From its introduction in late 1972 to the present day the Pontiac Grand Am has remained an inspirational automobile, spawning a variety of imitators and impostors, but none that carry off the concept with quite the same style. Of course, those early cars were very different to the present day models, and with good reason, The early 70's were heady days indeed; the oil crisis was just around the corner, although we didn't know it, and the first Grand Am models came equipped with 6.5 liter or 7.4 liter V8 motors.
This was the age of the muscle car, those big bore monsters that epitomized the American automobile industry of the day, and the Grand Am fitted perfectly into the market. The bigger engine gave a mighty 250bhp, and fans of the car still wonder what the planned, but stillborn, 310bhp version would have been like. Both four door sedan and two door coupe were built, and the Grand Am proved so popular that over 40,000 were sold in the first year of production.
One interesting feature of the Pontiac Grand Am in its original guise was the nose, a molding of special plastic that was designed to go back to its right shape in the event of a minor collision! Reclining front seats were another unusual feature, one that was seldom seen on American cars of the era. The first Grand Am models are considered the Holy Grail by collectors, and when the oil crisis began to make a mark in 1974 sales plummeted.
Indeed, the 1975 sales year saw just 10,000 Grand AMs sold, a quarter of those that had been snapped up in the first year, and GM took the decision to scrap the model there and then. There are still many original Pontiac Grand Ams on the roads, lovingly tendered and cared for by dedicated enthusiasts with a love for this revered car.
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