I've always liked those. I started my first GM parts job at a Pontiac dealer in November 80, and given the choice, I would have picked one of those over a Firebird in those years, as crazy as it sounds.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I worked with a guy that owned this identical car in '81. He totaled it by hitting a bridge abutment in Trenton ON.
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
There was one of these GT's in Timmins and was not seen very often even when new and I would not be surprised if it was still stored somewhere around here. I am sure it was either a 3 or 4 speed standard transmission on the floor. If I remember correctly the shifter looked the same as the Iraqui Malibus around that era.
Here are the available engines and transmissions for the 1981 LeMans. I'm told that the GT could be either a 3.8 or 4.4. The 5.0 was for wagons as shown below.
Oh, the dreaded 265 or 267. Wouldn't that have been a race........
If I recall right, we sold an 80 Grand Am 301 4 barrel to a young lady shortly after I started at the dealership. I always loved that car, buckets, console, "dual" exhaust as I recall too. Pretty, pretty car.
No offense to the Malibu guys but I always thought they looked a ton better than the Malibus of that era.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I think Canadian cars got the Chevy power so the Pontiac 265 likely not offered in Oshawa built cars. Grand Ams did get Pontiac power but of course they came from state side. Funny enough we had an 81 Grand Prix with the L37 301 4bbl and "duals" I really liked that car and the 301 moved that Grand Prix along very well. It was a great highway car.
I may have powertrain info for them on a chart in my parts book. I'll try to look a bit later. I recall we sold something with a 265. I remember seeing it and it was something new to me. I just forget what model it was. It may have been a full size car though.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I just took a peek. The listing is too generic. It has Lemans, Grand Am, Grand Prix and even Caballero all listed under A body for 80. The 265 was included in there but no breakdown as to which ones it came in.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Ray, where'd you get all that cool reference material?
A 265 in 1981 would have been among the very last of the Pontiac V8s.
I remember the 1981 Lemans GTs. They were not exactly common. I though of them as being respectable for the era in which they existed. In 1981 the future suggested that GM would not even be making V8s by 1984 except for Corvettes & Cadillacs. How were we to know there would be a performance renaissance in the latter 80s?
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67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
This is a really good story. The cruise night in Scarborough is something I very rarely attend but over the years I've been enough to make a number of acquaintances. One such is with a gentleman who is a die hard Pontiac fan and POCI member, he owns the 79 Grand Am red in colour with white interior.
On Canada Day evening I showed up at the cruise in, first time I had the LeMans out this season. getting near time to leave he searches me out and hands me all this material. Knowing my car he'd been carrying this around with him with the hopes of seeing me. Turns out he had one back in '81 and when he bought it at CITY this was the material the salesmen had to show what the car would look like and what options it had.
Says a lot about car guys that he'd carry it around waiting to find me and also know I'd appreciate receiving it.