abody1@telusplanet.net
If Pontiac sold the Grand Am in Europe, it would cost as much as
the cars it competes with - the sophisticated sedans of
Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar. Over here, the Grand Am (best of
Grand Prix, Trans Am) should go for half that.
Interested?
By Chuck Koch
For years the average American car buyer has thought that in
order to be comfortable, an automobile must totally isolate its
occupants from the sensations of driving. For years he had no
other choice because that was the only type of car Detroit built.
Then European manufacturers appeared on the scene with cars that
offered comfort and road feel, and the U.S. buyer began defecting
to marques like Mercedes, BMW and Audi. At the outset this
disertion was insignificant, but as Detroit either failed to
respond, or responded with merely cosmetic rehashes of old
themes, more people were willing to spend the extra money to buy
the foreign automobiles. The loss of sales became intolerable,
and our automaker decided to retaliate in kind.
The Pontiac Grand Am, although not an American Mercedes or BMW,
shows signs of European influence. Underscoring this is the fact
that while in the development stage the car was code-named
"Europa."
The final name, Grand Am, also makes a point. It's a combination
of Grand Prix, Pontiac's intermediate-based luxury sports job,
and Trans Am, Pontiac's hottest Firebird. The best of both, says
Pontiac, is close to what you'd find in a European sedan. As it
turned out, the Grand Am is more of a family grand touring car
than anything else. Although exhibiting certain European
characteristics in ride, handling and interior appointments, the
Grand Am's styling is distinctly American. Built on Pontiac's
A-body (LeMans) chassis, the Grand Am is available in either 2-
or 4- door models, with respective wheelbases of 112 and 116
inches. Due to the nature of American mass production techniques,
the vehicle shares many exterior body panels with the basic
LeMans, but there are dramatic differences between the two. The
most striking is the front end treatment. Whereas the LeMans has
a rather flat grille and protruding 5-mph bumper, the Grand Am
lessens the visual impact of the bumper with a sloping,
three-piece nose section made of injection-molded urethane
plastic which deforms during an impact and then pops back to its
original shape without damage. The urethane is color-matched with
the body sheet metal as is the bumper to give the impression that
the front end is one integral unit. It is a most pleasing and
exciting treatment which demonstrates what stylists can do when
confronted with a basically unsightly piece of hardware like the
5-mph bumper. The Grand Am has the sporty long-hood, short-deck
look, (although in reality neither is as pronounced as they
appear), along with doors which wrap into the roofline,
limousine-style - another example of General Motors' present
organic styling concept. Another feature is a louvered rear
quarter window on the Grand Am coupe which, from the outside,
gives a solid appearance but from the inside provides visibility
to the rear. It's all done with angles.
The first impression of the Grand Am is that it's big. Maybe too
big. It's an intermediate, but then all GM A-body cars have grown
in exterior dimensions. One thing is for sure, the Grand Am is
larger than either a BMW Bavaria or a Mercedes 280 SE and one
wonders why Pontiac didn't use a smaller car to start with,
possibly the Ventura, Pontiac's version of the compact Nova. Bill
Collins, assistant chief engineer in charge of product planning,
says, 'The size is right but that's all. I just don't think you
can make it believable - you can t take a Nova that's been on the
market since 1968 and say, "This is a Mercedes".'
The primary consideration when Pontiac began actual development
work on the Grand Am was to have a chassis that would provide
superior roadability and handling characteristics without
compromising ride comfort. This task was assigned to the chassis
group headed by John Seaton and the result, according to Collins,
surprised even them. The key, they decided, was control. The ride
would be soft, yes, but suspension movement would be meticulously
precise.
The suspension bushings, which were formerly made of 60 durometer
rubber, have been replaced with a harder 90 durometer material
which acts to remove overcompliance in the suspension components
and the 1.12-inch diameter front stabilizer bar is squeezed into
1.22-inch diameter grommets, providing more effective front
stabilization without increasing the size of the bar. With that
large a front bar the car would normally understeer, so to
counteract this tendency a .94-inch diameter rear stabilizer bar
is standard. Wheel control has also been greatly improved through
the use of Pliacell, a GM trade name, shock absorbers, which, by
using a plastic bag to separate the oil and air in the cylinder,
retain their firmness over rough roads where "ordinary" shocks
aerate and become mushy and lose their ability to dampen spring
movements. Then, to make the ride more comfortable, the ride
height of the car is raised .3-inch higher than the LeMans
setting, providing more effective suspension travel; a feature
Mercedes and BMW use with great success. The most critical
interface between ride and handling is where the rubber meets the
road, and here Pontiac has unstintingly specified GR7O-15 radials
on 15x7 inch wheels. Finishing off the chassis developments are
standard power front disc brakes which are 10 inches in diameter
and provide more than adequate stopping ability. It is hard to
appreciate these improvements until you drive the Grand Am. You
are aware of the suspension movements but, due to superb sound
isolation and the increased suspension travel, everything takes
place at a subdued level - no sudden surprises or loud noises.
The car seems to glide over minor road imperfections and, while
at the GM proving grounds at Milford, Michigan, a tour around the
Belgian block road proved that the car can cope comfortably with
conditions that leave even a Mercedes with its grille
chattering.
To match the grand touring flavor of the Grand Am's ride and
handling, Herb Adams' engine group has come up with four power
plants for the car. These begin with the standard 400 cubic inch
V8, producing either 170 or 185 SAE net horsepower depending on
the type of exhaust system you order - single or dual. Options
run through a 200-hp / 230-hp 400, a 215-hp/230-hp 455 to the LS-
2 Super Duty 455 which produces 310 SAE net horsepower. The L52
is a new engine which uses a large Quadrajet carburetor, forged
connecting rods, TRW pistons and - on the Grand Am at least -
dual exhausts and ram air through NACA-type hood scoops. The LS-2
even has the provision, at the back of the engine block, for a
dry sump lubrication system, should you care to go racing.
Transmission choices are limited to either a Turbo-Hydramatic or
a Muncie M21 wide-ratio 4-speed manual and the rear axle ratio is
3.23:1. With three people in a car equipped with the LS-2 engine,
we recorded a quarter-mile in 15 seconds flat and 94 mph; not a
world beater but still plenty respectable for a five passenger
family automobile.
As in the car's ride and handling, the interior of the Grand Am
shows definite European influence. Bucket seats are standard up
front, and like Volvo's, adjustment is provided for both backrest
angle and lumbar support. The seats are softer in the center than
around the edges, giving good lateral support. The 14-inch
diameter steering wheel is fairly thick-rimmed with a padded
center, and there is real Africin mahogany wood veneer on the
dashboard and center console. The foreign influence extends to
details like a headlimp dimmer switch incorporated into the turn
signal lever, and straps - not plastic handles - to use when
closing the doors. The dashboard is out of the Grand Prix series
and is fully instrumented with speedometer, tach, oil, amp, and
temperature guages; seat upholstery is either cloth with corduroy
inserts or leather-like vinyl that is perforated so that the
occupant's skin can breathe. Front seat leg-room is adequate
although we were told that before production begins there will be
even more room. The coupe has good rear room, due mainly to the
increase in size common to all GM intermediates, and the
four-door has enough room for a person over six feet tall. It is,
in every respect, a quality interior that rivals many foreign
cars and surpasses most American automobiles.
Since Pontiac is marketing the Grand Am in more-or-less direct
competition with the Europeans, it is important that they get
their message across properly. According to the division's
marketing department there are four major target areas in the
automotive market that the Grand Am will appeal to.
1. The higher priced domestic intermediate buyer.
2. The buyer of foreign cars priced from $4,000 to
$8,000.
3. The luxury sports car market.
4. The so-called "personal car" advertising will stress the
mechanical features of the car; the ride and handling, the
unique front end, and good performance.
Will Pontiac succeed with its Grand Am? Check the number of
foreign trade-ins on your Pontiac dealer's list a for months from
now. And the "pre-annual" Grand Ams on the Mercedes list a few
months after that. We're betting they'll make it.
/MT
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