1976 Pontiac Grand Prix

1976 Pontiac Grand Prix

For 1976, Pontiac performed a major facelift of the 1973-vintage Grand Prix. The new styling effectively updated the look and significantly broke with custom. Up front, the familiar dual round headlamps were replaced with four rectangular units. Similarly , the grille was an all-new “waterfall” design that folded ott of the header panel. This deftly executed update was a dramatic change from the prior Duesenberg-inspired design, which may be traced back to the 1969 model year.

In order to increase sales in the low end of the personal luxury market and fill the void left by the departure of the Grand Am, Pontiac made a “value leader” out of the 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix (no longer going by the Model J name ). Standard price was reduced by $500 and the standard hardware level was lowered rather. This price fighter arrived with a new 60/40 full-width bench seat with fold-down center armrest. Power came from a 160-horsepower, 350-cubic-inch V-8 provided with a two-barrel carb (Californians received a four-barrel version) coupled to a Turbo 350 automatic transmission, both borrowed from the Le-Mans line. The 350 V-8 was the littlest engine ever offered in the 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix up to that time.

Of course, if a more upscale version was desired, the 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ and LJ were still both available, each returned with similar levels of trim as in 1975. Additionally , to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary, Pontiac released a special short run 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ. As one would expect, all were painted gold and featured such niceties as removable roof hatches, a particular fiftieth anniversary hood ornament and trunk lock cover, and unique pin-striping. Pontiac built 4,807 commemorative Grand Prixs. Already fairly rare when new, they’re even more so today. Anniversary models might be considered a solid bet for future collectibility, as few are ever seen at automobile shows.

As well as the already mentioned Pontiac 350, available engines for the 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix included the 185-horsepower four hundred four-barrel, now the standard engine in the SJ. The 200-horse, 455-cube four-barrel was now an option for all models. ( Pontiac also built one 1976 Grand Prix with the as-yet unreleased 301-cubic-inch V-8. The GP and a companion 1976 Sunbird — with another approaching engine, the four-cylinder “Iron Duke” — were part of a hoopla campaign sponsored by Pontiac and State Auto Rental. The two cars were driven round the globe to show that Countrywide’s rental fleet, and its Pontiacs in particular, were trustworthy. )

The reshuffling of standard and optional plant was precisely what the market asked, and Pontiac was rewarded with a new Grand Prix production record in a model year when sales of bigger automobiles were typically on the rebound. The mixed totals totaled up to an enormous 228,091 units. (The base and SJ series each accounted for more assemblies than the entire 1975 Grand Prix line.) While this was still considerably shy of the 353,272 Chevy Monte Carlos made for 1976, it represented a 163-percent jump in GP production, a tremendous increase by anyone’s measure.