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?
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
