STORY LINE:  CARS I HAVE LOVED … Deja vu, It’s Here  

Certain memories, foods, movies … they don’t go away. Like old soldiers, they never die … they just fade away. Sometimes. Memories: I occasionally drive the old neighborhood. Food: I KNOW when mom makes fresh golombki … and I still require White Castle burgers. Movies: I really enjoy revisiting  Gone With The Wind, Arthur, Blazing Saddles  and OH God!  And cars.….    

Last month I had spotlighted three very special vehicles from years past that I had been, associated with. One in particular was the Pontiac Grand Am of 1973 … its very first year of  production. The story begins as …  

In 1973, while gainfully employed in the furniture business, I would-everyday around five pm-stand in the windows of the store and count red cars as they would pass by. 5pm was the particular time that the working public would be driving home-therefore not be in the store. And commonly referenced by us retail folks as the dinner hour. Three new cars drove by one five pm day in September that I did not know, nor recognize … or for that matter even knew what they were. On my way home that evening though, were all three of those unknown cars, parked on display in front of  Rinke Pontiac. Two weeks later I owned a new Pontiac Grand Am ‘pic-a-door’ with 455-V8, Turbo 400 trans, tilt steering wheel and automatic climate control.  

Sold that Grand Am ‘pic-a-door’ in 1977, bought a new Cadillac, been searching for another one-the Grand Am-for the past 15 years.  Seen maybe six over the last decade, four in the last three months located in various parts of these fine United States. Found one in Orland, California-that’s about 150 miles north of San Francisco- on February  3^rd. On February 6^th it was picked up by the haul-away truck and was on it’s way … home. February 11^th, IT’S HERE!  

Each month when my HEMMING’S MOTOR NEWS would arrive,  it’s the Pontiac for sale section that I would peruse first, looking and watching for that Grand Am 4dr Colonnade model that someone might want to sell. For 15 years I’d been looking through HEMMING’S, OLD CARS and as of late the internet. Some pre-requisites were color; Ascot Silver-as my original was-White or Florentine Red and, the wide wale corduroy cloth trim interior in Oxblood.  

Based on the LeMans body, Grand Am started life as a ’73 model and incorporated the best of Grand Prix, which was a bucket seat interior trim, analog gauge dash with genuine African Crossfire Mahogany inlays and, a suspension tune borrowed from the legendary Trans AM … hence, Grand Am.  All Grand Am cars were powered by at least a 400CID-Pontiac V8 and standard with Turbo 400, variable-ratio power steering, power brakes-disc front, GR70-15 radial ‘meats’ mounted on 15x7 wheels and a road tickling suspension with 1.12front/0.94 rear swaybars. Add up the parts and it was a fun car to drive. Sort of the precursor to today’s modern Cadillac Seville STS or the first Oldsmobile Aurora of 1995. The proverbial sheep in wolfs clothing.  

The seller turned out to be the original owner and had all the original paperwork right down to the sale contract, original build sheet, every receipt for repairs/replacement/maintenance and … even the original key knock-outs and dealer inventory key ring! The warranty book was still in the glove box-and due to strict California regulations, the original engine, transmission, carburetor and components are still on the car. Even the bucket seat Oxblood wide-wale corduroy bucket seat trim is … overall excellent. All as the seller stated. The Florentine Red finish is a repaint of the original color … and the injection-molded urethane plastic three piece flexible nose section-exclusive to the Grand Am-is beautiful.   

Code named “Europa” during it’s initial gestation, Grand Am was intended to go head-to-head with Europes driving sedans as Mercedes and BMW. It was far more plush than its soon to be overseas competitors and, a whole lot less costly. Sort of like what today’s Corvette is … a lot of machine for little ‘green’. Pic-a-door models rode on a 116-inch wheelbase, 4-inches longer than the 2door. Ride height was .3-inch higher than typical LeMans settings for enhanced suspension travel-a simple ‘trick’ that European manufacturers used for many a model over the years. Grand Am suspension bushings were also special as they were of a harder 90 durometer rubber in place of  the standard 60 durometer and acted to remove over compliance in the suspension components.  

Having the Grand Am back in the folds is like rekindling those old memories, enjoying John Denver and George Burns in OH God!, or chomping on ‘sliders’. Makes me feel like the old fox in the chicken coop story.   

Many thanks to RUEHLE’S TOWING of Mt. Clemens whose long distance hauling department handled transporting the Grand Am from California to Michigan.  

TOP HAT JOHN can be contacted for story leads, vehicle appraisals, or questions at: P.O. Box 46024, Mt. Clemens, MI., 48046-6024; or call 586-465-1933