can be incorporated into Chevy/Buick models to strengthen those brands. The limited run Chevy SS sedan is a good example.
The Transcontinental; now that’s a new one for me too. The ultimate tarted-up ’57 Chevy.
Those 3 special edition Firebirds are just too cool to see. I normally attend the Firebird show when it is in my area and always love to see any of these three examples. As for the 1980 with the choice of Buick 3.8 V6, Pontiac 4.3 V8, 4.9 V8 and Chevy 5.0 V8 I would call the Buick V6 the lackluster engine by far. It was slower, noisier and rougher running than any of the V8 options and barely returned better real world every day mileage. The 4.3 option was so much smoother and quieter and put more actual power to the ground than the 3.8 did even though on paper it only made 10 more horses and 15 extra torque. It also got the same MPG in my Grand Prix G-body as did my 231 V6 versions. The best bet if one could be found was a 305 example. A simple few bolt on goodies like an intake, carb and headers and some more timing woke these little Small Blocks up considerably. A few high school friends did this with there 1980/81 305 Birds and Camaro’s and were able to burn rubber thereafter.
I think it looks better than the comparable Buick or Oldsmobile offerings of 1957. Doesn’t look so overloaded with chrome in comparison.
Much more obscure are some dealers who did their own models. Like “The Jury”, a 1970 LeMans who wanted to be the “poor’s man GTO” offered by Stampede Pontiac-Buick from Calgary. http://118110.activeboard.com/t49542792/1970-pontiac-lemans-the-jury/
Another local model, from Knafel Pontiac of Arkon, Ohio was the Tempest Magnum 400 who recreated what DeLorean wanted to go after the Plymouth Road Runner. http://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mus/2013/02/Akron-Apparition—1970-Pontiac-Tempest-Magnum-400/3722191.html
The CanAm was a sexy car–had no idea about the mould being broke. The Grand Prix turbo is also a sexy car…..the cladding and wheels make it look like a smaller TransAm.
I agree with the concept that Pontiac should have been a performance only division, with only a few choices, rather than have their take on the mid-level sedans and cars that were pretty much interchangeable with Chevy and some Buick products.
I don’t know if it was the way they were ordered or in general but my cousin had a 72 ‘heavy chevy’ chevelle at the same time a customer of my dad’s gas station had a gt-37 and to my memory they were very different cars.
the heavy chevy was plain bench seat chevelle inside but you definitely new it was something on the outside as there was a distinct lack of chrome but and stripes but very prominent heavy chevy labels on it. it was a 350-4sp as I remember and very much had an early roadrunner vibe to it.
the gt-37 just looked like your average lemans with a dumb stripe kit on it….until you popped the hood and saw that 455 under it.
to my teenage mind, even though I was a long time Pontiac fan I would have taken cuzs heavy chevy in a heartbeat as it looked the part vs the gt-37, which looked it might have been borrowed from granny for the day!
I would have taken the Pontiac for that very reason.
Does anybody remember-or even heard about the Pontiac “ET”? Standing for “elapsed time” and not that harmless alien from the Speilberg movie, it was supposed to be a lower priced GTO with a 350 I believe, a hood tachometer, a spoiler and some graphics all mounted on the lighter 1969 2 door sedan body. It was supposed to be based on the Plymouth Roadrunner concept of a more base type of musclecar, but its fate is somewhat uncertain. I read or heard somewhere that Pontiac was ready to produce it, but pulled the plug at the 11th hour.Can anybody in the peanut gallery add anything else? Info about this one is very hard to come by.
I can’t remember where I read it but I seem to remember that the ‘et’ was the original concept for what ended up becoming ‘the judge’.
I remember those Grand Prix Turbos from the late 80’s. All the buzz was about the coupe being a competitor for the Thunderbird Super coupe, and then the sedan competition for the Taurus SHO. But I think the limited production also limited their impact. Very cool though, and I still like the looks of them all these years later. The wheel hub full of buttons looks so strange, having become accustomed to airbags also!
I’ve always thought these Grand Prixs were by far the best-looking of the GM10 midsizers, the coupes in particular.
The steering wheel looks like it’s the same as the Trans Am……I’m guessing that with the wheels and steering wheel and some other parts, that Pontiac was striving for a more practical Firebird/ Trans Am. I think that it’s a great idea in theory, and that they should have kept it going, but perhaps it didn’t sell that well? And maybe it was cutting into the Firebird/ Trans Am sales, as well?
Good to know that they were aiming at the Super Coupe market. Speaking as a SC owner, though, the low end torque in those cars is flat out *incredible* and as an “off the line” car….it literally is a cheap pulley swap away from even more ridiculous amounts of torque.
My buddy and I, high school seniors, went to the New York Auto Show, I guess in late ’76, and saw a Skybird there; even the windows had a light blue tint! There was also a Grand Am there, I remember that brochure specifically. I brought it home and begged my old man to trade in our ’73 LeMans for one.
Back in April of ’77 Hot Rod mag did a test on the Can Am. I thought that was a very cool car and began a search for one, 2 years later i found one and it still sits on my garage today, My 5 year old grandson tells eveyone that going to be his car some day
I’m of the age where the muscle car era ended after the 1970 model year.
And get off my lawn!
The ad for the Can-Am proclaiming, “Remember the Goat!” is ironic since there’s a story in DeLorean’s book about GM being out-of-touch with the street scene back in the sixties when a Pontiac ad was proposed with a photo of a young boy with a pail of water in a driveway in front of a GTO with the caption “A Boy and His Goat”. The story goes that GM execs were aghast at the ad, stating, “You can’t call one of our a cars a goat!”. They didn’t understand that ‘goat’ was a street term of endearment for the GTO.
The interesting thing is that the ad with the kid and a bucket of water in front of a GTO ‘did’ run, just with a different caption.
GOAT also often an abbreviation for “greatest of all time”, though I don’t know if it was used that way in the early ’70s.
The T-37 sedan is a new one for me. The T-37/GT-37 clearly was an attempt to not be penalized by insurance companies as the GTO was by then, but selling an unknown (and meaningless) alphanumeric proved daunting. How much marketing support did these get?
There’s more irony to GM’s aversion to the word ‘goat’. They would, instead, refer to the GTO as ‘The Great One’ which was, in itself, appropriated from Jackie Gleason. I don’t know if he got any money from it, but he probably should have.
“The T-37 sedan is a new one for me…”
The plain-Jane T-37 was not a “muscle car” at all. Was the new name for the base Tempest. The GT-37 was an option package*. Too many online car fans assume “all T-37’s were the GT-37.”
So, yes there was a 4 door T-37, as there was a LeMans sedan, even a wagon!. Thus, many plain, average, RWD cars of the 60s and 70s were not “muscle cars”.
*GT-37 with the base 350, 2bbl. was not quite a drag race winner/true muscle car.