Why Did Pontiac Move From "Sport" to "Luxury" in the 1970s? Learn What Drove This Change!

Learn why Pontiac decided to move away from Sport and toward Luxury as the 1970s began.

[@marko7843]

Both Pontiac AND Olds sold an amazing number of cars in those last glorious years..

[@drippinglass]

I miss Pontiac.

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

I love old Pontiacs, but their last cars were just SUPER inconvenient Chevies (ridiculous electronics and such).

[@Nick-Milan]

@@The_sinner_Jim_WhitneyI was in love with the Trans Am concept 455 Super Duty

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

@@Nick-Milan The SD 455s were the last real muscle cars, it's a shame so few of them exist.

[@CJColvin]

Same here

[@CJColvin]

​@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney Right and the 04-06 GTO was nothing but a rebadged Holden Monaro from Australia 🇦🇺 and the 08-09 Pontiac G8 was nothing but a rebadged Holden Commodore from Australia 🇦🇺 as well. Also the Pontiac Vibe was just a rebadged Toyota Matrix as well.

[@gcfifthgear]

It could well be argued that Pontiac began moving from "sport" to :luxury as far back as 1964. The same year that John DeLorean managed to sneak the GTO under the corporate radar, Pontiac offered the first Bonneville Brougham--a four-door Vista hardtop with a black or white Cordova (vinyl) top with a black Preston cloth interior. While sales were relatively small, it spurred Pontiac to offer a similar model--a LeMans 4-door sedan with the same Preston cloth interior in 1965 (which was quickly replaced with a new 4-door hardtop in 1966). The nose grilles on the 1970 Pontiac were intended to house high-intensity running lights (similar to the Dodge Super-Lite) but ended up housing the horns. Moreover, the 1971-73 Grand Ville hardtops used a roof remarkably similar to the Cadillac Coupe and Sedan deVilles of the same period (their body codes had the same last two digits as the Cadillac bodies). However, Pontiac had so many "Grand" models by 1973 (Grand Prix, Grand Ville, Grand Safari, Grand Am, and Grand LeMans after 1975), it was not unlike Oldsmobile slapping "Cutlass" on so many '70s and '80's model that customers were confused. That was one reason the Grand Ville Brougham was renamed Bonneville Brougham for 1976

[@jeffrobodine8579]

I do remember Bill Hickman driving a 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville getting chased by Roy Scheider in a 1973 Pontiac Ventura in The Seven Ups.

[@anthonym.cardali1875]

There is a website somewhere detailing how beefed up that Ventura was for the filming. It' s stance is completely performance suspension. You can see why so many Bonnie's and Grand Ville's met their demise in a Demo Derby.

[@Goat69-mi1ku]

Since their V8's all shared the same block, you could stuff a 455 into the Ventura. I often wondered if anyone ordered a '74 GTO with an SD455 via Pontiac's version of COPO orf there was a Dealer like Nicky or Yenko for Pontiacs.@@anthonym.cardali1875

[@leewaken5059]

"73" Grandville and Ventura starred in, The Seven Ups. Excellent movie. 👍🏼

[@tonyflorio3269]

To be fair, Pontiac did work about as hard as anyone to redefine performance within the new parameters. The Trans Am (and Formula) continued after Chevy axed the Z-28 and other ponycars were cancelled entirely. The Grand Am was a pretty decent take on a more GT oriented coupe that looked great and was reviewed well but didn't sell like the Grand Prix. The 60s performance car market really shrank in the 70s. I think Pontiac did better than most in terms of adapting while still providing some intersting cars. Even in the 60s, not every Pontiac was a GTO, after all!

[@EyesWideOpen61]

I had a 1975 Formula Firebird. The smog motor 350 was weak, but the looks were great and I put headers and different intake and a few other things and it was lovely If you wanted a sporty Pontiac, they still made these Firebirds and you could work around the shortcomings. Mine had ran regular fuel with the cat removed, there was no inspections Maybe I’m Pontiac crazy but love Grand Ams 1973-1981 too. Of course Grand Prixuntil 78 It’s funny I hear you often mention it the benefits of advancing the timing on smog era cars, I had my distributor twisted as far as it would physically go 😂

[@ghall7763]

My first Car was a 1973 Gran Prix SJ with a big old 455 up front… what a beautiful beast it was.❤

[@ruxrox]

When my family lived in Pittsburgh in 65-67, they would take us out to just drive around and get us sleepy. Dad drove us through North Hills Plaza. Thom McCann shoe store had a 66' GTO in their outside foyer. Some type of advertising agreement. The car was black on black. No vinyl. Also, the car had the original slots. I said to myself, "I will have a car like that when I can drive!" Sure enough, in 1973 I bought one used just like the car at TM Shoes. $900.

[@kcindc5539]

I know NHP well. Where in Pittsburgh were you? We lived in Moon during that era.

[@pcno2832]

That's a name you don't hear any more. It died so gradually, I never noticed when the last one finally closed. Fairly recently, I was driving through downtown Natick, MA, and noticed the yellow anodized aluminum honeycomb that used to be the backing for the Thom McCann sign over the store where I got shoes as a kid. I'll bet I was the only one who saw it that day that knew why it was originally put there.

[@jamesengland7461]

How funny! I JUST FINISHED watching Ed's video on that Duesenburg revival car, and here it's mentioned again!

[@cadillacguy1890]

Pontiac had a somewhat embarrassing moment and certainly created a problem for Motor Trend in 1973. The story goes that Pontiac and GM top leadership had essentially decreed that performance was dead. They felt increasingly negative press about the safety or lack thereof especially in high horsepower vehicles, along with increasing environmental awareness, and insurance premiums that were skyrocketing, meant a performance image was becoming a liability. The engineering team at Pontiac was loaded with car enthusiasts who didn’t want to see the end of the performance offerings at the brand. They built a “one off” Super Duty 455 GTO that wound up in the hands of the Motor Trend testing staff for Car Of The Year consideration. In fact the GTO won. However, there were no plans at Pontiac to produce a Super Duty 455 GTO and GM management wouldn’t budge on their refusal to build it. Motor Trend had to hurriedly redo the COTY to name the Chevrolet Monte Carlo as the winner.

[@maxr4448]

I remember that, Thanks!

[@fartamplifer]

It was Hi-Performance Cars magazine, but yeah. What happened was during emissions testing the EPA found cheat devices on the Pontiac V8s. Essentially timers on the EGR valves that would render them inoperative after the duration of an emissions test. Pontiac had to spend a bunch of money recertifying its V8s. After that fiasco, Pontiac limited the availability of the engine to the Firebird Formulas and Trans Ams. The widespread availability of the 455 Super-Duty in LeMans, GTO, Grand Prix, and Grand Am models was promised in early sales brochures, but never actually happened.

[@phantom0456]

The 71 looks better to me. I actually kinda like it. Hey, you asked!

[@CJColvin]

It's a similar fate that Dodge is facing today.

[@Richard4point6]

IMO, the '73 Monte Carlo is one of the most ridiculous styling exercises.

[@broeheemed32]

It's hard to be considered "sport" when you're offering 110hp V8s.

[@perdanielsorensen7775]

As far as I know they offered engines with more than 110hp in some models every year. I think the low water mark for the Trans Am was the early 3rd generation when it had a 145hp 305, and there was the optional 305 CFI that developed 165hp in 1982.

[@FenderFAYK]

Still better than boring Mercedes...

[@robertholzhauer959]

I think the 1970 Bonneville exterior looks great! I wouldn’t mind owning one 🙂

[@johnde2754]

I thought those early seventy models while distinctive bordered on hideous. John DeLorean was definitely the force with the type of clout at GM at the time that changed the Pontiac division to performance oriented. According to his book "On A Clear Day You Can See GM" he was extremely disappointed that he wasn't made head of Corvette. This was the position he really sought and may have hastened his departure from the company. BTW - I believe James Garner's "Rockford Files" also played a significant role to help Pontiac's sales. Those Firebird Espirits he beat the living crap out of for six seasons created a lot of demand for wannabe private investigators. 🤣. 🔛. 🤣. Many Thanks Yo ! 💯

[@corgiowner436]

Fun fact - the cars in the Rockford files were supposedly Formula 400’s disguised to look like Esprits

[@tomwesley7884]

I'd go a step further and say they were hideous. Clunky snouts only a mother could love. Duesenberg my foot.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

Great analysis, Adam! I honestly feel like Pontiac was always somewhat focused on comfort, even during the height of their performance car era of the 60s. The full size cars in particular were often sprung more softly than say an Oldsmobile, as you pointed out in one of your earlier video. Their flagship car, the Grand Prix, even started as a mix of luxury and performance. The material and build quality of the middle 60s was also quite good. The eventual progression into converting the entirety of the lineup into luxury-focused cars makes sense in that regard- Pontiac had experience building high quality, comfortable vehicles in the 1960s. They tried this again during the 70s, albeit reflecting the changes of the buying public. In the 60s, even the comfy cars managed to have some performance image, thanks to an impressive marketing effort. Once "sport" and performance was legislated out of existence, that left only the luxury trappings. In retrospect, I think Pontiac did an admirable job of adapting during this period, working to their strengths and focusing different products on different niches- the Grand Prix focused more on personal luxury, the full size cars on family comfort, and the Firebird a performance holdout even during the dark days of Malaise. I think it really wasn't until the late 80s that Pontiac began to suffer, as the big comfy family cars, which had managed to retain some reputation for quality, became badge engineered copies of what the other divisions were selling, removing much of the distinctive perception the public had of Pontiac. While the Firebird held on as a performance and style leader, the rest of the line never seemed to build mass recognition the same way the GTO had in the 60s. In spite of sometimes excellent sales, the driving experience of a 90s or 00s Pontiac (excluding the firebird) didn't live up to the exciting styling the cars had. A shame, because Pontiac made a lot of great cars. And I've gotta say I like the 70 over the 71 Pontiac. I also have to say, I am quite fond of the 72 front end...I find it quite reminiscent of the 71 Eldorado. Across the board, Pontiac's button tufted diamond stitched seats get my vote for some of the most attractive seats GM had on offer during the period.

[@Primus54]

Excellent comment. 👍

[@CJColvin]

Agreed, though there was the 04-06 GTO but it was nothing but a rebadged Holden Monaro from Australia 🇦🇺 and the Pontiac G8 from 08-09 was a rebadged Holden Commodore from Australia 🇦🇺 as well.

[@kenttalsma7906]

I grew up in Grandville, MI. I remember the mayor of Grandville, John Prangley, wrote a letter to the boss at Pontiac about the car's name. It was like a thank you letter. I don't recall, my mother told me she read it in the Grandville Star, our hometown newspaper.

[@colinschmitz8297]

I thank you for creating this video and your in-depth research and analysis on why this was done and the business reasons why it kind of worked at least on the short term. I think it worked for the short-term but failed in the long term. The problem with this strategy was precisely what you said it competed against, other GM divisions. In my view this opened up a hole in the market that BMW and Mercedes took over. If Pontiac was forced into making less powerful cars, they could have at least focused those cars in a more sporty direction focusing on the suspensions, good styling, interior choices, etc. when they started to move back towards performance I think some of the credibility was lost and GMs typical divisional politics didn't help either. The obsession with protecting the Corvette instead of ever seeing a place for a car beyond the Corvette didn't help matters at all.

[@colibri1]

That move to luxury trim as opposed to performance was a general US industry trend in the seventies, for the reasons you mentioned. I didn't remember that Pontiac's moves in that direction had been so successful, because I recall that, in the mid- to late seventies particularly, when people thought of Pontiac it seemed like the first car they thought of was the Firebird Trans Am. Plus, Pontiac's attempts at seventies-style velour, button-tufting, and landau roofs didn't look as good to me as similar attempts by Oldsmobile and Buick, but that was obviously just my opinion, as the cars apparently sold well.

[@jetsons101]

Adam, I'm not sure what you're looking for in the GP-Photo at 0:25 but I like the reflection of the center rear view mirror on the hood of the car -- great detail thinking on the part of the artist.

[@OldDood]

Like someone else posted about the Rockford Car I believe that in itself helped Pontiac achieve their highest sales in 1978. For those of us that watched that show back then learned to LOVE that car. PLUS the signature 'J-Turn' that James Gardener was famous for. (Yes, Jim Gardener did that stunt by himself) Still the 1960's Pontiacs happen to be my favorite. I was never a 'Fan' of the Grandville no matter what year it was produced. (If you want to see the Grandville 'Perform' then watch the film: *The Seven Ups* (circa 1973) *SIDE NOTE:* I would give just about anything to ride in your 1965 Bonneville. Even being able to stand beside it would be a treat. And the thing is you are not all that far from me geographically. Please let us know if you are showing your vehicles somewhere in Michigan this coming summer. That would be a treat. Thank You Adam.

[@edwardpate6128]

Between Rockford and Smokey and the Bandit helped supercharge sales of the Firebird.

[@joehumenansky8225]

I owned a '78 Grand Prix. It was not going to win many races with the 301 but it got excellent gas mileage. If memory serves me I recall an ad campaign for Pontiac in later years for the Bonneville where the tagline was luxury with attitude. That is what it turned into. Supercharged 3800. Lots of cladding on the lower body. My personal favorites were the mid to late '60's and 1970. I did like the downsized cars of the late '70's and early 80's. GM truly reflects the times. Notice there are no more middle market cars? Buick isn't anything near what it was. I miss the Riviera and Park Avenue. I doubt we will ever see the likes of those great cars again!

[@DerrickOil]

1979 Grand Prix owner, Father bought it brand new. 200K on the 301.

[@randyfitz8310]

One thousand views in the first hour - excellent channel content and viewership growth, Adam!

[@kenttalsma7906]

People need their auto fix. Adam didn't post over Christmas. Suddenly, there's 2or3 posts. All that pent up need burst forth like a wet dream. (Sorry Adam)

[@RareClassicCars]

Wow. Ha.

[@volktales7005]

Mom drove a '71 LeMans Sport from the late '70's to the mid '80's. Neighbour liked it so much that he bought a silver '72 LeMans sedan. Saw several Luxury LeMans at that time, and thought the skirts ruined a nice looking car. Pontiacs on every street in Canada in those days... Neighbour down the road had a minty '75-ish Grand Ville convertible that he drove on nice days. Years later he became an alcoholic, and the Pontiac became his only driver. Amazingly I still see him driving it today, only the car is now in terrible condition. Just like him!

[@Next_Cruise_Please]

I prefer the 70 over the 71 styling. I always liked the Grand Prix and Firebird, but preferred the 1981 restyle of the GP over the 78-80. Thanks for the video.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you Adam. I enjoyed the video. I liked the 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix a lot. I understand why Pontiac switched its marketing strategy, but then a new problem was created. This is the point Pontiac and Oldsmobile and Buick started to become too much like each other in the market offering midlevel luxury cars. I liked the 1975-1976 Pontiac Bonneville and Grand Bonneville( Grand Ville). I liked the Trans Am during this era too. Pontiac still had one performance sedan: the Grand Am. It was performance and was a cross between Trans Am and Grand Prix. It was supposedly European inspired. We would see this replay itself in the 1980's with the 6000 STE. Pontiac left the luxury and went back to performance because they wanted young buyers and wanted to make themselves different from other GM brands. I really like the 1980-1981 Pontiac Bonneville/Parisienne Brougham. I liked the 1981-1987 Pontiac Grand Prix too. By 1990 after Safari wagon left, all the luxury Pontiacs were gone. It was LE, SE, GT, STE, SSE and Turbo in the 1980's moving forward. Like they said... "We Build Excitement". I recall Luxury LeMans with its fender skirts and more. They started getting the front end right after 1973. I recall the 1970 front end. I recall seeing it on Bewitched in an episode. They tried to bring that front back on the Grand Prix on the GXP in the 2000's.

[@mylanmiller9656]

I don't see Dusinburge but I do see Edsel The 1971 Pontiac looks like hell. The biggest reason things changed was they eliminated the guy that made Pontiacs Sporty, that was John Delorian.

[@jamesengland7461]

Adam, in these cold, salty doldroms of winter when the classics are hibernating and the porch is frosty, I would be happy to hear some fireside chats, even charts, from you about the bean- counting 😂 history of American makes, whether it be those competing sales numbers high and low points, and any curiosities you find interesting along the way. Examples include this 1978 sales high point for Pontiac, or something I think you touched on long ago about the odd ups and downs of Thunderbird sales- weren't the biggest 70s models actually far and away the best sellers? Perhaps things like: the arc of wagon market share over the years, wildest number of engine options, growth of pickup sales, most expensive optional equipment, really just whatever interests you.

[@rf159a]

My dad owned Pontiacs all his life. Starting with a Pontiac Star Chief and ending with I believe a Bonneville before his death.

[@rogerhinman5427]

My favorite Pontiacs from this period are the GTO and the Firebird. My personal opinion is that Pontiac could have developed a smaller sport sedan that could have kept the sporty DNA alive and not attracted the insurance and fuel costs the muscle cars were experiencing. This would hopefully gain younger customers while keeping current ones with the luxury cars. They could have used the BMW 2002tii as a template to work off for instance. I'm sure there were other options as well.

[@jeffstonecipher1594]

They actually did exactly that in the mid/late 80's -adding sport versions to much of their lineup in pursuit of customers otherwise shopping European cars like BMW. The Bonneville SSE was at least an interesting response to BMW and others who were mopping the floor with GM. I owned an '88 SSE in the mid '90s -was a descent car overall, I think the front drive platform it shared with all the other divisions sort of limited it's "sport" capabilities -certainly did not compete with the likes of BWM's 5 series in terms of handling, but it was a competent sporty-ish luxury cruiser....

[@nthused]

they did with the Fiero but like most thing GM, gave up on its development. The biggest problem with GM is that it’s been controlled by accountants more than enthusiasts

[@brianlaurance8570]

The 6000STE of the mid-1980's probably came closest to achieving the idea of a smaller sport sedan. I drove one and found it very impressive for the time.

[@jeffstonecipher1594]

That was a very cool car. My sister had one of those in the mid 90s when I had my SSE. Adam did a great episode covering the STE and brought back those memories🙂@@brianlaurance8570

[@dave1956]

My first new car was a 1978 Bonneville Brougham 2 door coupe. As far as the 1970-1971 debate, give me the 1970.

[@Trex1268]

I have a 1970 Catalina. I can take or leave the front end, but the rear end is one of Pontiac's best.

[@pcno2832]

I like the '70 a little better than the '71. The "horn grilles" give it more character than most cars from that era; reminding me of a Rolls Siver Cloud or a Jaguar. The 71 was also cool looking and I really appreciated the "cockpit" style dashboards that Pontiac kept all the way through '76, a layout which went away from some of the other divisions when GM adopted lockup self-retracting shoulder belts in '74. Even the '73, with its protruding bumper, didn't bother me; it emphasized this new feature and GM did make the effort to make the upper and lower grilles match in those years, unlike their '80s models with just a hole on the bottom. The hole, which was probably shared by all divisions, no doubt saved money and probably made it easier to reduce drag, but it made GM's 1980s "cookie cutter" reputation even more obvious.

[@DSP1968]

A great history of why and how Pontiac changed in this era, Adam. I'd take the '71, build quality notwithstanding. Not sure if I have a favorite of this era, although the downsized Bonneville Brougham of the late '70s with the striped velour is amazing!

[@WIED66]

I wish Pontiac was still around.

[@teebird94]

I LOVE the 1970,especially the front end style..i was 7 years old in 1970 so it was "outta sight man" Maybe not as cool to an older person :P But the things i loved in my youth have stuck with me and the 1970 is one of them.

[@sf-dn8rh]

I had a 98 Bonneville and loved it, had the 3800 v6, and sporty

[@ELPECEE]

I like the 1970 Bonneville better than the '71. The 1970 looks like a Pontiac. After that they looked more and more like an Oldsmobile. The smaller Pontiacs from this era looked good pretty much all the way through 1977. I wasn't a fan of the 1978 downsizing. Another thing that I think helped kill Pontiac was the badge engineering. When there's no significant difference between a Chevy and a Pontiac (Monza/Sunbird; Nova/Ventura (or Phoenix); Vega/Astre; Monte Carlo/Grand Prix) you might as well get a less-expensive Chevy. As the years went on there was less and less difference between the GM brands. Sometimes the only difference was nose and tail treatments, if even that.

[@turnpikebear]

I own a 1973 Luxury LeMans I've had for the past 35 years. I've also owned many full sized Pontiacs from 1966 to 1980 like Catalinas and Bonneville Broughams.

[@Henry_Jones]

HP choking emissions meant they needed a new angle. Bling was king in the 70s for all the american brands!

[@peaches8829]

I had a ‘75 LeMans GT, loved it

[@jimbo97]

My first new car was the new '73 Grand Am with the 455 and manual sunroof! I had no regrets.

[@rickh8380]

My first car was a Pontiac Le Mans Custom S. 350ci V8 2BRL carb and a Turbo 400 AT. Claimed 265HP. I miss that car.

[@hiitsstillme]

Thanks for another great review, Adam! A prime example of to-each-his-own in the subject of automotive design. We admire full-size Pontiacs from '65-'67. To us, this was the pinnacle time for Pontiac, and perhaps GM for that matter... in styling both inside and out. To us, just about everything that came after had a compromised, de-contented feel to it. The post '72 bumpers were indeed the end of the road for design supremacy over federal regulations.

[@SeaTravelr123]

Im on team 71... I have 2 71's now, a Grand Ville Convertible and Bonneville Coupe.. My first car was a 71 Catalina Coupe

[@tdvandy2]

Should Pontiac had tried to stay more to the sporty side, I think they would have run into trouble much sooner. The power trains available at the time simply could not live up to the mantra. Also, had they stayed true to the sport side, those folks that returned to buy would have gone elsewhere for the family transport that they needed at that point. Oddly enough, though, Pontiac returned to sport and "excitement " as the eighties moved on. Again, Pontiac was able to bring in a more youthful buyer, at least for a short period of time.

[@rm25088]

Pontiac made some of the most gorgeous cars ever made.

[@BullRunRoad30]

Regarding the photo at 0:30, the car pictured is a 1968 Grand Prix; this was John DeLorean's last year at Pontiac before becoming Chevrolet's general manager in 1969. Perhaps this explains the visual resemblance between the roofline of the 68 Grand Prix and that of the 69 Impala sport coupe.

[@timbecker8707]

Favorites from the 70s for me are 1977 Grand Prix and Trans Am, 1975 Catalina 2-door, 1979 Bonneville 2-door with bucket seats, console shifter and snowflake wheels.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Adam, From 1971 onward the full size Pontiacs looked fine. In recent times people have again turned their backs on sports cars and chosen comfortable SUVs.

[@mymomsaysimcool9650]

My dad was forced to lose his prized 64 GTO when I was born. He traded for a 72 Grand Prix. To this day, I remember them trading it in for a 78 Cutlass Supreme. I cried in the back of the olds as we left our family member at the dealer. Miss GM.

[@tedlym.3390]

If it's a Pontiac, I love it. Thank you,

[@ricksand6477]

Great analysis of what was happening in the market and Pontiac's response to the changes. Unfortunately for Pontiac, their divisional cousins, Buick and Olds had owned the affordable luxury niche for quite some time, making it very difficult for potential customers to think of Pontiac in the same space - especially while they continued to produce one of the few remaining performance cars still available with the Trans Am - leaving them with a very fractured Jekyll and Hyde image. Sure, they sold a lot of units initially - but this split personality of trying to be two different things led to a long slow slide where even General Motors seemed to forget what Pontiac stood for from a marketing perspective. Look what GM is doing with Buick in the U.S. market today. History is repeating itself.

[@terrypikaart4394]

It was the right move, you said it 900,000 cars in 78. Owned a 78 Grand Prix with the 301. Great car, cheep crappy engine but had enough torque to get the job done. Such a pleasure to dive. So quiet and smooth, speedo needle would almost touch the back side of 0 pin. Maybe close to 110mph

[@ericlocastro220]

The 1968 Gran Prix was a one year only body style that didn’t have very much performance compared to the same model in previous years. It was the beginning of the shift to personal luxury cars.

[@ralphl7643]

And it was the last GP based on their big cars, which I think is why Adam flagged that photo.

[@kroge007]

Loved my Dads loaded 69 Bonneville wagon with a 428 and dual exhaust.

[@beltwaymotor]

❤77 Grand Prix is the best 🎉

[@pjcornell9691]

I miss Pontiac. I still daily drive my silver GTO!

[@dosgos]

Grand Am was the import killer. But it just had so many problems and instead doomed Pontiac.

[@MillerMeteor74]

My parents got rid of their `67 Imperial in 1976, and they always had two vehicles. So from then through 1985 they went through many vehicles, keeping each for only a short time. One of them was a 1974 Pontiac Luxury LeMans, given to us by my grandparents. All I remember about it was that it was something like lime green, with a white vinyl top, and the trunk got water in it every time it rained. Otherwise I remember that it was a pretty nice car.

[@JeffWilkinson]

I definitely prefer the '70 GP front end to the '71. However, by '78 GM had badge-engineered the distinctiveness out of the A-body and lots of others. Remove the badging and cut a foot and a half off of either end of a '78 A-body and you'd be hard pressed to tell if it was a Grand Prix, a Monte Carlo or a Cutlass.

[@tomwesley7884]

I'd like to see a video presentation of that, real-life. Post it on KZbin.

[@skip123davis]

i had a 77 firebird. amazingly good, well handling car! i got in a bad situation, and avoided a big crash due to how well it handled.

[@EffequalsMA]

I do have fond memories of rolling with my friend in his Mom's 1980 Grand Prix SJ, loaded car, black like the pictures car. It was a great ride for a teenager to be in.

[@tombrown1898]

We had a 1972 Pontiac, and with the upright grille and red medallion on the wheel covers, we always called it "The Packard."

[@spiktonn]

My favorite is my 1972 Pontiac Grandville convertible. Mine is exactly like the one featured in this video.

[@tyler2610]

My grandpa drove many Pontiacs over the years starting with a ‘70 Bonneville, ‘73 Catalina, ‘84 Firebird, ‘91 Firebird, ‘98 Bonneville, and an ‘04 Grand Prix. He has owned every GM marque but Cadillac but I think Pontiac is probably his favorite. He is still driving at 83 and he now has a 2019 GMC Terrain and my grandma has a 2015 Buick Encore. He has strayed from GM a few times over the years but seldom. I guess I take after him as I have only ever bought GM products but not as diverse with only 1 Chevy, 2 GMCs, and the rest Buick.

Adam, great video as always. Would like to know more about the 1973 GP. Why was it toned down for ‘74 ? Had a’75 , wish I still had it. Your work is amazing. Appreciate all you do here.

[@frankdeboer1347]

Definitely prefer the 70 to the 71. Didn't mind Pontiac's style direction during the 70's and 80's. It was GM that failed Pontiac and not the other way around.

[@terryeustice5399]

Those emissions standards ruined muscle cars. My Favorite Pontiac was the Grand Prix.Thanks for sharing! 💯👍

[@haleydog8]

Love the 1970 Bonneville front end and the tail lights

[@christopherkraft1327]

I prefer the 70 to the 71 Bonneville!!

[@johnplovanich9564]

Love your videos Adam.My 1st car was a 67 G.T.O. convertible. Montero red with black interior.400,4:11 rear end and Hurst dual gate shifter.My parents had a 71 Grandville.Later in life I had a 77 Trans am(LOVED THAT CAR).I was rear ended and it was totaled.I also had an 02 Trans Am ws6.Had to sell that 1 before my license would be suspended.In my opinion Pontiac would still be in business and Buick would have gotten the axe.Due to Buicks popularity in China Pontiac got the axe.Styling on 70s and 80s Pontiacs,eehhh could take it or leave it.Cheers from Eulethra.

[@ercost60]

What year & model is that amazing red GTO at 2:00? Great looking car!

[@craigm2484]

My favorite car I ever had was a 72 GTO Loved that car ! 👊🏻

[@mikebeck3245]

1970 over 71 hands down! (But you already knew that about me.) My biggest issue with the 71 styling was the pallet. I feel it is most attractive in dark rich colors but Pontiac offered so many versions of boring beiges, golds, and greens. I am most fond of the 78 Grand Prix. What stands out for me is it was the only downsized midsized that kept the 4 rectangle headlights. The Cutlass, Monte Carlo, Malibu, Le Manns, Grand Am, and Regal all had the large, single almost square headlights. I also really like the grill treatment with it being proud of the body. I think it was an attractive design.

[@matrox]

8:11 A friend of my fathers had this LeMans complete with skirts. I remember riding in it and thinking damn this car rides nice. Smooth solid ride.

[@barriobajaj]

I owned a '72 LeMans coupe and a '72 Luxury LeMans coupe (with skirts!) at the same time. I sold the coupe but kept the Luxury model longer. I regret parting with both but I favored the Luxury LeMans more. For me it was the last "good" year for Pontiac before DOT safety and Emissions ruined everything along with heavy use of plastics in the Colonnade model's interior that turned to chalk, fading and cracking along with the plastic "chrome" trim that surrounded the rear quarter windows on the coupes that looked awful in short time if they didn't get torn off in a car wash. I did like the '74 Luxury LeMans coupe though.

[@brianhdueck3372]

Oh man, I like the 71 as much now as I did back then as a 15 year old….. not at all. The 70 was better but had slipped a notch from 69. To me, the 65-66 was tops and dipped a bit every year until 1977 which was a huge improvement.

[@MarinCipollina]

I was born in 1957, I loved the 1960s Pontiacs, the 1961 - 1964, the 1965 -1969, but didn't much care for what they did with the big Pontiac in 1970.. 1973 was the ugliest of that era, and the downsized 1977 - 1981 were an improvement.. Disappointed to see Pontiac go away, along with Oldsmobile, Mercury & Plymouth.

[@joesinkovits6591]

Hands down, I prefer the 1971 styling. For one thing, to me it looks like the 1970’s front end has far too many panel gaps.

[@josephfinleyjr8502]

They were still solid performers when they entered the Personal Luxury coupe market starting in 69 with the Grand Prix 🤵🏾‍♂️

[@markmaiello9180]

The luxury LeMans…pretty amazing…a deep dive into that might be interesting… Maybe.

[@rovervitesse1985]

My fav are the bullnose Transam, the bandit transam, the 1969 GTO and Thaise grandviles

[@matrox]

04:35 love that classy grille ever since they hit the showroom floors even though I was into muscle cars back then but still a couple of years from getting my Lis.

[@greggc8088]

I love luxury coupes. My favorites where a 78 Monte Carlo (first car), 78 Cutlass, and 2019 Challenger. The Challenger reminded me very much of the old mid 70's Monte Carlo/Grand Prix. It was a bit too long/wide/heavy and floated like a boat but the 3.6 got 30-31 mpg and was still quicker than my slow 04 Mustang GT.

[@daguys30]

I’m a huge Mopar fan but I miss the Pontiac brand more than any other. I’ve owned a few 80’s and 90’s cars and would still lean their way if they were still in existence

[@landiahillfarm6590]

of all the cars i regret having to let go of, my 1970 GTO has to top the list

[@nickpalance3622]

In 1978 I wanted to drive either an X-Wing or Millennium Falcon. I’d still be a little more than a decade away from being old enough for a drivers license back then. Might have something to do with my choices. But K.I.T.T. did get me more seriously interested in the TA. 😊

[@MrPoinzee]

1972 was ny favorite model year styling.

[@61rampy65]

I wonder what is ironic about the 68 GP at 0:30. I'm thinking that it is when Pontiac started promoting luxury over sporty?

[@mattskustomkreations]

8:08. This is MY CAR! If not, it’s the twin! The exception being I had custom red stripe tires with PMD Rallye IIs on it when I last had it in ‘08. I LOVED that car. Had to sell due to recession. Can you please provide the photo source??

[@stephendavidbailey2743]

One keeps hearing about the high insurance rates. Can anyone put a number on that?

[@tholmes2169]

I believe once DeLorean was gone, the Pontiac chief was someone brought over from GMC trucks. He nixed the SD being offered in the Grand Am and GTO.

[@roccosophie6498]

Years before my time but the original GTO is without a doubt, the best. Both with design and performance.

[@carsonmellon4661]

I like the 70 better Adam, I sent you an email about it!

[@matrox]

My only Pontiac was a 97 Grand Am. That was actually a damn nice car. Not much maintenance at all and very dependable. I ran it up to about 160k miles in about 13 years of driving it.

[@CJColvin]

The 1960s Pontiacs will always be my favorite even though the 77 Pontiac Trans-AM is my favorite Pontiac of all time and the GTO is my second favorite Pontiac.

[@universalassociates6857]

Wasn't a 1929 Duesenberg Knickerbocker mentioned in the 1982 film 'Annie'? One of the best films adopted from a play ever in my opinion.

[@snerdsters8]

I much prefer the 1971 front end. My parents had a 72 grand safari wagon that was a dream.

[@scottbiddle3967]

I also miss Pontiac. I wish they would bring it back. I mean really GMC & Chevy are basically the same. If they have to lose a division to bring it back, I would suggest one of them. It makes sense to have one of them, Cadillac, Buick (for the people that can't yet afford a fully luxury) and a sporty line up Pontiac. It makes no sense to me to have 2 division's of basically the same cars and trucks. But then again now it is mostly just trucks and SUV's. I think for GM to have a line of sporty cars with their other lines would be able to rake in the money. JMO

[@jeffreykurth2703]

The 60s. Hands down.

[@don1863]

I would have to cast my vote on the ‘70 front end over the 71-72 . 73 got a bit better with the integration of the headlight bezels in with the grill as opposed to the headlights being above the grill. I really liked the redesign/downsize of the ‘77 line up. I owned a 1977 Bonneville Brougham and a 1977 Caprice Classic. The Bonneville had the edge as far as a feeling of upscale but the Chevrolet 305 V8 was a much better performer over the Pontiac 301 V8.