*EDIT* - The Transmission is a 3 speed with an overdrive. Some call the 4 speeds, some call it a 3 with OD. Thank's for the clarification those that commented!
1986: PONTIAC puts 305 with 165 HP in their NASCAR Grand Prix. BUICK puts Turbo V6 intercooled 3.8 litre in their OLD people Regal. ..... only in the 80's
Unfortunately this version of the Grand Prix wasn’t so successful on the track. Petty Enterprises was the biggest team to run it, and King Richard’s final win on the Cup circuit had already come in 1984. Pontiac was late to the ‘80s aero wars and by the time 1986 came around the contending teams were driving Ford Thunderbirds, Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (which I believe beat Pontiac to the bubble rear window by a year), and even the aging Buick Regal-bodied cars were more competitive than the Grands Prix. Great review, too. I really dig your appreciation for what this car was and how it defined its time. Most reviewers would probably trash it for such low power made from a V8, but we were still firmly in the malaise era as far as automakers were concerned. Even Corvettes only made 250hp at that time (and that was a significant boost from the beginning of the decade).
The Grand Prix 2+2 and Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe both arrived as 1986 models, as did the H-body Delta 88 and LeSabre (hence why there were no Olds or Buick G-body aero cars). And while the 2+2 wasn't very successful as you said, that was to be expected when so much of GM's top NASCAR driver (Dale Earnhardt, Tim Richmond, Darrell Waltrip, Geoff Bodine) and team owner (Rick Hendrick, Richard Childress and Junior Johnson) talent was in the Chevrolet camp.
The transmission is a 200-4R, which is a 4-speed automatic WITH overdrive. My 86 Grand Prix coupe had the same engine/transmission combo. It is not a 3 speed/3 speed with overdrive.
Well, it's a 4-speed where the 4th is the overdrive, so it would be a "3+OD" technically - but yeah 4-speed with OD is the least confusing term for it.
Owned 3 back in early 2000. Still own 1 today and have had it 28 years. As of today it has 19,994 miles on it. It was featured in Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine back in 03/07. No, car is not fast, but that isn't why they built it. Love driving it and it handles great. Next time out it's going to turn odometer over to 20,000 miles. :(
I have that hemmings muscle machines issue with your car in it. I also own a base model 86 grand prix. Love mine such cool looks out of all the g bodys.
I was the Program Manager responsible for the 1986 Grand Prix 2+2 converted at a company independant of the GM assembly plant. The cars were assembled in the Montreal, Canada GM assembly plant and the conversion was done in Ortonville, Michigan.
In a world of Chevy Monte Carlos and Buick Grand Nationals…I never knew this car existed…good on Pontiac for taking the platform and making something distinctly theirs
@@T0RP Pontiac was (yet again) having an identity crisis and the parts bin special that the Fiero was ended up being the final product…a sports car that actually got really good gas mileage courtesy of The Iron Duke…but we all know how well that ended up. If they actually had the budget to make a brand new engine for it like the V6 they used later, things would have been very different
@@T0RP I don’t think you and I are on the same page here…I was referring to how they took the shared G Body platform and gave it styling that was uniquely Pontiac. You can definitely look at it and without seeing the nameplate and know that it isn’t a Chevy, Buick, Olds et cetera
@@T0RP Firebird was the better looking of the two pony cars, I get what Chevy was trying to do with the styling cues of the Cameros of the 70s but making it more angular…and the 90s just made it look like it got a bad facelift and just pulled it all the way back…oof.
I've read in multiple places that they wanted to put a better more powerful V8 engine but demand that year for Camaros, Trans Am's and Corvettes that used those prevented them from having enough of the higher output engines available to put in the 2 + 2 so they were fitted with the basic 305 engine. I think the similar Monte Carlo Aerocoupes managed to get a slightly better 180HP to 190HP engine option if memory serves correct. I love the car. I just dont think GM really put alot into it money wise. They just did enough to meet NASCAR requirements.
I’ve got a total original one in the garage right now with 40k mikes on it and I can assure you those seats have been replaced, all these cars were the exact same so there were no options for different seats. Just a heads up
I have one with only 20k miles that I've owned for 28 years and all original, except maintenance items. just replaced tires 3 years ago but still have them!
It's not a rebadged monte carlo at all. It has its own design and its own motor. The only thing it has in common with the month carlo is the chassis a few interior peices and rear glass piece.
Not a rebadged monte carlo. They do sit on the same frame but the outer body panels are not shared with any other g body. I have owned three g bodys and currently own a 86 grand prix. I know alot about these cars.
I worked at a Pontiac dealership in 1987 being a porter detailer and we got one of those cars in and I got to prep it to be put up in the showroom although I did not get to drive it on the street I did drive it through the parking lot as a teenager I thought that this car was awesome unfortunately it was way out of my price range at the time working for Pontiac I had a 1980 black and silver RS Camaro
The styling wasn't bad, since Pontiac didn't make their own V8 they could've turned to Oldsmobile or Buick V6 for real high performance, Chevrolet fuel injection engine were built for Corvette,Z/28, trans am sharing the Monte Carlo SS engine was hardly a step in the right direction.
Very decent review and vid. This Pontiac was cobbled together by the Pontiac special vehicles group to counter the Monte Carlo SS AeroCoupe and keep the Pontiac guys in Nascar happy. They were not very good race cars and even the Olds and Buick square bodies were better at superspeedways than these, plus these were pretty ugly in person and dealers had a horrible time unloading them. I still own my 87 Monte Carlo SS AeroCoupe which my Aunt bought new here locally in summer of 87. They are attractive cars. These Pontiacs were not.
Like the 83-84 Monte SS i wish they would have did away with the brown wood grain accents on the interior and made them black, would've looked alot better!!
I really really dislike this car. How did they screw it up so bad? Both the GNX and the Monte SS while not groundbreaking were good looking cars. This? It looks like the front melted in a microwave.
G-bodies are normally kind of ho-hum but the aero nose and stretched back window look good. I love how little care American carmakers put into their interiors. You get to see big bolts on your fake woodgrain. GM was big about the Corvette having the king V8 and nothing else was allowed to come close. Given that the Buick Grand National's turbo V6 was put in some Pontiac Trans Ams I'm surprised Pontiac didn't try to put it in this.
@@ImmortanDan exactly! Once GM had moved on to the front wheel drive platform, they couldn't use the turbo Buick engine that were left over. So Pontiac got the rest of the left over Buick turbo 3.8 engine and put in the Firebirds and made the GTA Turbo Trans Am.
I have one, the front seats aren't original on this one. My car was shipped up from N. Carolina, 47,000 miles, original Goodyear Eagle GT's, mostly original paint. When they converted these cars they repainted the hood, roof, but they used poor quality paint that lost any shine that they once had. They all had 4 speed auto.
Plug ugley and stupidly slow compared to the Regal you could get down the street. Heck, even the revived 442 had more power than the GP and you got the silly three lever nonsesne sitting on the console to amaza, or just confuse, your friends. Rare - but I think I'd turn it down, unless I could either 1) afford to stick it in storage for a couple of years and forget about it or 2) flip it immediately for profit.
it could have - it should have - BUT DIDN'T HAVE A 350 !! .... it could have - it should have - BUT DIDN'T HAVE BETTER BRAKES, BETTER SHOCKS, AND A BETTER REAR SWAY BAR !! .... you could have had a fully loaded REGULAR Grand Prix at a lower price !! ... only ridiculously stupid people bought one !!!!
