1989 Pontiac Grand Prix: The 3.1 V6 and the ASC/McLaren Turbo

This record's own dek states that the 3.1 V6 arrives for 1989, and midyear the ASC/McLaren Turbo Grand Prix. This record's own overview states that MuscleCarClub, crediting the Standard Catalog of Pontiac, gives 1989 Grand Prix production as 136,747 across Base, LE and SE coupes without a split by trim or engine, and that the compiled engine tables list a 2.8-liter V6 at 130 hp and 170 lb-ft, a 3.1-liter V6 at 140 hp and 185 lb-ft, and a turbocharged 3.1-liter V6 at 205 hp and 220 lb-ft, all SAE net as compiled with no rpm given.¹

This record's own keyFacts section states that the Turbo Grand Prix, developed with ASC/McLaren, used the turbocharged 3.1-liter V6 rated at 205 hp with a four-speed automatic only, with 751 reported for 1989; it also states that Pontiac's 1989 catalog lists three coupes, Grand Prix, Grand Prix LE and Grand Prix SE, with a 130-hp multi-port-injected 2.8-liter V6, a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, four-wheel disc brakes, an available anti-lock system new for 1989, and the Level II suspension with 16-inch Goodyear Eagle GT+4 tires standard on the SE. This record's own prices section is empty for the year.^2,1

This record's own production section carries two rows, the 136,747-unit total across Base, LE and SE coupes, and a 751-unit Turbo Grand Prix row converted with ASC/McLaren, with a note that a second source describes that turbo count as an estimate of around 750; the same section's own notes state that no published trim, engine or transmission split of 1989 production was reached, and that a Pontiac Customer Assistance Center reply quoted on a forum is held back as an unpublished lead. That lead itself gives 72,561 Grand Prix coupes, 32,254 LE coupes and 31,916 SE coupes totaling 136,731, four short of the Standard Catalog's own 136,747, and a second unpublished lead gives 749 Turbo Grand Prix rather than 751, both held back as unverified.^1,3,2

This record's own engines section carries the same three entries as the overview, with the 2.8-liter V6 specifically noted as multi-port fuel injected. This record's own transmissions section lists the four-speed automatic as the Turbo Grand Prix's only transmission, a five-speed manual the catalog states as standard on the SE and available on the LE and Grand Prix but which the EPA lists only with the 2.8-liter V6, and a four-speed automatic the catalog calls optional on the SE and standard on the LE and Grand Prix, which the EPA lists with both the 2.8- and 3.1-liter V6. This record's own conflicts section addresses the standard-transmission question directly: the catalog's own account against Consumer Guide's retrospective claim that all 1989 models stood standard with the 2.8 V6 and four-speed automatic, with the five-speed a $615 credit option on the SE only, and this record's own treatment note observing the catalog was printed before the model year and may have been superseded, while no order guide was reached to settle it.^2,4,5

This record's own options section itemizes a Sport Appearance Package with an SE-style front end, 15-inch styled wheels and wide moldings with red inserts; the Level II high-performance suspension, standard on the SE and available on the LE and Grand Prix; a computer-controlled anti-lock brake system; Ventura leather seating surfaces with perforated inserts; a power sliding sunroof; a Remote Keyless Entry System on the LE and SE; and the five-speed manual credit itself, $615 against the standard automatic on the SE, per Consumer Guide. This record's own paint and interiors sections are both empty for the year.⁵

This record's own specifications section gives a 28mm front stabilizer bar for Level I suspension and 30mm for Level II across all 1989 coupes, a fully independent tri-link rear suspension with MacPherson strut and a 12mm stabilizer bar for both suspension levels, and power four-wheel disc brakes with an available anti-lock system. This record's own performance and identification sections are both empty for the year, leaving no period road test and no series or body-style code on record for the 1989 Grand Prix.