1996 Pontiac Grand Prix: The Last Year of the First W-Body

This record's own dek states plainly that 1996 was the last year of the first W-body Grand Prix. This record's own overview states that MuscleCarClub, crediting the Standard Catalog of Pontiac, gives 1996 Grand Prix production as 83,587 for the SE without a split by trim or engine, and that the compiled engine tables list the 3.4-liter V6 at 210 hp and 215 lb-ft and a 3.1-liter V6 at 160 hp and 185 lb-ft, both SAE net as compiled with no rpm given. This record's own keyFacts section is empty for the year, so the overview's own two paragraphs carry the whole of this record's production and engine account.¹

This record's own production section carries a single total row of 83,587, with a note that the bodystyle column is printed by the source as SE and that the Standard Catalog's own Note 4 calls it the model-year production total of Grand Prixs of all types; a second note states that no published trim, engine or option split of 1996 production was reached, and that a detailed Pontiac reply quoted on a forum gives a total of 77,180 against the compiled Standard Catalog's own 83,587. This record's own prices section is empty for the year, leaving no factory price recorded anywhere in this record for 1996.^1,2

This record's own unpublishedLeads section carries that forum-quoted reply in detail: 31,811 SE coupes and 45,369 SE sedans for a 77,180 total; 3,704 coupes with the RPO B4S GTP package; the RPO LQ1 3.4-liter DOHC V6 in 3,704 coupes and 415 sedans for 4,119 total; 25,632 cars with the D81 rear deck spoiler; 3,118 with the B5Z high-polished wheel; 5,196 coupes and 437 sedans with the CF5 factory sunroof for 5,633 total; and 8,122 coupes and 12,457 sedans in 35U Dark Teal paint for 20,579 total, all held back as an unverifiable forum reproduction of a manufacturer reply whose total disagrees with the compiled Standard Catalog figure.¹

This record's own engines section carries the two entries matching the overview, the 3.4-liter V6 and the 3.1-liter V6, with neither entry carrying an availability note beyond the compiled table's own bare ratings and displacement figures. This record's own transmissions section lists a single entry, the four-speed automatic, the only transmission listed by the EPA for 1996 across both engines, under vehicle records 12852 for the 3.1-liter and 12853 for the 3.4-liter engine respectively.^1,3

This record's own performance and identification sections remain empty for the year, and its unpublishedLeads section still holds the forum-quoted production reply. The Canadian-market catalog now cited in this record's options, paint, interiors and specifications sections prints no prices and no RPO codes other than the Preferred Equipment Group 1SB, so the RPO codes B4S, LQ1, D81, B5Z, CF5 and 35U in the forum reply remain unverified against any dealership document. The catalog's paint page adds one point of contact with that reply: its key lists Dark Teal Metallic at code 35 among the eight Grand Prix colors, consistent with the 35U Dark Teal the forum reply quotes, though a forum reply is not evidence.

General Motors of Canada's own 1996 full-line brochure, printed in August 1995 and marketing material for the Canadian market, lists the Grand Prix as an SE Coupe and an SE Sedan, so everything drawn from it is labelled Canadian-market catalog in this record. Both cars carry the 3.1-liter V6 with sequential fuel injection, a 4-speed automatic, anti-lock power four-wheel disc brakes, front air bags, daytime running lamps and PASS-Key II. The coupe adds mini-quad headlamps, its own fascias with round fog lamps, P225/60R16 Eagle RS-A tires on 16-inch cast aluminum wheels and reclining bucket seats with a floor console, while the sedan has a Cordae cloth 55/45 seat and 15-inch steel wheels with covers.

The brochure's option pages describe the Preferred Equipment Group 1SB for the SE Sedan, the GTP Performance Package for the coupe and the GT Appearance Package for the sedan, both of which are the route to the 3.4-liter DOHC V6. It prints that engine at 215 hp and 220 lb-ft, which this record's conflicts section sets against the compiled 210 hp and 215 lb-ft, and the 3.1-liter at 160 hp and 185 lb-ft. Its paint page shows eight Grand Prix colors: Bright White 16, Medium Blue Metallic 30, Medium Teal Metallic 31, Dark Teal Metallic 35, Black 41, Bright Aqua Metallic 43, Bright Red 81 and Red Orange Metallic 96. The page prints code 43 twice, once for a Bonneville teal, and the record leaves that as printed.¹