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Pontiac Grand Am

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The Pontiac Grand Am was originally a mid-size car and is now a compact car that is 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. The Grand Am was reintroduced in 1985 when it 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.

Contents

1973-1975

The original Grand Am was first produce 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 Supreme, among others.

The Grand Am was available as a sedan or coupé. 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

Notes:

1978-1980

The Grand Am returned in 1978, presently 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 coupés 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 to Pontiac as a 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 are the Buick Somerset (later renamed as the Skylark) and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais with a new smaller appearance and finer look. In 1986, a four-door sedan was added to the lineup. The third generation Grand Am was offered in two trim levels, the LE, and SE. The SE wasn't available in 1985. 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 making 165 hp 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 initially 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 resemblance to its X-body ancestors. The Grand Am shared the GM N platform with the Buick Skylark and the Oldsmobile Achieva.

Engines

This generation was available with various four or six-cylinder engines. The top engine choice from 1992 to 1994 was a 2.3 L 16-valve High Output Quad-4 which produced 175 hp (130 kW) at 6200 rpm and 155 ft·lbf (210 N·m) at 5200 rpm. There were minor cosmetic changes in 1996, and the last year of this Grand Am was 1998.

1999-2005

In 1999, the Grand Am was redesigned again and entered its fifth generation, with its only identical sibling being the Oldsmobile Alero. It has been reported that the very first 1999 Grand Am rolled off the assembly line on June 15, 1998. However, it's more likely that this occurred even earlier, perhaps April or May, as 1999 Grand Ams had been spotted on lots as early as late May 1998. The standard engine remained the DOHC 2.4 L I4 with the 3.4 L V6 optional. The 2.2 L Ecotec I4 replaced the 2.4 L as the standard engine in 2002. In 2003, the design was further refined by removing the ribbed body cladding for a "cleaner" appearance.

This generation of the Grand Am was sold in five variants, the SE, SE1, SE2, GT, and GT1. Each variant added various features such as power windows and locks, dual rear exhausts, a rear spoiler, a more powerful engine (3.4 L V6) than the Ecotec, or alloy wheels. Safety features as dual front airbags and anti-lock brakes were now standard throughout the line, as well as traction control (ETS). However ABS and ETS (Traction Control) were optional on the 2003-2005 Grand Am SE, but standard on SE1, SE2, GT and GT1 models. The Grand Am enjoyed success as a compact car filling a niche as a comfortable, affordable, reliable, yet sporty car.

In the American market, when the Sunfire sedan was dropped for 2003, the Grand Am sedan was the only compact sedan in Pontiac's lineup.

Despite its success, the Grand Am finally came to an end. The last Grand Am sedan rolled off the assembly line on December 10, 2004. The coupé will most likely be dropped at the end of 2006, with the entire Grand Am line being replaced by the Pontiac G6, which is based on the GM Epsilon platform. It is interesting to note that the Grand Am was Pontiac's best-selling car before being replaced.

In 2006, the Grand Am continues on in fleet sales while the G6 has replaced it in the Pontiac lineup.

The last Grand Am rolled off the Lansing, Michigan assembly line on May 6, 2005, because GM had reportedly closed the plant.


Pontiac road car timeline, United States market, 1960s-present - [ edit]
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Subcompact T1000/1000 LeMans
Compact Astre J2000/2000 Sunbird/Sunbird Sunfire G5
Small Ventura Phoenix Grand Am G6
Mid-size Coupe Tempest Grand Am Grand Am Grand Prix GTO
Sedan 6000 Grand Prix G8
Intermediate LeMans Bonneville
Personal Grand Prix
Full-size Bonneville/Catalina/Star Chief/Executive Parisienne Bonneville
Crossover Vibe
Aztek Torrent
Minivan Trans Sport Montana SV6
Sports Firebird/Trans Am
2-seater Fiero Solstice

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