1986 Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2 Aerocoupe. Photos courtesy Mecum Auctions.
Pontiac built its Grand Prix 2+2 Aerocoupe for the 1986 model year only, producing just 1,225 examples (per Pontiac Historic Services) in order to run the wind-cheating body style in NASCAR Winston Cup competition. The oddly styled and expensive racing specials proved to be a hard sell with consumers, but if the winged-warrior Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird are any indication, these Pontiacs may well be future collectibles. Last Thursday, an 18,000-mile 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2 Aerocoupe from the Mike Doyle Collection sold for $14,250 in Anaheim, giving its new owner a potential automotive investment for less than half the price of the average new car.
The car’s controversial profile and nose aside, its $18,210 sticker price (before options) when new added a near $8,000 premium to the price of a base Pontiac Grand Prix, and the Poncho was priced roughly $2,000 higher than its homologation special cousin, the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe.
Worse, the performance from the Pontiac’s 305-cu.in. LG4 V-8, fed by a single four-barrel carburetor, was disappointing and not helped in the least by the 3.08:1 rear gearing. The dash from 0 to 60 took over 10 seconds, and the run through the quarter-mile went by in 17.7 seconds, at a trap speed of 80 MPH.
As Jeff Koch explains in a March 2007 Hemmings Muscle Machines article, the changes to the body style (which included an oversize, sloping rear window and a reshaped nose) lowered the Pontiac’s coefficient of drag from 0.453 to 0.368. More important for racers, the restyling reduced rear lift at high speeds, which had previously been an issue with race-prepped G-bodies.
Given the street version’s high cost and restricted performance, it’s unlikely that any owners ever realized a tangible benefit on the highway (or even during the occasional track day), but the car did deliver exclusivity.
The example that traded hands in Anaheim last week came to auction with an indicated (and believed actual) 18,000 miles on the odometer. Like most Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2 Aerocoupes, this was heavily optioned, featuring Rally gauges, tinted glass, power door locks, power windows, sport mirrors, lamp group, air conditioning, limited slip differential, cruise control, AM/FM/cassette audio system, four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, heavy-duty cooling and 15×7 Rallye II wheels.
Though it’s impossible to predict how much (or even if) the car will appreciate in value, at a selling price of $14,250 we’d call it well bought even as a unique weekend driver.
1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Code.
Lots in the Anaheim top-10 included a 2005 Ford GT, which sold for $270,000; a 1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Code, which sold for $185,000; a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 fastback, which sold for $170,000; a 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS, which sold for $162,500; a 2013 Bentley Continental GTC Mulliner Edition, which sold for $145,000; a 2008 Ferrari F430 Spider, which sold for $145,000; a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, which sold for $130,000; a 1963 Volkswagen 23-window bus, which sold for $125,000; a 1969 Shelby G.T. 500 convertible, which sold for $122,500; and a 1956 Chevrolet Nomad resto mod, which sold for $115,000.
1972 Chevrolet Chevelle station wagon.
Interesting lots in the sub-$10,000 price category included a 1967 Ford Thunderbird, which sold for $2,000; a 1967 Ford Galaxie 500, which sold for $3,250; a 1972 GMC Sprint, which sold for $5,500; a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, which sold for $6,000; a 1973 Pontiac Le Mans Sport Coupe, which sold for $6,750; a 1945 Mack Fire Truck, which sold for $7,000; a 1976 BMW 2002 Coupe, which sold for $7,500; a 1973 Toyota Hilux pickup, which sold for $8,000; a 1970 Pontiac Catalina convertible, which sold for $8,500; and a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle custom station wagon, which sold for $9,000.
For complete results from Anaheim, visit Mecum.com.
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