Pontiac Grand Prix SJ
Back in the 1960s, car enthusiasts considered Pontiac to be GM’s performance brand. So, it is no coincidence this company conceived the idea for the GTO. The allure of powerful engines and aggressive design was a Pontiac trademark. But they wanted to widen their appeal by reaching beyond regular muscle cars like the GTO and the Firebird. And to enter the world of luxury muscle cars, Pontiac had the perfect candidate in form of the Grand Prix.
The Grand Prix was a personal luxury coupe Pontiac introduced in 1962 in a coupe body style. It came with powerful engines and a long list of options. They put this model against the Ford Thunderbird and the Oldsmobile 98 as a “gentleman’s express. However, the restyling of the Grand Prix for the 1969 model year, provided the chance to introduce trim packages. This transformed this comfy cruiser into a real muscle car, so Pontiac jumped at the opportunity.
With a cool-looking new design, long hood and short rear end, the 1969 Grand Prix stood out from its competitors. It also had an innovative, driver-oriented dashboard, and sales immediately jumped. They included a cool trim option they called the SJ that featured a high output 428 V8 engine. And it delivered 390 HP and host of other performance options. Also, they borrowed the initials, “SJ,” from the legendary Duesenberg brand.
Back then, the Duesenberg Motor Company always included the SJ insignia on their most powerful cars. So Pontiac wanted to get a piece of that legend with the Grand Prix SJ. And finally, despite a reputation for executive transport, the powerful V8 propels this big coupe to respectable acceleration times, making it a popular street machine.