eBay Find of the Day: 1992 Richard Petty Edition Grand Prix

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We don’t know what it is, but rare versions of Pontiac’s W-body Grand Prix have been popping up all over eBay lately. What’s even more unusual is the fact that we’ve been particularly interested in them. First was the 1-of-1 Canepa-built ’99 GTP that we ran several weeks ago –  it was selling for near $60,000 and it’s since been relisted. Then we ran across the quirky-but-cool ’90 McLaren Turbo Grand Prix (TGP), that many of you had seemed to have shared our interest in.

This time around, we found this one-year-only 1992 Richard Petty Edition Grand Prix. Built to commemorate King Ricahrd’s retirement from NASCAR that same year, it was largely a cosmetic package; featuring the top-of-the-line DOHC V6 and basically every creature comfort available on a Grand Prix for that model year.

The DOHC engine in question is none other than the LQ1 3.4L Twin-Cam that produced 210 hp and was shared with the Lumina Z34 and the Cutlass Supreme of the period. It was essentially a derivative of the Cadillac Northstar V8 and much of its technology had carried over – including problematic head gasket failure and the usual location of the starter. As a result, vehicles equipped with these engines, although making decent power and being as quick as mid-15s in the quarter-mile, have fell by the wayside in terms of popularity and collectibility over the years.

However, this particular example sports just 47,000 miles on the odometer and is in like-new condition. While we’re not entirely confident that the low-mileage should make the car worth the seller’s $8,000 asking price, we do like the overall package and the styling of these Grand Prix. Being only 1-of-1,000 produced does add value as does the Richard Petty tie-in. Will these be among the future sought-out collector vehicles at Barrett-Jackson in the future?

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