1970
      The 1970 Grand Prix was essentially a carryover from the immensely successful 1969 edition. Only a couple of points differed. The grille itself now featured vertical slats, and vertical hash marks appeared on the front fenders just behind the front wheels. New interior upholstery patterns and the reintroduction of the bench seat rounded out the visual changes.
      Under the hood, there was a new optional engine. While the 350-horse 400 was still standard and the low-com-pression 400 2-barrel and automatic were still a no-cost option, both 428s were history. In their place was a 455 4-barrel, with 370 hp available at 4600 rpm, and 500 axle-snapping lbs.-ft, of torque at 3100.
      Unfortunately, sales plummeted by more than 40 percent. Much of the drop can be attributed to the introduction of Chevy's and Oldsmobile's "Me Toos," better known as the Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme. While the Monte Carlo was considered a G-body and shared the GP's roofline, it did not share any other sheetmetal with the Pontiac and utilized the 116-inch four-door A-body chassis (which was 2 inches shorter in wheelbase than the GP's). The Cutlass Supreme also used the Grand Prix roofline with its own lower sheet-metal and 116-inch wheelbase. Both models took a solid bite out of the trend-setting GP's sales.
      A Grand Prix show car was built for the 1970 season. Called Cielo del Sol (Sky of the Sun), it was another paint and upholstery car—painted a pearlescent Champagne color, with an electric sunroof, vinyl top and a leather interior.   NEXT >

Another view of Don Lane's 1970 Grand Prix shows the subtle restyling from 1969, the first year the car was based on the G-body platform. The '70 received vertical grille bars and minor trim changes, but that was about it. Inside, Lane's car shows how luxurious even the basic Model J trim could be. Options include air conditioning, AM/FM stereo and Turbo 400 automatic transmission.