Robert Mazur knows that his 1986 Grand Prix 2 + 2 is a rare car. His license plate says as much, but the plate cannot tell the story of why or how few of the cars are there.
Mazur bought the car four years ago, it is all original. "When you see one come up for sale, they are usually in pretty rough shape and because of the scarcity it is a tough car to restore.
So when I saw this one I jumped at it!"
How rare is the Grand Prix 2 + 2?
"There were 1,225 of these cars built, all equipped the same, no options," he says. "One hundred and seven were shipped to Canada and the rest went to the US."
The car was part a homogenization special intended to compete on the NASCAR circuit where the more aerodynamic Thunderbird was having success.
The Pontiac Grand Prix underwent a design revision, and this was the result. The Pontiac was priced at $2,000 more than its Monte Carlo twin, which resulted in slow sales and a less than overwhelming reaction from the car-buying public.
"This car went to GM executive in Ontario," says Mazur who had the paperwork that tells the story of the car.
It is equipped with the 305 cid engine which provided adequate power but not a huge horsepower rating.
Where the car did shine was on a track with high bank turns where the long sloping rear window and oversized spoiler aided the handling and made it a performance favorite. Few of the original owners got to feel the benefits on a racetrack though it did perform equally well on the street. History records that Richard Petty, one of Pontiac's top drivers, had made the suggestion to lengthen the rear window to aid in control of the turns as early as 1963.
Mazur has not been on the race circuit with the car but has done much of the Manitoba show circuit and has even been to Warroad, Minnesota. He has put about 3,000 kms on the car which now has 33,000 on the odometer.
"I like to go out to the Cruise nights on Sundays," he says. "The car is a great car to drive but a lot of people don't appreciate how rare it is or the history behind the model." (article written by Les Kletke - taken from Cruisin for Deals Magazine)
