1977 Pontiac Grand Prix: The Record Year

This record's own dek states that 1977 was the record Grand Prix year, 288,430 built, with Pontiac 400 and Oldsmobile 403 V8s at the top of the engine list. This record's own overview states that MuscleCarClub, crediting the Standard Catalog of Pontiac, gives 1977 Grand Prix production as 288,430, split between a base "J" hardtop at 168,247, an "LJ" hardtop at 66,741, and an "SJ" hardtop at 53,442, and that the compiled engine tables list six engines: a 301 cid V8 at 135 hp and 240 lb-ft, a Pontiac 350 at 170 hp and 280 lb-ft, a Chevrolet 350 at 170 hp and 270 lb-ft, an Oldsmobile 350 at 170 hp and 275 lb-ft, a 400 cid V8 at 180 hp and 325 lb-ft, and an Oldsmobile 403 at 185 hp and 320 lb-ft, all SAE net as compiled with no rpm given.¹

This record's own keyFacts section states that Pontiac's 1977 brochure gave the Grand Prix a standard Pontiac 301 two-barrel V-8, with a 350 four-barrel for California and high-altitude buyers and a 6.6-liter 400/403 four-barrel in the SJ; it also gives factory prices of $5,108 for the Grand Prix, $5,471 for the LJ, and $5,742 for the SJ. This record's own prices section carries these same three factory prices by trim and body style.²

This record's own production section carries four rows, the 168,247-unit J, the 66,741-unit LJ, the 53,442-unit SJ, and the 288,430 total, with a note that the source presents the J, LJ and SJ rows as summing to the total, and a second note stating plainly that no engine, transmission, paint or trim counts were found. This record's own transmissions section lists a single entry, Turbo Hydra-matic, standard.¹

This record's own options section itemizes the SJ's own equipment by name, the 6.6-liter 400/403 four-barrel V-8, GR70-15 steel-belted radials on Rally II wheels, bucket seats with center console, and full rally gauges; the LJ's own equipment, deluxe wheel covers, wide rocker moldings, body-colored sport mirrors, buckets or an available 60/40 full-width velour seat, extra lamps and added acoustical insulation; and individually named options including a Rally RTS Handling Package, a hatch roof, leather-trimmed bucket seats, cast aluminum wheels, and a custom sport steering wheel.

This record's own interiors section carries three entries: the standard Grand Prix notchback full-width seat shown in red; the SJ's own lateral-support bucket seats flanking a center console, with leather-trimmed buckets available; and the LJ's own bucket seats or an available 60/40 full-width velour seat, each drawn from the same 1977 full-line brochure that supplies the record's own dimension and equipment detail elsewhere.

This record's own specifications section gives shipping weights of 3,804 pounds for the J, 3,815 pounds for the LJ, and 3,976 pounds for the SJ, along with a 212.7-inch overall length, 77.8-inch overall width, 116.0-inch wheelbase, front/rear track of 61.6/61.1 inches, front/rear head room of 37.2/36.9 inches, front/rear leg room of 42.5/33.5 inches, front/rear hip room of 54.9/52.7 inches, 15.1 cubic feet of trunk capacity, and the SJ's own GR70-15 steel-belted radials on Rally II wheels.²

This record's own performance and conflicts sections are both empty for the year, leaving no period road test and no disputed figure on record for the 1977 Grand Prix, despite the depth of production, price and specification detail this record's own sections otherwise carry. This record's own identification section gives series 2G, body style J57 for the Grand Prix, K57 for the LJ, and H57 for the SJ, sourced to the same Standard Catalog tables as the production and price rows.²