With its flared fenders and sculpted hood, the flamboyant 1973–1977 Pontiac Grand Prix remains a love-it-or-hate-it design. It sold more than 856,000 cars in five years, but some Pontiac fans still find it far too overwrought. Wherever you stand on that question, if you had to pick one mid-’70s GP, it would be hard to find a more desirable one than this all-original, ultra-low-mileage Regatta Blue 1973, a rare SJ model with the 455, handling package, bucket seats, and air conditioning.
Although it sold quite well in this generation, the Grand Prix was a runner-up in the ferocious personal luxury car battles that raged throughout the 1970s. The one to beat for sheer volume was the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which was similarly flamboyant, but cheaper; the one to beat in terms of profit margins was the Lincoln Continental Mark series; and the all-around winner on both fronts was probably the 1977–1979 Ford Thunderbird.
By comparison, the Grand Prix had a pretty uneven decade. The redesigned “Colonnade” version started off well for 1973, but as the above graph illustrates, the oil embargo hit the GP hard in 1974, and the hangover lingered into 1975. The Grand Prix then recovered strongly with the facelifted 1976–1977 models, which sold spectacularly well: 516,521 cars in just two years.
Strictly from an exterior styling standpoint, the 1976–1977 cars might have the edge — contemporary buyers certainly thought so, and I think I do too.
The front end of the ’73 was very similar to the 1972 except for the new grille, and I think its single headlights looked a tad vacant in the broad space on either side of the split grille. The quad rectangular headlights of the 1976–1977 cars seemed better integrated.
A modern buyer might also prefer to skip the Cordova vinyl roof, although it was getting hard to avoid: Almost 80 percent of 1973 Grand Prix production had this $116 option. However, this 1973 Grand Prix SJ wins points for its very attractive Regatta Blue metallic paint — still original in this well-maintained low-mileage car.
Whatever you might think about the 1973 front end treatment compared to earlier and later iterations, the ’73 Grand Prix had some other compensating virtues. A big one was performance: This was close to the last gasp for any real performance pretensions in the Grand Prix. The big 455-cid V-8 remained available through 1976, but the 1974 and later cars were heavier, and from 1975 on, the big engine was down to 200 net horsepower. For 1973, the 455 still had 250 net horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque, which wasn’t ’60s muscle car stuff, but was enough to give this 4,300 lb car respectable punch. Sadly, while Pontiac originally announced that the hotter SD 455 engine would be available on the Grand Prix in 1973, boasting 295 hp, no GPs were actually built with that engine.
The $379 SJ option was a performance package that included not only the big engine, but also a retuned suspension with special shock absorbers, front and rear anti-roll bars, and GR70-15 radial tires. Variable-ratio power steering was standard on the Grand Prix, as were power brakes with front discs. As long as you respected the car’s considerable size, it could handle and stop respectably well, which sadly hadn’t been true of a lot of its ’60s predecessors. Unfortunately, buyer interest in sporty performance was no longer great, hit hard by high prices and higher insurance rates: Only 13.4 percent of 1973 GPs (20,749 cars) had the SJ option. All had Turbo Hydra-Matic — while the Le Mans and GTO were still available with a 4-speed manual transmission in 1973, the Grand Prix had been automatic-only since 1972. This car also has a Safe-T-Track limited-slip differential, which was rather rare on the GP; only 8.2 percent of ’73s were so equipped.
The popular Rally II styled steel wheels were a $37 option. I give the previous owner a lot of credit for sticking with the factory wheels and period-correct whitewall tires rather than the obligatory aftermarket rims and RWL tires so many of these cars now sport.
Part of the reason the Grand Prix didn’t sell as well as the contemporary Chevrolet Monte Carlo was that the Pontiac cost quite a bit more. A base Grand Prix started at $4,559.90, while a Monte Carlo S started at only $3,561.50. Of course, Chevrolet still charged extra for the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission almost everyone bought, but a well-equipped Grand Prix was not an inexpensive car: This one listed for $6,098.90 with destination charge (the equivalent of about $50,350 in 2026 dollars), and the original buyer could have added another $700 or so of additional options this car lacks, like the $325 power sunroof.
However, where the Monte Carlo was pretty much just a Chevelle inside, often with bench seats, the Grand Prix had an interior more befitting its price, including real wood veneer on the dashboard, console, and doors. You could order a front bench seat for a $50 credit, but buckets and console were still standard.
The wood — “genuine African crossfire mahogany,” according to the brochure — helps to keep the blue-on-blue interior color scheme from becoming too overpowering. Personally, I think it’s a good combination, as are the options. This car has manual air conditioning and an AM/FM radio with a power antenna, but it’s not gadget-heavy: no power windows or locks, no power seat, no automatic level control, and no automatic climate control to malfunction in expensive ways.
The upholstery is Morrokide (expanded vinyl), not leather (although Pontiac had offered real leather on the GP before and would again later), but it is attractive.
The Model SJ included a full set of secondary gauges, which were optional on base models. Even with the compulsory Turbo Hydra-Matic, I think I’d prefer a tachometer to the rally clock, but the options list suggests that a factory tach wasn’t available in 1973.
One sour note is the clumsy separate shoulder belts. I wonder if some of Americans’ hostility towards seat belts (fewer than 20 percent wore them in their era when this car was new) might have been alleviated if Detroit had been quicker to adopt modern three-point belts with inertia reels, which are a lot more convenient.
You didn’t buy a car like this to regularly carry more than one passenger, but if your friends (or your kids) were young and limber, the back seat wasn’t too awful for a quick run to the pizza parlor. There wasn’t enough room in the trunk for longer trips anyway.
Many of the people who’d made Pontiac the envy of the industry in the ’60s were long gone by 1973: Bunkie Knudsen was running White Motor Company; Pete Estes was GM’s executive vice president; John DeLorean had recently been promoted from general manager of Chevrolet to GM group VP (although he would resign in April 1973); and ad man Jim Wangers was running a Chevrolet dealership in Milwaukee. However, the 1973 Grand Prix SJ still had a fair measure of the spirit and style that had made Pontiac great in the previous decade, something that was becoming awfully scarce at Pontiac in the ’70s. The GP looked good in an extroverted sort of way; it went pretty well; and in SJ form, it had verve as well as luxury — probably the best combination of all those qualities of any ’70s Grand Prix, and arguably of any ’70s Pontiac save the Firebird.
The original owner of the Regatta Blue car bought it at Ernie Von Schledorn Pontiac in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (“Ernie Von Schlay-Dooorn / In the heart of Menah-mo-nee Falls,” as their radio jingle used to go). By late 1973, when the oil embargo started and gas prices spiked, ordering big 455 engine probably no longer seemed like a such a great idea; Consumer Guide called these cars’ gas mileage “decidedly bleak,” at 9.5 to 12 mpg. Perhaps that was why the original buyer had only put about 6,900 miles on the GP by October 1987, when an Ernie Von Schledorn salesman put him in touch with the collector who eventually bought the car from him.
That second owner admitted he also spent “more time waxing the car than driving it”: This Grand Prix still had only 7,274 miles when it sold for $23,500 on Bring a Trailer in October 2024, and is still mostly original.
I admit this isn’t my favorite Grand Prix (I’m still partial to the 1963), but it IS my favorite color. In this condition, with this combination of features, it’d be awfully hard to resist, and on balance, it might be peak ’70s Pontiac.
Related Reading
Vintage Car Life Review: 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix Model SJ – “Tiger In Tuxedo” (by me)
Curbside Classic: 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix – Grand Size, Medium Prize (by Paul N)
Curbside Musings: 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix – Linda (by Joseph Dennis)
Cohort Capsule: 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix — Rock Vs. Disco (by Rich Baron)
@Aaron: I agree with you on the color, it is stunning (and my favorite, too!) I like to envision how it would have looked sans the vinyl top. A real beauty!! 🙂
A Stutz Blackhawk for the common man.
I really liked these back in the day. Tastes change.
I’d lean to a 1973 GTO over this model. KS
I ordered a new 1975 Grand Prix in march 1975 model J silver/red interior , 7300 window sticker, paid 6336.00 out the door I still have the bill of sale. It was stunningly beautiful but was really cobbled together paint paint job(much orange peel). Both doors sagged in their openings were not installed or adjusted squarely, it did this myself at home after having experience working in a body shop in the 1960’s in high school. The steering column was not adjusted properly I had to correct the angle myself. Being the first year for the catalytic converter the car ran really poorly with little power. It drive really great with gm radial tuned suspension. After driving for a time the valve lifters would start to rattle and the oil pressure would drop. I sensed a problem with the oil pump or bypass pressure relief spring but in stead the inept dealership installed 2 new sets of valve lifters to no avail on solving the problem. I sold the car with 2 years and never even looked at a new gm car again!
I also prefer the next generation styling but if I found one of this era in this condition, and the price was right for me, I would buy it.
Kudos to keeping the factory wheels and whitewalls as well.
Regarding the back seats – it was typical then for kids to go in the back. Before child safety locks, eliminating the possibility of kids opening a door while driving, or even having a window that lowered – was a safety feature. Sedans were looked down upon – poor styling, fleets, rental cars, taxis, etc.
I can speak from experience, having ridden in the back of my parents’ Toronado, later downsized GP, Regal, etc.
My dad preferred two door cars as well… never thought about kids opening the doors. I think he liked the looks plus it was easier to wash and wax the car.
I had two 1973 Grand Prix. One was white on red and red landau top it was a model J, it had power window,locks and drivers seat. It had a 400 ci motor. The other one was maroon on maroon model SJ,no power windows,or locks no power driver seat it had the 455 ci motor both had three speed turbo transmission the model J had honeycomb rims and the SJ had the rally rims. Both were cool cars n fast for there weight, I liked the model J more.
Wow. Such a stunning car and that blue is so nice. I have always had a soft spot for the GP’s. In 1973 when this car was born, I was a whole 6 years old. But I was already a car nut by then. I fondly recall one of my brothers who got a brand new 1976 I think. It was a maroon with the white landau top and burgundy cloth seats that was so cool. Kind of like a suede? All I recall is that the cloth was way more cool than the normal Chevy interiors most of the family had. But sadly, a drunk driver crossed the center line and crashed that car as my brother and his wife were driving home one night. Car was totaled, but they walked away with minor scrapes, etc. He then replaced that one with a 1977 in a dark brown with the tan landau top and matching tan seats just like the other one. But I recall on this one, it had the swiveled seat option!! I loved that thing as you could pull a handle and the seat would swivel outward for easier exit//entry.
I’d love to have a 1976/1977 today. Those were my favorite of all.
Great article and beautiful car. I have always loved the ’73, and Blue Oval Dave’s comparison to the Stutz is something I see almost immediately.
I liked subsequent years of the Colonnade GP, but the ’73 has the edge with its thin bumpers. The way the larger bumpers eliminated the tidy, tucked-in appearance of the front and rear fascias detracts from the overall looks of the 1974 to ’77 cars.
This all-Morrokide blue interior is a thing of beauty. I also like that the ’73 got genuine African mahogany trim on the inside.
Aaron, Great write up! I am the owner of this very car, bought it from BAT. It was a dream come true. I still can’t believe I own it every time I remove the car cover and take it for a spin. I drove a maroon 73 in high school, it was the family car along with a 75 Firebird, my Dad would not buy a 4 door car. It started my love for Pontiacs and especially GPs. The car will remain very well preserved and all original as best as I can. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and highlighting what I think is one of the most beautiful cars of that era.
Really like the ’73 dashboard. Well laid out and easy to read. I’m definitely not a fan of computer screens in cars, but maybe I’m showing my age.
I drove a ’79 Grand Prix company car with the meek 305. Comfortable and smooth riding. Not very quick but what was then. I think that was a Chevy motor. Confusing who made what motors back then.
Thanks for the good post!
I’m with you, I’m in my 30s and I’ll take this over the small LCD TVs screwed to a vinyl clad 2×4 dash seemingly all new cars aspire to look like now any day.
The driver centric cockpit design these had aged well into the 90s where even the likes of the legendary Mark IV Supra utilized it. My 94 Cougar too. It might not be the best design for all occupants of a car but for a car like this (*personal* luxury)it’s absolutely excellent.
I’m firmly in the 77 Grand Prix camp front end wise, but seeing as this is 90% the same car beggars can’t be choosers and it’s indeed a beauty and I do love the color which is refreshingly un70s!
….but the single headlights, ugh! I know the PLC trend was all in on them for neoclassical retroism but to me the previous generation Grand Prix was arguably ruined by them and this generation Grand Prix was vindicated by going back to quads(even if rectangular)
Re: SD engine
I am from 15 miles north of Pittsburgh PA, in 73-74 I used to see a Grand Prix with SD embelms and a way loud exaust ripping up and down the road! Could it have been one that got away! My parents had a 72 Grand Prix at the time.
I am currently unable to display content published after March 6th on my Damsung tablet.
Why?
My Dad had a dark green ’74 Model J. His was a 400/4V, and moderately well-equipped with AM/FM stereo, tilt wheel, power windows and the rally wheels. The dashboard had a plaque announcing “RTS,” which meant Radial Tuned Suspension.
It was a pretty quick car, especially compared to Mom’s ’68 390 Country Squire, and also handled a lot better. Her next wagon, however, was a ’75 LeMans Safari. The wagon also had “RTS,” but was a better handling car than the GP, courtesy of a rear sway bar that the GP lacked. That car was bog slow, courtesy of a very strangled 400/2V.
The prime styling difference between the 1973 and ’74 models was the five MPH rear bumper on the ’74 and a more vertical orientation of the taillight lenses. The ’73 rear end was much better looking.
My first car was a 1975 Grand Prix J with the 400 cubic inch. It was a putty grey with a maroon top maroon interior velour seats. Bought in 1977 with just over 50k miles for $3395. Pretty well optioned out it was a beast and a beast on gas but I loved that car. I put over 50k miles on it myself in the following 2.5 years and sold it to my brother to use to commute to school for $500 which is what they offered me as a trade in value on a 79 Cougar. He out another 50k on it before it eventually died.