HI K.T. Williamson Jr, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your 1st car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
This is Lou. While you see $300,000 cars featured and reviewed all over YT, Lou comes riding in with a 1973 Grand Am with a freakin' FOUR SPEED. *claps very meticulously* Well done, sir - well done.
Yes GM has went to all front wheel drive junk has destroyed all American cars except corvettes even Ford's are all front wheel drive, except Mustangs! The Last Kool GM was 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brouham !! Or 1996 Buick roadmaster The last rear wheel drives family cars!!
I remember going to a new car auto show back in 1973 when I was 20 years old and falling in love with a 1973 Grand Am in Polo Dark Green with a bright white and wood trimmed interior. Also had a white vinyl Landau roof with the Louvered side windows and the Rally wheels with the white letter tires. Gorgeous car even though my Dad thought it was a little to flashy for him but not me. Pontiac advertised that nose or beek on the center grill as made of a new rubber substance called "ENDURA" that would pop back out to its original shape if hit at low speeds. Innovative engineering for it's time considering it was almost 50 years ago.
I bought a new '73 when I graduated high school. Mine had the 7.4L with 4 speed (4 speed was available ONLY on the 6.5 4 Bbl and 7.4) and it was as dealer demo and was LOADED. I think people were scared off by the 455 and 4 speed since the dealer had it in demo service for quite a while, so I got a SMOKING deal on it. It was also equipped with the VERY RARE factory sunroof. It was a blast to drive and sorry to say my father got t-boned in 1975 and it was considered a total loss. Of course my insurance company was rocking me pretty hard being 17 with a "super high performance" vehicle and didn't want to give me replacement cost for it. I have only seen 2 other 7.4's with a 4 speed in all the years since then. That is a beautiful example. Enjoy.
That must have been one that snuck through somehow. From everything I’ve read the 4 speed was only available with the 400. The 455 option required the THM400 automatic.
My 1st Dream car! Saw one when I was 15, about 1977, Never saw another one but never forgot it...I still dream of having one some day. Beautiful & Bad ass!!!
Hi Woody420ish, Happy to read this one is a 1st Dream Car :-) Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Oh what fine machine!! I never ever seen one with standard shift!! I had a 1976 Grand prix SJ model it had 4 square head lites with 400 Pontiac engine with big Quadrajet 4B. carb and 400 turbo trans with electric kick down , but that was during the smog engine days big engine low horse power I'm thinking it had 180 h.p. and 400lbs of tork !! I really enjoyed that car , learned lots from wrenching on her not cause it was torn up but learned lots from modifications I done on her !! That starter sound of this car sounded just like my baby!!
A friend of mine's parents bought her one exactly like this one back in '73, I was so freaking jealous! This one and the '76 Grand Prix were two of the best designs ever!!!
This surely brings back some great memories, back it 1982 I went into foster care and the first foster home I ended up in they had one of these 73 Grand Ams the only difference it was dark green with tan interior, when I left that foster home it was in mint condition, but I seen it 3 years later and it was all rusted out. The foster family is native American, after I left that home that family moved back to upper state New York near to Cornwall Ontario Canada, where this family was from a Indian reservation named St. Regis New York, the winters there just ate that poor car. Seeing this brought back some great times, one of which was my first trip to a reservation and my trip into Canada. Thanks for posting this video
My brother has a 77 CanAm. He found a 4 speed manual transmission set up w/ console in the junk yard found in a Sport Coupe. He installed the 4 speed and now has a 4 speed manual 77 CanAm! He also made the hood scoop functional!. When he gets on it the rear flap on the scoop opens. Then he also installed Trans Am exhaust tips and Trans Am prism tape on the dash board. It looks like a transAm style dash! Looks factory! Nicely done,
And yet I can remember as a kid seeing these intermediate Pontiacs all over the road when The Carpenters, Wings, and Gilbert O' Sullivan played on the car radio....
When I was a teen, my neighbor had a 73 LeMans, I believe it had Sport badges on it and was a 455/auto, triple black. Oddly, it had all the bells and whistles, electric everything. I always thought it was a cool car and the seats were amazing. He worked for GM at the Delco Moraine plant in Dayton Ohio and I remember the car was special order. He talked about it quite a while before it was finally delivered. I don’t think a lot of these cars got the 455 and that was the hold up, or maybe it was that it was a LeMans Sport with the complete luxury package. RIP Jim Gibbs- A genuine Pontiac man.
Hi AngryRed Banjo, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your neighbors car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
I bought my favorite car ever from Joe Catrona's Used Cars for $2500. Metallic Blue, black interior, 400, 4bbl, 4 speed, dual exhaust. The most comfortable car with the lumbar adjustable seats ever. Hid an oz of pot across the Canadian border in the torn shift boot back in '76. If I ever run across one for sale...
These were pretty cool cars. A friend of mine had one and he asked what cam I had in my 75 T/A. I told him it was a Sig Erson Cam 100 Viking Series. He installed one in his Grand Am and that car came to life. We did some minor mods, such as match porting and chrome molly pushrods and a Holley 650 spreadbore carb with manual choke. Big fat L60x15s on all fours. That car was nice then and it performed great for the street. This too is a super nice ride. Hope he takes good care as they're not too many around. Thanks Lou.
Car is great. Amazing how original it is. Had to chuckle when it was a 4 speed he found in So Cal. Then i find out it was made in Indiana. THEN i find out only 187 was made with this trans that year. Cali V 8s and 4 speeds were cut off, seems like that year. Took past the gas crisis to get them back. Nice work, Lou.
I miss my 73 400 Grand Am four speed monster absolutely loved that car. In 73 it was hot rod magazies sleeper of the year covette killer. It was so fun to drive. The hot trick was to flip the air breather cover to get more air into the carburater, it would just scream.
Hi notonabet againno, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Hi Philip, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Hi Eagle Whitefeather01, Happy to read this one brings back memories of the one you used to drive :-) Blessings received, and many blessings to you also :-) Lou
Hi Motorhead Banger , Happy to read you enjoy this car :-) Glad you're enjoying this Channel, blessings received, God Bless you too, and you're welcome, Lou
Back in 1977/78 when I was attending college at the University of Central Arkansas and driving my yellow/black ‘74 Plymouth ‘Cuda, I remember seeing a pristine white ‘73 or ‘74 Pontiac GrandAm just like this one but with wide tires on the rear wheels (50s series I think) cruising the strip most weekends there in town. Although I was happy with my ‘Cuda and preferred it to anything else, I thought that guy’s GrandAm was stunningly beautiful and I admired it greatly. Ditto for this one! I still love ‘em!
Very impressive car. Seeing a few on the street back then was amazing. They were so futuristic looking. Having a '69 GTO at the time i was very aware of Pontiac offerings in those years. Had the SD 455 became available in these would have been an extra beyond belief. Thanks again Lou for an interesting video of one rare car.
The good old Grand Am a Le Mans body with Grand Prix Interior it's a cool car you don't see that many I know a guy who had one it was a 73 with the 455 he had it since new but it needed to be restored
😁👍😎 wow my cousin had one in high school 1979 it was silver with Oxblood and the 4 Speed brings back memories beautiful ride just drive it keep it all original👍👍👍👍👍😎
Hi Lawrence DeLong, Happy to read you appreciate this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Wow very nice car. My father had the Same gar in the same color.There wer a total of 18 pieces in the iran . I had such good time with My das,and then we emigrated to germany and he sold it. Thank you for this Video. God bless you👍👍🇺🇸
Hi Al Capone, Happy to read this car / video brings back memories of your Father's car :-) Thank you for the blessings, you're welcome, and God bless you too, Lou
Its a beauty, I owned one for 35 years. It was my first new car. It never let me down and I believe that it sat for years and started right up. The only real problem was the nose, since it was made of (endura) it deteriorated. I was lucky enough to find a company in Cali that made fiberglass replicas. The engines were 400ci and 455ci, the hotter one was rated at 310hp from the factory it was really about 350hp, mild compared to today's engines, but it had gobbs of torque. It needed it to push a 4100lb car from a standstill. Sadly it will never be worth as much as a chevelle, but I feel it was a better handling better balanced car.....
My father passed away in 2005 and we have 2 of these cars a 75 trans am and a 79 both in mint condition they haven’t been started and have been collecting dust in our barn since 2006 id say is the last time they have seen the light one day I’ll get around to it rip dad this brought back many memories ❤️
Unfortunately the 310 hp Super Duty (SD) 455 was never sold in the Grand Am. Pontiac considered putting it in the GA and the GTO, but it got cancelled, and was never sold in those cars. The SD455 was only available in the 73/74 Trans Am and Formula. The 455 that was optional for the 73 Grand Am was the 250 hp version.
@@grand73am The SD was also originally supposed to be available in the Grand Prix also. I remember reading an article in High Performance Pontiac when they were talking to Pontiac employees involved in the Super Duty program. They said the Grand Prix with the Super Duty was their favorite. They always took that one out on the streets at lunchtime and surprised plenty of muscle car owners at impromptu stoplight drags.
When these were new no one wanted them, but 46 years later, what a car!! This one is sweet and the 4 speed is a HUGE bonus! I have such a soft spot for Pontiacs from 59 to 73...NACA ducts, they're called (on the hood) Richard Petty drove a "colonnade" Olds 442 in NASCAR (same body) and I believe Benny Parsons did as well.. yes all toy cars should have 3 pedals
Well, not "no one" wanted them, since they sold over 43,000 Grand Ams in 73. Not too bad for a first year model ;-) . They didn't sell well the next 2 years though when the oil embargo started in Nov. 1973 which was 74 model year.
Kinda like the 69 Daytona Charger and the 70 Plymouth Superbird. I’ve heard that there were numerous Plymouth Superbirds that sat on dealer lots for so long that the dealers would sometimes take off the big wing spoiler and the unique front fascia and replaced it with regular standard production parts just to get rid of them.
What a beautiful unit that is! Love those Pontiacs! I remember these but never saw one in a stick shift. Just a great original unit and you know me Lou I love Pontiacs! A awesome owner too! That helps make the car too Lou! Thanks for sharing Lou!
Lou had a highschool friend that drove a'73 Grand Am , amazing car kinda hard to believe they took a great car and reduced the size to such a smaller one 😎 Have a great day, thanks so much for sharing and"Howdy from Texas 😁"!!
Hi Greg from TX. Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Friends car from High School :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing, and you're welcome, Lou
My first car was a 73 Luxury Lemans black exterior white interior full white roof, where the Louvers are on this car I had glass, every option in the book, it was 5 yrs old when I got it, had spokes and nice 1.5 inch whitewalls, what a beautiful car, regret selling it even now 40 yrs later, had a shot at a 74 Grand am w a sunroof but the deal fell thru, still want one, I have a 73 Grand Prix SJ to get me thru though, sunroof loaded, but I love the body of the Luxury Lemans and Grand am, maybe some day
Beautiful car! I always loved the body style of these. I think I prefer the original Hood over the GTO hood but it is what it is. Seems to me 80% of these Grand am's produced in this Colonnade body style have the red interior, which I love.🚘
Hi Peter, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Thanks for sharing. Our first family car was the '73 Grand Am same color options as this example, except it was an automatic with power windows and locks along with honey comb wheels. My all time favorite car!
Hi john, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your 1st Family car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Anyone can restore a car, or pay to have it restored. A car can only be original once. After you restore it that's gone. That's one cool survivor so I'd leave it alone
Hi William, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Dads car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Do I miss the originality of American cars! What a beautiful car and love the tribute to the Red, White, and Blue. GM had a few cars paying tribute to Patriotism. And I love the fact that he drives this as well. My sentiments exactly; cars are meant to be driven (there are exceptions of course).
@@carnationvideos4258 And Vega and Impala too... 1974 Spirit of America edition. The Impala was actually quite beautiful, inside and out, at a time when US autos were approaching their nadir in both quality and performance.
Great Cars I had Grand A M family Sedan 7.4 when I lived in Kuwait in 1975.It was a great auto never missed a beat and the big wheels coped well with some of the sand roads I had to use. Petrol was so cheap I could fill the tank for around £10.00 Wish I still had it ,happy days
Another unique GM A body car. Reminds me of the Chevy Laguna Type S3, or the Pontiac Can Am. These A body cars, (1973-77) actually handled pretty well for the day, because GM massively over-engineered the suspension components. Thanks Lou for highlighting another rarer car, along with the very knowledgable, and happy owner! Keep it original, it's a rolling time capsule! It's great that he has the build sheet, as well!
I've personally witnessed a functioning cowl-plenum induction setup designed by Pontiac engineering installed on a 4-speed '73 GrandAm. The blueprints, unbelievably, had been supplied to the owner by Pontiac upon special inquiry & request. Incredible & an obvious 1-of-1, it worked like the typical NASCAR design, irrespective of that NACA hood, of which this GrandAm was not equipped.
Lou. Beautiful. Pontiac at its best. I believe 73 is the last year a 4 speed was available. I have had the pleasure of driving 2 of the roughly 215 73 Olds Cutlass with a 455 and 4 speed. The aftermarket has ignored these beautiful cars. Why? I have had a 76 Cutlass Salon with Hurst Hatches and a 77 Grand Prix SJ with Hurst Hatches, the same steering wheel on Mike's car and 35 other options. Sold in 06. Dumbest thing I ever did. Lou. You are the best. In a world of million dollar stupid cars, you always represent the true hobbyist.
That's a really sharp looking car. Really cool that it's a factory 4 speed car too. Gotta be pretty rare. My mom had a 2 door 73 LeMans and that was a really nice car. Always liked the 2 door GM Colonnade cars. Always thought the Oldsmobile's and Pontiac's were the best looking of the bunch. Wouldn't mind owning a 73 Olds 442 with the 455-4 speed combo
back around 1966 GM was using a local Hockey rink in August to store the 1967 cars prior to the big debut to the Cities GM dealers and special guest at a large Hall type venue. When i saw the car carrying trucks drive by my street to head into the parking lot of that arena. It was like a dynamic car Show as each one was unloaded for a drive into rear Area vehicle entrance for the Zamboni. The car us kids wanted to see each year was the Corvette coupe , but these cars were 4 wheeled Billboards and optioned up . In 1972 I did get let in to the Arena by the Guard and saw the factory fresh line-up except for Cadillac , Buick and Olds . There was a White Grand AM with black interior and a 455 SD , the Guard saw my interest in it and jumped inside to say " Watch This " .....he started the car and put in gear to pump the brakes and make it dance which he was good at to make the front dip and rear go up and down a bit. . The rubber front and those grill vents were cool , in 1968 I didn't get to see a 69 GTO Judge because they were new and weren't made in canada until 1970 so the first 2500 69's in carousel red were for the US promo's and we got the GTO . My car story is from the eyes of someone too young to drive in the 1960's but got to drive every cool car from my imagination if I had the money and was older . Most older people picked a car and bought it.....I saw a buffet of cars each year for the all-u-can Imagine to eat-up and dream .
Yikes!! Missed this. too crazy,,,,'77, i interview for a job (got it) and in the parking lot was a green and white GP similar to this. Became friends with the owner and he'd just driven from Gary Indiana to SFO area Ca. It's all too much :) Rock and Roll on, Lou!
As a young mechanic in 1980 working in Chev Dealership I had a 73 Grand Am . I beat the living crap out of that car ,(young guy ) . But that car still to this day has great body style . And i have owned a long of cars so far in my life ,and the Grand Am is in my Top 10 of cars i miss in my life .
Hi rogue warr, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Hi John, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
John Parkhurs I worked at a gm dealership in the body shop when these were new the only problem with restoration is the paint on this car is way to shiny some 2 part paint and likley a 2 part clear urethane,all gm cars back then were acrylic lacquer which had to be rubbed down with rubbing compound and no clear coats ,I have a crocked pointing finger from all the hand rubbing I did lolol. My point is this the acrylic lacquer did not shine like the restoration not even close . I just restored my 1976 vette in acrylic lacquer which it came in . In fact most of the paint on the new cars of that period were quite dull in comparison to urethane 2 part paints today but they were much safer to use and touched up well the acrylic lacquer would burn into the original finish with the lacquer thinners we used CIL paints at the dealership back then and you could get great results in a home garage because the lacquer would dry super fast even with med dry thinners. Your body work and prep had to be flawless when using acrylic lacquer because it would no cover sanding marks or swirls or any roughness or imperfection. Also acrylic lacquer did not like dot3 brake fluid spilled on it. My observation of countless restoration and numbers matching car in many respects did not match the exact cars as they arrived of the car transports because they are way over done . The Pontiac here is beautiful way more beautiful than a new one of that time period that’s all
My friends parents had a 75. I remembered my buddy was about 13 years old and sat on the Enduro front. He was a big kid and pushed it in. I spent 2 weeks in a hospital in St. Charles after getting hit by a car in West Chicago Dupage county.
Pontiac had the best dashboards of all...and in general were trimmed out far superior to anything else in its price class. This is an amazing car...any A-body Grand Am is great, but the 4 speed is icing on the cake. Thx Mike and Lou sharing this fantastic car...a '73 Grand Am or GTO is on my wish list!
One of my favorite Pontiacs of all time. It was named Grand Am because it was said to combine Grand Prix luxury with Trans Am performance. The front end was quite striking, and the entire assembly was designed to pop back into shape if it took a minor knock. You can actually squeeze it! According to a Collectible Automobile article in October 1996, Bill Mitchell's reaction when he first saw the proposal was "Jeeeeeeeesus Christ!" The dash used genuine mahogany and was borrowed from the Grand Prix and the steering wheel design with the giant round hub was apparently inspired by Mercedes. The Grand Am sold reasonably well in '73, but not so much in '74 and '75 due to the oil embargo. It made a comeback from 1978-1980 when the intermediates were downsized, but still couldn't find enough customers. But the third time was the charm, returning for 1985 as a compact, and it became Pontiac's most popular series for the next two decades. My first car was a 1987 Grand Am sedan, a base model that served rental duty for two years before I bought it at my local Pontiac dealer. It was a lot of fun to drive and I enjoyed it so much I kept it until 2006! BTW, There was also a prototype '73 Grand Am wagon built, Ascot Silver with the red, white and blue hood stripes and the NASA hood scoops. Pontiac had considered making it a regular production model, but the plants that built the A-body wagons apparently felt they had enough on their plate. That single wagon is still around today. The last owner had it a long time and I heard he passed away a couple of years ago. Hopefully, it's in good hands now. Thank you Lou and Mike for taking such great pride in this grand American classic! And I say leave everything under the hood as is!
Hi 67marlins, Happy to read this car brings back memories :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Super Duty 455 motor was pulled from option lists, and only offered on 73-74 Firebirds, at 11th hour. One 455SD Grand Am was built for magazine "73 preview" articles [Motor Trend tested it], but was destroyed by GM, ;-( and was Cameo White.
Originally, the GM Colonnades were meant to debut for 1972, but the GM UAW strike delayed them to '73. The prototype '72 GTO was to get the Grand Am front end. But, with insurance costs hurting GTO sales, the trim was demoted to chrome bumper LeMans as option package. Grand Am was meant to be successor and more lux/sport, but the 73-77 Grand Prix stole the sales from GA, even from LeMans. The '77 Can Am production was cut short to build more Grand Prix's.
The 1977 Can Am production was cut short because the mold for the rear spoiler was damaged and they didn’t have enough time to produce a new one so production was halted and all remaining orders were cancelled.
The owner was totally on point as to GMs motivation for creating this car in the European sports sedan concept. This was the 6000 STE of its generation. It also was available as a 4 door sedan and was the most premium priced of the GM intermediates.
About '85 I bought a '74 GA from a 74 YO lady. 400/4spd w/15 options. Complete exterior refinish, lowered suspension, plus engine tweaking. It fooled a lot of people at many stop lights. Sold it in '90. Her son had a '73 GA equipped the same way.
Hi Ben Gone, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
"I'm gonna edit all that out" hmmmmm............ It's hard to beat an 'intermediate' with a 4 speed. Mike, please let this survivor survive and keep driving it.
Nice car! Can’t say I remember seeing these around when I as a kid being about the same age as Bill. I had a Grand Prix as my high school car and was well a where of desirable Pontiac’s remember the lemans of this year but not these.
I bought a brand new 1973 Grand Am here in Seattle at Carter Pontiac, cameo white, the same hood pinstriping as the model in the video, velour seats, factory 4-speed manual, because of my special order factory 4-speed the Pontiac engineers insisted on the 4 barrel carb ortherwise it would have been a 2 barrel carb. I was 24 at that time and I did not want the factory AC and I did not order the available higher end sound system of the time. Also I should have ordered power windows too! It's always best to go fully loaded I suppose as I look back. But I was only 24. Anyway, such a gorgeous car with still low miles and it looks just like it came off the assembly line this day! Dean Seattle
GM offered fastback Colonnade bodies on all 4 brands, Buick Century, Olds Cutlass S [non Supreme], Pontiac LeMans, and Chevy Chevelle Malibu. The Chevy Laguna and Olds 442 bodies were used in NASCAR.
I had the exact same car. It was my first car ever given to me on my 16th birthday in 1975. The chicks loved it
HI K.T. Williamson Jr, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your 1st car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
This is Lou. While you see $300,000 cars featured and reviewed all over YT, Lou comes riding in with a 1973 Grand Am with a freakin' FOUR SPEED. *claps very meticulously* Well done, sir - well done.
Happy to read you appreciate this one Todd :-) Lou
You just don't see these anymore, come to think of it you hardly seen them ever, cool car 😎
Hi US UK Florida retiree 1962
, Happy to read you enjoy seeing this "cool car" :-) Lou
Yes GM has went to all front wheel drive junk has destroyed all American cars except corvettes even Ford's are all front wheel drive, except Mustangs! The Last Kool GM was 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brouham !! Or 1996 Buick roadmaster The last rear wheel drives family cars!!
I guy in my area has one and a Laguna✌
I remember going to a new car auto show back in 1973 when I was 20 years old and falling in love with a 1973 Grand Am in Polo Dark Green with a bright white and wood trimmed interior.
Also had a white vinyl Landau roof with the Louvered side windows and the Rally wheels with the white letter tires.
Gorgeous car even though my Dad thought it was a little to flashy for him but not me.
Pontiac advertised that nose or beek on the center grill as made of a new rubber substance called "ENDURA" that would pop back out to its original shape if hit at low speeds.
Innovative engineering for it's time considering it was almost 50 years ago.
Hi ROBERT CALDERONE, Happy to read this car brings back fun memories for you :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
I bought a new '73 when I graduated high school. Mine had the 7.4L with 4 speed (4 speed was available ONLY on the 6.5 4 Bbl and 7.4) and it was as dealer demo and was LOADED. I think people were scared off by the 455 and 4 speed since the dealer had it in demo service for quite a while, so I got a SMOKING deal on it. It was also equipped with the VERY RARE factory sunroof. It was a blast to drive and sorry to say my father got t-boned in 1975 and it was considered a total loss. Of course my insurance company was rocking me pretty hard being 17 with a "super high performance" vehicle and didn't want to give me replacement cost for it. I have only seen 2 other 7.4's with a 4 speed in all the years since then. That is a beautiful example. Enjoy.
Hi MrTommyboy68, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
That must have been one that snuck through somehow. From everything I’ve read the 4 speed was only available with the 400. The 455 option required the THM400 automatic.
My 1st Dream car! Saw one when I was 15, about 1977, Never saw another one but never forgot it...I still dream of having one some day. Beautiful & Bad ass!!!
Hi Woody420ish, Happy to read this one is a 1st Dream Car :-) Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you enjoy. Please subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Nothing impresses me more than a factory original car. Leave under the hood just the way it is. Gotta love a four speed car!!!!
Hi Jim, Happy to read you enjoy this car just the way it is :-) Lou
Oh what fine machine!! I never ever seen one with standard shift!! I had a 1976 Grand prix SJ model it had 4 square head lites with 400 Pontiac engine with big Quadrajet 4B. carb and 400 turbo trans with electric kick down , but that was during the smog engine days big engine low horse power I'm thinking it had 180 h.p. and 400lbs of tork !! I really enjoyed that car , learned lots from wrenching on her not cause it was torn up but learned lots from modifications I done on her !! That starter sound of this car sounded just like my baby!!
Hi Scotty Jones, Happy to read you enjoy this car. Sounds like you had a fun 76 Grand Prix too. Nice :-) Lou
A friend of mine's parents bought her one exactly like this one back in '73, I was so freaking jealous! This one and the '76 Grand Prix were two of the best designs ever!!!
Hi Simon5005, Happy to read this car brings back memories of a Friend of your Parents car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
This surely brings back some great memories, back it 1982 I went into foster care and the first foster home I ended up in they had one of these 73 Grand Ams the only difference it was dark green with tan interior, when I left that foster home it was in mint condition, but I seen it 3 years later and it was all rusted out. The foster family is native American, after I left that home that family moved back to upper state New York near to Cornwall Ontario Canada, where this family was from a Indian reservation named St. Regis New York, the winters there just ate that poor car. Seeing this brought back some great times, one of which was my first trip to a reservation and my trip into Canada. Thanks for posting this video
Hi Elizabeth Cherry, Happy to read this one brings back great memories for you :-) Lou
I liked these. Not many ever seen. This one is excellent. I love the louvered windows and pointy back end.
Hi Roger Dale, Happy to read the details of this car you enjoy :-) Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you'll enjoy, Lou
I had one in 74.it had a black top and black interior, same white paint. It had power and comfort. Had that Pontiac tight suspension. SWEET
Hi Eric, Happy to read you have a fun car too :-) Lou
When the ashtray for the BACK seat is on the FRONT door, you know it's a loooong door! Great car & video.
Hi Inspecting Gadgets, You're right :-) Glad you enjoy this car & video, Lou
It's also built to last because it's got that classic Fisher body clunk of a two-door. Heavy as hell but boy do they shut
My brother has a 77 CanAm. He found a 4 speed manual transmission set up w/ console in the junk yard found in a Sport Coupe. He installed the 4 speed and now has a 4 speed manual 77 CanAm! He also made the hood scoop functional!. When he gets on it the rear flap on the scoop opens. Then he also installed Trans Am exhaust tips and Trans Am prism tape on the dash board. It looks like a transAm style dash! Looks factory! Nicely done,
Hi The jukebox, Happy to read this car / video brings back memories of your Brothers CanAm :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
Nice car. The end of and era. I love it because he basically left it alone and drives it as is. That's some real class.
A fun find to share on this Channel for sure :-)
Beautiful Pontiac. You don't see these with a 4 speed. Very rare. Love 70's GM 👍
HI David Kastin, Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car :-) You're right, Lou
The bulk of these had Hydramatic.
And yet I can remember as a kid seeing these intermediate Pontiacs all over the road when The Carpenters, Wings, and Gilbert O' Sullivan played on the car radio....
I remember the first Grand Am as a kid, some type of endura nose that if hit, would flex back in shape. Great car, good move with the hood.
Hi HWolfeIII, Happy to read this car brings back memories when you were a kid :-) Lou
When I was a teen, my neighbor had a 73 LeMans, I believe it had Sport badges on it and was a 455/auto, triple black. Oddly, it had all the bells and whistles, electric everything. I always thought it was a cool car and the seats were amazing. He worked for GM at the Delco Moraine plant in Dayton Ohio and I remember the car was special order. He talked about it quite a while before it was finally delivered. I don’t think a lot of these cars got the 455 and that was the hold up, or maybe it was that it was a LeMans Sport with the complete luxury package. RIP Jim Gibbs- A genuine Pontiac man.
Hi AngryRed Banjo, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your neighbors car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
I bought my favorite car ever from Joe Catrona's Used Cars for $2500. Metallic Blue, black interior, 400, 4bbl, 4 speed, dual exhaust. The most comfortable car with the lumbar adjustable seats ever. Hid an oz of pot across the Canadian border in the torn shift boot back in '76.
If I ever run across one for sale...
Thank you Todd for viewing and sharing your story. Hope you're behind the wheel of the right car for you again soon :-)
These were pretty cool cars. A friend of mine had one and he asked what cam I had in my 75 T/A. I told him it was a Sig Erson Cam 100 Viking Series. He installed one in his Grand Am and that car came to life. We did some minor mods, such as match porting and chrome molly pushrods and a Holley 650 spreadbore carb with manual choke. Big fat L60x15s on all fours. That car was nice then and it performed great for the street. This too is a super nice ride. Hope he takes good care as they're not too many around. Thanks Lou.
Hi Craig Pennington
, Happy to read you enjoy this "cool" car :-) You're welcome, Lou
Car is great. Amazing how original it is. Had to chuckle when it was a 4 speed he found in So Cal. Then i find out it was made in Indiana.
THEN i find out only 187 was made with this trans that year. Cali V 8s and 4 speeds were cut off, seems like that year. Took past the gas crisis to get them back. Nice work, Lou.
Hi g mat, Happy to read this car is "amazing" to you :-) Lou
Funny how the automatics take more gas to turn. California should of kept the Borg-Warner T-10s.
Wow! That's cool! It's been at least 25 years since I've seen ANY GM cars of that generation on the road! Thanks for bringing us such coolness!
Hi m p, Happy to receive a "Wow!" from you :-) You're welcome, Lou
Remember these well Lou, worked at a Pontiac Dealership. Pontiac had some of the best lines ever. Sweet Grand Am!!
Hi Ed B., Happy to read this one brings back memories of the times at the Pontiac Dealership :-) Lou
Pontiac and early Olds were tops. Comfortable, reliable, and fast. It's a shame that they are gone.
This is when it was cool to have a Grand Am.😎
:-)
I miss my 73 400 Grand Am four speed monster absolutely loved that car.
In 73 it was hot rod magazies sleeper of the year covette killer.
It was so fun to drive.
The hot trick was to flip the air breather cover to get more air into the carburater, it would just scream.
Hi notonabet againno, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
I had a '73 with 4-speed, but no air, when I was a teenager. This one is unbelievable for its condition. I wouldn't change a thing.
Hi Philip, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
@@loucostabile Hah, after I posted to your channel, I saw that this car just sold on Bring a Trailer for quite a lot of money!
Lou, you left out one of the Grand am's most iconic features. The Horn. Jeeze how could you have missed that?
Hopefully I get that next time :-)
That's a great looking car sharp first time seeing a grand am in this body style reminds of the pen and. I like that hood it's really cool looking.
Hi Pete Medina, Happy to read you enjoy the design of this car :-) Lou
I used to drive one of these with the 400 engine. Fast is a pleasant surprise! Love this old Grand Am. Have a great day Lou. Many Blessings Sir.
Hi
Eagle Whitefeather01, Happy to read this one brings back memories of the one you used to drive :-) Blessings received, and many blessings to you also :-) Lou
My all-time favorite car when I was a kid!!
Hi 67marlins, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your all-time favorite car when you were a kid :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
Thanks Lou for giving us the opportunity to see such amazing car. Love that channel. God bless you
Hi Motorhead Banger
, Happy to read you enjoy this car :-) Glad you're enjoying this Channel, blessings received, God Bless you too, and you're welcome, Lou
My brother owned one and I always loved it. The car is amazing
Hi Robbie Frentz, Happy to read this car / video brings back memories of your Brothers car :-) Lou
Back in 1977/78 when I was attending college at the University of Central Arkansas and driving my yellow/black ‘74 Plymouth ‘Cuda, I remember seeing a pristine white ‘73 or ‘74 Pontiac GrandAm just like this one but with wide tires on the rear wheels (50s series I think) cruising the strip most weekends there in town. Although I was happy with my ‘Cuda and preferred it to anything else, I thought that guy’s GrandAm was stunningly beautiful and I admired it greatly. Ditto for this one! I still love ‘em!
Happy to read this car brings back memories of College :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
Awesome Pontiac!
Glad to read you enjoy this one :-)
Thanks for the video, Lou! I always liked the Colonnade body style.
Hi John Collins, Happy to read you enjoy this body style :-) You're welcome, Lou
Very impressive car. Seeing a few on the street back then was amazing. They were so futuristic looking. Having a '69 GTO at the time i was very aware of Pontiac offerings in those years. Had the SD 455 became available in these would have been an extra beyond belief. Thanks again Lou for an interesting video of one rare car.
Hi Karl, Happy to read you appreciate this "Very impressive car." :-) My pleasure sharing this car with you. You're welcome, Lou
One super cool car!! And very rare with that 4-speed. Thanks Lou
Hi Fred and Debra MacDonald, Happy to read you enjoy this "cool" car :-) You're welcome, Lou
The good old Grand Am a Le Mans body with Grand Prix Interior it's a cool car you don't see that many I know a guy who had one it was a 73 with the 455 he had it since new but it needed to be restored
Happy to read you enjoy this "cool car" :-)
😁👍😎 wow my cousin had one in high school 1979 it was silver with Oxblood and the 4 Speed brings back memories beautiful ride just drive it keep it all original👍👍👍👍👍😎
Hi Joe Smo, Happy to read this one brings back memories of your Cousins car :-) Lou
79?
OH YEA ! If it ever goes up for sell; I would buy it and drive it everyday..
Hi Lawrence DeLong, Happy to read you appreciate this car :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing and I believe you're going to see many more cars on this Channel you'll enjoy. Hope you Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Lou another amazing example of what you find on your channel! Love the colonnade A body GM cars. Really nice car👍👍
Hi Carl Rainford, Happy to read you enjoy this car and Channel :-) Glad you're along for the ride, Lou
Wow very nice car. My father had the Same gar in the same color.There wer a total of 18 pieces in the iran . I had such good time with My das,and then we emigrated to germany and he sold it. Thank you for this Video. God bless you👍👍🇺🇸
Hi Al Capone, Happy to read this car / video brings back memories of your Father's car :-) Thank you for the blessings, you're welcome, and God bless you too, Lou
Its a beauty, I owned one for 35 years. It was my first new car. It never let me down and I believe that it sat for years and started right up. The only real problem was the nose, since it was made of (endura) it deteriorated. I was lucky enough to find a company in Cali that made fiberglass replicas. The engines were 400ci and 455ci, the hotter one was rated at 310hp from the factory it was really about 350hp, mild compared to today's engines, but it had gobbs of torque. It needed it to push a 4100lb car from a standstill. Sadly it will never be worth as much as a chevelle, but I feel it was a better handling better balanced car.....
I believe this car was way better than the Laguna Chevrolet that was its counterpart that year.
Happy to read this car / video brings back memories of the one you owned. Thank you for viewing and sharing.
My father passed away in 2005 and we have 2 of these cars a 75 trans am and a 79 both in mint condition they haven’t been started and have been collecting dust in our barn since 2006 id say is the last time they have seen the light one day I’ll get around to it rip dad this brought back many memories ❤️
Unfortunately the 310 hp Super Duty (SD) 455 was never sold in the Grand Am. Pontiac considered putting it in the GA and the GTO, but it got cancelled, and was never sold in those cars. The SD455 was only available in the 73/74 Trans Am and Formula. The 455 that was optional for the 73 Grand Am was the 250 hp version.
@@grand73am The SD was also originally supposed to be available in the Grand Prix also. I remember reading an article in High Performance Pontiac when they were talking to Pontiac employees involved in the Super Duty program. They said the Grand Prix with the Super Duty was their favorite. They always took that one out on the streets at lunchtime and surprised plenty of muscle car owners at impromptu stoplight drags.
When these were new no one wanted them, but 46 years later, what a car!! This one is sweet and the 4 speed is a HUGE bonus! I have such a soft spot for Pontiacs from 59 to 73...NACA ducts, they're called (on the hood) Richard Petty drove a "colonnade" Olds 442 in NASCAR (same body) and I believe Benny Parsons did as well.. yes all toy cars should have 3 pedals
Hi Midnight Rider, Cars have an amazing way of looking better with age :-) Lou
@@loucostabile True dat!
@@loucostabile ruclips.net/video/VcR9lb0qFkM/видео.html
Well, not "no one" wanted them, since they sold over 43,000 Grand Ams in 73. Not too bad for a first year model ;-) . They didn't sell well the next 2 years though when the oil embargo started in Nov. 1973 which was 74 model year.
Kinda like the 69 Daytona Charger and the 70 Plymouth Superbird. I’ve heard that there were numerous Plymouth Superbirds that sat on dealer lots for so long that the dealers would sometimes take off the big wing spoiler and the unique front fascia and replaced it with regular standard production parts just to get rid of them.
I had a 73 & 74 both in white,they were a great handling car
Hi Stephen, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your cars :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
What a beautiful unit that is! Love those Pontiacs! I remember these but never saw one in a stick shift. Just a great original unit and you know me Lou I love Pontiacs! A awesome owner too! That helps make the car too Lou! Thanks for sharing Lou!
Hi Steve Flad, Happy to share this Pontiac with you :-) You're welcome, Lou
WOW such a bitchin' car. Gorgeous. Certainly won't see one of those every day. Thanks for sharing.
Hi sidefx996, High praise for this car :-) You're welcome, Lou
Lou had a highschool friend that drove a'73 Grand Am , amazing car kinda hard to believe they took a great car and reduced the size to such a smaller one 😎 Have a great day, thanks so much for sharing and"Howdy from Texas 😁"!!
Hi Greg from TX. Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Friends car from High School :-) Thank you for viewing, sharing, and you're welcome, Lou
My first car was a 73 Luxury Lemans black exterior white interior full white roof, where the Louvers are on this car I had glass, every option in the book, it was 5 yrs old when I got it, had spokes and nice 1.5 inch whitewalls, what a beautiful car, regret selling it even now 40 yrs later, had a shot at a 74 Grand am w a sunroof but the deal fell thru, still want one, I have a 73 Grand Prix SJ to get me thru though, sunroof loaded, but I love the body of the Luxury Lemans and Grand am, maybe some day
Happy to read this car / video brings back memories of your 1st car :-)
Great find! I didn't know a '73 Grand Am could come with a 4-speed. Thanks, Lou!
Hi Brian Chappie
, A fun find for sure with the 4 Speed :-) You're welcome, Lou
Beautiful car! I always loved the body style of these. I think I prefer the original Hood over the GTO hood but it is what it is. Seems to me 80% of these Grand am's produced in this Colonnade body style have the red interior, which I love.🚘
Hi Andy, Happy to read you enjoy the red interior & body style of this car :-) Lou
I had one it was with the 400 and 4 speed also, got it when I was in the Army , 1980 Ft Bliss . Miss that car !
Hi Peter, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Thanks for sharing. Our first family car was the '73 Grand Am same color options as this example, except it was an automatic with power windows and locks along with honey comb wheels. My all time favorite car!
Hi john, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your 1st Family car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Anyone can restore a car, or pay to have it restored. A car can only be original once. After you restore it that's gone. That's one cool survivor so I'd leave it alone
Thank you for viewing and sharing your thoughts Mike :-)
Thats awesome my dad bought one brand new was a automatic but looked exactly the same color inside and out
Hi William, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Dads car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
My father bought the same car in 1973 without the air vents and had thinwhite wall tires red interior love that car 🚗
Hi Leroy, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your Fathers car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
Do I miss the originality of American cars! What a beautiful car and love the tribute to the Red, White, and Blue. GM had a few cars paying tribute to Patriotism. And I love the fact that he drives this as well. My sentiments exactly; cars are meant to be driven (there are exceptions of course).
Hi Rusty, Happy to read you enjoy this car :-) Lou
The 1974 Nova did the red white and blue thing too.
Car Nation Videos The 1976 Cadillac Eldorado did the bicentennial edition as well
Rusty that’s right they sure did.
@@carnationvideos4258 And Vega and Impala too... 1974 Spirit of America edition. The Impala was actually quite beautiful, inside and out, at a time when US autos were approaching their nadir in both quality and performance.
Lovely curvy lines, I have a spot for Pontiacs 😍 This one's a bute !
Hi Dave Lister, Glad to read you enjoy the "curvy lines" of this car :-) Lou
Great Cars I had Grand A M family Sedan 7.4 when I lived in Kuwait in 1975.It was a great auto never missed a beat and the big wheels coped well with some of the sand roads I had to use. Petrol was so cheap I could fill the tank for around £10.00
Wish I still had it ,happy days
Hi Chris, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
Another unique GM A body car. Reminds me of the Chevy Laguna Type S3, or the Pontiac Can Am. These A body cars, (1973-77) actually handled pretty well for the day, because GM massively over-engineered the suspension components. Thanks Lou for highlighting another rarer car, along with the very knowledgable, and happy owner! Keep it original, it's a rolling time capsule! It's great that he has the build sheet, as well!
Hi Carlos, Happy to read you enjoy this episode :-) You're welcome, Lou
When you see the "Nose" , you knows it's a Pontiac !!!
:-)
I've personally witnessed a functioning cowl-plenum induction setup designed by Pontiac engineering installed on a 4-speed '73 GrandAm. The blueprints, unbelievably, had been supplied to the owner by Pontiac upon special inquiry & request. Incredible & an obvious 1-of-1, it worked like the typical NASCAR design, irrespective of that NACA hood, of which this GrandAm was not equipped.
Hi M20L35, Thank you for viewing and sharing your knowledge. Lou
Lou. Beautiful. Pontiac at its best. I believe 73 is the last year a 4 speed was available. I have had the pleasure of driving 2 of the roughly 215 73 Olds Cutlass with a 455 and 4 speed. The aftermarket has ignored these beautiful cars. Why? I have had a 76 Cutlass Salon with Hurst Hatches and a 77 Grand Prix SJ with Hurst Hatches, the same steering wheel on Mike's car and 35 other options. Sold in 06. Dumbest thing I ever did. Lou. You are the best. In a world of million dollar stupid cars, you always represent the true hobbyist.
Hi George Mattar, Glad to read you enjoy this car, and glad you're along for the ride :-) Lou
Hi Lou ! Like the uniqueness of this car! Car sounds pretty good!
Hi Joseph, Happy to read you enjoy the uniqueness of this car :-) Lou
That's a really sharp looking car. Really cool that it's a factory 4 speed car too. Gotta be pretty rare. My mom had a 2 door 73 LeMans and that was a really nice car. Always liked the 2 door GM Colonnade cars. Always thought the Oldsmobile's and Pontiac's were the best looking of the bunch. Wouldn't mind owning a 73 Olds 442 with the 455-4 speed combo
Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car :-)
back around 1966 GM was using a local Hockey rink in August to store the 1967 cars prior to the big debut to the Cities GM dealers and special guest at a large Hall type venue.
When i saw the car carrying trucks drive by my street to head into the parking lot of that arena. It was like a dynamic car Show as each one was unloaded for a drive into rear Area vehicle entrance for the Zamboni.
The car us kids wanted to see each year was the Corvette coupe , but these cars were 4 wheeled Billboards and optioned up . In 1972 I did get let in to the Arena by the Guard and saw the factory fresh line-up except for Cadillac , Buick and Olds .
There was a White Grand AM with black interior and a 455 SD , the Guard saw my interest in it and jumped inside to say " Watch This " .....he started the car and put in gear to pump the brakes and make it dance which he was good at to make the front dip and rear go up and down a bit. . The rubber front and those grill vents were cool , in 1968 I didn't get to see a 69 GTO Judge because they were new and weren't made in canada until 1970 so the first 2500 69's in carousel red were for the US promo's and we got the GTO .
My car story is from the eyes of someone too young to drive in the 1960's but got to drive every cool car from my imagination if I had the money and was older . Most older people picked a car and bought it.....I saw a buffet of cars each year for the all-u-can Imagine to eat-up and dream .
Hi Gary wood, Thank you for viewing and sharing your memories and knowledge, Lou
Nice looking car for that era Lou.
Hi Hans Gruber, Cars have an amazing way of getting better looking with age :-) Lou
Yikes!! Missed this.
too crazy,,,,'77, i interview for a job (got it) and in the parking lot was a green and white GP similar to this.
Became friends with the owner and he'd just driven from Gary Indiana to SFO area Ca.
It's all too much :) Rock and Roll on, Lou!
Hi Glen, Happy to read you found this one :-) Lou
@@loucostabile Thanx, Lou.
Keep on keepin' on (BTO) !
As a young mechanic in 1980 working in Chev Dealership I had a 73 Grand Am . I beat the living crap out of that car ,(young guy ) . But that car still to this day has great body style . And i have owned a long of cars so far in my life ,and the Grand Am is in my Top 10 of cars i miss in my life .
Hi rogue warr, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Had a White 73 with Maroon top over the louvers. And the "Oxblood Interior" Miss that old Pontiac.
Hi John, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Keep it the way it is.
A time capsule.
Nice :-)
John Parkhurs I worked at a gm dealership in the body shop when these were new the only problem with restoration is the paint on this car is way to shiny some 2 part paint and likley a 2 part clear urethane,all gm cars back then were acrylic lacquer which had to be rubbed down with rubbing compound and no clear coats ,I have a crocked pointing finger from all the hand rubbing I did lolol. My point is this the acrylic lacquer did not shine like the restoration not even close . I just restored my 1976 vette in acrylic lacquer which it came in . In fact most of the paint on the new cars of that period were quite dull in comparison to urethane 2 part paints today but they were much safer to use and touched up well the acrylic lacquer would burn into the original finish with the lacquer thinners we used CIL paints at the dealership back then and you could get great results in a home garage because the lacquer would dry super fast even with med dry thinners. Your body work and prep had to be flawless when using acrylic lacquer because it would no cover sanding marks or swirls or any roughness or imperfection. Also acrylic lacquer did not like dot3 brake fluid spilled on it. My observation of countless restoration and numbers matching car in many respects did not match the exact cars as they arrived of the car transports because they are way over done . The Pontiac here is beautiful way more beautiful than a new one of that time period that’s all
What a beautiful car
Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this car :-)
Lou I think I like this more than the 73 gran sport stage 1. And I loved both of those Buicks!
Hi Bob Bob, Happy to read this is one you like :-) Lou
My friends parents had a 75. I remembered my buddy was about 13 years old and sat on the Enduro front. He was a big kid and pushed it in. I spent 2 weeks in a hospital in St. Charles after getting hit by a car in West Chicago Dupage county.
Ouch !
Outstanding HAD A 74 GRAND AM in black great looking pontiacs.
Hi Martin Watters, Happy to read this one brings back memories of your 74 Grand Am :-) Lou
Sweet! The front end survived. To many of the fronts deteriorated over the years
Hi Kevin, Happy to read "Sweet!" :-) Lou
That's gotta be a rare bird!! Very cool! I'm not a GM guy, but I really like Ponchos!
Hi Adam Trombino, Happy to read you appreciate the rarity of seeing one of these cars today :-) Lou
Pontiac had the best dashboards of all...and in general were trimmed out far superior to anything else in its price class. This is an amazing car...any A-body Grand Am is great, but the 4 speed is icing on the cake. Thx Mike and Lou sharing this fantastic car...a '73 Grand Am or GTO is on my wish list!
Hi Steve S, Happy this read this model is on your "wish list" :-) You're welcome, Lou
That’s a beautiful car I love the way the engine looks. Pretty cool
Happy to read you enjoy this one looks :-)
One of my favorite Pontiacs of all time. It was named Grand Am because it was said to combine Grand Prix luxury with Trans Am performance. The front end was quite striking, and the entire assembly was designed to pop back into shape if it took a minor knock. You can actually squeeze it! According to a Collectible Automobile article in October 1996, Bill Mitchell's reaction when he first saw the proposal was "Jeeeeeeeesus Christ!" The dash used genuine mahogany and was borrowed from the Grand Prix and the steering wheel design with the giant round hub was apparently inspired by Mercedes. The Grand Am sold reasonably well in '73, but not so much in '74 and '75 due to the oil embargo. It made a comeback from 1978-1980 when the intermediates were downsized, but still couldn't find enough customers. But the third time was the charm, returning for 1985 as a compact, and it became Pontiac's most popular series for the next two decades. My first car was a 1987 Grand Am sedan, a base model that served rental duty for two years before I bought it at my local Pontiac dealer. It was a lot of fun to drive and I enjoyed it so much I kept it until 2006!
BTW, There was also a prototype '73 Grand Am wagon built, Ascot Silver with the red, white and blue hood stripes and the NASA hood scoops. Pontiac had considered making it a regular production model, but the plants that built the A-body wagons apparently felt they had enough on their plate. That single wagon is still around today. The last owner had it a long time and I heard he passed away a couple of years ago. Hopefully, it's in good hands now.
Thank you Lou and Mike for taking such great pride in this grand American classic! And I say leave everything under the hood as is!
Happy to read this one is a all time favorite iswc27 :-) You're welcome, and my pleasure sharing this one with you, Lou
Awesome classic👍
Hi Tom, Happy to read you think this one is "awesome" :-) Lou
Pretty car!
Happy to read you enjoy the looks of this one :-)
Nice , rarely seen around. Looks like the same seats as the Grand Prix of that era
A fun find to share on this Channel for sure :-)
My favorite from childhood- GM should have marketed the El Camino through Pontiac and used this front end.
Hi 67marlins, Happy to read this car brings back memories :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
Super Duty 455 motor was pulled from option lists, and only offered on 73-74 Firebirds, at 11th hour. One 455SD Grand Am was built for magazine "73 preview" articles [Motor Trend tested it], but was destroyed by GM, ;-( and was Cameo White.
Hi tomcat630, Thank you for viewing & sharing your knowledge, Lou
Originally, the GM Colonnades were meant to debut for 1972, but the GM UAW strike delayed them to '73. The prototype '72 GTO was to get the Grand Am front end. But, with insurance costs hurting GTO sales, the trim was demoted to chrome bumper LeMans as option package. Grand Am was meant to be successor and more lux/sport, but the 73-77 Grand Prix stole the sales from GA, even from LeMans. The '77 Can Am production was cut short to build more Grand Prix's.
Hi tomcat630, Thank you for viewing & sharing your knowledge, Lou
The 1977 Can Am production was cut short because the mold for the rear spoiler was damaged and they didn’t have enough time to produce a new one so production was halted and all remaining orders were cancelled.
Awesome Lou《☆》Very nice Pontiac was still making cool stuff later into the 70s🤓☻🤠
Hi BDOG JR, Glad to read you enjoy this one :-) Lou
The owner was totally on point as to GMs motivation for creating this car in the European sports sedan concept. This was the 6000 STE of its generation. It also was available as a 4 door sedan and was the most premium priced of the GM intermediates.
Thanks for viewing and sharing Larry :-)
I thought the Grand Prix from this era was GM’s most costly mid size.
I can't believe how hard it is to find these 1973-77 cars
You're right, not to easy to find.
About '85 I bought a '74 GA from a 74 YO lady. 400/4spd w/15 options. Complete exterior refinish, lowered suspension, plus engine tweaking. It fooled a lot of people at many stop lights. Sold it in '90. Her son had a '73 GA equipped the same way.
Hi Ben Gone, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many cars on this Channel you enjoy! Please Subscribe, and hit the "bell" so you can see all the cars when they are uploaded on this RUclips Channel, Lou
I love those grand am lemans and gto
Nice :-)
"I'm gonna edit all that out" hmmmmm............ It's hard to beat an 'intermediate' with a 4 speed. Mike, please let this survivor survive and keep driving it.
Forgot to edit all that noise of a table moving out.
@@loucostabile ;)
My first new car. A 1974 admirality blue w/ oxblood interior. 7.4L 4 speed ordered it with the NACA hood and cornering lights
Hi Mark McKeith
, Sounds like a fun car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing. Hope you see many more cars on this RUclips Channel you'll enjoy, Lou
Wow: I waited until Tans Am 77; SPECIAL ED/ Hurst Hatches (;ordered OCT 76)........nice GRand AM.!
Would LOVE to know where THAT baby is now !
Took my driver's test in a Black 73 in 1974 passed it
Happy to read this one brings back memories of the Black 73 you passed your driver test in :-)
THE BEST CAR GM EVER MADE
High praise :-)
Nice car! Can’t say I remember seeing these around when I as a kid being about the same age as Bill. I had a Grand Prix as my high school car and was well a where of desirable Pontiac’s remember the lemans of this year but not these.
Hi southwind73, Happy to share this one with you :-) Sound you had a fun car in High School for sure, Lou
I bought a brand new 1973 Grand Am here in Seattle at Carter Pontiac, cameo white, the same hood pinstriping as the model in the video, velour seats, factory 4-speed manual, because of my special order factory 4-speed the Pontiac engineers insisted on the 4 barrel carb ortherwise it would have been a 2 barrel carb. I was 24 at that time and I did not want the factory AC and I did not order the available higher end sound system of the time. Also I should have ordered power windows too! It's always best to go fully loaded I suppose as I look back. But I was only 24.
Anyway, such a gorgeous car with still low miles and it looks just like it came off the assembly line this day!
Dean
Seattle
Hi Dean, Happy to read this car brings back memories of your car :-) Thank you for viewing and sharing, Lou
@@loucostabile Thanks Lou and I thank you for the work you do!
Another great video Lou!
Happy to read you enjoy this car William :-)
of the 3 years of the Grand Am 73 74 75 the 73 was by far the best looking.
Hi Peter Hogan, Thank you for viewing, sharing your knowledge, and glad to read you enjoy the design of this car, Lou
GM offered fastback Colonnade bodies on all 4 brands, Buick Century, Olds Cutlass S [non Supreme], Pontiac LeMans, and Chevy Chevelle Malibu. The Chevy Laguna and Olds 442 bodies were used in NASCAR.
Hi tomcat630, Thank you for viewing & sharing your knowledge, Lou