Featured is a true classic, the 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville Brougham Convertible. The Pontiac Grand Ville was a luxury car offering and was advertised by Pontiac as such.
The Pontiac Grand Ville was produced from 1971 to 1975 as the top trim full sized model Pontiac offered. The Pontiac Grand Ville distinguished itself with luxurious interior trim along with distinctive chrome up front and taillight trim at the rear. The Bonneville was also a top model for Pontiac and compared with the Grand Ville Brugham, the Grand Ville was one step up from the Bonnevile during it’s five year production run. The essential difference was that the Grand Ville Brougham offered a bit more trim and power options.
The Grand Ville was built with a stretched wheelbase version of the GM “B” platform, which was similar with the Cadillac Eldorado.
The 1970’s
The 1970’s was a time of significant change, especially coming on the heels of the 1960’s muscle car wars. During the late 1960’s the name of the game was horsepower.
Pontiac pretty much established their brand as a luxury car offering coupled with plenty of power and performance and excellent styling. Federal emission and safety regulations introduced in the early 1970’s had forced automakers to not only tune down engine output but also became a design issue mostly due to bumper impact regulations.
At this time, Pontiac was building full size performance cars but when 1976 arrived the full size muscle car was being phased out. The new federal emission regulations along with the 1973 oil crises and rising insurance premiums made owning and driving a muscle car less affordable. A full size high performance automobile even more so.
Pontiac Grand Ville Styling
The 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville was produced there were new roof lines put in place throughout the entire Pontiac line. This included the Bonneville and Grand Ville Brougham (a new name) coupes. The automobiles came with large fixed quarter windows and B-posts that stretched all the way to the door glass. Four door hardtops added small “opera windows” in the rear pillars. Add to that a fixed-position vent window that added more glass area.and a new grille and tail lights that wrapped around the fender edges.
New to the Grand Ville were rectangular quad headlamps which General Motors designed for upper-level cars. These were found on the Bonnevilles and Grand Villes. , which also shared a revised grille and taillamps that newly wrapped around the fender edges.
1975 Pontiac Grand Ville Specifications
Engines included a standard 400 cubic inch V-8 with 185 HP. Also available was a 455 cubic inch V-8 with 200 HP.
Transmission is a three speed GM Turbo Hydramatic THM-400. This transmission first came out in 1964 and had a great reputation as being sturdy and reliable.
Dimensions include a 123.4 inch wheelbase, 226.0 inch overall outside length, 79.6 inch width and a 54.3 inch height. Curb weight is listed at 4,660 lbs.
1955 total Pontiac production came to 531,900 vehicles. From that amount there were 27,650 Grand Ville models produced. The Two door hardtop was the biggest seller at about 15,680 vehicles. Convertibles accounted for only 4,500 units and the Grand Ville Brougham was the only 1975 Pontiac built as a convertible.
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Reference material for this article includes..Pontiac Classics : By the Editors of Consumer Guide…Pontiac : The Performance Years by Martyn L. Schorr…Pontiac Muscle Cars by Mike Mueller.
The Pontiac Grand Ville Collector Car
The Pontiac Grand Ville is a fine representation of the luxury and performance this nameplate was noted for. At the time, Pontiac’s sweeping lines and prominent grille made their cars head turners. The Grand Ville’s were also noted to have as standard a 400 cubic inch V-8 with an option for an even larger engine. The Pontiac Grand Ville represented a time in automotive history where bigger was considered better.
The Pontiac Grand Ville Convertible was not widely produced at only about 5,000 units per year. In 1975, the final year for the model, the Grand Ville was the only full size convertible offering from Pontiac.
The Pontiac Grand Ville is an excellent and relatively low cost way to start a collection. While price varies widely depending on overall condition and mileage, it appears that excellent condition original unmodified examples of the 1975 Grand Ville Brougham have sold in the $29,000 to $49,000 range.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)