Cars - Pontiac Grand Am

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	Cars - Pontiac Grand Am

Pontiac Grand Am started out as a mid-sized car produced by the Pontiac division of General Motors. The Grand Am had a 3-year run from 1973 to 1975 and from 1978 to 1980. It was based on the GM A platform. Production of the Grand Am was cancelled in 1980 when it was replaced by the Pontiac 6000. TheGrand Am was reintroduced in 1985 when it had replaced the Pontiac Phoenix. On that particular point, the Grand Am was based on the GM N platform and became a compact car from 1985 to 2006 and was replaced by the Pontiac G6. All Grand Ams were built in Lansing, Michigan.

1973-1975

The original Grand Am was first produced in the summer of 1973. It was placed on the GM A platform along with other cars such as the Pontiac Grand Prix, Pontiac LeMans, Pontiac GTO, Buick Century, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass, among others.

The Grand Am was available as a sedan or coupe. The Grand Am had a variety of engines; 147 Grand Ams had engines with a four-speed manual transmision during its first year. The four-speed automatic transmission was available only with the 400 in³ engine. 43,186 Grand Ams were built during the first year of production. Pontiac also produced a Grand Am station wagon during its first year of production. Some Grand Ams had a built on ram-air induction for a sporty look. The 1973 Pontiac Grand Am style had a total of 6 grille openings with vertical bars, round front turn signals, horizontal rear taillights, and chrome rear bumper. 1974 Grand Ams were the same as the 1973 model but had a minor cosmetic change on its grille with 12 openings with horizontal bars, and vertical rear taillights. The 1975 model looked the same as the 1974 model, but with a total of 12 openings with vertical bars, vertical rear taillights, and a body-colored rear bumper. 1975 was the last year for the original Grand Am, due to its poor sales and low production.

Engines

1973-1975 400 in³ (6.5 L) V8 with 2-barrel carburetor
1973-1975 400 in (6.5 L) V8 with 4-barrel carburetor
1973-1974 400 (6.5 L) V8 with 4-barrel carburetor(was not available in California)
1973-1975 455 (7.4 L) V8 with 4-barrel carburetor

Notes:

1973 engines may have point or unitized ignition.
A 455SD equipped engineering prototype Grand Am was been built, but supposedly was dismantled and destroyed.
1974 engines may have point or unitized ignition or starting from May 1, 1974, HEI ignition.
1975 engines have HEI ignition.
1975 was the first year for the catalytic converter.

1978-1980

The Grand Am returned in 1978, still based on the A platform. The Grand Am's interior contained new features including power windows, locks, sunroof, an automatic transmission, full gauges, and power seats. The Grand Am had either Pontiac V6 or V8 engines. This generation of the Grand Am is very rare. In 1979, the Grand Am was featured in the NASCAR Grand National circuit. 1980 was the Grand Am's last year and only coupes available. The Grand Am was discontinued after 1980 and was replaced by the Pontiac 6000 for the 1982 model year.

1985-1991

The Grand Am was reintroduced as a then-modern compact car by GM in 1985 to replace the Phoenix. It began its third generation and was based on the N platform, along with its siblings the Buick Somerset (later renamed as the Skylark) and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais. In 1986, a four-door sedan was added to the lineup. The third generation Grand Am was offered in three trim levels, base, LE, and SE. There was no SE in 1985 and in 1989, the LE became the base model. The 2.5 L Tech IV engine was standard from 1985 to 1991. Although the engine was noisy and a bit underpowered in earlier models, it received balance shafts and an upgrade in power for 1989. A 3.0 L V6 was optional from 1985 to 1988. From 1987 to 1989, a turbocharged 2.0 L four-cylinder was optional on SE models. The 2.3 L Quad-4 was optional in 150 hp form from 1988 to 1989 on all models. A high output version of the Quad-4 that produced 180 hp was intially offered as an option on mid-1989 SE models and remained the top engine choice through 1991.

1992-1998

In 1992, the GM N platform was redesigned, resulting in a newer-looking Grand Am which led to its fourth generation. The redesign was radical compared to the 1989 refresh of its mid-size cousin, the Pontiac 6000, due to the fact that it no longer bore a resemblence to its X-body ancestors. The Grand Am shared the GM N platform with the Buick Skylark and the Oldsmobile Achieva.

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