1975 · Pontiac · United States
1975 Pontiac Grand Am: The Last of the Series, Priced Near a Much Bigger Seller
The last of the Colonnade Grand Ams: catalytic converter, a $4,887 start, and 10,679 built.
United States · researched through 2026-09-23
The 1975 Grand Am was the last of the original series; the name did not return for 1976. It was also the first Grand Am year to carry a catalytic converter and High Energy Electronic Ignition, changes that came with a lower compression ratio, down to 7.6:1 across the engine lineup, as part of Pontiac's broader Maximum Mileage System of unleaded fuel, an improved torque converter, and GM-specification GR70-15 steel-belted radials. Pontiac marketed that combination under the Maximum Mileage System name specifically, tying the emissions and fuel-system changes to a fuel-economy pitch rather than presenting them purely as regulatory compliance.1,2
The standard engine was a 170-horsepower 400 with a two-barrel carburetor, though California cars got the 400 four-barrel as their standard engine instead; buyers elsewhere could step up to that same 400 four-barrel at 185 horsepower or to a 455 four-barrel at 200. Turbo Hydra-matic was the only transmission listed for the year, with no manual option in the source read. Of the 10,679 Grand Ams built, 8,786 coupes and 1,893 sedans, only 4,143 carried one of the optional engines, meaning a majority of the year's production stuck with the standard 400 two-barrel. That 4,143-car optional-engine count amounts to roughly 39 percent of the year's total production, well under half.1,3
Hagerty reports a starting price of $4,887, barely $400 below the far more popular Grand Prix, which sold nearly 87,000 cars that same year against the Grand Am's 10,679, a striking gap between two Pontiacs priced close together: the Grand Prix outsold the Grand Am by more than eight to one despite starting barely $400 apart on the price list, a gap that suggests price alone was not what drove Grand Prix buyers past the Grand Am in the showroom. Every 1975 Grand Am, like the two model years before it, was built at Pontiac Motor Division's main assembly plant in Pontiac, Michigan, before the model line ended after this year.2,1
Inside, the Grand Am offered deep-contour front bucket seats in cloth-and-vinyl or all-vinyl trim, with the right front seat reclining, set around a console with a floor shift and mahogany-look vinyl trim, Rally gauges, and a custom sport steering wheel, with nylon-blend cut-pile carpet extending into the trunk. The body measured 211.0 inches long as a two-door or 215.0 inches as a four-door, both on 112-inch and 116-inch wheelbases respectively, with a 25-gallon fuel tank across both styles and a 61.6-inch front track against 61.1 inches at the rear.
The options sheet ran heavily toward comfort, convenience, and appearance items rather than performance: controlled-cycle windshield wipers, power windows, a headlamp-on warning system, a power 60/40 front seat, a full or landau-style Cordova top, a stereo radio with an integral 8-track tape player, automatic temperature control with custom air conditioning, a tilt steering wheel, a manual or electric sunroof on two-door cars, Honeycomb or Rally II wheels, body-colored protective side moldings, and a formal rear quarter window on two-doors that replaced the earlier louvered design. None of these carried a price or installation count in the brochure consulted.
Fact sheet · 1975 · United States
The numbers
1975 Pontiac Grand Am — The last of the Colonnade Grand Ams: catalytic converter, a $4,887 start, and 10,679 built.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-23.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Am, all bodies3,1 Grand Am · not stated by source Hagerty says below 11,000. | 10,679 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Am 2-door coupe1 Grand Am · 2-door coupe · not stated by source | 8,786 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Grand Am 4-door sedan1 Grand Am · 4-door sedan · not stated by source | 1,893 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Am with an optional engine3 Grand Am · optional engines combined · not stated by source | 4,143 | built, model-year | Reported |
Coupe and sedan rows partition 10,679.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Am, starting price2 | $4,887 | starting price as reported, 1975 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 2-bbl1 400 cu in · 2-barrel | 170 hp (not stated by source) | standard | Not yet sourced |
| 400 (optional)1 400 cu in · not stated | 185 hp (not stated by source) | optional | Not yet sourced |
| 455 (optional)1 455 cu in · not stated | 200 hp (not stated by source) | optional | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Turbo Hydra-matic | standard; no manual transmission listed | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Controlled-cycle windshield wipers | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Power windows | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Headlamp-on warning system | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Power 60/40 front seat | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Full or landau-style Cordova top | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Stereo radio with integral 8-track tape player | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Automatic temperature control and custom air conditioning | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Tilt steering wheel | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Manual or electric sunroof (2-door only) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Honeycomb or Rally II wheels | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Body-colored protective side moldings | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Formal rear quarter window (2-door) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Economy gauge | — | Not yet sourced |
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Deep-contour front bucket seats in cloth and vinyl or all-vinyl trim; right front reclining bucket seat; console with floor shift and mahogany vinyl trim; Rally gauges; custom sport steering wheel; nylon-blend cut-pile carpet including trunk. | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Compression ratio1 | 7.6 :1 | 1975 engines as described |
| Power teams | Standard 400 2-bbl V-8 (400 4-bbl in California); available 400 4-bbl and 455 4-bbl V-8s; standard Turbo Hydra-matic | Grand Am 1975 as advertised |
| Overall length, 2-door / 4-door | 211.0 / 215.0 in | Grand Am |
| Overall width | 77 in | Grand Am |
| Wheelbase, 2-door / 4-door | 112.0 / 116.0 in | Grand Am |
| Track, front / rear | 61.6 / 61.1 in | Grand Am |
| Fuel tank | 25 gal | Grand Am |
| Maximum Mileage System | Unleaded fuel, High Energy Electronic Ignition, catalytic converter, improved torque converter, GR70-15 GM-specification steel-belted radials | Grand Am 1975 standard |
Identification
- Assembly plant
- All 1973-1975 Grand Ams were built at Pontiac's main assembly plant in Pontiac, Michigan.1
Identification
Read a 1975 Pontiac VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1975
- AMC AMX No AMX was sold in the United States for 1975. The Javelin ended after 1974, and the badge returned on the 1977 Hornet.
- AMC Gremlin X and Spirit AMX Catalytic converters arrived, and steel-belted radials became standard with the X package.
- Buick Riviera Stage One dropped; the GS handling package continued on 3,101 of 17,306 cars.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX The endpoint: the Gran Sport survived only as a Century coupe trim package with the 231 V-6 or 350 V-8; no 455 was offered.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The Laguna Type S-3 got its aerodynamic nose; 7,788 were built, and the 454 was listed at 215 net hp.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova A 262 V8 appears for one year in the source engine table; Nova LN (RPO Z11) luxury option. Enthusiast-compiled production: 272,982 cars; Super Sport 9,067.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS Colonnade-era El Camino; Chevrolet's 1975 data pages define the RPO Z15 SS option for the El Camino Classic. Team Chevelle's production totals give 33,620 El Caminos built, 3,521 of them with SS equipment.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon The Dart 360 Sport continued into 1975 at $4,014, but Flory prints its production as not available.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber's last year: 8,473 by Classic Industries count, about 8,500 per Consumer Guide.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Ranchero GT continued on the 1972-76 Ranchero; 6,114 GTs were built, per reference-site counts in the Standard Catalog lineage.
- Ford Thunderbird Sixth-generation personal-luxury Thunderbird; the record holds the production total and the luxury-group option prices only.
- Ford Torino The last Gran Torino Sport year: 5,126 were built as Torino production fell to 195,110, with a 351 standard and automatic transmission on every car.
- Mercury Cougar Outside the muscle focus: 62,987 Cougars for 1975 per Wikipedia's table.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The Hurst/Olds introduced Hurst Hatches T-tops on the Cutlass Supreme coupe; 2,535 were built, 1,293 white and 1,242 black.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 Duster volume fell by more than half in 1975 and the Duster 360, now automatic-only in the brochure, to 1,421 cars, priced at $3,979.
- Plymouth Road Runner The Road Runner moved to the Fury host for one year.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am The year the Trans Am took over the line: 27,274 built, more than twice the Formula.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The LJ joins the line; the 455 is down to 200 hp net.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans Catalytic converters, standard radial tires and Radial Tuned Suspension arrive, the 455 leaves the LeMans, and the GT option becomes an automatic-only V8 package.