(Spotted by T-Minor)
First-generation W-bodies have been getting very scare in the Northeastern U.S., but thankfully someone in Vienna, Austria appears to be caring for this 1990 Pontiac Grand Prix LE. The number of Kansas-built Grand Prix destined for sales in Europe couldn’t have been large, but this car was undoubtedly built to European specification, as evidenced by its rear fog lights. Further research reveals that, rather oddly, European-spec GPs sported quad sealed-beam headlights, instead of the composite units of North American Grand Prix sedans.
Introduced for the 1988 model year, the fifth generation Grand Prix holds several distinctions, each triggered by then-current industry trends. First and foremost, this generation would see the Grand Prix shift to front-wheel drive, a layout it would continue using until the nameplate’s retirement in 2008. This would also be the first time in which V8 power was not offered, as well as the first (and only) time an inline-4 was available in the Grand Prix.
Most notably, this would be the very first time a Grand Prix sedan was offered, after nearly three decades of being exclusively a 2-door. GM was wise to add the sedan body style to its W-body cars; even it didn’t arrive until 1990. The market was rapidly shifting away from coupes, with sedans becoming the primary bulk of sales for most automakers.
While much can be said about the W-body (aka GM10) that isn’t entirely positive, GM at least provided each variant with unique sheetmetal. Furthermore, Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac W-body sedans differed rather extensively from their coupe counterparts. While the Cutlass Supreme and Lumina sedans received distinctive greenhouses, the Grand Prix and Regal used a very similar design. Although unique belt lines would provide some further distinction, the two cars shared their A-, B-, C-, and D-pillars. That these two were selected to have this in common is odd, as Pontiacs and Buicks were most likely to be sold together in the same showrooms.
In any event, the Grand Prix was treated to the most interesting and modern-looking interior of the bunch. Reflective of its late-‘80s design, the Grand Prix’s original interior was a plethora of buttons, switches, and LCD screens. Higher-trim models even featured redundant controls for the stereo in the center of the steering wheel for no fewer than 10 individual buttons, along with two more for the horn.
It may not have been the most user-friendly interior of its day, but for those who didn’t mind sacrificing some simplicity for the sake of showcasing technology, it was quite spectacular. A much-simplified interior redesign would come in 1994, bringing with it dual airbags and decidedly less flair (but thankfully, still far better in presentation than its siblings).
Like the other W-bodies, the Grand Prix was left to wither on the vine a little too long, with its aging design looking quite tired by this point. Over the course of this single generation, the Grand Prix would compete against three generations of the Taurus and Sable, as well three generations of mid-sized Mopar sedans.
The slightly older coupes would receive greater attention, in the form of new fascias, ground effects, and cladding, but apart from a very Sable-like lightbar, GP sedans would continue largely unchanged through 1996.
A redesigned Grand Prix sedan and coupe would come in 1997, marking the end of the of this rather lengthy fifth generation. It would boast several appreciated improvements, including its 240-horsepower supercharged V6, longer wheelbase and wider track for better handling, and curvier styling, but the sixth generation Grand Prix was otherwise a predictable update to Pontiac’s mid-size car. While easily more exciting than its predecessor and existing siblings, the new Grand Prix would face and uphill battle against stiffer competitors, as well as a significantly more refined W-body sibling, the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue.
I remember this generation Pontiac Grand Prix. At the time, I found the four door version more attractive than the two door. If you have between the ages of 5 and 10, two doors were perfect. But I though the four door better looking than the two door.
It might be just me, but I LOVE seeing mundane American cars in Europe.
When I was in Barcelona there was an “American Car Club” cruise on Las Ramblas one evening that consisted of 3 cars: a 1956 Chevrolet 2 post coupe, an 80’s El Camino, and a late 90’s V6 Firebird.
They were absolutely COVERED with people who were fascinated by them. It’s fun to see the other side, like how us US car fans will dork out to see a random Mexican Peugeot in the US.
Only other American sightings (aside from officially imported or assembled ones like Caravans and Cherokees) in Europe were a Dodge Ram dually towing a 5th wheel trailer in Italy (with Texas plates), a Suburban in Paris, and a Chevy Beretta in Spain.
Nope, not just you!
I remember being on my honeymoon in Ireland in the mid-90s and seeing a smattering of US-plated vehicles on the road, including a Maryland-plated Dodge Caravan. When I was younger, I visited St. John in the US Virgin Islands and was very surprised to see a Massachusetts-plated SUV there.
But I much prefer to see US vehicles in foreign lands displaying that country’s native license plates…just something cool about that to me.
I’ve often wondered who buys these cars in Austria (or Germany or anywhere in Europe for that matter)? Because of the modifications made to comply with Euro safety standards, we can see this isn’t a case of a GI selling off his car before the next assignment.
These can’t be inexpensive to operate over there, fuel alone would be pricey. Assuming this is the 3.1 V6, the insurance can’t be cheap, either. I have a hard time believing these things are comfortable cruisers on the Autobahns, either, especially with a three speed auto box.
We can’t tell from the pix, but maybe this is a Quad 4/manual tranny car? At least then it would make a little more sense driving this thing in Europe…
Many were associated with US forces personnel stationed in Europe. In the East Anglia region of the UK, there are (or were) several US bases and the local car population reflected this. Most went back to the US when the owners moved back.
I remember meeting a guy who worked for Boeing, and had previously been located in Austria, who drove an Arizona registered Dodge Caravan around Salzburg, Austria. Ironic, given that the Caravan was assembled in Austria for the European market
I think before production began a few got in also as imports, but with the V6 they were not popular – I had to help a friend to paint one after the paint started flaking on the roof and hood, typical Mopar fashion. It had the V6 and the (here) hated auto box, notorious for its unreliability due to not being fitted with a transmission cooler. That one miricolously survived to 90,000 Km, so the owner did not mind spending on it.
Well, it depends on what type of American cars. Back in the day when American cars were American cars and not trying to be somewhere between Detroit and Tokyo (or Ingolstadt if you wish), people bought them for the glamour and the luxury – you have to remember that even large European cars were not fitted with things like AC back then. There have always been Mafiosi types who bought them as an alternative to the black MB, Fiat 130 or Porsche 911 (depending on where you were). There was a time in Vienna where it was almost obligatory to have a Corvette parked outside any whorehouse. When the US manufacturers started making smaller cars, some of those became almost acceptable alternatives to large Opels and the like (that Pontiac, a Stratus or anything else that size would be a good example); others (Neon) were actually mixing it with smaller European offerings, as they did not differ much in size and were just as economical. The gentleman owning that Pontiac is, I would suspect, more into the “American way of life (or drive)”, is likely to be country music fan and/or have a Harley for the w/end. Or maybe he wants a real GP but, for the time being, can’t afford it:)
“Back in the day when American cars were American cars…”
Dignitaries and crooks. The American car-clientele of yore.
Sometimes dignitaries and crooks are the same people!
Certainly. The one does not exclude the other.
… and weirdos like us: enthusiasts.
Or: people who wanted to win races.
If we said in 1967, then a 4-door Grand Prix will come, people will laugh at us and to see how the idea of a 4-door Ford Thunderbird had done. Maybe Ford was ahead of its time. Just imagine what if a 4-door T-bird come in 1990 instead of 1967?
Or even 1983!
Or even today. The Thunderbird name has graced a lot of different cars but it was never a fleet queen like the Taurus of 10 years ago. I think Ford goofed bringing back the Taurus and shelving the Thunderbird.
The GP 4 door was essentially a replacement for the 6000, more like a descendant of the Tempest/LeMans sedans. Not really a “4 door personal lux” car, just name demotion.
Olds did same with Cutlass Supreme. Imagine is Chevy called their W body the Monte Carlo sedan/coupe for the 90’s, instead of Lumina?
The mirrors look odd on this one… maybe from a Volvo 240? Does Austria have a law requiring folding mirrors?
Seems to me most of Europe requires breakaway mirror mounts.
Yes, the ECE regulations require the external mirror housings to give or fold away when hit by pedestrians.
I wish US would require that type because I have bumped into some of fixed or rigid mirror housings, causing horrible pain and nasty bruise on my legs. I have seen some owners letting the mirror housings dangling down on their adjustment cables because it is probably too expensive and too inconvenient to replace them.
How often does one get hit by a car’s mirror, really? That said, I think the folding mirrors are a good touch, mainly because sometimes you run your DD through a car wash and the machinery gets too close. I had that happen once in my Escape, and I was glad that it had folding mirrors because all that happened was that the machine pushed the mirror forward and only scratched the paint a little on the outside housing. If it was rigid, it would have just broken off and then I’d have to get the whole assembly fixed. A little rubbing compound and some touch up paint and we’re back in business.
Those headlights are horrible! I wonder what the logic behind that was.
NHTSA and EU have long had differing standards with regards to automotive lighting; it was probably cheaper to just use sealed-beams which passed muster in Europe instead of designing completely new headlamp assemblies.
The headlights are for a simple reason – the beam pattern for US headlights is not the same as for European headlights. Rather than tool up a new lens for a small run, it was probably cheaper to go with off the shelf sealed beam units that comply with ECE regulations and design the bezel to hold them, also probably have to make a conversion harness as well. Also note that the GP has side repeaters in the front fenders.
Ironic, since more typically back in the day, European cars had to ditch their non-sealed headlights and faired covers for these type of headlights. Never seen it in reverse.
Numerous others had them too. Early Corsicas, Berettas, and Lumina APVs for example, although all of those received flush headlamps later on anyway.
Notice the rear side marker lights are amber. I once read that side marker lights are actually illegal in some European countries.
In 1992, ECE regulations were amended to permit the side running markers with retro-reflectors. If the red retro-reflector is extended from the rear to the side (as in the wraparound taillamp), it is permitted to be red. If the side running marker is not part of taillamp, it must be amber.
Fascinating. I had no idea these cars were exported to Europe. And in addition to the headlights, it looks like this car does not have those (awful) door-mounted seatbelts that US cars had, or the CHMSL. So clearly there was some effort taken to customize it for the export market.
I’d love to know more about how this happened, and to what extend these cars were marketed to Europeans.
Seeing a Pontiac in central Europe is probably about as rare as seeing a Lancia in Nebraska.
That car could be one sold through H. Puhr who has been importing the GM models not available officially (that is, through GM Europe) here for at least 40 years. There has always been a small but steady demand for US-made cars here, whether as something to pose with, enjoy (a modern Corvette is nowadays as good as any equivalent European GT but even with taxes undercuts many of those by price) or use a work horse (big US pick-ups are very useful if you have to tow heavy trailers, a few boat owners have them to get their boats to the Danube on the w/end).
Puhr’s site here: http://www.puhr.at/
I remember long ago C/D brought in a ’76 Golf GTI (Rabbit here). They federalized it for smog and safety, used junkyard doors with side impact beams and also used the 5 MPH gas shock bumpers off a donor car. But they actually had to remove the 3 point seat belts for the back seat and install US version lap belts to pass inspection.
At the very dawn of the safety era, Grand Prix was the least expensive midsize with two airbags, a fact the advertising trumpeted loudly … along with some pounding hair band music.
The program was ready to go for 1984, actually, but held back because the A-car had finally gained traction and the G-body wouldn’t die quietly. Would have scooped Taurus by a year, but management had other priorities (“The real Lulu…”) and wanted to wait-n-see. Stemple (or Reuss) made the comment, “we don’t know how high is up with A-body”… after the Taurus, they found it in a hurry.
Buick really did the best sedan (with the 3800, finally) and Pontiac had the best coupe.
Alas, now they are history.
The whole GM-10 program was just laughably mismanaged. They appointed a program head, but gave him no real authority. He had to get approval from people at every division, and then he quit in frustration.
Looks like the parking technique was exported from America as well.
Odd how some American cars with aero headlights got these in Europe, much the same as earlier euro cars did here.
General Motors didn’t want to spend more money on designing and engineering the headlamps to comply with ECE regulations for small number of vehicles to be sold in fewer European countries.
That is called economies of scale…
Chevrolet Beretta and Corsica received the same headlamp treatment as well.
This is the only car I know of that has a combination lock for its glove compartment. I’ve also seen a Beretta and a Pontiac Trans Sport van with the same quad light treatment in Europe – it looks odd.
I liked these when I was younger. Always thought the sedan’s flush headlights were nicer than the coupe’s. Look at that interior! The only contemporary car I can compare that to is the Mitsubishi Galant E(sigma).
Also, I remember seeing pictures of some sketches done during the development of I believe the first generation Taurus and distinctly recall one of them looking exactly like these Grand Prix’s, down to the lightbar and greenhouse. It might have come from Eric Taub’s book?
I spot a Mustang to the left, 2 Americans in one lot!
Looks like a Charger – in hemi orange – directly behind the GP, too!
I hope the owner parks better than what we see in these pics.
Still, earlier W-Bodies looked better than what we got later imo, more “clean”, less weirdly stuck vents.
They imported Trans Sports too. You can tell by the side marker lights seen on this and the GP. Also orange turn signals instead of clear with orange bulbs. On the Transport, the tall taillights would have an orange section instead of being all red. And the Trans kept the aero headlights..
Those flippers seen on the instrument binnacle on the GP were for wipers and washers on the right and lights on the left. They were actually pretty handy and ergonomic. Similar arrangement on the Trans Sport. Also HVAC controls like a calculator.
This one is in Finland. I looked up the name on the wall.
These were surprisingly popular in Austria; there was also a 4 cylinder model with manageable economy but even the V6 sold on account of its reliability. I saw more than one or two with astronomic mileages still serving their owners.
The first engine in these vans was the 120 hp 3.1 L V6 with single point fuel injection. That same engine a few years later got multipoint injection and different heads and gained about 50 hp. In 1992, the Trans Sport got the 170 hp 3800 V6 which the Finland one has (3800 emblem on the front fender). That engine was already around and should have been in there from the beginning. Both had reputations for reliability, as opposed to some other bits and pieces attached to them or nearby, like the steering racks.
Mine: 1990, 140K miles, replaced rack, alternator, compressor, two heater cores. Original power steering pump, starter, radiator. Engine and trans seem fine.
In 1994 in Europe they started selling them also with a PSA 90 hp 1.9 litre turbodiesel. Which must have been really slow, although they might have had a 4 rather than 3 speed automatic by then. Which reminds me, were they also only automatics in Europe?
The Finland one has the same mirrors as in the US, which are bigger than the first year. I think they folded, unlike the smaller first year ones.
At 140,000k it’s just about run-in, from what I’ve heard about them here:)
Also adding these were reasonably popular in Israel – the halo of the American car continued to shine (a bit) longer over there than in other parts of the world and these were considerably cheaper than any comparable size European (or Japanese), not a small consideration in a place where import taxes are brutal.
I’ve always noticed that many service vehicles in Israel (and large parts of the ME, too) are GM products. Whether North American sourced or South African sourced, it’s odd to see those cars and trucks swimming like whales in a sea of minnows…
I’m not sure about any SA vehicles – can you please provide an example?
When you say “service”, do you mean military vehicles? As for the IDF, it is a strictly enforced provision of any financial assitance grants received by Israel for military purposes that ANY supply contract using grant moneys would be awarded to US manufacturers. So even the IDF’s tactical Tatra AWD trucks were made in the US by ATC and have water cooled Cummins engines, not Tatra’s own air cooled ones, and some European-looking Volvo tank transporters are in fact US-made with Euro cabs. The non-US equipment (e.g., Land Rovers, Navy subs and the new corvettes which are German-built) are bought with Israeli money.
Other services use a mixture (I mentioned the Defenders, but fire fighters use a lot of German equipment with a healthy sprinkle of US vehicles everywhere. Ambulances are usually American).
The private market is very different and whereas US trucks were dominant in the past, they are now rare because there are no US-made COEs anymore and that’s what’s needed in Israel with its narrow winding roads (there are 3 Kenworth W900s in the whole country, and one of them is used as a toy (!)).
I think they’re referencing ambulances, etc. I do notice a lot of what look like US-spec ambulances (in Red Crescent livery) on the news.
EDIT: and I see you’ve already mentioned the ambulances. Tip of the hat and good day!
Those with the red crescent are not (generally) “ours” but are either Palestinian or ones used by the neighbors:)
“Most notably, this would be the very first time a Grand Prix sedan was offered, after nearly three decades of being exclusively a 2-door.”
Grand Prix prior to 1990 weren’t only coupes, in 1967 there was a one year only convertible.
There was also at least one four-door hardtop — a ’62, if memory serves — that was not a production model, but was built on the lines (not an aftermarket conversion) for some VIP. That was a one-off, of course, but it suggests that even early on, a four-door didn’t seem an outlandish idea.
The other cars in the parking lot don’t really look much different then they would in the US. I think I see a couple of newer Mustang’s in the background, the Fiat 500 would be here, is the red car in the first picture a Camaro? The parking style is also something you would see in the US. A lot harder to pick out cars that don’t “belong” in the US now. But I don’t see Toto.
Well none of the Peugeots or Skodas will be seen in the US but at the end of the day it shows how much cars are alike these days…
Always found these Grand Prix (Grand Prixs? Grands Prix?) were far and away the most attractive W-body design, in 2 door format or 4. Though the sealed-beam lamp treatment on this one reminds me of the 3rd-gen Camaro, a design I was never fond of.
In great shape for its age, too!
Back in 88 a dealer put some cars in display at a mall and I remember thinking the Grand Prix interior was so cool. Later being in the parts business these W bodies got a rep for wearing out front pads because the rear calipers had two problems–they adjusted by using the parking brake (I’m sure someone will claim they always use their parking brakes with an automatic but believe me most folks don’t) and the sliders would sieze up. Apparently GM borrowed the design from a part of the world that didn’t use salt in the winter. Rebuilders fixed the slider problem by using non-metal slider pins and lots of grease. These were some of the first American cars that needed a tool to back the rear pistons in and lots of uninformed home mechanics tried the C-clamp method and popped the piston right out nessitating a trip to my store.
witam jestem z Polski mam pontiaka Grand Prix jestem zadowolony
If anyone is still keeping up with this article, there were several different GM cars sent to Europe (maybe just certain countries) to become rentals for one of the big rental companies (e.g. Hertz, etc). The idea was that Americans traveling abroad would feel more comfortable driving, well, American cars while on vacation. I do recall renting a few cars in 1990 and later in Europe and England, and all were manual equipped which was part of the reason select American cars were added to some of the fleets.
The other reason for ‘mundane’ American cars from that era were US military personnel shipping cars over, but this was already discussed and also makes sense. But, like I mentioned, there was an idea to rent American cars to Americans on holiday.