Pontiac Grand Ville

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The Pontiac Grand Ville was the top-line luxury car in the division's full-sized line from 1971 to 1975. It displaced the Pontiac Bonneville which had served as Pontiac's flagship since 1957.

The Bonneville itself was never discontinued during this period, but was demoted to an ambiguous mid-line status between the luxurious Grand Ville and lower priced Pontiac Catalina. Nevertheless, the Grand Ville and Bonneville always shared more trim and design elements than either did with the Catalina, and were in fact hard to tell apart. It seems unlikely that most buyers ever fully grasped the difference.

In addition to more luxurious interior trimmings, the Grandville used the squared-off roofline of the Oldsmobile 98, Buick Electra and Cadillac DeVille, the premium models of those divisions. There was usually some distinctive chrome up front and taillight trim at rear to set it apart. For 1974 only, the Grand Ville had its own parking lights, which wrapped around the corner of the front fender. The car was usually seen with more deluxe appearance options, such as sport wheels and vinyl tops, than the other full-size Pontiacs.

Standard equipment on Grand Ville models included a 455 cubic-inch V8 engine (1971-74 models, 400 cubic inch V8 standard and 455 optional for 1975), Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering and power front disc brakes. Popular options included air conditioning, power windows and driver's seat, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, AM/FM stereo with tape deck and much more. One of the rarest options available on Grand Villes and other full-sized Pontiacs during this period was the adjustable brake and accelerator pedals offered from 1974 to 1976.

Grand Ville enjoyed a moderate success from 1971 to 1973. However, the Arab Oil Embargo of late 1973 and early 1974 led to gasoline shortages, long lines at filling stations, and skyrocketing pump prices. These factors would sharply cut into full-sized car sales in 1974 as Americans were shunning big gas guzzlers in favor of smaller more fuel-efficient cars. For 1975, the Grand Ville became the Grand Ville Brougham and included a bit more standard equipment than in previous years such as power windows and carpeted trunk. This would be the final year for the Grand Ville series, which also included Pontiac's last full-sized convertible, which would be the division's final ragtop until 1984. For 1976, the Grand Ville nameplate was dropped and the lineup was renamed the Bonneville Brougham, reverting that nameplate back to its former flagship status.