Back in the day, Pontiac had this cool habit of naming its cars after famous racing series. The Trans Am and LeMans are arguably the most iconic, but the company also sold a couple of cars called the Grand Am and Can Am. And both were rather short-lived.
A rather unknown nameplate, the Can Am was built for only a few months in 1977. We covered this forgotten Malaise-era GTO during our American Month special in September 2021. The Grand Am, on the other hand, was in dealerships for almost three decades, but the first-gen model was discontinued after just three years.
Launched right before the 1973 oil crisis kicked it, the Grand Am hit dealerships as a watered-down muscle car, with its most powerful engine, the optional 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) four-barrel V8, rated at 250 horsepower. As sales dropped from 43,000 units in 1973 to only 17,000 examples in 1974, Pontiac dropped the nameplate in 1975.
The first-gen Grand Am isn't the most desirable Pontiac classic out there, but it's an affordable base for a hot rod or a restomod. Drop the body on a modified chassis and stuff a modern engine under the hood and you can also end up with a solid pro-touring build. Like the one in the video below.
Featured on the latest episode of "AutotopiaLA," this 1973 Grand Am is an exotic mix of aftermarket components and parts sourced from other cars. For instance, the front seats come from a Honda CR-Z, while the rear seats were taken from an Acura. The Dodge Challenger center console rounds off the unlikely Japanese-American interior.
But it's the underpinnings that turn this classic Pontiac into a pro-touring beast. The large coupe rides on a highly modified chassis with a fully boxed frame and a coilover suspension. Oomph comes from an LS7 V8 with a ton of aftermarket mods that deliver a whopping 600 horsepower. That's definitely more than any factory-built Grand Am, including later-generation models.
Another cool thing about this Poncho is that it's a Hurst tribute car. You see, the owner is a big fan of classic Hurst-edition cars. But since Pontiac never made a Hurst variant of the first-gen Grand Am, he decided to take matters into his own hands, so this Poncho now sports Hurst badges and shifter, and Hurst-branded seat covers. Pretty cool, right?
Granted, the 1973 Grand Am isn't as cool as the GTO and the Catalina, but that's exactly what makes this build special. It's something you don't see every day. And even if you did, it would leave you behind in a big cloud of smoke.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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