It was also installed with a center console with a transmission shifter, tachometer, four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts, and "acceleration" rear axle ratio (3.42:1).

Late in the model year a "street" version of the race-orientated 421 Pontiac offered in 1961 and 1962 became available, but only in a four-barrel form rated at 320 hp (240 kW).

Aside from grille work, taillight covering, and bumpers, chrome trim was limited to lower rocker panels, wheel arches, and roofline.

The Grand Prix continued with luxurious interiors featuring real walnut trim on the instrument panel and bucket seats upholstered in "Morrokide" vinyl.

The center console was now built into the instrument panel and featured an intake manifold pressure vacuum gauge along with a dash-mounted tachometer for cars with manual transmission.

Those included a revised grille (based on the 1964 Bonneville/Catalina) with new "GP" logos and rear deck trim with new taillights, still hidden, again following the design of the other big 1964 Pontiacs.

A 1965 Grand Prix road test was featured in the February 1965 issue of Motor Trend magazine, which was focused on the entire Pontiac lineup receiving M/T "Car of the Year" honors for 1965.

The new intermediate-based 1969 Grand Prix began to take shape in April 1967, with a few prototype models built on the full-sized Pontiac platform before the G-Body was ready.

Shortened by three inches from the previous Catalina wheelbase, the 118 in (3,000 mm) 1969 Grand Prix finally had a unique body – and Pontiac's longest-ever hood.

[7] The new Grand Prix sought to deliver performance as attention-getting as its styling, with manual transmission options and engines topping out at the 390 hp (290 kW) 428 HO.

The 1969 Grand Prix debuted a "Command Seat" wraparound cockpit-style instrument panel that placed most controls and gauges within easy reach of the driver.

Enhancing the interior's sporty look, the "Strato" bucket seats were separated by a console integrated into the instrument panel that slanted toward the driver, which included a floor shifter, storage compartment, and ashtray.

DeLorean and other Pontiac planners saw a way to reverse the declining sales of the full-sized Grand Prix by creating a new niche in the burgeoning personal luxury car market.

[7] A new integrated bumper/grille and larger single headlights replacing the quad lights of 1969-70 models marked the introduction of the 1971 Grand Prix along with a new slanted boattail-style rear with taillights built into the bumper.

Transmission offerings initially were carried over from previous years, including the standard three-speed manual, or optional four-speed stick or Turbo Hydra-Matic.

The most notable styling feature of this generation was the appearance of the fixed opera window, replacing the previous disappearing rear side glass.

[7] Grand Prix production set a new record of over 150,000 units, despite intense competition from a similar restyled Chevy Monte Carlo, and "near" personal luxury coupes such as Buick's all-new Century Regal and Oldsmobile's Cutlass Supreme — both of whose styling and appointments were very similar to the GP and Monte Carlo, and even shared the same squared-off formal roofline with opera windows - but used the standard A-body coupe body and 112 in (2,800 mm) wheelbase shared with lower-priced models.

A new split vertical bar "waterfall" grille and quad rectangular headlights in front and revised taillight lenses highlighted the 1976 Grand Prix.

A complete reworking of the front header and bumper highlighted the 1977 Grand Prix, which was the final year for the 1973-vintage bodyshell that was set to be replaced by a downsized GP for 1978.

The parking lamps were now positioned between the quad headlamps (same setup as a 1967 or 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass), and the previous year's 'waterfall' grille was replaced by a narrower one that extended into the lower portion of the bumper.

Options specific for the 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix include a factory rear spoiler, rare aluminum turbo finned wheels, and a full-size spare tire.

Although it had modest horsepower, benign handling, and design compromises, there were only 1,118 Grand Prix 2+2s built in 1986 and dealers were able to ask 20 percent above the list price for this limited-production version.

Air conditioning was standard as were rear shoulder belts, and the 2.8 L was replaced by GM's new 3.1 L MPFI V6 that produced 140 hp (100 kW) midway through the model year.

This edition featured a special red, white or blue paint, the 210 hp Chevy LQ1 3.4l DOHC, special badging featuring Richard Petty's signature, special wheel well and ground effects, spoiler, Richard Petty black and white center caps, transmission shift modification which allowed a button for 2nd gear start or normal use, combination locking glove box, blue paint on the inner web on wheel matching exterior paint, and "fan appreciation tour" badging making it one of the rarest Grand Prix ever produced.

[31] On the YouTube Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History channel, Manoogian conducted a number of interviews about his and his team's seminal idea for the seventh generation Grand Prix: "a Learjet for the ground.

[40] In March 2008, GM announced a recall on all 1997–2003 Grand Prix GTP models (as well as sister car Buick Regal GS) due to a problem that causes fires in the engine compartment.

The GXP also used a 4-speed automatic transmission with paddle-style TAPshift, head-up display, vented cross drilled brakes with PBR calipers, performance tuned suspension with Bilstein gas-charged struts (sits about 9 mm (0.4 in) lower than other GP models), Magnasteer II, and StabiliTrak dynamic control system.

For 2006, a Special Edition body package featured a body-colored SPO grille, new front and rear "diffuser" type bumpers, lower side skirts, and wheels.

That model year marked the car's final revision until the Grand Prix was pulled from Pontiac's lineup after 2008, by adding GM badges near the front doors.

[40] 2006 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Crash Test Ratings:[51] During the first generation of the model line, the Pontiac Grand Prix was offered through GM of Canada under several brand names, styled slightly different from its U.S. namesake.