1971 Pontiac Grand Prix - A Significant Improvement of A Fabulous Design

General Motors' Pontiac Motor Division didn't invent the personal luxury car, but they're given much credit for spurring the market niche it became in the 1970's. Our handsome devil here is an $11,500, 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix I found on Facebook Marketplace recently.  

If singular credit is given to the invention or creation of the personal luxury car, it probably goes, in general, to the Ford Motor Company and their 1958, four-passenger Thunderbird. Sales of the "Big 'Bird" were quadruple that of the two-passenger, 1955-1957 T-Bird and a market segment was thrust into the mainstream, even if they didn't realize it at the time. Curiously, General Motors was slow to respond to the four-passenger Thunderbird that was at the end of its second iteration by the time they returned salvo with the Oldsmobile Star Fire and (original) Pontiac Grand Prix in 1962; Buick introduced their Riviera in 1963, Oldsmobile and their Toronado in 1966, Cadillac's Eldorado debuted for 1967.

The literal big difference between personal luxury cars of the 1960's, even the '50's and what was to come in the '70's, though, was that the PLC's of yore were all based on full-size platforms. The 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix and the original Chevrolet Monte Carlo were an intermediate-sized car. Well, technically, anyway. 

The Grand Prix and Monte Carlo were originally built on special versions of GM's new for 1968 mid-size chassis. The new GM intermediates, co-named "A-body", were built on three-different wheelbases. - a 112-inch long one for two-door models, 116-inches for four-door sedans and a 121-incher for wagons. To accentuate the long hood, short deck styling of the then very popular Ford Mustang, GM stylists used a 118-inch-long version with all of the extra wheelbase placed in front of the firewall; from the driver's hip to the rear axle, the distance was the same as in an intermediate two-door. That enabled engineers to use the driveshaft from the 112-inch wheelbase cars. Costs were amortized with Chevrolet also getting one; Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac never did probably because they already had their Toronado, Riviera and Eldorado. These special intermediate platforms were given the internal code, "G-body". 

Putting all the extra wheelbase in front of the firewall gave designers the canvas to create heroically, or depending on your point of view, comically long hoods. The gigantic hood was meant to emulate the multi-cylinder grand touring cars of the 1930's. 

Pontiac built these "first-generation" GP's through from 1969 through 1972 making minor alterations each year. The biggest difference between a 1969-1970 model and a 1971-1972 is the front end - the '69-'70 models have four-headlights, the '71 and '72's have singles. The clamshells over the headlights extending back on the hood are pure 1930's throwbacks, like the hood is. Most buyers didn't realize that or care since the design is transcendental; that is if you appreciate it. Chevrolet really got carried away with the '30's motif with their swoopy, "suitcase fender" 1973-1977 Monte Carlo. 

It's rare that a design improves with slicing and dicing of the original, often times done just for the sake of change, but through my foggy goggles, the 1971 update was a significant improvement over the original. That's saying a lot too considering how fabulous the 1969 and 1970 Grand Prix' are.