Bring a Trailer offered an almost unique 1979 Grand Prix for auction recently. It had a four-speed manual transmission—quite rare in 1979 and no longer available in 1980. With only 858 miles on the odometer, this Grand Prix sold for $35,000.

… carries Grand Prix sportiness to the max

1980 was the final year for the SJ designation on Pontiac’s Grand Prix. SJ had been a Grand Prix equipment level since the first year of the second generation Grand Prix in 1969. By 1980, SJ indicated something like “moderately sporty.”

The 1980 Grand Prix returned to a vertical bar grille and featured new taillight lenses with “GP” logos. A three-speed automatic transmission became standard equipment on all Grand Prix models, and the two-barrel 4.9 liter/301 ci Pontiac V8 was replaced by a new 4.3 liter/265 ci V8 rated at 125 hp.

The SJ’s powertrain choices were slightly loftier. The standard non-California powertrain was a W72 170 bhp 4.9 liter/301 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor mated with a three-speed automatic transmission. California cars swapped in the LG4 150 bhp 5.0 liter/305 ci V8 with a four-barrel carburetor. 0-60 came in a little under 10 seconds in a car with a 3,291-pound curb weight—spritely for a personal luxury coupe in 1980. EPA fuel economy ratings for the non-California cars were 17 city/25 highway by the day’s standards. With an 18.1-gallon gas tank, an SJ‘s owner could expect a range of 310 to 340 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

With a base price of $6,219, standard exterior and mechanical equipment on all Grand Prix’s included dual rectangular headlamps, power steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, and P195/75R14 tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch wheels with hubcaps. Interior features included door pull straps, an inside hood release, and an electric quartz clock.

For $7,295, the SJ added Custom finned wheel covers, body-color Sport mirrors, wide rocker panel moldings with extensions, accent stripes, and, of course, SJ identification to the exterior. Inside, SJ buyers got rally gages with clock and trip odometer, Lamp Group, and added acoustical insulation. SJ trim and upholstery included a Custom Sport steering wheel, a simulated brushed aluminum instrument panel, a Custom stitched-appearance instrument panel pad, Custom pedal trim plates, and SJ-specific front vinyl bucket seats.

Options and Production Numbers

Options were many—exterior options included two-tone paint in two different styles, cornering lamps, Soft Ray glass, a removable hatch roof, and a power sunroof (either glass or metal). Air conditioning (Custom or climate control), power door locks, and power windows were among the available interior options. Trim and upholstery options included Viscount leather front bucket seats with vinyl bolsters, a power driver’s seat, a tilt steering wheel, and a litter container.

Audio options included dual rear extended range speakers, two power antenna options, and six different stereo radios, including two 8-track tape choices, one cassette tape choice, one CB radio choice, and an ETR radio choice. A buyer looking to make their SJ as sporting as possible would have ordered 205/75R14 tires (which included the Rally Handling Package), Rally II wheels, and rally gages with an instrument panel tachometer (which required either the digital clock or the ETR radio).

Though the Grand Prix sold pretty well overall, the SJ did not—only 7,087 left dealer lots in the 1980 model year. This total meant that the SJ was a mere 6% of Grand Prix sales and hints strongly at why it was gone for the 1981 model year, with the new Grand Prix submodel being the Brougham. Pontiac would use the SJ designation on the sportiest versions of the compact Phoenix until the end of the 1984 model year.

The View From 2022

Grand Prix’s of this generation are not generally considered collector cars—Hagerty does not track any Grand Prix newer than 1977. These cars are sometimes available in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds and on eBay Motors. As we have seen, these Grand Prix’s also show up at auction.

Make mine Bordeaux Red, please.

Other Grand Prix models I have written about include the 1987 coupe and the 1988 coupe. I seem to like Pontiacs—have covered twelve other models over the last seven years.

“Comfort and function define every Firebird interior.”

For 1986, Pontiac offered three versions of its sporty Firebird—the base car, the SE, and the Trans Am. The SE was intended to be the most comfortable of the three versions (Pontiac stated that it possessed “a subtle sophistication”), and its $11,995 base price (about $30,500 in today’s dollars) slotted between the $9,279 base coupe and the $12,395 Trans Am.

The SE‘s standard engine was the 135 bhp LB8 2.8 liter V6 with fuel injection, while it’s only optional engine was the $400 155 bhp LG4 5.0 liter/305 ci v8 with a four-barrel carburetor (only Trans Ams could get fancier V8s). Both engines came standard with a five-speed manual and were offered with an optional four-speed automatic ($465). The V8 with the manual was the quickest (0-60 mph in about 9 seconds) and the fastest (top speed of about 131 mph) SE. EPA gas mileage ratings were 17 city/26 highway with the standard powertrain (15/24 by today’s standards). Interestingly, the V8 wasn’t significantly worse at 16 city/26 highway with the manual or at 17 city/25 highway with the automatic. With a relatively small 15.5-gallon gas tank, SE owners could expect a range of between 265 and 320 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on all Firebirds included concealed rectangular quartz halogen headlamps, Sport mirrors, power steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, and P215/65R15 tires on 15-inch wheels. Inside, a full-length console, reclining front bucket seats, cut pile carpeting, and a Delco-GM AM radio were standard.

Additional standard equipment on the SE included hood air louvers, black body side moldings, and 15-inch diamond spoke aluminum wheels. Inside, the Formula steering wheel, shift knob, and parking brake were all leather-wrapped. Luxury Trim Group included Custom front bucket seats, a Deluxe split folding rear seat, and Deluxe door trim. An interior roof console included sub-woofer controls if the subwoofer six-speaker system was ordered.

Optional exterior and mechanical equipment included a body color rear deck spoiler ($70), a hatch roof with removable glass panels, and power four wheel disc brakes ($179 and requiring the limited slip differential). Inside, Custom air conditioning (which required Soft Ray glass), power door locks, power windows, a six-way power driver’s seat, a tilt steering wheel, and five different radios were available. A loaded SE moved from comfortable to relatively luxurious by mid-1980s standards.

Like its Camaro Berlinetta cousin, the SE did not sell well—it was only 2% of overall Firebird sales in 1986. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1986 Firebird SE with the V8 and the manual in #1/Concours condition is $13,200, with a far more normal #3/Good condition version going for $4,600.

Mid-1980s Trans Ams are always available in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds and on eBay Motors, but SEs rarely make an appearance—as I write this post, there are no third-generation Firebird SEs for sale on either site. I have not seen an SE in almost 20 years.

Other Firebird versions I have written about include the 1981 Trans Am coupe, the 1982 Trans Am hatchback coupe, the 1984 Trans Am 15th Anniversary Edition hatchback coupe, the 1985 Trans Am hatchback coupe, and the 1989 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am hatchback coupe. I should probably cover a Formula and a GTA at some point.

Make mine Midnight Blue over Silver, please.

“One of the world’s most advanced production turbos”

For 1984, Pontiac’s top-of-the-line Sunbird S/E gained a new turbocharged motor along with a minor front-end revision and clear fog lamps.

The S/E‘s new engine was an LA5 150 bhp 1.8 liter/110 ci inline four with a Garrett turbocharger and fuel injection. It was paired with a standard four-speed manual gearbox, with a three-speed automatic optional for $320. With the standard powertrain, 0-60 came in about nine seconds—class-competitive in 1984. Fuel economy ratings were 25 city/36 highway by the standards of the day (20/26 by today’s standards). The Sunbird’s 13.5-gallon gas tank meant that owners could expect a range of 280 to 370 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $9,489 S/E hatchback coupe (about $24,200 in 2019 dollars) included two-tone paint, power steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, a WS6 performance suspension, special chassis tuning, and Goodyear Eagle GT P205/60R14 tires (a size now only marginally available) mounted on attractive 14-inch “hi-tech turbo” cast-aluminum wheels. Inside, fully adjustable reclining front seats, a folding split-back rear seat, a three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, rally gages, and a Delco-GM AM radio were included.

Exterior options included a power glass sunroof ($300) and a louvered rear sunshade ($199). Inside, custom air conditioning, electronic cruise control, and Lear Siegler bucket seats ($400) were available.

Reviews of the new turbocharged configuration were positive—Popular Mechanics called it a “150-hp screamer.” 1984 Sunbirds did sell well—almost 170,000, but more than 80% of them were the base coupes and sedans, not the LE or the S/E. Sunbirds of this generation (1982-1994) are now almost completely vanished from the nation’s roads, and models other than the convertibles rarely show up in the Hemming’s Motor News classifieds or eBay Motors.

I wrote about the last of the previous-generation Sunbird’s here. Other J platform cars I have covered this blog include the 1982 Cadillac Cimarron sedan, the 1988 Cadillac Cimarron sedan, and the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 coupe. I will not ignore Buick and Oldsmobile forever.