“It’s clean, uncluttered and handsome.”
In 1983, Pontiac’s Parisienne nameplate, a Canadian presence since 1958, became available in the United States. The story, of course, was not that simple. For the 1982 model year, Pontiac had moved the Bonneville nameplate from the full-size B-platform to the mid-size G-platform and discontinued the slightly less expensive Catalina altogether. Dealers were unhappy with losing the full-size car, and the sales numbers told the reason why.
| 1981 | 1982 | |
| Catalina coupe (B-platform) | 1,073 | |
| Catalina sedan (B-platform) | 6,456 | |
| Catalina Safari wagon (B-platform) | 2,912 | |
| Bonneville coupe (B-platform) | 14,317 | |
| Bonneville/Bonneville Brougham sedan (B-platform) | 55,451 | |
| Bonneville Safari wagon (B-platform) | 6,855 | |
| Bonneville G/Bonneville G Brougham sedan (G-platform) | 64,413 | |
| Bonneville G wagon (G-platform) | 16,100 | |
| LeMans/Grand LeMans coupe (G-platform) | 4,397 | |
| Le Mans/LeMans LJ/Grand LeMans sedan (G-platform) | 47,427 | |
| LeMans Safari/Grand LeMans Safari wagon (G-platform) | 30,041 | |
| Totals | 168,929 | 80,513 |
By condensing the two platforms into one and dropping the admittedly low-selling coupes, Pontiac cut sales by more than half. Yes, the front-wheel-drive mid-size 6000 was introduced for 1982, but its 57,534 sales didn’t come close to making up for the rear-wheel-drive losses. So, halfway through the 1983 model year, Parisienne’s started to be sold in the United States.
The Parisienne’s base engine was the LD5 110 bhp 3.8 liter/231 ci V6 with a two-barrel carburetor. The LG4 150 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor and the LF9 105 bhp 5.7 liter/350 ci diesel V8 were optional. A three-speed automatic was standard with the V6 and the diesel. A four-speed automatic was required with the gas V8 and optional for the diesel. Mileage with the gas V8 was 18 city/29 highway by the day’s standards (15/21 by today’s measures); with a 25.1-gallon fuel tank, a Parisienne owner could expect a range of about 405 to 530 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.
Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $9,609 base Parisienne sedan included two-tone paint, power steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, and 205/75R15 blackwall steel-belted radial tires (a size still readily available) on 15-inch wheels with Deluxe wheel covers. Inside, a 50/50 split front seat, an instrument panel with simulated woodgrain trim, a glove compartment with lock and light, and an electric clock were included.
Moving up to the $9,879 Brougham added a 60/40 Luxury cloth front seat with a fold-down center armrest and a passenger recliner, along with Deluxe acoustical insulation.
Options & Production Numbers
Options were many (Pontiac only consented to list “major options” in the brochure), and included tungsten halogen headlamps, air conditioning, cruise control with resume speed feature, power windows, power door locks, an electric rear window defogger, a power antenna, and a choice of three radios ranging up to a Delco-GM stereo with a cassette player and a four-speaker system.
The Parisienne was not nearly as sporty (“We Build Excitement”) as most other products in Pontiac’s 1983 model line, but you could add a limited-slip differential axle, body color Sport mirrors, a gage package, and the Rally handling package, which required slightly wider P225/70R15 whitewall steel-belted radial tires.
Pontiac did feel that they needed to state the obvious about the Parisienne’s badge engineering. In fine print at the bottom of the last page of the brochure was this quote:
“Pontiac Parisienne models are equivalent to models offered by Chevrolet under the nameplate Caprice.”
With little differentiation and a short sales period, Parisienne sales were not high in 1983. Pontiac sold 9,279 base sedans, 5,139 Brougham sedans, and 3,027 station wagons. Sales would climb notably in the full-length 1984 model year—18,713 base sedans, 25,212 Brougham sedans, and 16,599 station wagons.
The View From 2025
Parisienne’s occasionally appear for sale in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer.
Other B-platform cars I have written about include the 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Classic sedan, the 1985 Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon, the 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Classic coupe, and the 1982 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale coupe. I have yet to write about the rear-wheel-drive Buick LeSabre.
Eighties Cars 