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1968 Pontiac Grand Prix 428 4sp. A/c – The Rarest Example First Gen Grand Prix on 2040-cars

Year:1968 Mileage:1087
Location:

Mattituck, New York, United States

Mattituck, New York, United States
Advertising:

1968 Pontiac Grand Prix 428 4sp. with A/C  – The Rarest Example of the Last Generation G/Ps

The first generation Grand Prix was a full-sized Pontiac hardtop coupe trimmed to standards above the top-line Bonneville. The Grand Prix always featured a distinctive grille and taillights, bucket seats, plus carpeting covering the floor and lower door panels. The center console-mounted transmission shifter included a storage compartment and matched the wood grain of the dash. The rear bench seat included a center fold-down armrest and a speaker grille that could be made functional with the extra-cost Bi-Phonic rear speaker. Other deluxe trim included a padded instrument panel, woodgrain steering wheel, courtesy lights, and many other luxury features.

The last of the first generation Grand Prix sported revised sheetmetal with a more rounded rear end that set the trend for the next several years of GM styling. Also new to the G/P were concealed headlights with horizontal mounting, concealed windshield wipers and ventless front windows. Out back were louvered taillights similar to those found on the GTO. Inside, Strato bucket seats were covered with Morrokide vinyl, and the instrument panel and door panel trim were special.

Under the hood, the high performance 421 V8 grew into a new 428 cu in (7.0 liter) V8 with four-barrel carburetor with various internal improvements including bigger valves and improved breathing capabilities. This optional 428 cu in (7.0 l) V8 on this car has a higher power rating of 375 hp.

New safety improvements this year also were a dual master-cylinder braking system and an energy-absorbing collapsible steering column.

The 1968 Grand Prix received a new "beak-nose" grille and bumper with concealed headlights and revised rear deck/bumper with L-shaped taillights, plus side reflector markers.

This would be the final year for the Grand Prix to be based on the B-body full-sized car platform. Meaning: this is the last of the classic full-sized, wide-track Pontiacs. The 1969 GP would be all-new with an exclusive bodyshell but its chassis design was based on the smaller Pontiac A-body intermediates (Tempest, LeMans, and GTO).

It’s always desirable to own the last example of any generation collector car, but this one is the best of the last. When is the last time anyone saw a factory-equipped 428 Grand Prix with a four-speed and air conditioning? According the PHS records (which accompany and document this car as authentic), only 305 G/Ps were delivered with manual transmissions, and that includes 400s and 3-speeds. To add to the rarity, consider how many of those were equipped with factory air conditioning? Now, ask yourself how many survived, and this becomes one of the rarest of all Ponchos around. It never fails to get oohs and aahs and expressions of amazement.

A large part of this G/P’s appeal is that it is largely an unrestored car! One would think it must have been painted to look this good, but there is no visible evidence on the body. The interior is original, including seats, door panels, headliner, dash pad, etc. and looks fantastic. The engine compartment is detailed and correct, and all the equipment matches the PHS documents and the supplied window sticker (pictured).

That optional equipment includes power steering with woodgrain wheel, power brakes, AM/FM stereo radio with power antenna and rear speaker selector, Rallye II wheels, handling package, and the legendary hood tach, Please examine the window sticker for the complete list. They're all there and on the car.

The condition can only be described as phenomenal. It runs, drives, and looks as new, and would take a trophy at any show. It is certainly Best in Class, but in reality, it is in a class by itself.

For more information or to discuss an offer or partial exchange, please do not hesitate to call Michael at 631 553 5300. Thanks for looking.

 

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Lutz says GM was working on 5th-gen Pontiac GTO

Thu, 08 Aug 2013

Bob Lutz was one of the forces behind bringing the Holden Monaro to the United States, as the ill-fated Pontiac GTO in 2004. And while that car received critical acclaim, it was a sales disappointment. Now, Road & Track is reporting that our suspicions were correct - Pontiac was working on a two-door, G8-based coupe before it was shuttered.
In that R&T article, which is no longer available online, Lutz explained that the new GTO would solve many of the issues found in the original. Car Advice speculates that the new model would have look like a rebadged version of the Holden Coupe 60 Concept from 2008, a conclusion we also came to.
That car would have been a big departure from the 2004 to 2006 GTO. It has an extremely long hood and short rear deck, with an almost fastback roofline and a wide greenhouse with a tall beltline. The wheel arches were very pronounced, and the chin and rocker panel splitters gave it a race-ready look. Would it have been enough to make the GTO work in the US? We think it might of, but it looks like we'll never know.

Sci-fi movie Jinn features car designer, Firebird-bodied Camaro

Tue, 08 Apr 2014

If you're an automotive engineer being tormented by an immortal being made of fire, then wouldn't you think it best to have a custom coupe called the FireBreather for your getaway car? That's the FireBreather in the image above, adorned by the red wings that once fronted the Pontiac Firebird, running away from a black cloud of evil in a trailer for the movie Jinn.
The Jinn is eternal evil, always waiting for the chance to make things float across rooms before going on homicidal urban rampages. The FireBreather is a Gen-V Chevrolet Camaro - from the V6 to the ZL1 - that's been through Classic Design Concepts' extensive list of exterior and interior modifications, including entirely new front and rear fascias and side skirts, sway bars and springs, Pirelli P Zeroes and an available Edelbrock supercharger.
The movie - FireBreathing chase scenes and all - was shot in Monroe, Michigan. You can watch the trailer below, but since the FireBreather only get a couple of seconds on screen, you can find out more about it on Street Legal TV and its official site.

2023 Grand National Roadster Show Mega Photo Gallery | Hot rod heaven

Wed, Feb 8 2023

POMONA, Calif. — From an outsider's perspective, it would be easy to assume that the Grand National Roadster Show has always been a Southern California institution. After all, it celebrates the diverse postwar car culture of the region Β— hot rods, lead sleds, lowriders, and more. However, the show had its roots in NorCal in 1950 when Al Slonaker and his hot rod club showed their custom cars at the Oakland Expo. The GNRS moved to Pomona, California, in 2004. By then it had grown exponentially and seen about a dozen more car customization trends come and go. However, the show and its centerpiece award, the America's Most Beautiful Roadster prize, celebrate what is perhaps the first of those trends: the American hot rod in its purest form. Today, in its 73rd year, the GNRS is the oldest indoor car show in America. Annually it welcomes 500-800 cars, gathered into special themes like Tri-Five Chevys or Volkswagen Bugs. At this year's show, which was last weekend, a special hall was dedicated to pickup trucks built between 1948-98, including mini-trucks, groovy camper bed conversions, and resto-mods.Β  However, of all the vehicles presented, only nine are eligible for the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award. Winners get their names engraved on a 9-foot-tall perpetual trophy that was, according to The Ultimate Hot Rod Dictionary, the largest in the world when it debuted in 1950. Slonaker chose the word "roadster" initially because "hot rod" bore slightly negative outlaw connotations in 1950. Only American cars built before 1937 of certain body styles Β— roadsters, roadster pickups, phaetons, touring cars Β— are eligible, and they cannot have roll-down side windows.Β  Cars in the running for the cup cannot have been shown anywhere else before their debut at the GNRS.Β  Contestants for this accolade essentially build their cars to the a platonic ideal of a hot rod. This year the honors went to Jack Chisenhall of San Antonio, Texas, for his "Champ Deuce," a 1932 Ford Roadster. It's exactly what you picture when you think of a hot rod, but distilled to its absolute essence.Β  Other standouts included "Green Eyes," a two-tone green 1959 Chevy El CaminoΒ  with a heavily metal-flaked bed, "Blue Monday," a 1964 Buick Riviera lowrider, and a personal favorite, "Purple Reign," a purple and black 1951 Mercury. Cars may have started out as tools, but there aren't shows like this filled with custom refrigerators.