by Bob Proctor

It wasn’t until 1996, when a friend of mine noticed the Grand Prix in my garage that I really gave any thought to what I owned. After all, I had parked the car following my dad’s funeral in 1987 and had not driven it more than 500 miles until last summer. Perhaps, I should start at the beginning.

My first career out of college was a salesman at Bob Sellers Pontiac, then located in Detroit, Michigan. My family had purchased a number of cars at this dealer during the sixties, so when I was looking for part-time employment during high school, it seemed natural to inquire there first. I washed a lot of now classic Pontiacs. Upon graduation, I put on a suit and became a salesman there from 1972 through 1977.

During those years my dad purchased a lot of cars from me, but the real shocker came when he told me he wanted a Grand Prix. To have known Howard Proctor one would have realized that he had been a Star Chief or Bonneville type of person. During the early winter of 1976 one of the “auto buff” magazines had some early sketches of what the down-sized Grand Prix would look like for the 1978 model year. He decided that he would like a 1977 model instead, so I brought home the order form, price book and went to work.

Since this was going to be his “last” new car (it wasn’t), he selected the SJ model, had it painted Starlight Black with a black landau vinyl top, black Morrokide trim (my folks owned two buff-colored Cocker Spaniels, so velour trim was out), and a gold pin-stripe. Options were limited to air conditioning, an AM-FM stereo radio, rear window defroster, body-side moldings and power windows. The car was assembled at the Pontiac, Michigan plant and shipped to the dealership in January, 1977 carrying a suggested list price of $7107.

He drove the car only on special occasions. One such time was a trip to the family cottage in Northern Michigan during the summer of 1978. On the return home, something shorted under the hood causing a minor electrical party, and the A/C outlets introduced “smoke” into the interior. That scarred him. After the repairs had been completed, he drove the car even less frequently.

Following his death in early 1987, mom decided that I should get the Grand Prix. Having just purchased a GMC S-15 pickup, I didn’t need another vehicle, so I parked the GP. For the next nine years, I would occasionally drive the car around the block and then wash it prior to putting it back in the garage. It was twenty years old, with only 27,000 miles on the odometer.

When the news of an event called the Woodward Dream Cruise surfaced in the summer of ’96, friends suggested that I take the car out and cruise along with the other “classics”. It was then I discovered what kind of a prize I really owned. People approached me to inquire about the car, many of whom had owned one similar, and asked where I got it. I was amazed! One gentleman, who was a retired GM interior stylist, welled up with emotion as he described how it was his suggestion that wood grain trim on the instrument panel and door trim panels should be real wood, not a plastic imitation. There were some stone chips along the rocker panels together with a few parking lot nicks, but this car drew a lot of attention in its unrestored condition.

That August weekend will always be remembered as the one that made me decide to put the car back into as original condition as possible. I visited a number of local “restoration” shops in the Detroit area to discuss what I wanted done. I talked with Rob Hyde, owner of Hyde Auto Body in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and together we worked out a plan to where the engine compartment would be detailed (leaving the engine in place), and some minor cosmetic exterior paint work would freshen up the exterior. While that was taking place, I looked into the various aluminum trim restoration shops as the rocker panel trim had some stone damage, and the wheel opening moldings showed minor parking lot dings. The trim was sent UPS to Vintage Vehicles in Wautoma, Wisconsin. Also during the winter, various small pieces (NOS lug nuts, Rally II wheel centers, new screws for the soon to be refurbished trim) were located in preparation for the ‘97 cruising season.

The car was completed in early April, 1997. No matter where I drive it, it always draws attention. When I tell people that it is basically an original Michigan car, they express doubt, but admire it just the same. This Grand Prix keeps me and my father, whom I’m sure is looking down on me, smiling with pride.

Bob Proctor donated the 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix to the GM Heritage Collection in October of 2007. We are sure it will put smiles on the faces of visitors to Heritage Center for years to come.

Tag Cloud