
The first NASCAR Busch Series title, in 1982, was won by Jack Ingram in a 1980 Grand Am.
Lead trim: 3.8 Buick V6
Pontiac Grand Am second generationA-body (1978) · 1978–1980
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Pontiac Grand Am second generation yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe first NASCAR Busch Series title, in 1982, was won by Jack Ingram in a 1980 Grand Am.
The second Pontiac Grand Am returned for the 1978 to 1980 model years on GM's downsized rear-wheel-drive A-body, related to the Pontiac LeMans and Grand Prix, Buick Century and Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Chevrolet Malibu and Monte Carlo, built at Pontiac, Michigan. Engines were a 3.8 litre Buick V6, Pontiac's 301 cu in V8 and a 5.0 litre Chevrolet V8, with automatic and three- or four-speed manual transmissions.
Collectors Spotted in the Pontiac Grand Am Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Pontiac Grand Am yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8 Buick V6 | 1978–1980 | 3.8 L V6 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 301 Pontiac V8 | 1978–1980 | 4.9 L V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| 305 Chevrolet V8 | 1978–1980 | 5.0 L V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs


The '99 Grand Am shared its basic design with both the compact Oldsmobile Alero and the mid-size Chevrolet Malibu — one platform wearing three very different badges.

This redesign widened the Grand Am's platform to match the humble Chevy Corsica's — and under the skin, the suspension and brakes ended up about 80% shared parts.

A high-output Quad 4 version of this Grand Am was so limited that only 200 were ever built, every one a red coupe on grey trim.

The first NASCAR Busch Series title, in 1982, was won by Jack Ingram in a 1980 Grand Am.

Pontiac printed the engine size in litres on the bootlid, to play up the Grand Am's supposedly European character.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.

It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.

Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.

A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.

The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.

The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.

The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.

The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.

This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.