The third generation of the Pontiac Grand Prix, which had been new for 1969, received a pretty serious nose job for 1971. The quad headlamps were replaced by larger dual headlamps faired into the hood on either side of a jutting grille, giving the snout a sort of neoclassical appearance.
It was available in two levels of snarliness, the regular "J" model, which came with a 400, and the sportier "SJ", which had a 455 for a base motor. If the retro prow and SJ model designator made you think of the vanished Duesenberg, well, all the better. (Besides, they weren't around to protest, anyway.)
Personal luxury in the sporty grand touring mode was the name of the game, and plush bucket seats were separated by a console, while the instrument panel curved, cockpit-like, ahead of the driver.
The V-8 under the hood of the regular Grand Prix Model J was Pontiac's small-journal 400. For the 1971 model year, General Motors ordered all engines must take a compression haircut so as to run on regular gas, so the 6.6L Poncho motor now sported an 8.2:1 compression ratio. Horsepower was advertised in both gross and SAE net terms for '71, which meant 300 and 255, respectively. The standard transmission was a three-speed manual, with a four-speed and a Turbo Hydra-matic on the options list.
The hot-rodded example in the photo was snapped with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and an EF 24-105mm f/4L zoom lens in October of 2022.
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