G-BODY BECAUSE G STANDS FOR GOLD
Somewhere in the heart of Williamsburg I noticed this very square brick holding it down. Even though it's not that old it's looking less and less like cars of today with each year.
This is a 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix in Light Driftwood with the last bastion of Malaise-era design; the padded landau vinyl roof! This is the last year for this boxy body style that was introduced back in 1978. Old Goldie here represents the end of an era. Starting the following year the wildly different Grand Prix became front wheel drive.
That smallish grill jutting out with a bit of an underbite continues a GP styling cue that harkens back to the 1969 model year. This would continue in some regard until a 1994 facelift.
Unfortunately in this decade of slow and square cars this was no different with a collection of anemic V6 and V8 choices all offering a pretty dull driving experience. You couldn't even get a manual transmission with a special order sheet for this beast (a wrong that was righted with the next generation where a 5 speed was again available).
Unfortunately in this decade of slow and square cars this was no different with a collection of anemic V6 and V8 choices all offering a pretty dull driving experience. You couldn't even get a manual transmission with a special order sheet for this beast (a wrong that was righted with the next generation where a 5 speed was again available).
The only way I know to pinpoint the year on this ride is to look at both the taillights and trunk lock. That small circle in the center of each taillight was introduced in '86, but the swing away trunk lock cover arrived in '87.
Like mold growing we see body colored plastic starting to cover those gargantuan bumpers. There's still no hiding that fact that the bumper was large enough to provide a nice seat behind the license plate recess.
Well she's just getting a little rumpled and the rust bubbles are making their appearance so I would consider this a crucial time in the life of this car. Either someone os going to be one of the first folks to attempt a restoration of an '87 GP or it will continue its slide into full-blown hooptieville. My first car was an '83 Olds Cutlass Brougham in triple burgundy with the same dimensions and landau roof so I have a soft spot for this beast. That Cutty cost $250 and I would happily lay out another quarter-thousand to roll gold in this sled.
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