What fun is all of that handling prowess if the cabin isn't a comfortable place to be? Here is where the Grand Am leans more toward its brother the Grand Prix, by providing luxury by the bucket-full. Speaking of buckets, in the offering for upholstery was a choice of "Wide-Wale" corduroy or leather-like vinyl-trimmed Morrokide bucket seats with reclining seat back adjustment and lumbar supports. A Custom Sport steering wheel and a dash cluster straight from the new for '73 Grand Prix featuring an African Crossfire Mahogany insert and gauges for oil pressure, coolant temp and voltage, and a clock were included as was a trip odometer. High/Low ventilation was installed as was a console with an inlay to match the dash, a headlamp dimmer switch incorporated into the turn signal lever, and ashtray, glovebox and courtesy lamps. Nylon blend loop pile carpeting, pedal trim plates, pull straps on the doors and an inside hood latch release finished off the luxurious cabin. And there were dual horns under the hood to tell everyone to get out of the way.
All this luxury and performance had a penalty and that was weight. The curb weight of a 2-door Grand Am before options was a hefty 4,054 lbs., with the 4-door checking in at 4,150 lbs., according to the AMA specs for 1973. Needless to say the 1973 Grand Am was a lot of car then and it's a lot of car now. Hopefully, more hobbyists will realize that before it's too late. Perhaps more readers will be inspired to save Grand Ams from the boneyards after seeing the McCauley's fine example.
Editor's note: If you have a Grand Am or just like them, check out www.GrandAmregistry.com According to Tim Claremont, a fiberglass replacement nose made by InDesign can be had from GrandAmParts.com
The Motor Trend Road Test
In the May 1973 issue, Motor Trend tested the "Paper NASCAR Street Machines." It was one of a few magazines to give the Grand Am positive press overall. Note that the car was compared to its American contemporaries and not overseas models. Some other magazines took the Grand Am to task for its overall size and fuel economy as compared to the sedans of Mercedes and BMW. But in the U.S., the GA was more likely to compete against other American-made models of similar girth and heft such as the ones in this test, which included a 1973 455 automatic Grand Am, a 454 automatic Chevelle Laguna, a 440 automatic Charger, and 351 automatic Torino. The Jim Brokaw-authored piece was a road test with a twist. Of course all of the usual information was provided but the street pretenders to the NASCAR throne were also tested on a race track to see how their high-speed prowess compared. The Grand Am and Laguna were described as "large 'small' cars, nimble quick and responsive," by Motor Trend.
With regard to the Grand Am specifically, Brokaw said, "Handling is smooth and stable under most conditions, better than a lot of so-called good handling foreign sedans. But while steering is precise, at higher speeds the machine feels a little nervous." Also the otherwise excellent suspension was marked down for overreacting to larger bumps with "quite a bit of rebound in some of the larger swales."
The instrument panel got high marks of course, as did the seats for support save a too short lower cushion. While the lumbar support was deemed brilliant in concept, the consensus was that its positioning wasn't where it should have been for optimal effectiveness.
"To say the 455 engine is strong would be the understatement of the year. It propels the car along like a rocket," Brokaw stated. Great praise for a standard 250-horse D-port engine. "Brake response was very good, though fade and smoke were evident after four or five repeated stops." "The Pontiac Grand Am had the best balance, the best combination of ride and handling, and was the most comfortable to drive, lumbar lump not withstanding," Motor Trend said of the GA's road manners. Track testing revealed a different side of the Pontiac's suspension however. "Both the Grand Am and the Laguna became light on their feet above 90 mph. The comfortable compliancy of the suspension is too compliant for control at 100 mph."
When all was said and done Brokaw proclaimed, "On balance, the Pontiac is the best automobile of the four, the Charger is a close second and the Laguna and Torino are tied for third."
It would certainly appear that Motor Trend thought highly of Pontiac's new European-inspired intermediate. Good thing for Pontiac given the fact that the price as tested was $6,153, which was cheaper than a Mercedes or Bimmer but $900-1,000 more than each of the other American competitors.