1973 Pontiac Grand Ville Convertible
"Here's where it all comes together. High luxury and very confident performance. The richest Keswick fabric and vinyl Morrokide with the feel and look of leather, hand fitted to full foam, one piece seats. Center armrest in front. Door pull straps. Grand Ville's standard engine, a 455ci 4-barrel V8, has a coolant overflow system designed to end engine coolant loss. A '73 Grand Ville should never overheat, even with the air conditioning going full blast." From the 1973 Pontiac sales brochure that also featured the Laurentian, Catalina, Parisienne Brougham, Bonneville, and Grand Prix.
For consignment, a 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville convertible showing 54,000 miles but true miles are unknown. Unrestored and owned by the same family for 20 years, this car is a time capsule representative of a fairly rare car. Only 4,447 convertibles were built in 1973 and when was the last time you saw one on the road?
Exterior
"Long and dark, shiny and black" sang Bruce Springsteen, (okay, about a Cadillac, but GM), and that's what we have here. Starlight Black covers this topless land yacht for a classy coat of inky adornment. And at 226 inches, that's a lot of paint! Its face is classic 70's Pontiac with dual headlights and a pointed nose wearing the telltale arrowhead and huge chrome bumpers that bookend this stretched ragtop. A midline body molding trim breaks up the billboard a bit and fender skirts add just a touch of sleekness and maybe even a little aerodynamics for this cinder block on wheels. An enormous hood has stylistic contours but the decklid is salt flat level and leads to wide tail lights segmented in three and folded inward on the outer edge, just before the tip mounted reverse light protrude from the outer body folds. 15-inch Pontiac Rally II wheels aid in Pontiac's desire to render this model sportier than the luxury iron it was peddling in '73, and they do a good job. Imperfections include some water spots and an area of uneven paint.
Interior
As the brochure says, "simulated wood upper door panels have a hand carved appearance", and indeed it's almost convincing and something you might see in a western saloon or near a church pew. Below it, some typical GM vinyl in Oxblood red and a metal backed switch panel for the windows. A carpeted lower is a must and is present here on the long doors. Back to the brochure we go where the seats are described as "rib and biscuit design" and while that sounds like something at the Longhorn Steakhouse, it's actually an accurate description of the biscuit tufting of the upper seats, and linear stitching no the bottom of the 70/30 bench seat, in Oxblood leather and vinyl, showing a bit of patina, but nicely intact. A "finely textured scroll" is on the fold down armrest and the center of the rear bench also in leather textured vinyl and in good shape. Faux wood grain adorns the 3 spoke steering wheel, and a wall of the stuff covers the instrument panel which is a collection of gauges and switches in a rather minimalistic presentation that provides only the basics, including an AM/FM/Cassette radio, and it's all in very nice condition. Red loop style carpet covers the vast floor space, shows some age, but is protected by carpeted red floor mats.
Drivetrain
Under the hood lurks a clean, date-correct 455ci V8 rated at 250 horsepower and fed fuel through a 4-barrel carburetor. A TH400 3-speed automatic transmission sets this ship into motion and sends power to the 10 bolt rear axle with 2.93 gears. Power brakes are discs in front and drums in the back. The engine bay is clean and appears factory stock.
Undercarriage
Relatively clean and dry underneath, its where we find evidence that this car has likely been garaged a good part of its life. There's some surface rust, but not much, and some flaking paint off of braces and other components, but not much there either. It appears the underside may have had a protective coating at some point. Suspension consists of coil springs in the front and a 4 link with coil springs in the back. The single exhaust is in good shape and flows through a stock style muffler and resonator before exiting out the back.
Drive-Ability
We wrap ourselves in this big, black bathtub and row it onto the test loop where the 455 provides smooth and sure power to this 4,552 pound Detroit cruiser. The steering is soft and so is the ride, helped by 75 series tires on those 15-inch rims. The only issue we had was the top not going back up. Having minimal functions on a survivor means less to go wrong and in fact, all other functions work as they should. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
A rare Poncho from the waning days of convertibles and overshadowed by its GM brethren, this Grand Ville is ready to carry you and a bunch of friends or family members to cruise in style. It's entirely possible that you will be the only one in a Grand Ville to show up at the car show and if there's a class for full sized convertibles from the 70's, you're a shoe in for a trophy! This is a fine example of a rare Detroit dinosaur.
2P67W3X164582
2-Pontiac
P-Bonneville/Grand Safari
67-Convertible
W-455ci V8
3-1973
X-Kansas City, KS Assy Plant
164582-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
ST 73 2BP67-1973 Grand Ville Convertible
BDY X(Illegible)-Kansas City Body #
TR 577 AM6-Oxblood Leather, Split Bench With Armrest
PNT 19 2-Starlight Black, Black Top
03B-2nd Week March
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.
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