AboutJeff Clark Expertise I can answer most questions on vintage-car history and trivia, but there are three things I can't help with:
1) repair questions
2) "where-can-I-find-the-VIN-on-my-car?" questions
3) what's-my-car-worth questions
I'm not a mechanic, I can't know the location of every VIN plate on every vehicle ever made, and I can't appraise a vehicle I can't see.
Experience I've been a classic-car fanatic my entire life, and have spent most of my free time studying the automotive industry and its history.
Education/Credentials 25 years experience in the automotive industry.
ANSWER: 1973 Pontiac Grand Am coupe, the very first Grand Am. This was Pontiac's answer to German sport sedans like Mercedes and BMW, but with a very decided American twist. All of them had a 400 or 455 cu. in. V8, front bucket seats and a full-length floor console that wrapped up into what was one of the most beautiful instrument panels ever put in a car, covered in real African crossfire mahogany (which was switched to plastic the next year). It had a very prominent "nose" between the front grilles, and was the first car with a flexible-plastic front end that would give on impact. They made just under 35,000 of these in 1973, but only 8700 of the 4-door version. Rear-end styling changed slightly in 1974, and the last year for this design was 1975, when they made a total of just 10,700 2-doors AND 4-doors. Pontiac resurrected the name in 1978 for an upscale LeMans model, but it just wasn't the same. A mint-condition, 1973 Grand Am with a 455SD V8 is worth a fortune, and going up in value every day. It's one of the very few cars from the 70's that's already a collectible; I fell in love with this car from the moment I first saw it at the local Pontiac dealer in September of 1972, and have admired it ever since.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Would you know why it had 'GTO' written on the right side of the trunk? It was the reason I took a picture of it since my Dad had a GTO in the 60s... when I sent him the picture, he said "That's not a GTO!" Which is why I decided to ask you.
Thanks for your quick reply.
Answer On second thought...
Not being able to see the front of the car, I shouldn't have leapt to conclusions, and I'm glad you followed up on this. Although it's possible someone may have put a "GTO" label on a Grand Am, it sure wouldn't make any sense. What makes a lot MORE sense is the photo is of a 1973 GTO. From the back, without being able to read the nameplates, a '73 GTO and Grand Am could appear identical, as the louvered rear side window, standard on the Grand Am, was an option on the GTO and LeMans (which, of course, is what the '73 GTO was based on). Now that I look more closely, I see the front bumper extends beyond the front fenders, which means it can't be a Grand Am (front bumper was flush with the side of the car). Yep, this is a '73 GTO, and they were rare when new (I've never even seen one in person). I don't have production numbers on it, but the Grand Am was the star of Pontiac's show that year, along with the all-new Grand Prix, so I have to assume that, at most, only a few thousand GTOs were produced. For '74, the GTO switched over to the Ventura (Nova) platform, so the '73 was the last of the full-sized GTOs. A rare car indeed, but oddly enough not worth what a comparable Grand Am would bring.
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