An iconic name from GM’s former Excitement Division, the Pontiac Grand Prix had a 46-year production run that only ended when the brand itself finally ran out of gas in the course of the financial crisis that began in 2008. Now, the Grand Prix went through its share of changes over time, starting life as a premium coupe to rival the Ford Thunderbird and ending as a family-focused sedan, and making some interesting stops along the best way. But one thing that remained constant was the Grand Prix’s ability to supply a few of GM’s strongest engines.
After all, none was rated as strong because the 421-cubic-inch V8 that featured dual four-barrel carburetors and was available as an option within the 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix. That mighty motor cranked out some 405 horses, and with 425 pound-feet of torque readily available, it provided the powerful Pontiac with serious motivation.
That is the same old story, anyway. In point of fact, we’ve to provide the 1962 Grand Prix’s horsepower record a little bit of an asterisk — which I’ll resolve further on down.
Grand Prix introduced a brand new formula for fun
The Pontiac Grand Prix debuted in 1962 with a name that was an obvious nod to vehicles with a bit more give attention to performance: Formula 1 race cars. Now, nobody’s prone to confuse a ’62 Pontiac Grand Prix with the BRM P-578 F1 automobile that won multiple Grand Prix races — and the F1 driver’s/constructor’s championships — that very same yr. Yet Pontiac’s coupe actually brought its share of pleasure to American streets.
That was especially the case if you happen to ordered the Super Duty option pack. While it appears only 16 people actually did that, they were rewarded with go-fast goodies including that upgraded 421-cubic-inch V8 and a revised rear axle ratio. With that mill making 405 horsepower, lucky owners could conquer the quarter-mile with times of 14.3 seconds and trap speeds north of 103 mph, flying from 0 to 60 mph in 6 seconds along the best way. Not bad for a two-ton automobile counting on 65-year-old technology.
The Grand Prix also stands out as an early example of an automaker stuffing a giant high-performance motor into one in all its traditional mass-market cars. It’s recipe that may soon result in what’s considered the world’s first muscle automobile, the 1964 Pontiac GTO.
Do recent rules make for a brand new answer?
Keep in mind that asterisk business from the start? The explanation behind it’s that cars equivalent to the 1962 Grand Prix was rated based on gross horsepower, which is measured with the engine completely by itself, uninstalled in a vehicle. Automakers switched to using net horsepower within the early Seventies, and that meant measuring while making an allowance for the power-sapping effects of features just like the fuel-delivery system, exhaust system, and vehicle accessories. All that seriously reduces the quantity of horsepower actually available to drive the automobile. Some experts claim reductions on the order of 30% in comparison with gross horsepower.
Taking that into consideration, the Grand Prix’s 405 gross horses from 1962 translates to a bit under 285 net hp today. That, in turn, would give the horsepower crown to the 2005-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, a front-wheel-drive sedan backed by a 5.3-liter V8 that is good for 303 ponies. Coincidentally, the GXP helped close the circle of life for the Grand Prix with nearly the precise performance scores as its 1962 ancestor. 4 many years after the Super Duty rang up a quarter-mile time of 14.3 seconds and a 0-60 mark of 6 seconds,” Automobile and Driver clocked the GXP at 14.3 and 5.7.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
