2000 Pontiac Grand Prix: The Peak Year, and a Second Daytona 500 Pace Car

This record's own dek describes 2000 as the highest-volume year of the generation in the compiled table, 172,811. This record's own overview states that MuscleCarClub, crediting the Standard Catalog of Pontiac, gives 2000 Grand Prix production as 172,811 across SE, GT and GTP without a split by trim or engine, and that the compiled engine tables list a 3.1-liter V6 at 160 hp and 185 lb-ft, a supercharged 3.8-liter V6 at 240 hp and 280 lb-ft, and a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 at 200 hp and 225 lb-ft, all SAE net as compiled with no rpm given.¹

This record's own keyFacts section states that Pontiac offered a Daytona 500 Pace Car Replica based on the GTP coupe, in Galaxy Silver with Daytona 500 graphics, hood heat extractors, NASCAR-style roof fences, a rear spoiler and dual-dual exhaust tips, advertised as one of only 2,000 to be produced for the year; it also states that Consumer Guide gives 2000 Grand Prix production as 172,772, of which 10,497 were GTP coupes including the pace-car replicas, so that nearly one in five GTP coupes was a replica, and that unlike the 1998 edition, the 2000 replica's own console plaque was not sequentially numbered.²

This record's own production section carries five rows: the compiled 172,811 total, a separate Consumer Guide total of 172,772 both marked disputed, a 10,497-unit GTP coupe row that includes the pace-car replicas, a 2,000-unit advertised Pace Car Replica figure from pontiac.com marked as an announced limit rather than a build count, and a 2,000-unit Pace Car Replica figure the Standard Catalog itself states as built, agreeing with the advertised number. A note states the GTP-coupe and pace-car rows are separately scoped subsets of the total and should not be added to anything. This record's own conflicts section carries the same total dispute directly, the compiled 172,811 against Consumer Guide's own 172,772, a 39-car gap with this record's own treatment note stating neither source names its underlying record.^1,3,2

This record's own prices section carries six MSRPs from the Chrome-data buyer's guide republished by TheAutoChannel, with destination and date not stated: two SE sedan figures, $19,935 and $19,985 for a car separately listed as "New For 2000," $21,665 for the GT coupe, $21,815 for the GT sedan, $24,460 for the GTP coupe, and $24,610 for the GTP sedan, six style-id rows in all across the five nameplates this record's own overview and keyFacts describe.⁴

This record's own engines section carries four entries: the 3.1-liter V6 at the compiled table's own 160 hp, the supercharged 3.8-liter standard on the GTP coupe and sedan, the naturally aspirated 3.8-liter (RPO L36) standard on the GT and available on the SE, and a fourth entry specific to the 2000 catalog's own 3100 SFI rating of 175 hp and 195 lb-ft, standard on the SE and not available on the GT or GTP. This record's own conflicts section flags that same 3.1-liter dispute, the compiled table's 160 hp against the catalog's own 175 hp, with this record's own treatment note stating the catalog figure applies specifically to the 2000 3100 SFI while the compiled figure is an earlier rating carried across a year span. This record's own transmissions section lists a single entry, the four-speed electronically controlled automatic, standard with all three engines, with the supercharged engine adding driver-select shift controls.^1,5

This record's own options section itemizes the Daytona 500 Pace Car Replica package itself by its own full content, two-tone seats with Daytona 500 and checkered-flag embroidery, a console emblem, hood vents, a unique rear spoiler, bright exhaust tips, three-spoke polished alloy wheels, bodyside decals, Daytona 500 bumper lettering and NASCAR-style roof fences; the GTP Performance Package required by the supercharged engine, P225/60R16 performance tires, a 2.93 axle, driver-select four-speed automatic, full-function traction control, rear spoiler and trip computer; option groups across all three trims; and a long list of individually named options from cruise control and a full overhead console through a Bose Hi-Performance sound system, an EyeCue Head-Up Display, and three distinct cast aluminum wheel styles.

This record's own paint table lists ten colors, and this record's own interiors section carries three entries: standard sport bucket seats in Cyclone cloth, code AR9; available leather seating surfaces with perforated inserts, code AR9L, requiring the AG1 group; and the Daytona 500 Pace Car Replica's own specially trimmed two-tone seats with Daytona 500 and checkered-flag embroidery, matching the exterior trim the options section already describes for that same package.²

This record's own specifications section gives a 110.5-inch wheelbase, 196.5-inch overall length, 72.7-inch width, 54.7-inch overall height, front/rear tread of 61.7/61.1 inches, a 3,373-pound curb weight for the SE sedan, an 18.0-gallon fuel tank, and a 2.93:1 axle ratio for the supercharged engine package on the GTP. 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 2000 Grand Prix.