Pontiac Grand Prix (1990) – Into the Wild

Anyone who thinks that a gigantic brand portfolio such as Stellantis is something of the present, is wrong. General Motors currently manages Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Wuling, but that list used to go on for a while. General Motors owned not only Opel, which was recently sold to Stellantis, but also brands such as Hummer, Saab, Holden, Daewoo, Hummer, Saturn and thoroughly American departments such as Pontiac and Oldsmobile. Until the beginning of this decade, countless basically identical models were spread across Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac in the United States, resulting in an unfathomable model range. All the more so because General Motors did not always have a clear distinction between the brands for a long time.

In the late 1980s, General Motors was forced to differentiate its brands from each other, because sales were anything but smooth sailing. Cadillac continued to meddle with the top class, Buick was portrayed as a more accessible luxury brand, Chevrolet became the brand for Jan en Alleman, Pontiac became the brand for the younger and sportier customer and Oldsmobile nestled as a technological indulgence-oriented hodgepodge of Pontiac and Buick between those two brands. The car on the podium of In het Wild today illustrates beautifully how General Motors basically managed to cast one car in various brand forms.

Buick Regal

Until the 1980s, it was the rule rather than the exception that several GM brands sold the same car, cars that differed at most in terms of finish, equipment and badges. That changed in the late 1980s, which was reflected in the range of medium-sized models that General Motors parked on the W platform. These were cars, each with its own body and therefore its own identity. The W platform debuted in 1987 under the fifth generation Pontiac Grand Prix, the fifth generation Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, the third model series Buick Regal and the first series Chevrolet Lumina. The Lumina, which only followed in 1990, was available as a two- and four-door sedan and was considered an unpretentious offer. The Regal, available as a two-door coupe and four-door sedan, had the older, more affluent consumer in mind with its more classic and chrome-plated exterior. The Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme was given a futuristic ‘high-tech’ look and was not only available as a coupé and sedan, but also as a convertible (photo 5). The Pontiac Grand Prix presented itself as a sportier, more youthful model and came as a four-door sedan and as a coupé. This story is not entirely a far-from-your-bed show, the Buick Regal, Chevrolet Lumina and Pontiac Grand Prix also came to the Netherlands!

Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

The Pontiac Grand Prix in these photos is a Coupé and dates from 1990, the first year the car was delivered. Pontiac had the Coupé version in the Netherlands for only two years on the menu, the sedan version was allowed until 1994. The Grand Prix Coupé in the Netherlands always had a 3.1-liter V6, a drawstring but torque-rich power source that produces a modest 130 hp and 251 Nm via a four-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels. That is also the engine that lies in the nose of this flimsy Grand Prix shot in Delft. The Grand Prix thus managed to reach a top speed of 200 km/h.

Chevrolet Lumina

The example in the photos started life as a gray Grand Prix, but is now wearing a yellow jacket. Not long ago this specimen was still in the primer, so it seems that its current owner is working on a solid round of refurbishment. That is probably also the explanation for the few raw edges and missing parts that we see or just miss on the car. The Grand Prix is ​​now virtually extinct in the Netherlands and that makes this original delivered in the Netherlands a true relic. It is a fine example of a period when General Motors decided to turn things around. The change of course resulted in cars with a different perspective than you are used to as a European. Food for enthusiasts now!