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Series now numbered six, all called Torpedo: six- and eight-cylinder DeLuxe, Streamliner, and Custom. Among them was the attractive midseason Metropolitan sedan patterned after the previous four-door Torpedo, with “formal” closed rear-roof quarters. DeLuxes, which garnered 155,000 sales, shared a new 119-inch-wheelbase A-body platform with Chevrolet and thus offered the most body styles. Streamliners and Customs used the same 122-inch B-body as junior Buicks and Oldsmobiles, and included new fastback four-door sedans and two-door “sedan coupes.” Convertibles, again DeLuxes, lacked rear side windows, a treatment that recalled certain Packards but made for awful top-up visibility.
Their aim was to approximate European sedans like the Mercedes 250/280 and the BMW Bavaria at a third to half the money. But it failed to make a strong impression in a market where most buyers looked for either everyday transport or as much glitz as their money would buy. While some features strained at mimicry — a Mercedes-like jumbo-hub steering wheel, for instance — the “G/A” was, on balance, one of the most impressive big Detroiters in a generally dull Detroit decade. Grand Am attracted only some 43,000 sales in its debut year — mainly coupes — then plunged to 17,000 for ’74 and only 11,000 or so for ’75.
Value was an asset, but that didn’t offset all the debits for Consumer Guide®. Of course, the same held for the W-body Buick Regal and Olds Cutlass Supreme. Said CG’s Auto 2000 issue: “Unless sporty looks are your top priority in a family compact, you’d be well advised to scout the competition.” Many people did, and Grand Am sales fell steadily thereafter. The midsize Grand Prix was honed through 1996, its basic 1988 design updated as new engines and features emerged from General Motors labs.
Left stillborn were plans for a 1989 Quad-4 option and the more distant prospect of a lighter aluminum space-frame that would have done wonders for performance. Standard rear spoiler, “ground effects” body addenda, uprated suspension, and a deep-voiced exhaust made it a sort of mini-muscle car. The GT bowed for 1985 with a sleek nose inspired by a special 1984 Indy 500 pace car (of which a few thousand replicas were sold). The V-6 S/E and GT models were the most desirable Fieros.
Though 7.8 inches shorter overall than the ’87, the ’88 rode a wheelbase only 0.5-inch shorter. For the base and midrange LE models, that drivetrain involved a 130-bhp 173-cid Chevy V-6 with port fuel injection driving a four-speed automatic transaxle; a five-speed manual designed by Getrag of Germany was optional. The five-speed was standard on the sporty SE, which came with a beefed-up suspension and more comprehensive instruments set in a very busy dash. Automatic GPs were upgraded to a stroked 3.1-liter (191-cid) V-6 during 1989, but the big thrill was a McLaren Turbo model powered by a blown 3.1 producing 200 bhp. This, plus a transverse drivetrain (nearly universal with front drive), made for a much-roomier interior than before.
Changes for ’99 were few but worthwhile. V-8s adopted a more effective Torsen limited-slip differential, traction control was newly available for V-6s, and all models got a slightly larger fuel tank. Another milestone Trans Am birthday rolled around in 1999. Pontiac observed it with a 30th Anniversary Package comprising the WS6 engine, Arctic White paint, more wide blue dorsal striping, unique 17-inch alloy wheels — and even “Screaming Chicken” decals, albeit much less blatant than in the old days.
