9,825 original miles! ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE ORIGINAL SURVIVOR!

Pontiac Grand Prix 1971 Description

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VEHICLE HISTORY

This 1971 Grand Prix Model J was built at the GM Lakewood plant in Atlanta in April, 1971. The vehicle was shipped to the Fisher Body Chicago plant (verified by the original build sheet) and began its life as a Fisher Body executive’s car in June, 1971. The practice in those days was for a Fisher Body executive to drive a GM vehicle for a few months. Then the vehicle would be sold to a GM employee at a considerable discount. We know the name of the Fisher Body executive who took delivery of the vehicle (James Robinson) because his name is written on the original Pontiac invoice – how cool is that! After driving the car for a few months, Mr. Robinson was the one who ended up buying the vehicle for his wife, Miriam, in October, 1971 (copy of original title confirms the purchase date), so she would have a vehicle to drive back and forth to church on Sundays.

We know from the original build sheet the car was originally equipped from the factory with 1971 Grand Prix-specific wheel covers. Based on the patina of the Rally II wheels, and the Untouchable car alarm system, I believe Mr. Robinson had these installed at his local Pontiac dealer at the time of his purchase. (These wheel covers come with the vehicle. The original steel wheels do not. I’m guessing Mr. Robinson probably didn’t save the original steel wheels, because he knew he could remove the trim rings from his Rally II wheels and just affix the wheel covers in case he ever wanted a different look).

The vehicle was rarely driven from October, 1971 to September, 1990, as it had a little over 8,000 miles on it in September, 1990. At this time, Mrs. Robinson walked into her State Farm agent’s office (Frank Zapolis) and said she was too old to drive and she wanted to cancel her insurance. Mr. Zapolis canceled her insurance and offered to buy the car from her (copy of the registration transfer validates the transaction occurred in September, 1990). They agreed on a price, and he placed the vehicle in a collection with 3 other cars where it would sit mostly undriven until September, 2016, when Mr. Zapolis’ son-in-law began to liquidate the collection (Mr. Zapolis died in 2012). At this time, the car registered 9,660 miles. We can document the mileage as correct based on conversations with Mr. Zapolis’ son-in-law (who sold me the car), and an appraisal from 2008 which places the mileage at 9,350 at that particular time. The vehicle has only travelled approximately 500 miles in the last 9 years! All of the aforementioned documents come with the sale of the vehicle.

EXTERIOR

The condition of the exterior of this absolutely pristine 1971 Grand Prix is nothing short of incredible! Everything on the exterior is original and untouched. The original Code 66E Bronzini Gold lacquer paint is at least ‘95% condition’. Other than a few very minor blemishes, there is no checking and the original paint still shines brilliantly like it was factory-new. It seems to almost change colors in different types of light. This can be seen in some of the pics. There are a couple of minor scratches. One ison the passenger doorand has been touched up with Dr. ColorChip and it blends nicely. There is a light surface scratch on the decklid and one on the left quarter panel toward the rear. These could easily be buffed out. The original Code 5 Sandalwood vinyl top still looks factory-new. All of the chrome, trim, etc., is still in excellent to near-mint condition. All of the original Soft-Ray glass is flawless. The original General Electric headlights work flawlessly. The original factory Rally II wheels are untouched and in excellent condition with a nice patina. 1971-correct G78-14 dual stripe reproduction bias-ply new tires are mounted on the Rally II wheels. There are no dings or dents anywhere. The body is as straight as an arrow. It’s obvious by the incredible condition of the original paint, top, etc., that this car has spent most of its life undriven and in a garage. It also appears there has never been any body or paint work done to this vehicle. There isn’t even a hint of rust on the exterior of this vehicle, which is amazing considering this 1971 Grand Prix has spent its whole life in the Chicago area. Again, the incredible pristine original condition of this vehicle is further evidence it has sat in a garage undriven and protected from the elements for most of its life.

INTERIOR

The interior is flawless and all original. There is absolutely no fading anywhere. The original dash, steering wheel, carpet, seats, package tray, floor mats, seat belts, door panels, console, etc. are all near-mint. The only thing in the interior that’s been replaced is the headliner - the original had begun to sag over time. One of the truly incredible aspects of the interior is the original Code 287 Pinehurst Pattern Cloth and Morrokide seats. Most of the time, these vehicles were ordered with Morrokide Vinyl upholstery on the seating surfaces. If the vehicle was ordered with Pinehurst Pattern Cloth, the seats typically didn’t survive the test of time. However, other than a couple of very minor ‘sweat’ stains that are not very noticeable, the original Pinehurst Pattern Cloth seats are in amazing condition. I’m sure these light stains could be easily removed, but they are barely noticeable. I love the incredible original condition of these seats! All of the original interior lights, gauges, AM-FM radio/functions, key buzzer, work flawlessly. The only thing not currently working is the original rear speaker. I’m guessing there may be a crimped wire somewhere. The A/C blows ice cold and was converted to R134 in 1999. (verified by the label on the top of the passenger side fender in the engine bay).

ENGINE BAY

The vehicle still retains its original numbers-matching Code YS 400 4-barrel 300 horsepower engine and Turbo Hydramatic transmission. Great care was taken to maintain the factory originality of the engine bay when it was cleaned and detailed. In order to maintain its status as a true “survivor”, the decision was made not to paint the engine block. In case someone wanted to, AMES does repop the correct engine block color now for a 1971 Pontiac. With the exception of the brake booster, master cylinder, hoses, belts, and spark plug wires, everything in the engine bay is original. The new brake booster is a NOS Delco unit, correct for all 1970-73 Pontiacs and was a lucky (and expensive!) find on Ebay. All of the markings on the booster are correct, right down to the single ‘Delco Moraine’ stamping in the upper right-hand corner, and the “green dots”. The master cylinder is an AMES reproduction unit correct for a 1971 Pontiac. The master cylinder cap is the original (repops don’t have the correct markings on the top of the cap). The original brake booster and master cylinder come with the vehicle. AMES reproduction correct Packard spark plug wires have been installed. While the end caps are not original, the battery cables are the original ones. The only known defect is a small crack in the top of the radiator shroud that has been meticulously repaired. The air cleaner, all labels, A/C compressor, distributor, Rochester carburetor, underhood insulation pad, etc. are all original to the car. A new AMES correct water pump was recently installed and painted the correct 1971 Pontiac engine color to match the engine block. The decision was made to paint the water pump before installation, because the previous water pump was beginning to fail and it was not the original.

TRUNK

All components of the trunk are original. The original trunk mat is in excellent condition, as are the original side panels. The Uniroyal G78-14 dual white stripe spare tire is the factory original as is the steel wheel. It appears they were rarely out of the car. All of the jack components are pristine and original as well. The original rear speaker and speaker cover, and jack instructions label under the decklid are present as well.

UNDERCARRIAGE

The undercarriage is all original. The decision was made to not clean or detail the undercarriage to preserve its original true survivor status. The frame and some of the undercarriage components have light surface rust, indicative of the car being driven in the rain during its first 19 years. However, it doesn’t appear that the car was ever driven in any snow or salt. This makes sense given the overall great condition of the undercarriage and the fact the vehicle was rarely driven. The only ‘mistake’ Mr. Zapolis’ son-in-law made was replacing the original exhaust system. He felt that since the exhaust system had surface rust that it needed to be replaced. So he took it down to his local Midas dealer and had a cheap one installed. (ugh!!) When I purchased the car, the first thing I did was install a 1971 Grand Prix-correct Gardner Concours exhaust system on the vehicle – everything is correct right down to all the bends, cuts and 2 ½” diameter of the piping. The original spiral shocks and 308 rear end are still on the car.

SUMMARY

With the odometer showing only 9,825 original miles, this is undoubtedly the lowest-mile 1971 Grand Prix left in the country. The absolutely pristine original condition of every aspect of this car is truly amazing. I’ve only seen a few other 1969-72 Grand Prix’s that compare to the incredible original condition of this vehicle. This vehicle deserves to be tucked away in a collection of other Pontiacs or in a museum in order to preserve the ultra-low mileage and original pristine survivor condition. If you’re looking for a true investment-grade collector 1971 Grand Prix that’s in all original pristine condition, then this is the vehicle for you! As you know, it’s getting harder and harder to find pristine original condition 1969-72 Grand Prix’s. They don’t come any better than this one! This pristine survivor 1971 Grand Prix comes with a thick folder of documentation and receipts, including all PHS docs, PHS window sticker, build sheet, copy of the original title, title transfer document to second owner, original Fisher Body key chain and pin, etc. Please feel free to text me or call me with any questions at 937-269-7909. I have many pictures available upon request. Ebay only allows 24 pics in an ad (ugh!). I tried to choose ones that best represent the incredible condition of the car. Thank you for your interest in this pristine original 1971 Grand Prix. You won’t be disappointed!

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