Pontiac Can Am

1977 Pontiac Can Am^[1]

The Pontiac Can Am was a midsize muscle car based on the Pontiac LeMans. It was a special edition option package, and was only available in 1977.

Background

It was introduced midway through the production year, at the North American International Auto Show at the Detroit Auto Show during January 1977 - along with the Pontiac Sunbird Sport Hatch model. One striking feature of the Can Am was the Trans Am's shaker hood scoop fitted as standard equipment.

The car was a variation of the Pontiac Le Mans, but fitted with the Pontiac 400 making 200 hp (the T/A 6.6 "W72" version, not the base 400, which made 180). Cars specifically destined for Californian or high-altitude county dealers, featured the Oldsmobile 403 Small Block making 185 hp (138 kW).

The Can Am package was specific to Le Mans cars painted Cameo White which were then accessorised in striking orange, red and yellow graphics as well as blacked-out lower panels and window trim. The standard road wheel was a color-matched Rally II with chrome trim rings, as shown at right. Many options were available, including the same aluminum "snowflake" wheels offered on the Trans Am, and a steel or glass sunroof. Interior trim color options were the same as the base Le Mans, and included red, black, white and tan.

Production

The number of Can Ams produced has never been accurately determined, but the number most commonly used is 1,377. Complete Le Mans coupes were shipped by Pontiac to Jim Wangers' Motortown business which carried out the various Can Am appearance modifications, including those relating to the hood, rear deck spoiler and body decals. According to the Can Am Registry in late 2007, 42 cars feature the Oldsmobile 403 engine, outwardly identified by "6.6 LITRE" decals on the hood shaker. The rest of the cars on the Registry have the Pontiac 400 engine, designated "T/A 6.6" on the hood shaker decals. The Pontiac Historical Service (PHS) can determine whether a car is a genuine Can Am, and list the options as it was delivered from the factory.

When the Can Am was first introduced to the dealers, Pontiac envisioned producing 2,500 units; the response from the buying public was much more than expected and over 5,000 orders were submitted. Unfortunately, the mold used to produce the fiberglass rear spoiler broke, and production at Motortown, Inc. (where the Le Mans Sport Coupes destined to become Can Ams were sent) ceased. Pontiac upper management, already worried about losing sales of their Grand Prix models (the Can Am and the Grand Prix used the same dashboard and console, so a sale of a Can Am was seen as a loss of a sale of a Grand Prix by some senior Pontiac executives), decided to scrap the project after approximately one half year of production.

There have been some pervasive myths or urban legends regarding the Can Am. It was only available in Cameo White paint, but rumors persist of other colors from the factory, notably Mandarin Orange or Carousel Red. This rumor continues, despite the facts being well documented via discussions with Jim Wangers, the motivating force behind Motortown. Performance tests back in 1977 were also confusing. Road tests commonly quoted the Can Am as having a 180 hp (130 kW) Pontiac 400, along with a 2.41 rear gear ratio. This was a combination never offered to the public. When built with the Pontiac 400 engine, the Can Am came with the three speed automatic TH400 and 3.08 rear gears. When built with the Olds 403 engine, the Can Am came with the three speed automatic TH350 and 2.41 rear gears. There were no four speed manual transmission Can Ams produced. However, one Can Am has been restored and modified with a conversion to a Super T10 manual transmission using all-GM factory parts, from various years of the 73-77 GM A-body.

Performance tests from 1977 estimated 0-60 mph time for the Can Am with the Pontiac engine at about 10 seconds flat, about the same as the previous year's Le Mans with the 455, and a 1/4 mile time of approximately 17 seconds. However, the Pontiac 400 is an excellent base for tuning and rebuilding for higher performance. Simple changes, such as a switch to a 3.42 rear gearset, dual exhaust, an "068" grind cam and an earlier Pontiac intake manifold will make a significant improvement in performance.

References