1981 Pontiac Mid & Full-Size Models - Dealer Film (GM186)

2 of 7: This 4-minute film gives a very brief overview of the mid & full-size models/powertrains: Bonneville, Catalina and Lemans, Grand Lemans. The "Magic Theme" returns in later videos.
See the "1981 Pontiacs" playlist for model-specific dealer films.
Digitized from LD GM186 with enhanced audio.

[@boss12]

I love the Bonneville and the Le Mans coupe.

[@jmpecore]

My father bought one of these with a V6. He never bought a GM product again.

[@patrickflohe7427]

Soooo, what was the issue?
The 3.8 was a great engine.

[@jmpecore]

@@patrickflohe7427 it later was when it was the fuel infected 3800. That carb 3.8 was dangerously underpowered for a car like that.

[@dakotafarm1]

I had a '79 LeMans with a 231 3.8 V6 in it, and it had more pep than the 350 V8 in my previous LeMans. And I got 30 mpg on a cross-country trip. And that was a rear wheel drive car, and handled great. When GM went to transverse-mounted 3.8 engines and front wheel drive mid-sized cars a few years later, the fuel economy dropped a mile or two per gallon. I think GM stopped making the 3.8's after the LeSabre was retired in the 2000s, and then stuck a 3.9 in the Lucernes, and the fuel economy was even worse.
But you're right, I don't understand why Pontiac would have made the 3.8 231 ci a standard engine for the B-Body Catalina or Bonneville -- and Chevy put a 229 ci in their Caprice. I know a guy who had one and said it performed well, but I think I'd have stuck with a V8 on the bigger cars.

[@jmpecore]

@@dakotafarm1 that's impressive! My dad went to an 87 Mercury Grand Marquis with a 302 after and kept the 82 Pontiac. It was night and day driving both those cars. The fuel injected 302 was far better.

[@seand2711]

I miss Pontiac.

[@Swanlord05]

Bring Pontiac Back

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

Very few 1981 Catalinas were manufactured.

[@robmcgowan4034]

Probably because for a few (to several) hundred more you could get the nicer Bonneville; not unlike the Caprice over the Impala.

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

@@robmcgowan4034 The Catalina was very popular in the 1960s but by the late 1970s was the worst selling full-size GM B-body.

[@robmcgowan4034]

@@SpockvsMcCoy Interesting. I didn't know what, but am not surprised. I am surprised (I guess) that they kept it until 1981, and I presume some years after that.

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

@@robmcgowan4034 1981 Catalina production: Coupe with 1,074 units (hyper rare model), Sedan with 6,456 units, Wagon (Safari) with 2,912 units...so the final year for Catalina. Full-size 1981 Bonneville and Bonneville Broughams sold decently...but GM discontinued them in 1982 for the "Bonneville G" which replaced the Grand LeMans. Pontiac dealers cried foul...so a full-size Pontiac Parisienne (slightly retrimmed Chevrolet Caprice Classic) returned in 1983. The 1985 and 1986 Parisiennes retained the Caprice front clip but recovered the rear fender and bumper design of the 1980 and 1981 models.

[@pcno2832]

@@SpockvsMcCoy The '81 nose was so much nicer than the badge-engineered Parisienne nose. They should have kept the dies.

[@t.b.g.504]

The fender-mounted optional cornering lights on the Catalina & Bonneville (Laurentian and Parisienne) was a good styling touch.

[@pl5624]

Last year for true full size pontiacs.the later parisienne was a reworked Canadian caprice.

[@pl5624]

I liked the one year only 81 lemans nose

[@jeffrunyan2691]

Yes. It sucks they're so rare

[@johnnydodge]

What's under that red shirt

[@drippinglass]

Ah! The Pontiac 265 V8. Last year for the Pontiac V8. It went out with a whimper. ☹️

[@user-hd1di3qo4m]

My first car, at video time 2:53 the 1981 Grand Lemans sedan two tone brown and tan, mine was identical to this one. I had the V6 but blew the engine at 125K miles and installed a 305 trans am engine. I am always on the hunt for one but have never seen any out there for sale.

[@harryrez]

I’ve got the Bonneville and really is a wonderful car. 4.3 is underpowered but is excellent on gas

[@FirebirdDude]

Awesome! Please share more!

[@AMCmachine]

Wow, I remember all of these as new cars. The place where my parents bought our '81 Eagle SX/4 was in fact a Pontiac/AMC dealer if you can believe that. I've seen a few of the G-body LeManses built into pretty nasty street machines and drag cars in recent years. Same car as the G-body Malibu, but you don't see nearly as many of the Pontiacs.

[@jeffrunyan2691]

I'd really love to have an 81 LeMans 2 door and wagon

[@jeffrunyan2691]

Awesome

[@yamajammer76]

Were the hosts on quaaludes? They sound way too relaxed.

[@777jones]

One hopes. It was the style.

[@yamajammer76]

@@777jones Well that is about when quaaludes were popular and these hosts are unhumanly mellow. lol

[@KevinM23]

Either that or the perm solution seeped through

[@milfordcivic6755]

Could you imagine being stuck with a B body and a 3.8?

[@robmcgowan4034]

I could, but would rather not. No thanks.

[@stevep4574]

What is a B body?

[@ImmortanDan]

@@stevep4574 It's the platform the full-size Pontiacs (and most other GM full-size cars) were built on. It was a large body-on-frame platform that had a 116 inch wheelbase *after* a serious 1977 downsizing. In short, "stuck with a B-body and a 3.8" meant being stuck with a huge, long 4000-pound car and a 110-ish horsepower engine.

[@stevep4574]

@@ImmortanDan Yes a slow beast!

[@jmpecore]

A Schwinn would be faster.

[@joserafaelgrangefuenmayor7744]

Me gustan los carros

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

👍👍👍👍

[@andregonsalvez9244]

I would buy this today ( 2024 ) compared to today's garbage crossovers with small turbocharged engines . 😊

[@garymckee448]

307 Oldsmobile engine l don't know how they referred to them as fuel efficient.

[@stevemino142]

Had a few Oldsmobile 307 5.0 litre Vin code y there were good on fuel I was getting close to 25mpg on the highway with a 307 in a 88 chevrolet caprice classic also had one in an 86 Oldsmobile cutlass it was close the same... in terms of gas mileage that was hard to beat especially in a full size car in the 80s and the Oldsmobile 307 was very reliable too... would start at any temperature

[@garymckee448]

@@stevemino142 Yes I had 86 Chevrolet station wagon that the 307 Olds and it was bullet proof but fuel efficient no.

[@ponchoman49]

My 1987 Cutlass with the 307 and 4 speed overdrive automatic are pretty efficient with up to 26 highway on several trips

[@stevemino142]

@@garymckee448 all depends on how you drive it...a full size station wagon is probably the same weight as the 4 door model compared to a small new car it would be considered hard on fuel

[@stevemino142]

Any either way I don't think the Oldsmobile 307 was offered in any pontiac models in 1981 265 pontiac 267 chevrolet 301 pontiac or 305 chevrolet for V8 cars

[@midnightfarmer382]

3 speed automatic 😂

[@richk8173]

The good ol days driving down the road in a living room doing 0 to 60 in a couple minutes. You could smoke a whole cigarette in the time it took to walk around those things. I think it's hilarious the emphasis is on fuel economy here... The early 80s were the worst lol.. with the small valves, heads and baby carbs etc.
However, I'd absolutely love to drop an ls1 or 7 ... Even an older LT1 in a le mans coupe. I love the look of those. They're just lost to time though. You never see them. Nobody saved those.

[@davidovers7777]

Back when GM made good cars

[@timothyhh]

Man, the Le Mans/"Grand" Le Mans was NOT a good looking car.

[@debrastarke3996]

The 3.8 and the Olds 307, two of the worst GM engines ever

[@dozerm.4108]

Always liked the front end styling on the LeMans. Reminds you of the 77-78 Firebird.

[@pcno2832]

Yes, the Lemans got the snoot-nose treatment right. Never much liked what they did to the Cutlass Supreme for '81 and even the Regal was a bit awkward, but these guys pulled it off.

[@NickFortier]

my first car was an 81 lemans. I wrecked it, but still have the 78 firebird nose I bought to try and combine the two. why, idk