[Sirrotica]

Tom, The reason I heard for the CA designation was, that Pontiac was paying a royalty on then Can AM name to the SCCA, the same as they paid for the use of the Trans Am name. They designated it CA so they would no longer have to pay the SCCA for the use of the name, which was a moot point anyway since the car was never produced.

[Tin Injun Tom]

Sirrotica, that explaination sounds logical, I'll give you that.
But being this car was a prototype, and not an official production model, I'm not sure why Pontiac would care about the 'royalty factor' at that givin point.
Iowa's pictures show the fender emblem was clearly custom made. Now I ask you. Why would someone include the name 'Grand Am' if they were designing something for the supposed 2nd generation CanAm? If this was truly meant to be a CanAm, why not just spell it out? I can't think of a reason there would be any obligation for the artist to include both namesakes on it.
Furthermore, "CanAm," is already an abreviation. Why confuse things by abreviating an abreviation? I defy anyone to find any magazine article or GM literature regarding the actual CanAms, and find an abreviation of CanAm using "CA".

Until I see official Pontiac literature that verifies it, I dismiss any claims that these two prototypes were intended to be the '1978 CanAm' as a wishful fantasy.

Iowapub, thank you for posting photos. Valuble artifacts regardless.

[billygoatii]

Here is a pic that shows the Lemans Sport Coupe badge under the CanAm decal. I can't answer the CA vs. CanAm debate, but I can see them having the GrandAm nomenclature on the car with either CA or CanAm.

[Tin Injun Tom]

Originally Posted by billygoatii

Here is a pic that shows the Lemans Sport Coupe badge under the CanAm decal. I can't answer the CA vs. CanAm debate, but I can see them having the GrandAm nomenclature on the car with either CA or CanAm.

True, the Lemans Sport Coupe badge did co-exist with the Can Am decal on the '77s.
But the car(s) in question here are calling out Grand Am, all big and gawdy, not in the back ground at all. On the '77, the Can Am logo is noticable first and formost, as it should be.
In simmilar fashion, I would expect a prototype (or actual) '78 to have a similar Can Am decal standing out over a factory Lemans/Grand Am emblem.

[dblsprt68]

OK, I have my copy of "Glory Days" in front of me. On page 274 is states; "Alex Mair was so pleased (about the 77 Can Am program) that he directed Motortown to build a prototype for the proposed 1978 Can Am. The 1978 Le Mans introduced a significant engine downsizing program, with Pontiac's new 301 V8. Frankly, the 1978 Can Am looked even better than the 1977 model" Jim Wangers. This was during the production of the short lived Can Am because less than a week after the spoiler mold broke, Pontiac killed the Can Am program. I must have read somewhere else about the 78 getting killed because of the 77 rear spoiler mold problem. I do know that Motortown was sold in early 78, and rolled into another company. That was probably the last hurah for them. Other Can Am owners will know the production dates for the 77 Can Am off the top of there heads, but I Think it started in April/May 77? David

[iowapub]

These scans were from the July 1978 Hot Rod issue.
Remember, the black car with the Grand Am CA decals
posted earlier was a Hot Rod magazine build.

[billygoatii]

Originally Posted by dblsprt68

Other Can Am owners will know the production dates for the 77 Can Am off the top of there heads, but I Think it started in April/May 77? David

My CanAm has a 2/77 production date.

[77 Canamman]

One of my Can Ams with a 2/77 production date had the VIN ending in P258341. This was one of the first few converted at Motortown.

[TropicDave]

Mine was a May 31st/June 1st production, reading from the interior trim tag. VIN ends in 383803.

[gaca2go]

I (Thom Sherwood) recently received an email from Kent Buske (a.k.a. iowapub) informing me that there was some discussion regarding my car (1978 Grand Am CA #2) on this message board. I have never posted on a message board before, so at Kent’s urging, I have decided to offer some information that may help clear up some of the various points and questions raised here on Performance Years. Unfortunately, this may also raise even more questions!!! Look for the posting and some photos shortly.

[gaca2go]

OK, guys, here goes: More fodder for the Grand Am CA discussion!

To begin with, the 1978 Grand Am CA (GACA) program was very sketchy “back in the day.” Very few folks from Pontiac are still around to offer concrete answers after 30+ years, so all we can do is try to put the pieces together and draw our own conclusions.

First of all, from my research, the meaning of “CA” was purposely ambiguous. A few suggested the abbreviation for “California,” while others more credibly recognized the initials for “Can Am”— a car which Pontiac had actually produced the previous year (1977) in limited quantity with production outsourcing arranged through Jim Wangers’ Motortown operation in Detroit.

Perhaps most important to realize is that Pontiac had to pay the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) a $7.00 per car royalty fee for the use of the “Trans Am” and “Can Am” names. It is well documented that Pontiac once attempted to eliminate this cost by simply proposing the Trans Am nameplate be eliminated and replaced with an emblem that read “T/A.”

Consequently, the use of the initials “CA” was most likely a way to keep costs down on this new Grand Am concept that debuted on the downsized “AG” body in 1978.

Yes, breakage of the fiberglass rear spoiler mold is just one of the reasons that the 1977 Can Am program ceased prematurely after only 1,300+ cars were built. (Please realize that the 1977 Can Am shares “zero” similarities and interchangeability with the second-generation Grand Ams, built 1978-1980.)

Unlike the 1977 Can Am program, the 1978 Grand Am CA program was to be done “in house,” WITHOUT the involvement of Jim Wangers or an outside vendor. I suspect that for the factory, doing things in-house perhaps meant less overall cost and better control in the production cycle. Regardless, Jim (and yes, I can say that we’re on a first-name basis with one-another) had admitted to me years ago that he personally had very little involvement with the ’78s.

Anyway, there were actually two 1978 Grand Am CAs built. Allow me to describe some of the major differences....

Car #1 is the car that most enthusiasts have seen in print. It is Silver in color, with leather-covered bucket seats, four-wheel disc brakes, a four-speed transmission, a shaker-type hood blister with LED readouts, and of course the special front and rear spoilers, plus wheel spats just ahead of the rear wheels (a lá Trans Am wheel spoilers). It was eventually modified with T-roof openings and displayed on the new car show circuit nationally. This GACA prototype appeared in a number of automotive magazines as a possible tease for a future production car for 1979 or 1980. Look for GACA#1 stories in these publications:

Motor Trend... May ’78
Road & Track... (month unknown ’78)
Car & Driver.... June ’78
Popular Hot Rodding... August ’78
HOT ROD... June ’78 (this feature was reprinted in Nov ’06 High Perf Pontiac Magazine)

The whereabouts of GACA#1 is today UNKNOWN. It was most likely destroyed (as is the practice with most concept vehicles... especially ones with modifications such as the T-roof cuts, etc.) I have personally asked Pontiac Historian John Sawruk and Pontiac Historic Services Director Jim Mattison their thoughts, and neither have heard any rumors as to its fate or current-day existence.

Car #2 (my car) was painted all-Black except for the lower Argent Silver trim below the beltline and Bright Red accent pinstriping and lettering. The interior is Black velour with Red piping on the front bucket seats. It features just about every factory option available (Power sunroof, power everything... Plus the Delco CB/AM/FM radio). Interestingly, it lacks a console (apparently not available when the CB radio was installed!) so, the automatic trans is shifted on the tilt steering column. The original wheels were 14-inch Snowflakes, painted Black. It was and still is powered by the original 301-cid 4-bbl engine.

This car appeared exclusively in HOT ROD magazine as a two-part story:
HOT ROD... November ’78
HOT ROD... February ’79

The first issue was to introduce this concept car as a future production vehicle when H-R editor Gray Baskerville (now-deceased) took delivery of the car in Pontiac, Michigan and documented his cross-country travels enroute to the magazine's corporate offices in Los Angeles.

The second issue featured HOT ROD’s build-up of the car (augmenting the factory modifications) by installing nitrous, headers, and upgraded wheels & tires). It was then tested at the drag strip in the typical H-R fashion. In this story, it is mistakenly referred to as a 1979 model(!), yet this car was actually built in June of 1978 and is really titled and recognized as a 1978 model. VIN # 2G27W8Pxxxxxx

GACA #2 is very much alive and resides with my Pontiac collection here in Tucson, AZ. It is "good" but not perfect condition, and still runs and drives well. Earlier this year, I drove the car to Phoenix (120 miles) for the Pontiac Heaven X car show and drag event. A photo of the car on display there appears in the current issue of High Performance Pontiac Magazine.

I purchased the car in December of 2000 after spotting an intriguing classified ad in the local Sunday newspaper. It was being offered for sale by an elderly couple on behalf of their son who bought the car at a California collector car auction. Unfortunately, the woman was meanwhile using it as a daily driver.

In the trunk of the car was a treasure trove of documentation, including two “Experimental Work Orders” (dated 6-16-78 and 6-21-78), and the “Authorization For Temporary Use of Company Car” from when the HOT ROD magazine editors took delivery of the car at Pontiac Headquarters’ “Administration Building Car Gate” at 10:22am on August 23, 1978.

The Pontiac Historic Services Billing History, though quite difficult to read, details the car’s long list of original options and states that it was delivered to “Pontiac Motor Division P-R Cars / Columbia Avenue Gate / Pontiac, MI”

I know everyone is wondering, “What’s up with the hood that is currently on the car?” A bit of mystery still surrounds that and just how this car got into private hands. (When asked, PHS’s Jim Mattison winked at me and said slyly, “The guy at GM whom they were supposed to return the car to must have been out sick that day...) ha ha!

Anyway, I have been able to trace back only two previous owners. The earliest fellow was able to provide me with a set of Polaroids of when he bought the car at an auction in Southern California. When he purchased it, GACA#2 was painted bright red and had “GTO” decals attached! Whoever did that little piece of earlier “customization” also installed a set of hood extractors from a circa-1987 Firebird GTA, plus BBS-style Black mesh 15" rims to somewhat echo the original Snowflakes. ...At least someone had the sense to later return it to its all-Black incarnation (as it appeared in the two H-R magazine stories). This owner later sold it at another auction and the car then ended up in the hands of the fellow who's elderly parents used it for daily transportation.

Some cosmetic notes:
1) I have recently installed a nice set of WS-6 Snowflake 15" wheels with the proper red center caps... just like what was shown on GACA#1. (I personally don’t care much for the look of the all-Black 14" Snowflakes that GACA#2 was originally outfitted with when it left Pontiac.)

2) The Red pinstriping and “Grand Am CA” lettering on the front fenders and the decklid of GACA#2 were originally HAND PAINTED at the factory.

3) The original “Grand Am CA” factory-installed decals on the INSIDE of the upholstered door panels are still there and intact (although the driver’s side decal is quite wrinkled and breaking apart.)

4) Sadly, the original Trans Am exhaust splitter tips on the passenger side only apparently fell off the car somewhere along Interstate 10 while enroute to the Pontiac event in Phoenix. It was much more corroded at the joint than I had imagined. The driver's-side tips are still intact.

5) The exhaust headers and the plumbing for the nitrous system as installed by H-R are still on the car. I have never tested the nitrous.

So, why is there all the damage on the front end of the car? The little old lady whom I purchased the car from in 2000 asked her 84-year-old husband “Harold” to park the car in the garage one day. Fate intervened and he unfortunately hit the gas pedal instead of the brake and proceeded to bounce the car off the shelving units along the back wall of their garage. It was soon after that incident that Joyce & Harold decided to stop driving (thankfully!) and sold the car to me.

OK, and now for the big question: “Is GACA#2 really for sale... and how much?” Well, yes, I would consider selling the car to the right enthusiast (along with a very-straight ’78 GA parts car) as-is together as a pair for what I think is a very reasonable price... $9,500. If anyone out there is truly serious, call me, Thom Sherwood, at (520) 798-3200. Let’s talk.

I hope that this lengthy posting helps clear up some of the confusion surrounding the two GACAs and that someday this unique piece of automotive history will be treated to a full restoration.

And... best wishes to Kent as he recovers from his recent health issues!

[Sirrotica]

I at least got part of the story correct about the CA part. For the life of me I can't remember where I read it, or who told me that part of the saga. Thom thanks for taking the time to bring the information about the car to us. It clears alot of the mystery up about how and why and where.

[dblsprt68]

Very cool and a big thanks for posting this info!!! I sure hope CA #1 shows up one day from a storage building!!! Now that would be awsome! I do hope this car get restored to it's original glory one day. Thanks again Thom, for shareing with us. David

[billygoatii]

Thanks for sharing Thom!!!

[RandyW]

I know another piece of the story. What was to be the Grand Am CA actually got built as the 1980 Grand AM, minus the spoilers, scoop, etc... The first few including my special ordered black '80 that now belongs to Iowapub, had the splitters on them. The basic suspension and engine was used for the 1980, but with more realistic 170 h.p. ratings and of course the 4 speeds had been dropped. But basically, the package that was to be the CA became the '80 Grand Am, sans appearance items and manual tranny.

[Don57]

Great story Thom! I have one tidbit I recall reading in the July 1978 article about car #1. The specs indicate it had an 8.5" diamater rear section and rear disc brakes. Too bad GM waited until 1984 or 1985 to reintroduce that heavy duty rear to production.....in the Grand Nationals.

[RandyW]

The 8.5 was also used in the 442 and H/O cars in the eighties, why I don't know, they didn't have enough power to break the 7.5!

[Tin Injun Tom]

Originally Posted by gaca2go

To begin with, the 1978 Grand Am CA (GACA) program was very sketchy “back in the day.” so all we can do is try to put the pieces together and draw our own conclusions.

And that is pretty much what has taken place in this thread.

Originally Posted by gaca2go

from my research, the meaning of “CA” was purposely ambiguous.

Perhaps most important to realize is that Pontiac had to pay the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) a $7.00 per car royalty fee for the use of the “Trans Am” and “Can Am” names.

$7 dollars, that's all? With all due respect, that seems like a very insignificant sum for a corporate giant like GM to sniffle at. Especially when it only applied to a very low production model. How many of these Grand Am CAs do you think Pontiac planned on producing (if it had gone from concept to reality) anyway?

Originally Posted by gaca2go

It is well documented that Pontiac once attempted to eliminate this cost by simply proposing the Trans Am nameplate be eliminated and replaced with an emblem that read “T/A.”

But they didn't. Must have figured $7.00 was a small price to pay for each $6,000-$12,000 car they sold. (price varience depends on which model year was in question)

Originally Posted by gaca2go

Consequently, the use of the initials “CA” was most likely a way to keep costs down on this new Grand Am concept that debuted in 1978.

They saved a WHOPPING $14.00. How many 1978-1980 Trans Ams did Pontiac willingly pay the $7.00 royalty fee on? Not to say anything about the 1969-1977 fees.

Originally Posted by gaca2go

Unlike the 1977 Can Am program, the 1978 Grand Am CA program was to be done “in house,”

It doesn't appear to have even come close to getting off the ground though. If they had big ambitions for it, I would think the profit margins would have easily covered the piddley royalty fees.

Thom, I totally respect your knowledge on these unique concept cars. Your research has definately shed more light on them. I now know that car #2 at least, was not built for sale in California, which somewhat weakens my theory about CA=California.
I don't mean to argue with your opinions here, as much as I am debating my opinion of the "name behind the name".

P.S. Do you have any information that reveals whether car #1 was built with a U code 305, or perhaps an H code 305, under an Experimental Work Order like you mentioned?
It seems plausable to me because of the specifications in the Motor Trend write up. I would find that very interesting.

[chicagoland]

It was never specified what 'CA' meant, other than a sporty trim for the Grand Am. It was at 78 Chicago Auto Show as a concept car. Also, 'Grand Am Can Am' was a bit too wordy.

The oil crisis in the '79 model year killed any hopes for a CA, and also Pontiac was saving any performance bits for Firebirds. And Pontiac was pushing Olds/Buick like luxury in their mid sized cars instead.

[se428bandit]

Here is a Craigslist ad to the 1978 CA,seems like a deal for $9500.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/994247915.html