The 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix set the template for personal luxury coupes for the 1970s. Look at a Cordoba, Cougar (in its post-pony car phase), Elite, and others and you can’t help but notice that they followed Pontiac’s formula. Of those competitors, how many were available with a four-speed manual? Aside from the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, none. And after 1971, none — period.

The 1969-70 Grand Prix was available with a four-speed paired with a 400, 428, or 455 (depending on the year), but that gearbox was only available with the 400 four-barrel for 1971. That meant if you wanted a stick, you had to settle for the Model J trim level because the SJ came equipped with a 455 four-barrel, which was backed only by an automatic.

Additionally, Pontiac made the Turbo-Hydramatic standard for the Grand Prix starting on March 1, 1971, so if you wanted a four-speed (if not the standard three-speed), it needed to be ordered before that date. As such, only 52 four-speed Grand Prix were built. (Interestingly, this change in production roughly coincided with the discontinuation of the GTO convertible and the Judge package for the GTO.)

One of ‘em is owned by Mike Kelso, a Pontiac fan who owns several Ponchos, including a 455-powered 1976 Trans Am. Join Mike and Muscle Car Campy as they drive one of the last four-speed Grand Prix built before 1979.

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