Designing the 1992 Pontiac Grand Am (with designer John Manoogian) - Part 1

Learn more about the story behind the highly successful 1992 Pontiac Grand Am, with guest John Manoogian. John was Pontiac's Assistant Chief Designer on the vehicle and later became Cadillac's Chief Designer.

[@joshuagibson2520]

John, thank you sir. I grew up on many of your designs. You're literally sharing and documenting history when you talk with Adam. What you guys are doing is very important. Thank you again.

[@tomdelisle8955]

The right car design at the right time. I remember these everywhere. The design of the Grand AM really fit the 90's Pontiac image and pricing. Compared to the Buick and Olds cousins who designs weren't that successful. John is a great resource and speaker on car design. I really enjoy the videos with him.

[@RVPartsGerald]

Great video Adam. We miss Pontiac. GM is not the same since 2009. The 2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT was our favorite.

[@jamesengland7461]

John, you did a masterful job updating the design and making it so much more sporty looking, yet clearly retaining the design language.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

So glad to see John on the channel again. I could watch these designer discussions all day long and never get tired of them. I think the 92 Grand Am was a great looking car, but I think what's even more impressive was how it basically foretold the final 15 years of PONTIAC design language. It's sad how the brand went form seeking hundreds of thousands of grand ams, to being gone. These and the 2000 redesign for the bonneville have always been among my favorite modern cars. They were so distinctive as a Pontiac, I always appreciated that individuality and willingness of the designers to do unique things, both inside and out, even if the build quality and components didn't live up to Pontiacs of the past.

[@CCharlesHahn]

I can't agree with John more that this is important documentation work you're doing here... hopefully it will live on for decades to come as a testament to the evolution of the industry! I'm also extremely thankful that he and Wayne Kady both have been so willing to share their wealth of knowledge and experience.

[@GuyCellPhone]

Buddy, I’m originally from Detroit. Your channel is hands down one of the best I’ve ever seen. Somehow your content is never ending. Amazing job sir

[@jeffreypaul9428]

Could listen to John's stories all day long, keep them coming!

[@compu85]

John is having fun talking about things he's done, you're having fun speaking with him, and I'm greatly enjoying the whole thing. These interviews are great!

[@giggiddy]

Absolutely. Adam, thank you for letting him speak. Great interview as always!

[@jetsons101]

John Manoogian could talk about pancake batter mix and it still would be an enjoyable watch. Thanks to Adam and John for their time and work.....

[@OLDS98]

Thank you for bringing John back. It is interesting to hear what he has to say and share. John is correct about what he is saying. Pontiac Grand Am was indeed successful. I know they sold more. I rode in a 1988 and a 1992 Grand Am. What he says is true. This was Pontiac's bread and butter. This car fulfilled its mission inside Pontiac and in GM. That car was attractive. It had the right power trains too. The Buick and Oldsmobile versions looked different but were not as successful. I look forward to part two.

[@mbhinkle]

Im glad he enjoys the interviews as much as we do...some of my favs.

[@scottymoondogjakubin4766]

31 years later now everyone wants a pontiac grand am !

[@irishuwould5185]

I had a black four door 95 grand am with the quad 4 and it was a mechanical nightmare, but it was a beautiful car! I’ve always loved these gens.

[@Kizzle001]

Ribs or no ribs, Pontiac nailed this era of product design and makes me miss them that much more.

[@markdc1145]

John Manoogian is a real joy to listen to, still so much enthusiasm for his profession!

[@talis84]

My dad had a first gen Grand AM, and my first car was a 94 Grand AM. Loved that car, in all it's plastic 90's glory!

[@philjimenez4874]

Thank you John for talking to us on historic pass ideas we loved growing up .Still have my old 07 Grand Prix GXP and love it when I drive down the streets

[@mattiemadison1234]

My best friend in college drove one. And in 1993. I was in love with the grand am. They were sporty

[@davebarron5939]

These are all so great, as a certified-able Petrol-head, one thing that often comes to my mind is, who the REAL people were that were involved in some of the most iconic car designs we all know and love. The "glory" often goes to the department heads, but not the guys in the trenches. Thanks so much guys!

[@dosgos]

1985 Grand Am was a beautiful design with a nice cabin. Quality issues hurt the reputation; it could have been a giant seller.

[@compu85]

Also, growing up in Michigan in the late 90s, it's hard to overstate how popular these cars were. You saw them everywhere! And the design looked *so* modern compared to the 85 car. To quote Motorweek, the rear of the car concludes instead of just ending abruptly.

[@josephdunkle1152]

What an amazing interview with Mr. Manoogian. The '92 Grand Am still looks bold sporty and modern even 30yrs later. You can tell the designers we're really trying to make Pontiacs more exciting than the other divisions. Its too bad GM had to discontinue Pontiac.

[@markbehr88]

Always interesting to hear from the designers. Thanks Adam and John.

[@HelvisCamaro]

Hellyeah, another automotive history production with the engineers behind the cars themselves, so awesome! Keep em coming, John and Adam! It'd be sweet to see some CTS coupe drawings and thoughts on that vehicle just saying... Great video though! Love em!

[@stepheng3667]

Great interview. The 92 Grand Am was a great design. That red one at 2:05 - what a machine and I loved those mags. When I first saw one in the fall of 1991 I wanted one but I had bought a 91 Sunbird GT new the year before. I used to get the brochures and dream about getting one of those Grand Ams. Hey I was only 20 years old. But then the S Series pick up was redesigned for 94 and I ended up getting one of those instead in 95. But whenever I seen one of those GA GTs I would always do a double take. The cladding in those years was clean and different, it was only later in late 90's and early 2000's when it went too far. The We Build Excitement tagline was great too. TV commercials with young, good looking people driving sporty cars. Good times.

[@scottbrown7415]

I love these sit down sessions with design guys!

[@michaelbrown5601]

This content is spectacular. I love how John watches these videos and reads the comments, which gives us a glimpse at how well he relates to people. John conveyed his excitement and extroverted nature into his designs. Raw talent.

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

These interviews are really special!! I wanted to be a Car Designer for a while when I was a kid and I used to have my own Car Company in my own mind with different divisions! I designed cars for each division and gave them their own Themes with a more European Flare for the entire company.. I guess I wanted to go into the Entertainment Industry far more though so that's where I built my career.. Thank you for these designers and their great experience and insights.. Historical!!

[@sampsonleevon1982]

Were you any good?

[@careavis]

Love my Pontiacs wish it were still around.

[@cdstoc]

I love listening to John discuss the history of these cars I grew up with.

[@obc1500]

These were immensely popular in the Tri-City area when I was growing up in the 1990s. I’d like to see more about the 90s era GM designs, in particular the Riviera/Aurora.

[@jamiecinder9412]

The 92 Grand Am is a very special car to me. My grandmother had an aqua blue Grand Am sedan when I was a little kid, and I thought it was the coolest car in the world. It was the only car in my family that had power windows and locks at the time, and it had that very distinctive sounding GM V6 under the hood. I still miss it so much...

[@johnz8210]

John is great to have on. These cars used to be everywhere, along with Ford Tauruses. I can't remember the last time I saw any of them on the road.

[@don1863]

Another great interview Adam. I could listen for hours all of the “war stories” as told by the legends themselves of a great era of the automotive industry. You can just hear the pride and excitement from John after 30+ years later as he speaks about his experiences. I am willing to bet there is not that kind of excitement in the auto industry of today.

[@DSP1968]

I'm very glad that John continues to sit with you and explain the process and his thoughts about the various cars which he designed. I think the subject of this conversation, the 1992 Grand Am (and related N-cars) were better looking and much more unique than their predecessors. I look forward to part 2.

[@joshuagibson2520]

The 90s grand ams weren't too bad. I really liked the Grand Prix series myself. I can only hope they're to be featured here soon as well!

[@flyonbyya]

Grand Prix for SURE !

[@norton750commando]

1994 GTP was a really nice design.

[@funguylance]

Fascinating stuff guys! I can listen to John & Wayne & Bob, & Mark all day long with much enthusiasm. This is a wonderful perspective on automotive design that we wouldn't otherwise see, if it wasn't for you and these knowledgeable gentlemen bringing the inner workings of history to us. I applaud you all. Thanks very much Adam!

[@mopartony7953]

KZbin could charge to watch these GM styling history interviews. Tied for Best automotive channel on YT. Tied with Curious Cars.

[@jeffshadow2407]

The Achieva was delayed for three months because of the decision to add the solid rear wheel "skirts", making the car look like a 2/3 scale Ninety Eight. That's how I sold them and I sold ten or more per month from November 1991 to July 1992. Also sold several SCX models. I sold twice as many Aleros when they came out for 1999. I have also owned three Alero coupes (2000 GLS, 2002 GX and currently a 2003 GLS). All fantastic cars with no problems at all.

[@jamescalvin902]

I was going to write a similar comment. Bought my first GM product in late 1998: a brand new white Alero GLS V6 in the first year for the model (1999). The Grand Am was an interesting vehicle, but the Alero had a cleaner, more beautiful look IMHO. I always thought the Alero was underestimated and under appreciated. It was one of the most reliable vehicles I've owned; was comfortable and responsive. I've owned a Corvette for nearly 14 years, but I still miss that Alero. I'm still saddened that GM cancelled Olds, because with the Aurora, Intrigue, and Alero, they had really put a lot into the brand.

[@jamesbaran7955]

Thank you for the conversation. My husband and I purchased a 1992 Gran Am… loved the car. It was replaced by an Olds Intrigue. ThePontiac went to my mother. Great car until the trans failed at 80,000mi.E’s.

[@motomuso]

Good job on that '92 Grand AM John! I liked mine quite a bit as a young dad.

[@hynestimothy411]

Great interview, it was informative and most importantly comfortable Thanks Adam

[@jiggity76]

Incredible story and so enjoyable to watch! Thank you John for those beautiful drawings and your astounding work on the cars I love! I currently own a 1993 Grand Prix STE sedan and just love it!

[@Paul1958R]

Ive never been a big GM fanboy but I will say that Mr. Manoogian knew what he was doing and - for the most part - did it well.

[@zigforjustice]

I really appreciated John taking the time talking about tape drawings. I had no idea!

[@bestpilot98]

Fascinating conversation with Mr. Manoogian. Thanks for the great video!

[@GaemerJosh]

I have been binging these videos watching John explain and show his illustrations. so fascinating! Would love to see his drawings from Saturn!

[@jewllake]

I loved my white 91 Grand AM 2 door coupe with the cladding and ribs painted argent silver. It had alloy wheels, pin striping and fog lights!

[@frankiemck40]

When the ‘92s came out I really liked the way it looked and I had to get one. A burgundy coupe with a V6. Loved it

[@GordonBeckles]

I remember Pontiac's adoption of the Mercedes S-Class Coupe "side molding" on their vehicles, and indeed this DID make their cars stand out from the crowd (though eventually this became a running joke as some folks grew tired of it). The low "sports car" hood (seen first on hidden headlight Honda Accords and Preludes) was tastefully applied to Pontiac cars successfully, and although I was an import buyer... Pontiacs were the sole domestic brand that appealed to me based on appearance... as much as the reputation for sportiness. Just saw a 95 V6 Firebird the other day and fell in love all over again. Pontiac lover for life...👍🏾

[@oriedobson2635]

thank you very much for these retrospectives. would love to see interviews with Gus Buenz and others who were around for the end of oldsmobile

[@ricksand6477]

Another fascinating interview with Mr. Manoogian - Thanks so much, Adam! I remember the cladding being such a defining element in Pontiac design in those years. That cladding was almost an update of the silver streaks that defined the Pontiac look from the late 1930's up through the early 1950's.

[@juelzm149]

Thank you again for your time and knowledge! I enjoy these videos so much and this one in particular. I had a few Grand Ams over the years lol

[@johnh2514]

Thanks for another great interview Adam. My wife owned a ‘91 Quad 4 SE sedan, and ‘99 SE V6 sedan. Good cars new, but unfortunately neither aged very well beyond 70k miles despite meticulous maintenance. I would love to see a round table discussion with John, Wayne and Bob Lutz if the logistics made sense. Hearing their thoughts on GM designs through the decades would be amazing.

[@jonspence6782]

Thank you Adam, thank you John, fascinating.

[@throttlewatch4614]

Always loved Pontiac always will . The Grand Am had that distinctive raspy V6 exhaust note

[@VA3DSO]

Awesome video! I owned a 1992 Grand Am GT with the 3.3L V6 which unfortunately got written off in an accident, and replaced it with my first NEW car - a 1995 Grand Am GT. Both were excellent cars that I very much enjoyed owning.

[@brianreardon7700]

I bought a brand new 92 grand am gt black.. after my 86 grand am se .. loved it! With quad exhaust.. I was like a kid in a candy story on the dealer lot that day.. they I think 3 or 4 brand new grand am gt all lined up .. that’s for a great car and and great design! Loved the front of it!!!

[@lorieandpatrickdavies7483]

Another great discussion with John Manoogian, very enjoyable and interesting. We owned a 1992 Grand Am GT for a couple years. I can recall seeing them practically everywhere; now, pretty rare to see a Grand Am on the road, and I confess I haven't seen an Olds or Buick A-body driving around in practically forever. Just a suggestion for a future episode, I would love to have you interview the designers of the Third and Fourth generation Camaro/Firebirds, that would be fascinating.

[@dosgos]

Neighbor said a ~1992 Buick Skylark was favorite car of all time. Lasted forever and I got to drive it when it had 200k miles; well built and still looked and drove great.

[@njb973]

These really were everywhere.

[@docthediesel7781]

We had a ‘96 Grand Am GT coupe, which was refreshed from the ‘92. It was the highest-quality GM car our family owned - lasted for many years and still looked good well after its “newness” wore off.

[@docjohn5986]

Great insight into the design process

[@utahrides2903]

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s these cars are in my history…

[@svengazibo]

Had a bright blue 1992 SE coupe, first one in town before they were seen everywhere. People would come up to it in parking lots to talk the car. Some thought it was a BMW, they thought it was unique and had to be shown the Pontiac emblem to believe it. I thought the '92 was a nice fresh looking car but still carried the best of the prior model's design elements forward. Got a new 1995 right after because I still liked the styling this time a dark red with a spoiler.

[@Andoniscars]

can't wait to see some more. interested in the pursuit, banshee of course, rageous, original story of Aztec, all the sunfire concepts, the stinger...keep em coming. great show.

[@jimmypontious550]

Another great show. Always looking forward to the next .I had a 75 Le Man's. Very good car . I didn't keep it long. When I sold it I immediately regretted it. It was solid comfortable car.

[@klwthe3rd]

Pontiac definately sold the "We build excitement" motto all during the late 80's and early 90's. Personally i liked the ribbed lower body molding BUT....for me the Grand Am and other Pontiacs really took it to an extreme. The body moldings on that marque were so THICK and bulky looking that it actually looked cheap to me. The Grand Prix and Bonnevilles used the same super thick cladding which pushed me over to the other divisions like Oldsmobile & Buick. As a design, i loved the 1985-1991 body style as well as the redesign 1992 - 1995. John hit a home run on the redesign and i can remember back then seeing TONS of those Grand Ams on the road driving around. They were very very popular and most were the higher trim leveled vehicles that were really decked out with all the bells and whistles. I applaud John for his hard work.

[@HurstW45]

Not even 1/2 through and I find this “lost art” fascinating. So cool 👍🏻

[@Paul-cx4gm]

I always liked these My bro and his wife had a white coupe for a few years. Nice looking car for the time.

[@FLINTmitten810]

My pops had a 1988 grand am se with the “DOHC 16 valve” tag on the front fender with the cooler taillights and ground kit. It was black with a floor shifter and that car was pretty damn cool. That quad 4 was quick for what it was and quite dependable. I’d love to have that car.

[@debrastarke3996]

Pontiacs of that era, Grand Am, 6000 and others more often had gauges on the dash when other car companies didn’t, the dash light color and interior lighting was always the best, including the angled towards the driver shift lever

[@JasonJones-br3or]

Great interview. I myself never saw a marked cosmetic distinction between the Calais, Skylark/Somerset, or the Grand Am; although, I do remember the Somerset being really impressive on the inside... like being in a ST: TNG Federation shuttlecraft. I can't imagine what it's like to be a designer, when you have management breathing down your neck to wow the consumer under unforgiving parameters.

[@SuperGamesLegend]

I had the opportunity to drive one of the souped up V6 models as a loaner from a dealership. Great looking car for the time. Scary quick and exceptional handling. The seats however were the most uncomfortable I've ever experienced in a car. It was fun experience otherwise. Thanks for the upload.

[@stevenspaqi1414]

Loved the video but im so anxious to see you ambassador!

[@JohninTucson]

I had a '89 Grand Am with the Quad four engine, and it was a great little car! very comfy and reliable other than the burning/melting ignition switch that failed on me twice and melted part of the steering column area. That's when I traded it in for a Honda Prelude, but that's a story for another day.

[@VincentVader]

I'd like to see an interview with the designer of the Pontiac Aztek.

[@whitsundaydreaming]

I had a 1990 Grand Am and I loved the look and the ribs. What I didn’t love was the Olds 4 cyl oil-burning engine, interior squeaks, insanely leaky sunroof and upper body rust. But yes it looked great.

[@kenleppek]

Ooohhh buddy I was a kid when those came out. They were sharp.

[@ginamiller6015]

I expected the car to perform well, but I Wanted and Needed the car to look good! Styling is so important to automotive enthusiasts. So many of us had a passion for the styling of the era, we could always identify the make of any vehicle from any angle.

[@jeffscomp]

Pontiacs were awesome cars. Very aerodynamic and sporty.

[@cardo1111]

The redesign in the early 90's was a pretty car that sold well, here in the NY metro burbs. I particularly remember many in white with the heavy cladding, was a big time chick mobile.

[@patrickmasterson3848]

As he explained the TAPE DRAWINGS at the beginning of this talk, I'd like to hear more of John's insights into other discreet areas of the stylists job -- like what was the "riding with customers" thing all about; what about styling in Clay, the importance of Daylight in evaluating designs, trying to use forms that were stamp-able. Etc. But in the meantime, kudos, kudos, kudos.

[@michaelsimko7694]

Those 90s Grand Ams were found everywhere in numbers from the 1990s-2010s. I still occasionally see them on the roads and highways. I love the sporty, youthful, retro designs of the fourth and fifth gen Grand Ams. Even though the third, fourth, and fifth gen Grand Ams were very successful cars, there's other Pontiacs from the 1980s-2010 that costed the brand and GM.

[@wingsley]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I saw the 1992 N-bodies as being a logical (external) design evolution of the previous 1985 No-body, but adopting some of the L-body's (Chevy Corsica and Beretta) more rounded, aerodynamic exterior shape cues. I thought the 1992s were a major improvement, even if the redesign was years overdue.

[@elplata7224]

My mom ended up buying a fully optioned cavalier about this time. She loves that car.

[@gordtulk]

Just curious - the ‘92 grand Am was unquestionably a sales hit, but did it simply steal those sales from its (far less well-styled) sisters at Olds and Buick or did it take sales away from the non-GM competition? Love these interviews - significant historical work.

[@tntanto]

I had a 1986 dark blue Grand Am, which stylistically I loved. I recently saw in person a current generation Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which features headlights from the Pontiac Grand Am generation featured in this video. Interestingly, the Wienermobile also features Camaro tail lights flipped upside down.

[@killercan10]

This is fantastic. I'd love to see a piece on the first gen N body cars from you. Would be interesting to hear some of the history behind it.

[@Trance88]

I've always liked the way the 1992-1995 Grand Am looked. I thought it always stood out and aged quite well compared to other early 90's GM vehicles.

[@nb7466]

Everyone has one of these when I was a kid. The one thing I remember was that the 2.2l ran forever. And the seats were hard

[@HypocriticYT]

I had a 72 Catalina coupe with the 400 engine, great car but occasionally you’d catch the lower body in front of the rear wheel well. After doing this twice I began looking at other Pontiacs and it seemed that they too got that crease

[@Streamer22]

John talked about how small changes to the lines on a full scale drawing were very noticeable. It reminded me of a piece by Robert Cumberford where he wrote about how Nuccio Bertone (I believe that's who it was) once asked his designers to lower the roofline on a clay model by 1 mm. They didn't, figuring he wouldn't notice. He came back the next day, and said that he should have asked them to take off 2 mm, because it was still too high!

[@ds-il7ik]

Excitement

[@loumontcalm3500]

Those "bird beak" Skylarks... especially the four doors, were cars that only a rental fleet could love.

[@jeffshadow2407]

but they were straight out of the early 1950s!

[@howebrad4601]

They were designed off the buick bolero concept car which I think looked awesome. Somewhere between concept and production the cost cutting happened, and after it was cheapened, didn't work out that well.

[@stephendavidbailey2743]

Amazing that such a successful - and handsome - car has completely disappeared from the roads.

[@Fljeff7]

A few time over the years got some of these as a rental car. They were nice cars for there time

[@joshuagibson2520]

So happy for this 90s content. I love it all Adam! Esp 70s 80s 90s.

[@zroger73]

After starting out with a few used cars when I was a teenager, my first new car would have been a white 1991 Camaro RS. I started the paperwork then went to lunch while the dealer waited for it to arrive from another dealer as a trade. When I passed the local Pontiac dealer, I saw a beautiful black coupe sitting at the top of a transport truck that was delivering a load of new vehicles. I pulled into the dealership and asked what it was - they said it was the all-new 1992 Grand Am. I ended up buying it on the spot. I drove back to the Chevrolet dealership to cancel the deal on the Camaro. The salesman acted pretty upset and told me to never set foot on their lot again. I still have the window sticker and a video of that black 1992 Grand Am SE coupe that I enjoyed for two years before trading it in. The sheet metal on the doors and fenders was so thin that it would deform just by leaning up against it, it made a loud squeak every time I shifted to reverse, the power windows fell out of their tracks on multiple occasions, the anti-lock braking system failed, and coolant started leaking from the top of the noisy, rough, and modestly-powered 2.3L Quad OHC engine. 30 years later, I wished I would have bought the Camaro, but I still enjoy the memories I made while owning the Grand Am. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5CZgGuff8Rpns0