Vehicle Description
1973 Pontiac Grand Am Sedan
The Grand Am, coined by Pontiac with a name derived from two other
cars in its lineup ("Grand" signifying "Grand Prix luxury" and "Am"
for "Trans Am performance") was designed as America's answer to
European luxury/sport sedans and available as a four-door Colonnade
sedan or a two-door Colonnade coupe. A total of 43,136 Grand Ams
were built during the first year of production (both two-door and
four-door models). The Grand Am could be had with a standard 2bbl
400ci V8 with single exhaust producing 185hp, an optional 4bbl
version of this engine with single exhaust producing 200hp, an
optional 4-bbl version of this engine with dual exhaust producing
230hp, or an optional 4bbl 455ci with dual exhaust. The engine
displacement, expressed in liters, was displayed on the bootlid in
an effort to accentuate the car's supposedly European
character.
What did you do in 1973 when you wanted a muscle car but had a wife
and two children that you still had to move around? Pontiac made it
simple for you, you sat down at the dealership and ordered a Grand
Am. All the looks of the 1973 GTO, and in this case four doors to
make everybody's life easier. Muscle car looks, check. Bucket
seats, check. Console with floor shifter, check. 400ci Pontiac V8,
check.
Exterior
General motors had the Colonnade body in full affect in 1973 and
this car is no exception. Bathed Desert Tan showing some cracking,
aging and patina but still minding it's gaps well, this car still
has throwbacks to the muscle Pontiacs of the 60's. The beaked nose,
grill work, and long hood are all there. A brown vinyl top covers
the roof and presents in good condition, however, the rear around
the back window is starting to show signs of delineation and prior
repair. An Endura styled front bumper hangs below the beaked
Pontiac grill assembly and on the tail is a chrome rear bumper that
is very subtle with only the hints of crash standards to come, a
small black rubber strip. Grand Prix body lines abound on this car
and give a hint of luxury to add to the performance image.
Interior
Swinging doors open we are greeted with a vinyl saddle upper door
section with an almost belt like door pull assembly on the upper
section and the lower section of plastic that has either faded to
green or has been replaced. This lower section contains controls
for power windows in an odd but ergonomic shaped saddle bump out.
This technicolor differentiation does not repeat itself on the rear
doors as they are saddle through and through. Saddle vinyl colored
bucket seats provide seating arrangements for the front seat
passengers and a console with floor shifter reminiscent of a
Firebird or GTO sits in between. A rear bench seat in saddle vinyl
sprawls door to door. The three spoke rally style steering wheel
sits at the end of the steering column in front of the original
dash containing various round gauge pods and round HVAC vents.
Heater controls sit center and below an AM/FM radio fills out the
control section of the dash. Saddle colored carpet sits below with
vinyl floor mats to protect it and the saddle headliner hangs
above. Very 70s and very muscle car.
Drivetrain
400 cubes of Pontiac power greets us when we open the massive hood.
Topped with a Rochester 2bbl carb, sporting power steering and air
conditioning this mill makes 185hp. On the back is a TH400 3-speed
automatic and backing things up at the tail is a 10-bolt axle with
2.93 gears.
Undercarriage
A solid frame and floors show very well with their factory applied
undercoating. Only minor surface rust has begun to show its head on
a few of the crossmembers. Up front we see coil spring independent
suspension and power front disc brakes and on the rear we see a 4
link with coil spring suspension providing the ride along with
power drums. A stock style single exhaust system snakes its way
from the engine to the tail of the car.
Drive-Ability
Our resident muscle car expert/decoder got this hot rod up and
running by installing a new shifter cable as the original was
melted and seized. A twist of the key in the poncho fired to life.
Performance was adequate, albeit rather impressive considering the
government mandated smog and low compression engines of the time.
All functions worked well and although it was chilly on our drive
the AC compressor did engage when we turned it on. Braking was bias
free and all in all we were impressed with the ride a four door
muscle car.
Some PHS documentation included makes this four door pseudo muscle
car a little more special than most. A decent body, presentable
paint, and a surprisingly cool interior for a four-door gives you
everything you need to feel like you're driving muscle while you
haul the family around town. Adding 400ci of Pontiac power and what
more can a working dad ask for?
VIN DECODE
2H29R3P216839
2-Pontiac
H-GrandAm
29-4 Door Sedan
R-400ci V8 2bbl 185hp Single Exhaust
3-1973
P-Pontiac, MI Assy Plant
216839-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
ST 73 2AH29-1973 GrandAm 4 Door Sedan
BDY PON432961-Pontiac Body #
TR 513-Saddle Vinyl
PNT 56 R-Desert Sand, Brown Vinyl Top
12B-2nd Week December Build
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.