Pontiac Grand Prix
The Grand Prix was a personal luxury coupe introduced in 1962 in a coupe body style with powerful engines and a long list of options. This model fought the Ford Thunderbird and the Oldsmobile 98 as a so-called gentleman’s express. However, with the restyling of the Grand Prix for the 1969 model year, Pontiac introduced a truly special car. First, there was a cool-looking new design with a long hood, a short rear end, and an exciting, driver-oriented dashboard (via Curb Side Classics).
The 1969 Grand Prix looked apart from the competitors, and sales immediately jumped. Second, there was a cool trim option called SJ that featured a high-output 428 V8 engine that delivered 390 HP and a host of other performance options. The moniker “SJ” was borrowed from the legendary Duesenberg brand. The SJ emblem was used on the powerful Duesenberg cars back in the day, and Pontiac wanted to get a piece of that legend with the Grand Prix SJ.