When i was 17, my father bought me a new 78 Grand Prix LJ two-tone blue. Same engine as this. It was a fast car. Had a 77 monte carlo before that. Very slow. In retrospect, I was a very lucky kid.
Yeah you were lucky. Back in 1980 my Dad who was in the car business, a wholesaler who bought cars from auctions mostly. He dropped a 1970 Chevy Vega off at the curb of the house my mom and I lived at. The paint was virtually nonexistent, had a blown head gasket and the interior looked like it was attacked by a bear, and had four bald tires. I was 16 years old, my mom and I were pretty poor, so had no money to fix it, and if I did have the money the car wasn’t worth putting any money in it. Thanks Dad.
This along with the 78 Monte Carlo and Malibu, cutlass and regal are some of the nicest looking cars of the late seventies and early eighties. The Grand Prix is truly a beautiful car! Thanks again Adam!
My dad asked my opinion for choosing the size engine in a 1978 Cutlas Supreme that he was going to buy. I was 16 at the time. I tried to sound as objective as I could and told him it was best to buy the V8 4 barrel (from my memory I thought it was a 305 rather than 301.) Once I got my driver's license, I was thrilled to get to feel the secondary venturis open up. They had a bit of a kick.
I watch this auction on bring a trailer as well. The story behind it was an old man wanted to order one last new car and he wanted it like his 63 Pontiac black with blue interior and four-speed. He ordered it with 301 4 Barrel four-speed positraction rear axle bucket seats rally gauge and am radio Deluxe wheel covers and I think that's about it. It is a interesting car thanks for posting it and it's background history.
I was brought home from the hospital when I was born in a 1965 Pontiac Tempest with the 326. I too miss Pontiac especially and Oldsmobile too. Some of the coolest cars in the neighborhood back in the 80s and 90s when I was in my late teens and early 20s were late 60s and 70s Oldsmobiles.
I have a 79 Pontiac Grand Am. Same power-train and interior, just a little shorter on the front end. I had planned on getting a 80 but ordered the 79 when I found out that it was the last year that the 4 speed manual would be available (special order). It was a good combination of sporty and room for a young family. I am told that there were a little over 300 made with the 4 speed manual trans. If you look from the underside you can see that the floor is torch cut where the shifter comes thru the floor.
My pal's dad gave him a fully loaded new 1978 GP when we were in college. It was a very nice car, far nicer than anything else in the college parking lot! Thanks for the memories.
I had an 87 with a 4.3 v6 as my first car. It was 2 tone silver and grey with grey interior with buckets and a full console. It was a great car and had lots of great memories in it!
Oldsmobile had a 5-speed manual that they paired with their 260 V8 in this generation of Cutlass. It’s unfortunate that (1) it was a weak transmission, so they wouldn’t put it on anything more powerful than the 260, and (2) the US makers didn’t have wider availability of 5-speeds across their product lines, since the import brands had been providing them for a while by then.
The base V6 '78 Monte Carlo had a 3 speed manual as standard equipment, and because the new A bodies were not designed for 3-on-the-tree linkages, the shifter was on the floor. I think this odd arrangement was also available on the GP, but it only lasted a couple of years on any the A/G bodies.
4 spd MANUAL?! There was never a factory option on any Pontiac Grand Prix! I had an 81 w/the 231 V6 motor, White Paint, White Leather Landau top with rectangular opera window, and Maroon Crushed Velour interior. It had every available option for 1981, except the Leather Seats & Door panels. I put 2700 dollars into fixing it up being tired after having its first owner weighing in at upward of 400 lbs, (which destroyed the drivers seat! But, I found a perfect replacement in the junkyard on a totalled GP!), I bought and had brand new Coil Springs for a 350 ci motor,installed, because Id never speced the car out, along with Moog Gas Shocks, Eagle ST White Lettered Tires, on Stock black rims, and the Pontiac 64 Spoke Chrome Hub Caps, with the Pontiac symbol on their center caps.I had a friend who worked at Dodge Boys use their 1500 rpm buffer and some awesome one step paint rehab to buff out the white paint until it glowed! Not a carwash scratch to be seen. Everywhere I went with that car, - they all ❤d it!
I vividly remember seeing a '79 Grand Prix with 4-speed someone was selling in the classifieds of a Hot Rod Magazine in about 1980. I know I didn't dream it because I was going through my old mags in 2003 and found that actual ad!
I like it whenever you spotlight manual American cars. Usually you’d find these in export models, not home market examples. Excellent content as usual.
My father had a 'brass hat' former GM executive car he bought slightly used with 4k on it in late '79. It was loaded with velour bench, moonroof, split diff and a 301 2 throat painted in an Oh-So-70's two tone green (it may have even been the dealership poster car). He was a salesman at the time and he put almost 400k on it (mostly highway) only replacing the exhaust system, battery and normal wear and tear items. We saw it around town for another couple years after he sold it. It was not quick by any stretch of the imagination but it rode terrific and was a absolute tank in the snow. I wasn't a fan of it when he first got it but my appreciation for it definitely grew with time. Thanks for jogging the nostalgia with this definite oddball vehicle I had no clue ever existed (not that I'd actually want a strippo still not fast trailer-queen version of the old man's faithful steed).
I'm not going to insult you regarding your 400k statement as anything is possible I guess. But although those late 70s cars were cool looking, they were straight junk. Right off the showroom floor, the valve covers leaked. The diff cover leaked. And typically the power steering pump and radiator leaked as well. And the squeeks and rattles in the interior came free of charge on the new vehicles. Im guessing that very few ever saw anything near 200k miles. 400k was a miracle😅😅😅😅. Thanks for sharing.
I was in the Air Force, stationed at Bitburg W Germany in 1978-81. A coworker ordered a new 79 Grand Prix through the base exchange (BX) vehicle program. There was one in stock at the BX receiving lot in Frankfurt. He took the train and picked up his new car. Very nice car with only one fault: The air pollution in the Frankfurt area had contaminated the hood roof and trunk... all the horizontal surfaces. It must have been sitting outside for six months or so. GM paid the local Opel dealer to repaint the car. It was a good sized car to drive in Germany. At the time I had a 78 Trans Am which was more fun to drive but did not have the room of the GP.
Thank you Adam. I liked seeing the design sketches and proposal for the late 1970's Pontiac Grand Prix proposals. They looked great. Thank you for including those. I think they were trying to keep some of the 1977 look moving forward. I like the headlight design as it ended up on the 1980-1981 Bonneville/Parisienne as well. I liked the 1981-1987 Pontiac Grand Prix. My uncle had a loaded 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix. That Grand Prix instrumentation look came back in the early 2000's on the last Grand Prix. The manual came back in 1988. Good video.
When he said that at the beginning of the video, I thought “I didn’t know they had a four speed auto back then!” I had a new 79 Monte Carlo with a 267 V8. It was pretty anemic. This car is really an oddball. Bucket seats but no air or power windows, locks, seats. Not even deluxe color-keyed seat belts which are my pet peeve!
The only feature that would be extremely rare would be a 4 speed MANUAL TRANSMISSION. It's a shame it was ordered with hubcaps rather than rally type wheels and the gauge package deserves a tachometer instead of a big clock.
Always had a soft spot for this gen. My step dad had a double maroon 79 that he dropped a built small block 400 in and it was pretty quick but also a comfy cruiser.
I worked for an Olds Dealership in 1979 in Woodlawn, OH. I recall seeing a strip down, manual trans GP on the showroom floor. The only one I ever saw. The salesman informed me that it was their "price leader" to meet an advertised price in the paper. Never saw the car again.
My first car was grandmas hand-down 79 Grand Prix, good car and felt powerful but it was a bit of a slug with the 3-speed auto. The dash screws are easy to identify vs. the fake screw heads after a few years in the AZ heat, the real ones had cracks in the bezel around them. 😊
I have owned a 79 Malibu coupe since it was a new car. In fact, I ordered it. It has the 267 V8 and the manual four-speed along with the F 41 suspension, bucket, seats, power, sunroof, and rally wheels. You are right they are fun cars to drive. Not real fast, but the four-speed makes it feel faster and the handling is great. I have always wondered if my car was one of one with the combination of options I have. It still runs good and I have never done anything major to the engine. I did break the four-speed once, but fixed it myself. Also, I still enjoy driving it.
My mother bought a ‘78 in black with the 301 - that was a 2bbl and TH200 transmission. I drove it in high school from ‘85 - ‘88. I had a shift kit in it and it was fairly quick at low speeds. My best friend had a ‘75 Mustang 302 and I would take him off the line, but he’d pass me after about 50 MPH. I ran that engine out of water and it stalled on me one night. Kept restating it and driving it until it shut off. This went on for several miles until I could get to some water. Seems the 301 and TH200 were durable sometimes. :) I got hit from the side and totaled in ‘88. Crushed the rear seat in so far that it bent the driveshaft. I straightened things out best I could with a scissor jack and drove it from Virginia to Atlanta like that. My brother had killed the 231 V6 in his ‘80 Cutlass. I pulled the 301 out of the Grand Prix and dropped it into the Cutlass and drove it that way until I traded it for a new Trans Am in ‘93. Loved those cars!!
In the Oct. 1978 Popular Mechanics an author told about his adventure optioning out a new 78 Pontiac Lemans, which had an identical dash. He specified 4.3L V6 and 4-on-the-floor. He wanted the rally guage cluster with tachometer but it was only available with automatic transmission !! So he had to buy the car from a dealer who would install these guages as ordered spare parts, at hefty cost. For that year and model, the large clock, taking place of the tach, was optional. If neither clock nor tach was ordered, the car got a big black circle to fill the empty pod in the right of the dash.
Bonneville Brougham for 1979 was more car than a Delta 88 or a Buick LeSabre.. The Bonneville was a B body, but since Pontiac didn't have a C body of their own, it fell to the Bonneville Brougham to do battle with the Buick and Olds C body Electra 225 Limiteds and Ninety Eights, along with the Mercury Marquis and Chrysler New Yorkers.
I had a 1978 GP relatively rare SJ model with the 301. Best definition I ever heard was that SJ moniker stood for “sport job”. Loaded loaded, even cornering lights, dark maroon in and out. Great car and looked good very fine for its time.
I had a 1980 Grand Prix LJ, with the 301 V8. It spent most of its early life in the garage. When my grandmother gave up driving she gave it to me. Brown on brown. Was well-equipped for those days, AM/FM radio, power windows, power locks, intermittent wipers, rear defroster, remote trunk release (in the glovebox) and more.
All I can say about the 301 cars is that one, seemingly all stock, pulled away from me hard one night on the street. I was driving a moldy re-tuned Volvo 164e with open exhaust, advanced timing, and opened up air cleaner box. It wasn’t a powerhouse by today’s standards but would hold its own against the 305 Chevys and the infamous Volvo Turbo back in the early 80s.
Through me off for a second at the beginning. Heard four speed, rare and thought a stick. Cool. Then you said four speed auto(out of habit, I'm sure) and thought, ok more normal. Then showed the interior and it was a stick. That would be a hoot to drive around.
Another great vid Adam :). I had a 78 LJ, triple black, buckets and the beautiful stainless steel gauges. Man I loved that car. 305, fully loaded. The only mod I did was the 79 4 bbl, and added delay wipers. As I’m sure u know, 78 was 2 bbl only. Purred like a kitten, even with the 200 trans. Keep up the good work:)
Sweet ride. ❤ Pontiacs. The closest I have been to this generation of car would have been my Uncle's 79 Olds Cutlass Calais and my cousins 82 Monte Carlo. Boy sure brings back memories. ❤😊
I had a 1978 Grand Prix for about twelve hours. It was sitting for a couple months, not that long, and I was on I95 going to work and the hot light came on. I almost got creamed by an 18 wheeler trying to get to the shoulder and by the time I got there, the head gaskets and freeze plugs were blown out. Turned out the thermostat was stuck closed and maybe opened up just enough to not get hot until I was on the highway, I don't know, but that was the shortest time I ever owned a car. I really liked the car too, I bought it from my boss at the time. It was a dark red/brown color.
@@thenexthobby A Jeep Renegade was used as a Manual Drivers Ed. Car, The Grand Prix was a Automatic and a 1974 Fury III with a 440 was also used as it was equipped with Dual Controls but sadly was put in a ditch across from the School by a student driver, I still can't believe the teacher let this person drive. she was well known as the "missing link."
I remember as a kid when these were new. Consumer Reports actually tested one for their 1979 new car review book that I purchased. At the time I didn’t realize how weak the 301 was built compared to the earlier Pontiac V8’s. If only they had built a few more 400’s in 1978 to install in the 1979 A body cars as they did with the F bodies. The 400 L72 with the Borg Warner Super T-10 would have been awesome. But the rear axle probably wasn’t up to the power.
😊 yeah, similar to, if only, so many forged Super Duty rods hadn't kept "disappearing" cough-cough, in 73 & 74, they could have built more super duty 455s. I know I read that before.
Could always put an 8.5" rear out of a grand nation in one of the A/G body cars. It's strong enough for most street motors and the tires would break loose before the axle did. But as long as that 301 is in the engine bay the stock rear end is plenty strong enough 😅
You would be surprised as to how many Ford & GM vehicles with manual transmissions I have had to add a tachometer to. I always thought any manual equipped vehicle should have a tachometer.
I had a 79 Cutlass, 3.8V6 with a 3 speed manual trans, no AC, no Power Steering, but power brakes.. was a weird one. I put a cam in it, headers, and was going to do a manifold and bigger carb. But never got around to it.. It was decently fast, ran 14's in the 1/4. 1st and 2nd were quick.. 3rd was a bit too far spaced. A weird and fun car... with the cam and headers it had a very unusual loping idle.
From today’s perspective, it’s strange that the gauge cluster option would omit a tach. However, the vast majority of mid/full-size cars at the time were AT, and not much need for the tach in that case. On the 1978 Catalina Safari that my family had when I was a teenager, we got the gauge cluster package (base 301 2bbl), and of course it had no tach.
@@kc9scott Agreed. Interestingly, I saw a 79 Bonneville with the gauge cluster and tach, although that car was even more rare has it had the buckets/console option, which probably figured in with the other equipment. That Safari wagon sounded like a winner!
A work mate had a 1980 grand prix LJ with the 2 tone paint (gold on the sides, black on top -hood,roof,trunk) with the honeycomb gold wheels, and I think a T top.... valor seats ... it was sharp. Same body style as this...
Wow same dash as my first car, a 1984 Bonneville (the four door Pontiac G-Body by that time). It was a hand me down from my stepdad. He ordered it new with the Chevrolet LG4 305 4bbl and 3 spd auto. Eventually I swapped out the black dial cluster for one with a turned silver look from a junkyard 78-81 Le Mans, it was a direct replacement fit. It was a good car.
Wow. Wild this car sold for $35k a couple years ago on BAT. I guess I'm getting old though, and it should honestly be worth more. Fantastic car. Thanks so much for sharing.
My aunt had an '85 GP. By then a lot of issues with the earlier models had been sorted, and the 150hp, 305 Chev was the only V8 available. Hers had the 4 speed automatic (IIRC) and the turbine alloy wheels, which looked cool, but were a PITA to clean. I was kind of disappointed because the baroque styling looked so dated compared to the Ford Aerobirds at the time. It was a good working, reliable car for her though, so she liked it quite well.
I can understand why you didn't try harder to buy the car. It's hard to justify driving a car with so few miles and in such incredible showroom condition. You admire it and show it off a lot for the first few months and then start thinking about selling it because you don't dare... Just drive it. Got it. Great segment thanks
Great video! Rare indeed. I had never heard of this combo before. I owned a 1980 Grand Prix V6 when I was in highschool back in 1985. Really loved that car. So this video hits me in the feels.
I saw this car on a FB group and shared that post, myself. I think it’s awesome you were given first refusal on the car, but I understand even car collecting is a business itself. Thanks for the back story on the 78 Grand Prix design… I love Bill Mitchell’s last generation of cars he oversaw and this car is no exception, possibly the best 78 Intermediate design aside from perhaps the 78 Malibu coupe. What did you offer for this particular car, if I may ask - being as it is now in the past?
That Turbo 301 was cursed. I'm just glad to see Malaise-era cars get a reappraisal. For most of my life cars of this vintage were not well regarded but their wild designs and color combinations compared to the blandness of any 2024 carmaker's same-same lineup makes them really stand out. They took a lot of design risks in the 70s and you just don't see that anymore.
I read a bulletin board years ago. 2 engineers that were at Pontiac in the 1970s spoke at a Pontiac car show. They had tested some cars with a water/methanol injection system similar to what the early 60s Olds Jetfire had, or what the gentleman at TTA performance offers now. The performance was very good during testing. Too bad they didn't put it with the 80 81 TTA. I had a 80 TTA at age 16 in 1991. Years after I sold it in 95 I'd read more & more about why it made this surging frustrated noise and was worse accelerating if I punched it to the floor and held, the knock sensor (87 octane) retarded timing so much it killed performance. But yeah, I've heard a few stories about fast TTA's, but most guys had my experience from what I've read. It needed the water/methanol injection so at least it would cool intake charge and it wouldn't have to have been set up to back off timing so much. But not all Olds Jetfire owners kept enough rocket fuel filled under the hood, and Pontiac probably realized most people aren't gearheads like some of us are, to pay that closexof attention to it.
Thanks for this one, Adam. I remember when these were new and available on the new car lot where I worked as a salesman. In addition to the Packard you mentioned, which I was not aware of, the octagonal wheel center hubs on the Grand Prix also harked back to the Duesenberg, a car that Grand Prix had continually referenced over the years with their J and SJ models. I especially like that line drawing at 1:35, it appears to be a true hardtop coupe with frameless door glass and functional rear windows. I was disappointed with the lack of rear window functionality that occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and mourn the passing of the hardtop body style in 2 and 4 door iterations. The split bumper at 3:30 was an interesting design, as is the model that preceded it at 2:25, which I'm sorely tempted to label as a possible Grand Am variant. This particular example is oddly spec'd indeed; the 301 was a dog of an engine, but so it goes.. Have you noticed Adam how many ultra low mileage vehicles out there are stripper versions? Seems to be more common than not for some reason. You rarely encounter a loaded ultra low mileage car for some reason, at least I don't. I'm old enough to remember the storied Grand Prix of the early 1960s, tri-power 389 and 421 V8s that were absolute beasts. Those early 1960s Pontiacs were so badass.. ..
Odd, but the key case is exactly like the ones my dad used back then. Brought back some fond memories of my dad. And that engine - that's as close to 1978 as I've seen since! Thanks as always for your work - it's excellent ~ Chuck
Wow! Flashbacks! My parents had a 78 Grand Prix with an automatic, a V8, white vinyl interior with light green exterior, t- tops, and trans am wheels. Don't remember if it was a 3 or 4 speed cause I was like 10 when they sold it. Thanks for the video!
The bare roof is probably as rare as the 4 speed. Did the original buyer think it would be a collector's item, so he put it in storage? It must need a ton of work to be drivable.
This is the exact car and color my mother had but it had a black vinyl top and the brake lights had the GP octagon symbol on them, and them exact hub caps shown here, I remember going to the car wash and scrubbing them hub caps with sos pads to clean them memories I tell you
The 1978 / 1979 US Cars, especially from GM, we’re a big success here in Germany, too! The Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Malibu costs about 18000 DM, a very good offer! 👍🏼🏁
My Dad in 1985 Specialty Ordered a 1986 Monte Carlo SC. Last Year for the Sport Coupe which was the Base Trim. Dad did though & it took some Doing He wanted the Super Sport Drive Train & SS interior Minus the SS Badging. It was Charcoal Gray with Burgundy Landau 1/4 Top Matching the Burgundy interior. Buckets with Center Shifter which is the SS Design. Came with Center Caps & Moon rings. In 1990 wen I was 20 years old my Dad Passed away & Mom said Dad wanted me to have the car . Dad had only put 7.000 miles on odometer. In 2024 I Still own & it has Now 73.000 miles. I've made some Improvements over the years. I changed the Burgundy Landau to Very Dark Gray, a few shades Darker than the Factory Paint. I installed True Dual exhaust minus the Cats. I had installed 1970 Chevelle Springs all around to give a Slight increase in Height allowing for a Larger Tires. Lastly bout 10 years ago I was having Transmission Trouble. Instead Replacing with The Original I had installed a turbo 350 with OD & Shift kit. I Rarely Drove the Monte But every 2 weeks I pull out of Garage & Weather permitting I will Drive down my Court just to get all the Juices Flowing. Tho in Summers I'll try to Put 50-100 miles on Monte to keep her legs Stretched.
As much as I loved the bigger models 73-77 A bodies, I really loved the downsized cars GM made. I didn't like the thin B pillar on the GP and MC. I loved the thicker pillar with the vinyl roof on GP. Cutlass and Regal looked okay with slightly thicker trim. GP and Cutlass had the better dashes. The Monte and the Regal looked odd to me with the big space above the radio. It did make the cabin feel bigger, but I preferred the longer dash on GP and Cutlass. I had a 78 Cutlass after my 71 Catalina. I had a choice between a GP and the Cutlass, but the GP didn't have the vinyl top and I didn't want the thin B pillar, but im feeling like I may still own a 78-80 GP. Great video.. 858 miles!!! Amazing!!!
In the late 80s,one of the kids around had a 4 speed swapped into his 79gp, but i do remember he was accumulating swap parts before he even found a car 😂 Had to have a 4 speed G body.
I'm pretty sure the 4 speed coupled with the 400 in the late '70s T/As was the Borg-warner T-10, so I wouldn't be shocked if it was. We had a '77 GP. My dad would save transmissions if we junked a car, so he knew them pretty well. When you mention overkill, you could get a '77 GP with a 301 and a TH400. I don't know how common it was, I don't think was considered rare by any means. Dad also said you couldn't get the TH400 behind the 301 in a '77 Bonneville as far as he knew. He always thought that was strange.
@@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we It may not have fit with the Catalytic converter. The THM400 was dropped from the F body Camaro and Firebird for ‘75 for that reason. I guess they thought the THM350 would be OK with the 400 in the Trans Am. Mid ‘75 they reintroduced the 455 in the Trans Am. It continued into ‘76 but for both years was 4 speed manual only.
I rode in one with a three speed manual on the floor, back in the early '80s, but it was a V6. I'd be so tempted to swap some Rally IIs, or the alloy Pontiac wheels which also came on these, on there...
Originally thought GM missed the mark with the '78 downsized 'G bodys. '81 refresh had me looking across all 'Gs. Loved the one off, far from the 'Glory Days', LeMans, test drove the Cutlass & Monte SS, while my 79 Malibu kept me from getting tickets, looking like the authority. My neighbors had GPs & Montes, and I didn't want what others had. But I should have looked closer at the GP. Eventually ordered a 87 T Type Turbo.🏁👍🏽
I had 1979 Grand Prix company car, with the 301 V8, and a really troublesome automatic transmission. Good looking car, but that was the limit of its virtues.
I wonder if that would have been the TH200. Known be be a crappy auto trans. We had a 1977 Bonn for much of the '80s, had the TH200, my dad always pointed out : there's something wrong with this transmission
@@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we Yeah that was the Metric TH200. Those where Recalled due to Lawsuit's filed by Customers. I put a 375Thm in mine and a 71 Pontiac 400 in Place of the 301.
My dad had a 1980 Pontiac Lemans coupe that had no clock in the dash, idiot lights and was a radio delete car. But it did have A/C and a 265 V8 with auto.
The modular dash instrument theme (exposed hex bolts) in this pontiac was also seen in Holden large cars fitted with the sports instruments from mid 70s.
Adam, you might want to edit your video: At time marker 0:20, you say the transmission is a 4-speed AUTOMATIC, not manual. Nice presentation on the rest of it!
I was 12 when these came out in 1978. In 1979 I basically turned into an adult (they call this puberty) and suddenly I discovered cars! I had a magazine about the new 1979 cars, and these GM A cars were on my mind. I liked to draw and I was good at it, and I drew all of them in profile; I liked the Eldorado the best, and that along with the '69 Toronado are the old American cars that I would actually buy, since I'm a Porsche guy at heart. But the other one was the Riviera; They really got that design correct! The '78 Grand Prix was nice, but the plastic grill that stuck out? While it looked good, I've never understood why they did that. Great video!
I had the 78 Grand Prix with the Buick v6 252 and the front cover oil pump had too much clearance. The aftermarket had a kit with thicker gears and a spacer plate to increase the volume of the oil pump. It helped but on a hot summer day, running it hard on the highway, it would lose oil pressure when you got off the highway and stopped at a light.
I owned a 79 with the 301, was one of my top 10 favorite cars I owned. Had it till 1986 when I traded it in for a new firebird which wasn't half the car the G.P. was. Would have another one in a heartbeat.
Built at PMD Pontiac MI, I worked on the frame line in plant 8
Cool!
Love older Pontiacs... If I May ask, what did you do on the frame line specifically ??
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
When i was 17, my father bought me a new 78 Grand Prix LJ two-tone blue. Same engine as this. It was a fast car. Had a 77 monte carlo before that. Very slow. In retrospect, I was a very lucky kid.
Yeah you were lucky. Back in 1980 my Dad who was in the car business, a wholesaler who bought cars from auctions mostly. He dropped a 1970 Chevy Vega off at the curb of the house my mom and I lived at.
The paint was virtually nonexistent, had a blown head gasket and the interior looked like it was attacked by a bear, and had four bald tires. I was 16 years old, my mom and I were pretty poor, so had no money to fix it, and if I did have the money the car wasn’t worth putting any money in it. Thanks Dad.
You thought that was a FAST car? 🤣
@@RCH45ACPit definitely wasn't
@@RCH45ACP compared to a 77 monte carlo with a 305 2bbl
150hp in a 3400lb car isn't fast!
This along with the 78 Monte Carlo and Malibu, cutlass and regal are some of the nicest looking cars of the late seventies and early eighties. The Grand Prix is truly a beautiful car! Thanks again Adam!
I am old enough to remember the 73-77 versions of these vehicles. They were 10 times the vehicles that these 78-88 versions were.
@@dave1956me too. Long live the pig Montes!
My dad asked my opinion for choosing the size engine in a 1978 Cutlas Supreme that he was going to buy. I was 16 at the time. I tried to sound as objective as I could and told him it was best to buy the V8 4 barrel (from my memory I thought it was a 305 rather than 301.) Once I got my driver's license, I was thrilled to get to feel the secondary venturis open up. They had a bit of a kick.
Dont forget the 2 Door Caprice classics.
@@sloprun there was no 305 or 301 engine option for the 1978 Olds g body cars
I watch this auction on bring a trailer as well. The story behind it was an old man wanted to order one last new car and he wanted it like his 63 Pontiac black with blue interior and four-speed.
He ordered it with 301 4 Barrel four-speed positraction rear axle bucket seats rally gauge and am radio Deluxe wheel covers and I think that's about it.
It is a interesting car thanks for posting it and it's background history.
What did it sell for?
I have the same question, how much did it bring in cash?
I was a Pontiac guy from the day I realized what cars were ... Gone are my 2 favorite brands Oldsmobile and Pontiac
Mee too. pontiac were just a level so much higher than chev
I have a 2015 Camaro and really wish it was a Trans Am. Nine years old, and it hasn't reached 35k miles yet.
I was brought home from the hospital when I was born in a 1965 Pontiac Tempest with the 326.
I too miss Pontiac especially and Oldsmobile too. Some of the coolest cars in the neighborhood back in the 80s and 90s when I was in my late teens and early 20s were late 60s and 70s Oldsmobiles.
I have a 79 Pontiac Grand Am. Same power-train and interior, just a little shorter on the front end. I had planned on getting a 80 but ordered the 79 when I found out that it was the last year that the 4 speed manual would be available (special order). It was a good combination of sporty and room for a young family. I am told that there were a little over 300 made with the 4 speed manual trans. If you look from the underside you can see that the floor is torch cut where the shifter comes thru the floor.
My pal's dad gave him a fully loaded new 1978 GP when we were in college. It was a very nice car, far nicer than anything else in the college parking lot! Thanks for the memories.
I had an 87 with a 4.3 v6 as my first car. It was 2 tone silver and grey with grey interior with buckets and a full console. It was a great car and had lots of great memories in it!
That must've been quite the unicorn with a 4 speed manual transmission. I didn't even know that was possible on a Grand Prix.
@@Cartier_specialist The Grand Am as well that year.
Oldsmobile had a 5-speed manual that they paired with their 260 V8 in this generation of Cutlass. It’s unfortunate that (1) it was a weak transmission, so they wouldn’t put it on anything more powerful than the 260, and (2) the US makers didn’t have wider availability of 5-speeds across their product lines, since the import brands had been providing them for a while by then.
The base V6 '78 Monte Carlo had a 3 speed manual as standard equipment, and because the new A bodies were not designed for 3-on-the-tree linkages, the shifter was on the floor. I think this odd arrangement was also available on the GP, but it only lasted a couple of years on any the A/G bodies.
4 spd MANUAL?! There was never a factory option on any Pontiac Grand Prix! I had an 81 w/the 231 V6 motor, White Paint, White Leather Landau top with rectangular opera window, and Maroon Crushed Velour interior. It had every available option for 1981, except the Leather Seats & Door panels. I put 2700 dollars into fixing it up being tired after having its first owner weighing in at upward of 400 lbs, (which destroyed the drivers seat! But, I found a perfect replacement in the junkyard on a totalled GP!), I bought and had brand new Coil Springs for a 350 ci motor,installed, because Id never speced the car out, along with Moog Gas Shocks, Eagle ST White Lettered Tires, on Stock black rims, and the Pontiac 64 Spoke Chrome Hub Caps, with the Pontiac symbol on their center caps.I had a friend who worked at Dodge Boys use their 1500 rpm buffer and some awesome one step paint rehab to buff out the white paint until it glowed! Not a carwash scratch to be seen. Everywhere I went with that car, - they all ❤d it!
I vividly remember seeing a '79 Grand Prix with 4-speed someone was selling in the classifieds of a Hot Rod Magazine in about 1980. I know I didn't dream it because I was going through my old mags in 2003 and found that actual ad!
I had a 78 Buick Regal, plain Jane, 305 2bbl, hub caps, bench seat and 1/2 vinyl roof. That was back in 87. I drove it for almost 3 years.
Sounds exciting
I like it whenever you spotlight manual American cars. Usually you’d find these in export models, not home market examples. Excellent content as usual.
My father had a 'brass hat' former GM executive car he bought slightly used with 4k on it in late '79. It was loaded with velour bench, moonroof, split diff and a 301 2 throat painted in an Oh-So-70's two tone green (it may have even been the dealership poster car). He was a salesman at the time and he put almost 400k on it (mostly highway) only replacing the exhaust system, battery and normal wear and tear items. We saw it around town for another couple years after he sold it. It was not quick by any stretch of the imagination but it rode terrific and was a absolute tank in the snow. I wasn't a fan of it when he first got it but my appreciation for it definitely grew with time.
Thanks for jogging the nostalgia with this definite oddball vehicle I had no clue ever existed (not that I'd actually want a strippo still not fast trailer-queen version of the old man's faithful steed).
"Split diff"? What's that?
@@mwilliamshs positraction rear axle
I'm not going to insult you regarding your 400k statement as anything is possible I guess. But although those late 70s cars were cool looking, they were straight junk. Right off the showroom floor, the valve covers leaked. The diff cover leaked. And typically the power steering pump and radiator leaked as well. And the squeeks and rattles in the interior came free of charge on the new vehicles. Im guessing that very few ever saw anything near 200k miles. 400k was a miracle😅😅😅😅. Thanks for sharing.
@@giggiddy it never even had the heads off. Was the brass hat ex-exec car a factor? Who knows.
@@devonmask5192 very cool story. Thanks for the cool story!!
I was in the Air Force, stationed at Bitburg W Germany in 1978-81. A coworker ordered a new 79 Grand Prix through the base exchange (BX) vehicle program. There was one in stock at the BX receiving lot in Frankfurt. He took the train and picked up his new car. Very nice car with only one fault: The air pollution in the Frankfurt area had contaminated the hood roof and trunk... all the horizontal surfaces. It must have been sitting outside for six months or so. GM paid the local Opel dealer to repaint the car. It was a good sized car to drive in Germany. At the time I had a 78 Trans Am which was more fun to drive but did not have the room of the GP.
At the beginning when you said 4 speed automatic I was completely shocked... Then find out it's a 4 speed manual and shocked again, nicely done!!!
Thank you Adam. I liked seeing the design sketches and proposal for the late 1970's Pontiac Grand Prix proposals. They looked great. Thank you for including those. I think they were trying to keep some of the 1977 look moving forward. I like the headlight design as it ended up on the 1980-1981 Bonneville/Parisienne as well. I liked the 1981-1987 Pontiac Grand Prix. My uncle had a loaded 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix. That Grand Prix instrumentation look came back in the early 2000's on the last Grand Prix. The manual came back in 1988. Good video.
You accidentally said '4-speed auto', my friend
When he said that at the beginning of the video, I thought “I didn’t know they had a four speed auto back then!” I had a new 79 Monte Carlo with a 267 V8. It was pretty anemic. This car is really an oddball. Bucket seats but no air or power windows, locks, seats. Not even deluxe color-keyed seat belts which are my pet peeve!
@@bradmichael1373 Me as well - I was brainstorming for a few seconds until I realized he misspoke!
The only feature that would be extremely rare would be a 4 speed MANUAL TRANSMISSION. It's a shame it was ordered with hubcaps rather than rally type wheels and the gauge package deserves a tachometer instead of a big clock.
@@23727bgk My sentiments exactly. I would have opted for the Pontiac Rally IV wheels, which this was the first year they were produced.
that was a common option (3 speeds & overdrive) .... AND bucket seats
Always had a soft spot for this gen. My step dad had a double maroon 79 that he dropped a built small block 400 in and it was pretty quick but also a comfy cruiser.
My older brother passed down his ‘78 Gran Prix. I felt lucky-That was a pretty cool car for a 16 y.o.
My grandparents had one. It was the 1st car I ever drove. Good car.👍
Thanks very much for including and discussing the beautiful sketches of pre-production propsition models of the Grand Prix.
Just what I need nice.
Such calming videos.
Very comfortable interior, smooth ride, and nice style. This family were best sellers in the 80s.
So true, they were!
I had a 78. Loved that car
I've always felt that whatever small weight savings were made going to the 301 never made up for the weak crankshaft design.
It was more about fuel and emissions savings than weight.
I worked for an Olds Dealership in 1979 in Woodlawn, OH. I recall seeing a strip down, manual trans GP on the showroom floor. The only one I ever saw. The salesman informed me that it was their "price leader" to meet an advertised price in the paper. Never saw the car again.
My first car was grandmas hand-down 79 Grand Prix, good car and felt powerful but it was a bit of a slug with the 3-speed auto. The dash screws are easy to identify vs. the fake screw heads after a few years in the AZ heat, the real ones had cracks in the bezel around them. 😊
What a rare car! Glad you were able to find it and feature it here.
I had a 1978 Malibu with 305 and 4-speed, also had F41 sport suspension. A fun car, good handling, but very slow only 140HP and a 2.72 diff ratio.
I have owned a 79 Malibu coupe since it was a new car. In fact, I ordered it. It has the 267 V8 and the manual four-speed along with the F 41 suspension, bucket, seats, power, sunroof, and rally wheels. You are right they are fun cars to drive. Not real fast, but the four-speed makes it feel faster and the handling is great. I have always wondered if my car was one of one with the combination of options I have. It still runs good and I have never done anything major to the engine. I did break the four-speed once, but fixed it myself. Also, I still enjoy driving it.
Wow! Low optioned salesman’s car
My mother bought a ‘78 in black with the 301 - that was a 2bbl and TH200 transmission. I drove it in high school from ‘85 - ‘88. I had a shift kit in it and it was fairly quick at low speeds. My best friend had a ‘75 Mustang 302 and I would take him off the line, but he’d pass me after about 50 MPH.
I ran that engine out of water and it stalled on me one night. Kept restating it and driving it until it shut off. This went on for several miles until I could get to some water. Seems the 301 and TH200 were durable sometimes. :)
I got hit from the side and totaled in ‘88. Crushed the rear seat in so far that it bent the driveshaft. I straightened things out best I could with a scissor jack and drove it from Virginia to Atlanta like that. My brother had killed the 231 V6 in his ‘80 Cutlass. I pulled the 301 out of the Grand Prix and dropped it into the Cutlass and drove it that way until I traded it for a new Trans Am in ‘93.
Loved those cars!!
Bought a new Formula in 1979 with the 301..engine was so smooth it was hard to tell it was even running...
I had a 79 SJ model. I loved that car.
In the Oct. 1978 Popular Mechanics an author told about his adventure optioning out a new 78 Pontiac Lemans, which had an identical dash. He specified 4.3L V6 and 4-on-the-floor. He wanted the rally guage cluster with tachometer but it was only available with automatic transmission !! So he had to buy the car from a dealer who would install these guages as ordered spare parts, at hefty cost. For that year and model, the large clock, taking place of the tach, was optional. If neither clock nor tach was ordered, the car got a big black circle to fill the empty pod in the right of the dash.
I had a '79 Bonneville Brogham. Same drive ttain, thickest carpet ever, crushed Velour interior, midnight mist black. (gold metal flake). Luxury!!
re: “drivetrain”
A ‘79 Bonnie Brougham 4-sp would be even rarer.
Unless by “drivetrain” you didn’t mean to include the transmission, for some reason.
Bonneville Brougham for 1979 was more car than a Delta 88 or a Buick LeSabre.. The Bonneville was a B body, but since Pontiac didn't have a C body of their own, it fell to the Bonneville Brougham to do battle with the Buick and Olds C body Electra 225 Limiteds and Ninety Eights, along with the Mercury Marquis and Chrysler New Yorkers.
Had a 78 and a 79 Regal...great well designed/comfortable cars
I had a 1978 GP relatively rare SJ model with the 301. Best definition I ever heard was that SJ moniker stood for “sport job”. Loaded loaded, even cornering lights, dark maroon in and out. Great car and looked good very fine for its time.
And LJ stood for Lawn Job...😁
@@DanEBoyd Haven’t heard that one but did hear “Luxury Job”.
I had a 1980 Grand Prix LJ, with the 301 V8. It spent most of its early life in the garage. When my grandmother gave up driving she gave it to me. Brown on brown. Was well-equipped for those days, AM/FM radio, power windows, power locks, intermittent wipers, rear defroster, remote trunk release (in the glovebox) and more.
All I can say about the 301 cars is that one, seemingly all stock, pulled away from me hard one night on the street. I was driving a moldy re-tuned Volvo 164e with open exhaust, advanced timing, and opened up air cleaner box. It wasn’t a powerhouse by today’s standards but would hold its own against the 305 Chevys and the infamous Volvo Turbo back in the early 80s.
That was me.
Nah, it was a 455
Through me off for a second at the beginning. Heard four speed, rare and thought a stick. Cool. Then you said four speed auto(out of habit, I'm sure) and thought, ok more normal. Then showed the interior and it was a stick. That would be a hoot to drive around.
Another great vid Adam :). I had a 78 LJ, triple black, buckets and the beautiful stainless steel gauges. Man I loved that car. 305, fully loaded. The only mod I did was the 79 4 bbl, and added delay wipers. As I’m sure u know, 78 was 2 bbl only. Purred like a kitten, even with the 200 trans. Keep up the good work:)
Sweet ride. ❤ Pontiacs. The closest I have been to this generation of car would have been my Uncle's 79 Olds Cutlass Calais and my cousins 82 Monte Carlo. Boy sure brings back memories. ❤😊
I had a 1978 Grand Prix for about twelve hours. It was sitting for a couple months, not that long, and I was on I95 going to work and the hot light came on. I almost got creamed by an 18 wheeler trying to get to the shoulder and by the time I got there, the head gaskets and freeze plugs were blown out. Turned out the thermostat was stuck closed and maybe opened up just enough to not get hot until I was on the highway, I don't know, but that was the shortest time I ever owned a car. I really liked the car too, I bought it from my boss at the time. It was a dark red/brown color.
A girl I dated in high school had a 78 Monte Carlo her dad bought new that had a 350 and a 4 speed. I’ve never seen another one
I don’t think so. I think more like the 305 2bbl, 3 speed auto.
This was one of my Drivers Ed. Cars from High School, the strong smell of Vinyl when getting into the car let you know GM was into Vinyl Oxide.
Your H.S. driver’s Ed had rare 4-sp cars ??
@@thenexthobby A Jeep Renegade was used as a Manual Drivers Ed. Car, The Grand Prix was a Automatic and a 1974
Fury III with a 440 was also used as it was equipped with Dual Controls but sadly was put in a ditch across from the School by a student driver, I still can't believe the teacher let this person drive. she was well known as the "missing link."
I remember as a kid when these were new. Consumer Reports actually tested one for their 1979 new car review book that I purchased. At the time I didn’t realize how weak the 301 was built compared to the earlier Pontiac V8’s. If only they had built a few more 400’s in 1978 to install in the 1979 A body cars as they did with the F bodies. The 400 L72 with the Borg Warner Super T-10 would have been awesome. But the rear axle probably wasn’t up to the power.
😊 yeah, similar to, if only, so many forged Super Duty rods hadn't kept "disappearing" cough-cough, in 73 & 74, they could have built more super duty 455s. I know I read that before.
You meant "L78" as that was the RPO code for the 400 Pontiac V8.
@@googleusergp Yup! 😁
Could always put an 8.5" rear out of a grand nation in one of the A/G body cars. It's strong enough for most street motors and the tires would break loose before the axle did. But as long as that 301 is in the engine bay the stock rear end is plenty strong enough 😅
You would think a car with a manual transmission would have a tachometer standard.
I was thinking the same thing
You would be surprised as to how many Ford & GM vehicles with manual transmissions I have had to add a tachometer to. I always thought any manual equipped vehicle should have a tachometer.
Toyota too
Great video
I had a 1977 Cutlass supreme with a 4-speed manual and a 260 V8
My friend used to make fun at me calling it the welfare car
I had a 79 Cutlass, 3.8V6 with a 3 speed manual trans, no AC, no Power Steering, but power brakes.. was a weird one. I put a cam in it, headers, and was going to do a manifold and bigger carb. But never got around to it.. It was decently fast, ran 14's in the 1/4. 1st and 2nd were quick.. 3rd was a bit too far spaced. A weird and fun car... with the cam and headers it had a very unusual loping idle.
I had a 79 GP with the 301, boy did it drink gas, especially with the AC on. But it was a really comfortable ride.
Exceedingly RARE Rally Gauge Cluster option and NO tachometer! VERY rare.
From today’s perspective, it’s strange that the gauge cluster option would omit a tach. However, the vast majority of mid/full-size cars at the time were AT, and not much need for the tach in that case. On the 1978 Catalina Safari that my family had when I was a teenager, we got the gauge cluster package (base 301 2bbl), and of course it had no tach.
@@kc9scott Agreed. Interestingly, I saw a 79 Bonneville with the gauge cluster and tach, although that car was even more rare has it had the buckets/console option, which probably figured in with the other equipment. That Safari wagon sounded like a winner!
The hi-beam was an arrowhead which kept with the Indian motif. I think it appeared on the 1959 Ponchos.
A work mate had a 1980 grand prix LJ with the 2 tone paint (gold on the sides, black on top -hood,roof,trunk) with the honeycomb gold wheels, and I think a T top.... valor seats ... it was sharp. Same body style as this...
Wow same dash as my first car, a 1984 Bonneville (the four door Pontiac G-Body by that time). It was a hand me down from my stepdad. He ordered it new with the Chevrolet LG4 305 4bbl and 3 spd auto. Eventually I swapped out the black dial cluster for one with a turned silver look from a junkyard 78-81 Le Mans, it was a direct replacement fit. It was a good car.
Wow. Wild this car sold for $35k a couple years ago on BAT. I guess I'm getting old though, and it should honestly be worth more. Fantastic car. Thanks so much for sharing.
My aunt had an '85 GP. By then a lot of issues with the earlier models had been sorted, and the 150hp, 305 Chev was the only V8 available. Hers had the 4 speed automatic (IIRC) and the turbine alloy wheels, which looked cool, but were a PITA to clean.
I was kind of disappointed because the baroque styling looked so dated compared to the Ford Aerobirds at the time. It was a good working, reliable car for her though, so she liked it quite well.
It should have a tach with the 4-speed.
It has a tach in the clock
Oops sorry no tach
It's a '79 Grand Pricks. It should have a LOT of things.
With an engine that ran out of steam at 4000 rpm, a tach was unneeded
@@jamesengland7461 Actually… with that potato chip crankshaft… it was. 😀
I can understand why you didn't try harder to buy the car. It's hard to justify driving a car with so few miles and in such incredible showroom condition. You admire it and show it off a lot for the first few months and then start thinking about selling it because you don't dare... Just drive it. Got it. Great segment thanks
Sold on Bringatrailer in January, 2022 for $35k.
There was a thread on it on the Ames Pontiac forum.
Great video! Rare indeed. I had never heard of this combo before. I owned a 1980 Grand Prix V6 when I was in highschool back in 1985. Really loved that car. So this video hits me in the feels.
As always great research and back story behind your featured car
I saw this car on a FB group and shared that post, myself. I think it’s awesome you were given first refusal on the car, but I understand even car collecting is a business itself. Thanks for the back story on the 78 Grand Prix design… I love Bill Mitchell’s last generation of cars he oversaw and this car is no exception, possibly the best 78 Intermediate design aside from perhaps the 78 Malibu coupe. What did you offer for this particular car, if I may ask - being as it is now in the past?
Low miles, no miles?
@@TheCarCrazyGuy Pontiac Motor Division I believe is the name.
That Turbo 301 was cursed. I'm just glad to see Malaise-era cars get a reappraisal. For most of my life cars of this vintage were not well regarded but their wild designs and color combinations compared to the blandness of any 2024 carmaker's same-same lineup makes them really stand out. They took a lot of design risks in the 70s and you just don't see that anymore.
I read a bulletin board years ago. 2 engineers that were at Pontiac in the 1970s spoke at a Pontiac car show. They had tested some cars with a water/methanol injection system similar to what the early 60s Olds Jetfire had, or what the gentleman at TTA performance offers now. The performance was very good during testing. Too bad they didn't put it with the 80 81 TTA. I had a 80 TTA at age 16 in 1991. Years after I sold it in 95 I'd read more & more about why it made this surging frustrated noise and was worse accelerating if I punched it to the floor and held, the knock sensor (87 octane) retarded timing so much it killed performance. But yeah, I've heard a few stories about fast TTA's, but most guys had my experience from what I've read. It needed the water/methanol injection so at least it would cool intake charge and it wouldn't have to have been set up to back off timing so much. But not all Olds Jetfire owners kept enough rocket fuel filled under the hood, and Pontiac probably realized most people aren't gearheads like some of us are, to pay that closexof attention to it.
A friend's dad bought a new 79 GP, white with black vinyl interior, 4 speed V6, no a/c and white painted wheels and dog dish hubcaps.
This was my first car, got my first ticket in it, mine was maroon with maroon interior and mag wheels, 301 and automatic on floor.
Thanks for this one, Adam. I remember when these were new and available on the new car lot where I worked as a salesman. In addition to the Packard you mentioned, which I was not aware of, the octagonal wheel center hubs on the Grand Prix also harked back to the Duesenberg, a car that Grand Prix had continually referenced over the years with their J and SJ models. I especially like that line drawing at 1:35, it appears to be a true hardtop coupe with frameless door glass and functional rear windows.
I was disappointed with the lack of rear window functionality that occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and mourn the passing of the hardtop body style in 2 and 4 door iterations.
The split bumper at 3:30 was an interesting design, as is the model that preceded it at 2:25, which I'm sorely tempted to label as a possible Grand Am variant.
This particular example is oddly spec'd indeed; the 301 was a dog of an engine, but so it goes.. Have you noticed Adam how many ultra low mileage vehicles out there are stripper versions? Seems to be more common than not for some reason. You rarely encounter a loaded ultra low mileage car for some reason, at least I don't.
I'm old enough to remember the storied Grand Prix of the early 1960s, tri-power 389 and 421 V8s that were absolute beasts. Those early 1960s Pontiacs were so badass.. ..
Years ago I took the clutch pedals from the same era Buick that had a 3 speed on the floor behind a V6
Odd, but the key case is exactly like the ones my dad used back then. Brought back some fond memories of my dad. And that engine - that's as close to 1978 as I've seen since! Thanks as always for your work - it's excellent ~ Chuck
Wow, now that is a beautiful 79 Grand Prix ....... I always liked those cars!
Wow! Flashbacks! My parents had a 78 Grand Prix with an automatic, a V8, white vinyl interior with light green exterior, t- tops, and trans am wheels. Don't remember if it was a 3 or 4 speed cause I was like 10 when they sold it. Thanks for the video!
Wow! What a unicorn! The blue interior is a bit unfortunate, but that four speed makes up for the color choice…
The bare roof is probably as rare as the 4 speed. Did the original buyer think it would be a collector's item, so he put it in storage? It must need a ton of work to be drivable.
Absolutely Love your Videos man great work
This is the exact car and color my mother had but it had a black vinyl top and the brake lights had the GP octagon symbol on them, and them exact hub caps shown here, I remember going to the car wash and scrubbing them hub caps with sos pads to clean them memories I tell you
4speed! Wow! I’ve never seen one of these cars with one!
I’m really intrigued by that Ford FE in the background!
If you haven't already done so, I would love to see one done on a
red 76' Buick Regal. Dam,I miss that comfy car.😁
The 1978 / 1979 US Cars, especially from GM, we’re a big success here in Germany, too!
The Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Malibu costs about 18000 DM, a very good offer! 👍🏼🏁
Btw, this cars were sold here in Germany only fully equipped!
And I forgot the Buick Regal.. 👍🏼🇺🇸
My Dad in 1985 Specialty Ordered a 1986 Monte Carlo SC. Last Year for the Sport Coupe which was the Base Trim. Dad did though & it took some Doing He wanted the Super Sport Drive Train & SS interior Minus the SS Badging. It was Charcoal Gray with Burgundy Landau 1/4 Top Matching the Burgundy interior. Buckets with Center Shifter which is the SS Design. Came with Center Caps & Moon rings. In 1990 wen I was 20 years old my Dad Passed away & Mom said Dad wanted me to have the car . Dad had only put 7.000 miles on odometer. In 2024 I Still own & it has Now 73.000 miles. I've made some Improvements over the years. I changed the Burgundy Landau to Very Dark Gray, a few shades Darker than the Factory Paint. I installed True Dual exhaust minus the Cats. I had installed 1970 Chevelle Springs all around to give a Slight increase in Height allowing for a Larger Tires. Lastly bout 10 years ago I was having Transmission Trouble. Instead Replacing with The Original I had installed a turbo 350 with OD & Shift kit. I Rarely Drove the Monte But every 2 weeks I pull out of Garage & Weather permitting I will Drive down my Court just to get all the Juices Flowing. Tho in Summers I'll try to Put 50-100 miles on Monte to keep her legs Stretched.
As much as I loved the bigger models 73-77 A bodies, I really loved the downsized cars GM made. I didn't like the thin B pillar on the GP and MC. I loved the thicker pillar with the vinyl roof on GP. Cutlass and Regal looked okay with slightly thicker trim. GP and Cutlass had the better dashes. The Monte and the Regal looked odd to me with the big space above the radio. It did make the cabin feel bigger, but I preferred the longer dash on GP and Cutlass. I had a 78 Cutlass after my 71 Catalina. I had a choice between a GP and the Cutlass, but the GP didn't have the vinyl top and I didn't want the thin B pillar, but im feeling like I may still own a 78-80 GP. Great video.. 858 miles!!! Amazing!!!
lol - you put hidden headlights on that red clay model and you have a Zimmer - which was based on a Fiero!
In the late 80s,one of the kids around had a 4 speed swapped into his 79gp, but i do remember he was accumulating swap parts before he even found a car 😂
Had to have a 4 speed G body.
I wonder who made the 4-speed, maybe a Saginaw. A Muncie or even a T-10 would be overkill. Another great watch.........
I'm pretty sure the 4 speed coupled with the 400 in the late '70s T/As was the Borg-warner T-10, so I wouldn't be shocked if it was. We had a '77 GP. My dad would save transmissions if we junked a car, so he knew them pretty well. When you mention overkill, you could get a '77 GP with a 301 and a TH400. I don't know how common it was, I don't think was considered rare by any means. Dad also said you couldn't get the TH400 behind the 301 in a '77 Bonneville as far as he knew. He always thought that was strange.
@@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we It may not have fit with the Catalytic converter. The THM400 was dropped from the F body Camaro and Firebird for ‘75 for that reason. I guess they thought the THM350 would be OK with the 400 in the Trans Am. Mid ‘75 they reintroduced the 455 in the Trans Am. It continued into ‘76 but for both years was 4 speed manual only.
I would bet you're right about the Saginaw 4 speed.
@@johneckert1365 Not a great transmission but still not an
automatic. lol
@@jetsons101 I have about a dozen Saginaw 4 speeds, and nobody wants them.......
My father had a loaded ‘79 GP in Burgundy with white interior and a white vinyl roof. Loved the car as a teenager!
I rode in one with a three speed manual on the floor, back in the early '80s, but it was a V6.
I'd be so tempted to swap some Rally IIs, or the alloy Pontiac wheels which also came on these, on there...
Ive seen this car on Facebook a lot this week.. Good seeing some history on such a rare combo
My first new car was a 1978 Grand Prix. Baby blue with a medium blue Landau roof. I was 20 years old. It had the PMD 2 rally wheels. ❤❤❤
I had a 79 t/a 301 4spd. Car drove great and actually moved pretty good with the manual.
first car I ordered, 78 culass supreme with the 305 4 bbl carb with 60 40 seats and landau roof black, wish I still had it
The regal and grand prix were beautiful. I loved the 77 impala with that neat rear window...
Originally thought GM missed the mark with the '78 downsized 'G bodys. '81 refresh had me looking across all 'Gs. Loved the one off, far from the 'Glory Days', LeMans, test drove the Cutlass & Monte SS, while my 79 Malibu kept me from getting tickets, looking like the authority. My neighbors had GPs & Montes, and I didn't want what others had. But I should have looked closer at the GP. Eventually ordered a 87 T Type Turbo.🏁👍🏽
I had 1979 Grand Prix company car, with the 301 V8, and a really troublesome automatic transmission. Good looking car, but that was the limit of its virtues.
I wonder if that would have been the TH200. Known be be a crappy auto trans. We had a 1977 Bonn for much of the '80s, had the TH200, my dad always pointed out : there's something wrong with this transmission
@@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we Yeah that was the Metric TH200.
Those where Recalled due to Lawsuit's filed by Customers. I put a 375Thm in mine and a 71 Pontiac 400 in Place of the 301.
My dad had a 1980 Pontiac Lemans coupe that had no clock in the dash, idiot lights and was a radio delete car. But it did have A/C and a 265 V8 with auto.
Pontiac rally wheels! Like old firebirds.
The modular dash instrument theme (exposed hex bolts) in this pontiac was also seen in Holden large cars fitted with the sports instruments from mid 70s.
Excellent car! I had a 79 Grand Prix and wish I still did.
I think the original buyer should have opted for the gauge package, at the very least. A/C, power windows and seats would have been nice too.
You don't need any of those things if you never drive the car.
@@howardjlogan it has the gauge package.
@@drippinglass Upon a second look, you're right. But no tach???
Adam, you might want to edit your video: At time marker 0:20, you say the transmission is a 4-speed AUTOMATIC, not manual. Nice presentation on the rest of it!
Oops! Wish I could. Unfortunately you can’t edit after posting.
I noticed that, too, and came to the comments to see if anyone else had. Nice car, by the way.
@@j.sayler6330 we knew what you meant. 😁👍
This was a Beautifiul class of GM automoble. Especially this example and the Cutlass.
We had a 1986 Pontiac Bonneville and it had an identical instrument fake woodgrain trim, all one piece with fake allen key recesses.
Interesting Pontiac. It appears to have the same steering wheel that my 1975 Pontiac Granville has.
I was 12 when these came out in 1978. In 1979 I basically turned into an adult (they call this puberty) and suddenly I discovered cars! I had a magazine about the new 1979 cars, and these GM A cars were on my mind. I liked to draw and I was good at it, and I drew all of them in profile; I liked the Eldorado the best, and that along with the '69 Toronado are the old American cars that I would actually buy, since I'm a Porsche guy at heart. But the other one was the Riviera; They really got that design correct!
The '78 Grand Prix was nice, but the plastic grill that stuck out? While it looked good, I've never understood why they did that.
Great video!
I had the 78 Grand Prix with the Buick v6 252 and the front cover oil pump had too much clearance. The aftermarket had a kit with thicker gears and a spacer plate to increase the volume of the oil pump. It helped but on a hot summer day, running it hard on the highway, it would lose oil pressure when you got off the highway and stopped at a light.
I owned a 79 with the 301, was one of my top 10 favorite cars I owned. Had it till 1986 when I traded it in for a new firebird which wasn't half the car the G.P. was. Would have another one in a heartbeat.