1978 Pontiac Grand Prix : Smaller Than Before yet Just as Powerful

General Motors had an odd year in 1977. It had a very strange circumstance where its intermediate cars were larger than its full-size cars. This happened as General Motors downsized their full size cars prior to this which apparently became the most successful project in view of the number of the cars sold in public. Then there was of course a suggestion to downsize all their cars, partly also because there were new standards of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). This was a very difficult decision to carry out since 1977 was also known as the booming of luxury cars such as Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevy Monte Carlo, and Ford Thunderbird with Pontiac on the top of the sales record with 270,000 units sold.

In 1978, General Motors tried to find the way to change the design of the Grand Prix without affecting much on the sales record. Then a Grand Prix with a body platform with a 108 inch wheelbase shorter in height and a foot shorter in length with 600 pounds weigh was born. Despite the smaller dimension, it still had the trademarks of a Grand Prix. Long hood, sweeping fenders, and short deck.

The Grand Prix was all 2 coupes and available in three forms. They were base, LJ, and SJ. Following the new CAFE standards, a 231 cubic inch V-6 standard was used to replac the old V-8. The luxury type LJ got 301 two-barrel while the sporty SJ got 301 four-barrel. When a 1978 Grand Prix was ordered with a V-8 engine however, it would come with a 3 speed turbo Hydra-Matic as standard.

So, had this new design fulfilled General Motors' goal to maintain the selling when they were downsizing the dimension According to the record, they were successful. The sales record did not move far from the year 1977. With the SJ being the most expensive Grand Prix car line, it sold 228,000 units. This SJ Grand Prix also lasted until 1987 with only minor changes in it.

In conclusion, 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix was a car with a mix between comfort and sportiness. It could not be deemed as a muscle car nor as a car with a luxurious idea, yet it had the biggest contribution to General Motors. It was so memorable and was kept in buyers mind for almost ten years when General Motors had 57.9 % market share. In short, 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix was a job very nicely done.

Sources:
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z12007/Pontiac-Grand-Prix.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac