title: Jetstar

text: Qantas placed an order for 110 A320s in 2011, with 11 allocated to a planned new Qantas Group premium airline in Asia (never actually established) and 99 to various Jetstar-branded airlines including Jetstar Hong Kong, which received aircraft but never commenced operations. The order consisted of 32 A320ceos and 78 A320neos, with scope to convert some to A321s. In 2014, Qantas ordered another 21 A320neos, taking the total on order to 99. Some of the A320neo orders were converted to A321neos, with 54 A320neos and 45 A321neos being on order as of 2017. As of 2016, the operator or operators of the A320neos and A321neos (Jetstar group airline or airlines, or Qantas mainline) remained unspecified. In February 2018 eighteen of the orders were converted to A321LRs to allow Jetstar Airways to deploy some of its Boeing 787s onto other routes. On 19 June 2019, at the Paris Air Show, Qantas Group converted 26 A321Neo orders to the A321XLR and 10 A321neo to the A321LR. In addition 10 further A321XLRs were ordered. Total orders for the A320neo family are now 109: 45 A320neos, 28 A321LRs, and 36 A321XLR. How these planes will be distributed throughout the Qantas Group has not been announced; some of the A321XLRs have been earmarked for Qantas by CEO Alan Joyce. The rest of the aircraft will be allocated to their Jetstar subsidiaries.


title: Jetstar

text: From 2004 to 2006, the airline's mascot, "Julie The Jetstar Girl", was played by actress Magda Szubanski.


title: Jetstar

text: The advertising slogan of Jetstar is "All day every day low fares". In 2006, the jingle "Let's Fly Jetstar tonight" and the use of Szubanski ceased and was replaced with "It's All About Choice / Fly Away" (later "Low Fares, Good Time").


title: Jetstar

text: Jetstar Airways was the major sponsor of the National Rugby League team, the Gold Coast Titans from 2008 until 2012. In July 2008 Jetstar Airways was named the Official Airline of the Australian national rugby league team. One of its A320s was decorated with special decals to advertise the relationship.


title: Jetstar

text: On all domestic routes Jetstar has a buy on board single class service offering food and drinks for purchase.


title: Jetstar

text: Jetstar offers Business Class on its B787-8 aircraft. The Business Class cabin is fitted with 21 leather premium class seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, similar to Qantas domestic Business Class or Qantas international premium economy class. The service is inclusive of all meals and beverages, in-flight entertainment, and includes an increased baggage allowance of 30 kg. Business Max fares also include Qantas Club lounge access where available, and earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points.


title: Jetstar

text: The airline has an eponymously named inflight magazine. In November 2011, Jetstar became the first airline to offer passengers iPads for use as in-flight entertainment devices. The units, which are pre-loaded with movies, games, and magazines, are provided on flights over two hours duration and are available for a fee in Economy Class but are complimentary in the international Business Class cabin, although some aircraft have seat back entertainment screens. The options available are changed on a bi-monthly basis depending on customer feedback forms which are collected by head office through a random selection process.


title: Jetstar

text: Jetstar's Boeing 787 aircraft are fitted with 10-inch seat-back on-demand entertainment screens in business class and 9-inch screens in economy class.


title: Jetstar

text: The Nine Network began airing the series "Going Places" from October 2007. The eight-part series depicted the everyday lives of selected members of Jetstar's Melbourne airport staff. The show followed the dramas of the check-in staff mid-flight, and new international recruits.


title: Jetstar

text: In addition to owning 100% of Jetstar Airways in Australia (also operating in New Zealand), the Qantas Group owns varying stakes in other Jetstar-branded airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. These airlines represent a strategy to provide better growth for the Qantas Group by accessing the intra-Asia market: exploiting both its faster growth and/or its under-penetration by low-cost airlines.


title: Jetstar

text: Qantas partners with local investors as both a means to overcome foreign ownership or traffic rights restrictions and to keep the ventures "capital light", i.e. reduce the capital investment required by Qantas and keep assets such as aircraft off the Qantas balance sheet.


title: Jetstar

text: From 2008 to 2020, the Group also consisted of Jetstar Pacific, a Vietnamese subsidiary which is also co-owned by Vietnam Airlines (nearly 70%). However, since July 2020, this carrier left the Jetstar Group and rebranded to Pacific Airlines.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: Flight of the Navigator is a 1986 American science fiction adventure film directed by Randal Kleiser and written by Mark H. Baker, Michael Burton, and Matt MacManus. It stars Joey Cramer as David Freeman, a 12-year-old boy who is abducted by an alien spaceship and transported from 1978 to 1986. It features an early film appearance by Sarah Jessica Parker as Carolyn McAdams, a key character who befriends David in a time of need.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: The film's producers initially sent the project to Walt Disney Pictures in 1984, but the studio was unable to approve it and it was sent to Producers Sales Organization, which made a deal with Disney to distribute it in the United States. It was partially shot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Norway, being a coproduction with Norwegian company "Viking Film".


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: The film is notable for being one of the first Hollywood films to use extensive CGI effects. Specifically, it was the first use of image-based lighting, and an early use of morphing in a motion picture. It is also known to be one of the first Hollywood productions to feature an entirely electronic music film score, composed using a Synclavier, one of the first digital multi-track recorders and samplers.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: The film has since become a cult classic and has a large cult following among science fiction and Disney fans. In September 2017, Walt Disney Pictures announced that a reboot of the film was in the works.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: On July 4, 1978, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 12-year-old David Freeman walks through the woods to pick up his 8-year-old brother, Jeff, from a friend's house when he falls into a ravine and is knocked unconscious. When he comes to, eight years have passed and it is now 1986. He has not aged, and his appearance exactly matches his missing child poster. He is reunited with his aged parents and the now 16-year-old Jeff.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: Meanwhile, an alien spaceship crashes through power lines and is captured by NASA. Hospital tests on David's brainwaves reveal images of it. Dr. Louis Faraday, who has been studying it, persuades David to come to a NASA research facility for just 48 hours, promising him they can help learn what happened to him. Faraday discovers that his mind is full of alien technical manuals and star charts far exceeding NASA's research, and that he was taken to the planet Phaelon, 560 light years away, in just 2.2 hours (approx. 2,105,990.4 x c). Having travelled faster than light, he has experienced time dilation, explaining how eight years have passed on Earth, but not for him. Faraday decides to keep him there to finish his investigation, breaking his 48-hour promise.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: Following a telepathic communication from the spaceship, David secretly boards it and meets its robotic commander, "Trimaxion Drone Ship" ("Max"), who calls him the "Navigator". They escape from the facility and Max tells David that his mission is to travel the galaxy collecting biological specimens for analysis on Phaelon before returning them to their homes. Phaelon's scientists discovered that humans only use 10% of their brain and, as an experiment, filled the remainder of David's with miscellaneous information. Max returned him to Earth, but not to his own time, having determined a trip back in time would be dangerous for a human. When Max crashed the spaceship, the computer's data was erased. So he needs the information in David's brain to return home.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: While Max prepares for a mind transfer, David meets other alien specimens on board and bonds with a "Puckmaren", a tiny bat-like creature that is the last of his kind after a comet destroyed his planet. During the mind transfer, Max contracts human emotions and behaves eccentrically. His and David's bickering trigger UFO reports in Tokyo and the US. Meanwhile, NASA intern Carolyn McAdams, who befriended David, tells his family about his escape in the spaceship, so Faraday has them confined to their house, and Carolyn is sent back to the facility.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: When the spaceship stops at a gas station, David calls Jeff, who sets off fireworks on the roof to locate their house. David and Max arrive there, but NASA agents have tracked the spaceship. Fearing institutionalization if he remains in 1986, David orders Max to return him to 1978, accepting the risk of vaporization. He awakes in the ravine, walks home, and finds everything as he left it. During the Fourth of July celebration, Jeff sees that the Puckmaren has stowed away in David's backpack. David tells him to keep it a secret, while Max flies home across the firework-lit sky, calling "See you later, navigator!".


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: The filmmakers held auditions for the role of David Freeman, Several actors auditioned for it, including Joaquin Phoenix and Chris O'Donnell.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: Some of the scenes with the Trimaxion Drone Ship were rendered in computer-generated imagery (CGI) by Omnibus Computer Animation, under the supervision of director Randal Kleiser's brother, Jeff. It was the first film to use reflection mapping to create realistic reflections on a simulated chrome surface.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: Jeff Kleiser explained that Randal had been inspired by commercial work that he had done at his previous company, Digital Effects: "Jean Miller and Bob Hoffman had written a reflection mapping software that simulated a drop of water dripping from a faucet, which had refraction and reflection on the spout and it drips off. Randal saw that: ‘Wow. Could you make the spaceship reflective, like reflecting the environment?’" The morphing effect was based on by work Digital Effects had done on a 1985 Tide detergent commercial.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: Effects were rendered on the Foonly F1 computer before being matted onto the film print. The computer did not have much storage space so once the frame was mapped the data was deleted to make way for the new frame. The rest were using one of two life size props or miniatures on a computer operated camera.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: The music score for the film was composed and performed by Alan Silvestri. It is distinct from his other scores in being entirely electronically generated, using the Synclavier, one of the first digital multi-track recorders and samplers.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: The film received mainly positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 84% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 6.60/10. The consensus reads, "Bolstered by impressive special effects and a charming performance from its young star, "Flight of the Navigator" holds up as a solidly entertaining bit of family-friendly sci-fi."


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" said the film's biggest plus was "its entirely believable, normal American family." "The New York Times" described it as "definitely a film most children can enjoy." "People" declared it "out-of-this-world fun." "Empire" gave it 3/5 stars, saying it was "well-made enough to keep the family happy, but it certainly won’t challenge them." "Variety" was more critical, announcing that "instead of creating an eye-opening panorama, "Flight of the Navigator" looks through the small end of the telescope." Dave Kehr gave it 3 stars and described it as "a new high for Disney."


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: In May 2021, independent filmmaker Alan Melikdjanian released a nostalgic documentary about the film, explaining the various types of visual effects utilized to create the alien spaceship.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: In May 2009, "The Hollywood Reporter" reported that Disney was readying a remake of the film. Brad Copeland was writing the script and Mandeville partners David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman would serve as producers. In November 2012, Disney hired "Safety Not Guaranteed"s director Colin Trevorrow and writer/producer Derek Connolly to rewrite the script.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: In September 2017, Walt Disney Pictures announced that a reboot of the film is in pre-production with Joe Henderson from TV's "Lucifer" writing the script. Shortly after the Lionsgate/Henson announcement, in November at the same year, Neill Blomkamp tweeted that Oats Studios has begun developing a reboot as its first feature film.


title: Flight of the Navigator

text: In September 2021, it was announced that the remake was back in development with Bryce Dallas Howard set to direct and will feature a female protagonist. It will be released on Disney+.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: How the West Was Won is a 1962 American epic Western film directed by Henry Hathaway (who directs three out of the five chapters involving the same family), John Ford and George Marshall, produced by Bernard Smith, written by James R. Webb, and narrated by Spencer Tracy. Originally filmed in true three-lens Cinerama with the according three-panel panorama projected onto an enormous curved screen, the film stars an ensemble cast consisting of (in alphabetical order) Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, Gregory Peck, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, Eli Wallach, John Wayne and Richard Widmark. The supporting cast features Brigid Bazlen, Walter Brennan, David Brian, Ken Curtis, Andy Devine, Jack Lambert, Raymond Massey as Abraham Lincoln, Agnes Moorehead, Harry Morgan as Ulysses S. Grant, Thelma Ritter, Mickey Shaughnessy, Harry Dean Stanton, Russ Tamblyn and Lee Van Cleef.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: "How the West Was Won" is widely considered one of Hollywood's greatest epics. The film received widespread critical acclaim and was a box office success, grossing $50 million on a budget of $15 million. At the 36th Academy Awards, it earned eight nominations, including Best Picture, and won three, for Best Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Best Sound and Best Film Editing. In 1997, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: The film begins with narration by Spencer Tracy as the aerial-borne camera sweeps over the Rocky Mountains. "This land has a name today", says Tracy in the opening lines of the film, "and is marked on maps."


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Mountain man Linus Rawlings (Stewart) is making his way by horse and waterway through the mountains. He confers with a group of Native Americans. The scene then shifts to Zebulon Prescott and his family.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Prescott (Malden) and his family set out west for the frontier via the Erie Canal, the "West", at this time, being the Ohio River country, at the southern edge of Illinois. Pulled the first section on a barge, they then build rafts to continue on the river free of charge. Along the journey, they meet Rawlings, who is traveling east, to Pittsburgh, to trade his furs. Rawlings and Zebulon's daughter, Eve (Carroll Baker), are attracted to each other, but Linus is not ready to settle down.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Rawlings stops at an isolated trading post, selling "likker" from a cave in the steep river bank. However, it is run by a murderous clan of river pirates, headed by "Alabama Colonel" Jeb Hawkins (Walter Brennan). Linus is betrayed when he accompanies Jeb's seductive daughter Dora Hawkins (Brigid Bazlen) into a cave, modeled after a real outlaw haunt (now a part of Cave-in-Rock State Park) to see a "varmint". Dora Hawkins stabs him in the back and Rawlings falls into a deep hole. They steal his furs and sink his canoe. But he is not mortally wounded, and follows the robbers to a site where they are conning the Prescott party from a similar fate. The bushwhacking thieves (Lee Van Cleef plays one), including Dora Hawkins, are dispatched, being killed in an attack by Rawlings, in a form of rough frontier justice.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: After Zebulon prays to God for their lost loved ones and commends to Him the thieves' souls "whether You want 'em or not", the settlers continue down the river, but the lead raft is caught in rapids, and Zebulon and his wife Rebecca (Agnes Moorehead) drown. Linus re-encounters the survivors and decides that he cannot live without Eve, and asks to marry her and take her to Pittsburgh. However, she insists on homesteading at the spot where her parents died.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Eve's sister Lilith (Debbie Reynolds) chose to go back East but after some years finds herself touring in St. Louis, where she and her stage troupe are hired to perform their acts at the Music hall. She attracts the attention of professional gambler Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck). After overhearing that she has just inherited a California gold mine, and to avoid paying his debts to another gambler (John Larch), Cleve joins the wagon train taking her there. Wagonmaster Roger Morgan (Robert Preston) and he court her along the way, but she rejects them both, much to the dismay of her new friend and fellow traveler Agatha Clegg (Thelma Ritter), who is searching for a husband.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Surviving an attack by Cheyennes, Lilith and Cleve arrive at the mine, only to find that it is worthless. Cleve leaves. Lilith returns to work in a dance hall in a camp town, living out of a covered wagon. Morgan finds her and again proposes marriage unromantically. She tells him, "Not now, not ever."


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Later, Lilith is singing in the music salon of a riverboat. By chance, Cleve is a passenger. When he hears Lilith's voice, he leaves the poker table (and a winning hand), tells her he fell in love with her at first sight, and proposes to her. He tells her of the opportunities waiting in the rapidly growing city of San Francisco. She accepts his proposal.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Linus Rawlings joins the Union army as a captain in the American Civil War. Despite Eve's wishes, their son Zeb (Peppard) eagerly enlists as well, looking for glory and an escape from farming. Corporal Peterson (Andy Devine) assures them the conflict will not last very long. The bloody Battle of Shiloh shows Zeb that war is nothing like he imagined, and unknown to him, his father dies there. Zeb encounters a similarly disillusioned Confederate (Russ Tamblyn), who suggests deserting.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: By chance, they overhear a private conversation between generals Ulysses S. Grant (Harry Morgan) and William Tecumseh Sherman (Wayne). The rebel realizes he has the opportunity to rid the South of two of its greatest enemies and tries to shoot them, leaving Zeb no choice but to kill him with the bayonet from his shattered musket. Afterward, Zeb rejoins the army. Footage from MGM's 1957 Film "Raintree County" of the Civil War Battle of Chickamauga were used for combat scenes during the day, as the scenes with Peppard, Tamblyn, Wayne and Morgan were all at night.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: When the war finally ends, Zeb returns home as a lieutenant, only to find his mother has died. She had lost the will to live after learning that Linus had been killed. Zeb gives his share of the family farm to his brother Jeremiah, who is content to be a farmer, and leaves in search of a more interesting life.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Following the daring riders from the Pony Express and the construction of the transcontinental telegraph line in the late 1860s, two ferociously competing railroad lines, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad, one building westward and the other eastward, open up new territory to eager settlers.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Zeb becomes a lieutenant in the U.S. cavalry, trying to maintain peace with the Native Americans with the help of grizzled buffalo hunter Jethro Stuart (Fonda), an old friend of Linus's. When ruthless railroad man Mike King (Widmark) violates a treaty by building on Native American territory, the Arapahos retaliate by stampeding buffalo through his camp, killing many, including women and children. Disgusted, Zeb resigns and heads to Arizona.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: A subplot was cut featuring Hope Lange as Stuart's daughter, Julie, who becomes involved in a love triangle with Zeb and King; she ultimately marries and abandons Zeb.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: In San Francisco, widowed Lilith auctions off her possessions (Cleve and she had made and spent several fortunes) to pay her debts. She travels to Arizona, inviting Zeb and his family to oversee her remaining asset, a ranch.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Zeb (now a marshal), his wife Julie (Carolyn Jones), and their children meet Lilith at Gold City's train station. However, Zeb also runs into an old enemy there, outlaw Charlie Gant (Wallach). Zeb had killed Gant's brother in a gunfight. When Gant makes veiled threats against Zeb and his family, Zeb turns to his friend and Gold City's marshal, Lou Ramsey (Lee J. Cobb), but Gant is not wanted for anything in that territory, so Ramsey can do nothing.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Zeb decides he has to act rather than wait for Gant to make good his threat someday. Suspecting Gant of planning to rob an unusually large gold shipment being transported by train, he prepares an ambush with Ramsey's reluctant help. Gant and his entire gang (one member played by Harry Dean Stanton) are killed in the shootout and resulting train wreck. In the end, Lilith and the Rawlings family travel to their new home.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: A short epilogue shows how modern America has grown from the West in the early 1960s, which includes footage of the Hoover Dam, the four-level downtown freeway interchange in Los Angeles and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: The film marked then 66-year-old Raymond Massey's last appearance as Abraham Lincoln, a role that he previously played on stage ("Abe Lincoln in Illinois" and the stage adaptation of "John Brown's Body"), on screen ("Abe Lincoln in Illinois") and on television ("The Day Lincoln Was Shot", and two more productions of "Abe Lincoln in Illinois").


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: MGM had enjoyed a great success with the big screen remake of "Ben-Hur" (1959) and initiated a number of spectacles, including remakes of "Cimarron", "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" and "Mutiny on the Bounty".


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: In 1960, MGM struck a deal to produce four films in the Cinerama process, and Bing Crosby approached the studio with a proposition. He was developing a television spectacular called "How the West Was Won" based on photographs of the Old West in "Life", with profits earmarked for St. John's Hospital, along with an album inspired by the same article recorded with Rosemary Clooney. MGM purchased the film rights from Crosby.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: MGM announced the project in June 1960, originally titled "The Great Western Story". The plan was to film a story of six segments featuring 12 stars, with a cohesive overall storyline. Among the historical figures to be featured were Buffalo Bill, the James brothers and Billy the Kid. St. John's Hospital president Irene Dunne and others persuaded the film's stars to accept less than their usual fees. However, the hospital later sued for a share of the film's profits.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Bernard Smith was assigned as producer, and he hired James Webb to write the script. George Peppard was announced as the lead in October 1960, and Irene Dunne and Bing Crosby were originally announced as stars. Laurence Harvey and John Wayne were also slated to appear in one sequence together.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: By April 1961, Wayne and Spencer Tracy had confirmed their plans to play generals Sherman and Grant for a segment directed by John Ford, and James Stewart had been signed as well. Other roles would go to Gregory Peck, Debbie Reynolds, Russ Tamblyn and Carroll Baker, while Henry Hathaway and George Marshall would also direct from a script by James Webb. Crosby was scheduled to provide narration. Jim Hutton was intended to appear in the Civil War segment. Eventually, Harry Morgan appeared as Grant when Tracy was unavailable.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Ultimately, the film contained five sections: the 1830s migration, the 1840s gold rush, the Civil War, the construction of the railroad and the "taming" of the Wild West, with one family's story over three generations providing the bridge between each time period. The budget was set to at least $8 million. John Ford directed the Civil War segment, George Marshall the railroad segment and Henry Hathaway the rest. "We wanted three old pros, no young geniuses," said Smith.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: "How the West Was Won" was one of only two dramatic feature films (along with "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm") produced with the three-strip Cinerama process. Although the picture quality when projected onto curved screens in theaters is stunning, attempts to convert the film to a smaller screen suffer. When the film is projected in letterbox format, the actors' faces are nearly indistinguishable in long shots.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Filming started in May 1961 by John Ford in Paducah, Kentucky. Producer Bernard Smith said, "It is essential for our purposes that virtually the whole movie be shot outdoors. Throughout the movie, one of the basic themes is to show little people against a vast country – huge deserts, endless plains towering mountains, broad rivers. We want to capture the spirit of adventure, the restless spirit that led these men and women across the country in [the] face of many difficulties and dangers."


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Parts of the film were shot in Monument Valley, Utah and in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Ford complained about having to dress such huge sets, as Cinerama photographed a much wider view than did the standard single-camera process to which Hollywood directors were accustomed. Director Henry Hathaway was quoted as saying, "That damned Cinerama. Do you know a waist-shot is as close as you can get with that thing?"


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: A more difficult problem was that filming required that the actors to be artificially positioned out of dramatic and emotional frame and out of synchronization with one another. Only when the three-print Cinerama process was projected upon a Cinerama screen did the positions and emotions of the actors synchronize, such as normal eye contact or emotional harmony between actors in a dramatic sequence. Because of the nature of Cinerama, if the film were shown in flat-screen projection, it would appear as if the actors made no eye contact. One brief scene of Mexican soldiers was sourced by John Wayne from his 1960 version of "The Alamo".


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Stuntman Bob Morgan, husband of Yvonne De Carlo, was seriously injured and lost a leg during a break in filming a gunfight on a moving train while filming the Outlaws portion. Chains holding logs on a flatbed car broke, crushing Morgan as he crouched beside them.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: In a scene in which George Peppard's character reminisces about his late father, Peppard improvises with an imitation of James Stewart's voice. Ford initially objected, but Peppard felt that it was important in such a long, sprawling film to remind the audience which character his father was supposed to be.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Hathaway later said that making the film was "goddam trouble. They had an idiot for a producer and Sol Siegel was drunk most of the time. We spent so much money on the picture they almost decided not to do the last part. We had a meeting, and I said, 'You can't quit. You've got to show how the West was won. The West was won when the law took over'."


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Filming was completed in January 1962. After the film was shot, MGM ordered a new ending that resolved the family story, which caused shooting to continue for another month and included George Peppard and Debbie Reynolds. The budget eventually reached $12 million.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: The film's music was composed and conducted by Alfred Newman. The soundtrack album was originally released by MGM Records. Dimitri Tiomkin, known for his Western film scores, was the first composer approached, but he became unavailable following eye surgery and Newman was hired as a replacement.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: The score is widely considered as among Newman's best, and it appears on the AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores list. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, losing to the score for "Tom Jones".


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Debbie Reynolds sings three songs in the film: "Raise a Ruckus Tonight" starting a party around the camp fire, "What Was Your Name in the States?" and "A Home in the Meadow" to the tune of "Greensleeves," with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Her rendition is heard by Cleve (Gregory Peck), who is so moved that he proposes marriage. This scene ends the Plains segment.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Surprisingly for such an American film, "How the West Was Won" had its world premiere in the United Kingdom at London's Casino Cinerama Theatre on November 1, 1962. It had a $450,000 advance. The film ran at the Casino for 123 weeks, ending in April 1965.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Harold Myers of "Variety" called it a "magnificent and exciting spectacle" and in relation to the Cinerama process noted that there had been "a vast improvement in the process. The print joins are barely noticeable, and the wobble, which beset earlier productions, has been eliminated." Reviews from London were favorable but with reservations over the storyline. Alexander Walker of the "Evening Standard" called it "a super-epic which shucks away your sophistication. If ever I heard the sound of success it is this." "The Times" said "it has a kind of surge and splendour and extravagance not to be despised."


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: "How the West Was Won" was a massive commercial success. Produced on a large budget of $15 million, it grossed $46,500,000 at the North American box office, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1963. The film has grossed over $50 million worldwide.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: In 2000, Warner Bros. assigned Crest Digital the task of restoring the original Cinerama negative for "How the West Was Won". As part of the process, Crest Digital built its own authentic Cinerama screening room. Hewlett-Packard has led efforts to combine the three image portions to make the Cinerama image look more acceptable on a flat screen. This has finally been accomplished on the latest DVD and Blu-ray disc release. Previously, the lines where the three Cinerama panels join were glaringly visible, but this has been largely corrected on the Warner Bros. DVD and Blu-ray releases. However, the joints remain visible in places, especially against bright backgrounds.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: The restoration also corrects some of the geometric distortions inherent in the process. For instance, in the final shot, the Golden Gate Bridge appears to curve in perspective as the camera flies underneath it whereas in the Cinerama version, it breaks into three straight sections at different angles.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: Though the aspect ratio of Cinerama is 2.59:1, Warner's new releases of the film offer an aspect ratio of 2.89:1, incorporating much information on both sides that was not intended to be seen when projected. The Blu-ray-exclusive SmileBox alternative contains the intended cropping intact.


title: How the West Was Won (film)

text: In 2006, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging performed digital restoration on "How the West Was Won". The film was restored frame by frame at Prasad Corporation to remove dirt, tears, scratches and other damage, restoring the film's original appearance. The restored version has been shown on television since October 2008 on the Encore Westerns channel.


title: Dharmachakra

text: The dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pali: "dhammacakka") or wheel of dharma is a widespread symbol used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and especially Buddhism.


title: Dharmachakra

text: Historically, the dharmachakra was often used as a decoration in East Asian statues and inscriptions, beginning with the earliest period of East Asian culture to the present. It remains a major symbol of the Buddhist religion today.


title: Dharmachakra

text: The Sanskrit noun "dharma" ( धर्म ) is a derivation from the root "dhṛ" 'to hold, maintain, keep', and means 'what is established or firm' and hence 'law'. It is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit "n"-stem "dharman-" with the meaning "bearer, supporter" in the historical Vedic religion conceived of as an aspect of Ṛta.


title: Dharmachakra

text: Similar wheel/chakra symbols are one of the most ancient in all Indian history. Madhavan and Parpola note that a wheel symbol appears frequently in Indus Valley civilization artifacts, particularly on several seals. Notably, it is present in a sequence of ten signs on the Dholavira Signboard. As a solar symbol it first appears on clay seals of the Indus Valley Civilisation from 2500 BCE. Such a wheel is also the main attribute of Vishnu.


title: Dharmachakra

text: Some historians associate the ancient chakra symbols with solar symbolism. In the Vedas, the god Surya is associated with the solar disc, which is said to be a chariot of one wheel (cakra). Mitra, a form of Surya, is described as "the eye of the world", and thus the sun is conceived of as an eye (cakṣu) which illuminates and perceives the world. Thus, a wheel symbol might also be associated with light and knowledge.


title: Dharmachakra

text: In Buddhism, the Dharma Chakra is widely used to represent the Buddha's Dharma (Buddha's teaching and the universal moral order), Gautama Buddha himself and the walking of the path to enlightenment, since the time of Early Buddhism. The symbol is also sometimes connected to the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and Dependent Origination.


title: Dharmachakra

text: The pre-Buddhist dharmachakra (Pali: "dhammacakka") is considered one of the ashtamangala (auspicious signs) in Hinduism and Buddhism and often used as a symbol of both faiths. It is one of the oldest known Indian symbols found in Indian art, appearing with the first surviving post-Indus Valley Civilisation Indian iconography in the time of the Buddhist king Ashoka.


title: Dharmachakra

text: The Buddha is said to have set the "wheel of dharma" in motion when he delivered his first sermon, which is described in the "Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta". This "turning of the wheel" signifies a great and revolutionary change with universal consequences, brought about by an exceptional human being. Buddhism adopted the wheel as a symbol from the Indian mythical idea of the ideal king, called a chakravartin ("wheel-turner", or "universal monarch"), who was said to possess several mythical objects, including the "ratana cakka" (the ideal wheel). The "Mahā Sudassana Sutta" of the Digha Nikaya describes this wheel as having a nave (nābhi), a thousand spokes (sahassārāni) and a felly (nemi), all of which are perfect in every respect. Siddhartha Gautama was said to have been a "mahapurisa" (great man) who could have chosen to become a wheel turning king, but instead became the spiritual counterpart to such a king, a wheel turning sage, i.e. a Buddha.


title: Dharmachakra

text: In his explanation of the term "turning the wheel of Dharma", the Theravada exegete Buddhaghosa explains that this "wheel" which the Buddha turned is primarily to be understood as wisdom, knowledge, and insight (ñāṇa). This wisdom has two aspects, paṭivedha-ñāṇa, the wisdom of self-realisation of the Truth and desanā-ñāṇa, the wisdom of proclamation of the Truth. The dharmachakra symbol also points to the central Indian idea of "Dharma", a complex and multivalent term which refers to the eternal cosmic law, universal moral order and in Buddhism, the very teaching and path expounded by the Buddha.


title: Dharmachakra

text: In the Buddhist Art at early sites such as Bharhut and Sanchi, the dharmachakra was often used as a symbol of Gautama Buddha himself. The symbol is often paired with the triratna (triple jewel) or trishula (trident) symbolizing the triple gem, umbrellas (chatra), symbols of sovereignty and royal power, gems and garlands. It is also sometimes depicted alongside animals such as lions, or deer.


title: Dharmachakra

text: There are different designs of the Buddhist dharmachakra with 8, 12, 24 or more spokes. In different Buddhist traditions, the different number of spokes may represent different aspects of the Buddha's Dharma (teaching). In the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition for example, the 8 spoked wheel represents the noble eightfold path, and the hub, rim and spokes are also said to represent the three trainings (sila, prajña and samadhi).


title: Dharmachakra

text: In Buddhism, the cyclical movement of a wheel is also used to symbolize the cyclical nature of life in the world (also referred to as the "wheel of samsara", "samsara-chakra" or the "wheel of becoming"", bhava-cakra"). This wheel of suffering can be reversed or "turned" through the practice of the Buddhist path. The Buddhist terms for "suffering" (dukkha) and happiness (sukha) may also originally be related to the proper or improper fitting of wheels on a chariot's axle. The Indo-Tibetan tradition has developed elaborate depictions called Bhavacakras which depict the many realms of rebirth in Buddhist cosmology.


title: Dharmachakra

text: The spokes of a wheel are also often used as symbols of the Buddhist doctrine of dependent origination. According to the Theravada scholar Buddhaghosa:“It is the beginningless round of rebirths that is called the ’Wheel of the round of rebirths’ (saṃsāracakka). Ignorance (avijjā) is its hub (or nave) because it is its root. Ageing-and-death (jarā-maraṇa) is its rim (or felly) because it terminates it. The remaining ten links [of Dependent Origination] are its spokes [i.e. saṅkhāra up to the process of becoming, bhava].” The earliest Indian monument featuring dharmachakras are the Ashokan Pillars, such as the lion pillar at Sanchi, built at the behest of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. According to Benjamin Rowland: ”The Sārnāth column may be interpreted, therefore, not only as a glorification of the Buddha’s preaching symbolised by the crowning wheel, but also through the cosmological implications of the whole pillar as a symbol of the universal extension of the power of the Buddha’s Law as typified by the sun that dominates all space and all time, and simultaneously an emblem of the universal extension of Mauryan imperialism through the Dharma. The whole structure is then a translation of age-old Indian and Asiatic cosmology into artistic terms of essentially foreign origin and dedicated, like all Asoka’s monuments, to the glory of Buddhism and the royal house.”According to Harrison, the symbolism of "the wheel of the law" and the order of Nature is also visible in the Tibetan prayer wheels. The moving wheels symbolize the movement of cosmic order ("ṛta").


title: Dharmachakra

text: The idea of a great king being associated with turning the "Wheel of Dharma" is something which is shared by Buddhism and Hinduism. In the "Vishnu Purana" and "Bhagavata Purana", two kings named Jadabharata of the Hindu solar and lunar dynasties respectively are referred to as "chakravartins" (wheel turning kings).


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Sean Leslie Flynn (May 31, 1941 – disappeared April 6, 1970; declared legally dead in 1984) was an American actor and freelance photojournalist best known for his coverage of the Vietnam War.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Flynn was the only child of Australian-American actor Errol Flynn and his first wife, French-American actress Lili Damita. After studying briefly at Duke University, he embarked on an acting career. He retired by the mid-1960s to become a freelance photojournalist under contract to "Time" magazine.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: In search of exceptional images, Flynn traveled with U.S. Army Special Forces units and irregulars operating in remote areas. While on assignment in Cambodia in April 1970, Flynn and fellow photojournalist Dana Stone were captured by communist guerrillas. Neither man was seen or heard from again. In 1984, Flynn's mother had him declared dead "in absentia".


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Flynn's parents separated when he was young; he was raised by his mother, Lili Damita. Flynn graduated from the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, in 1960. When Errol Flynn died, he left his son $5,000 to help with his college education. Sean Flynn enrolled at Duke University.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Sean Flynn first appeared in front of the cameras at the age of fifteen, when he appeared in an episode of his father's television show, "The Errol Flynn Theatre". The episode, "Strange Auction," was broadcast in the U.K. in 1956 and in the U.S. in 1957.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Over a summer break in June 1960, Flynn visited his mother in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At the suggestion of his friend, actor George Hamilton, Flynn filmed a scene in Hamilton's picture "Where the Boys Are", which was shooting in Fort Lauderdale at the time. Most of his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, but he can still be seen in a scene walking past wearing a blue "Xavier University" sweatshirt.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: In May 1961, at the age of 20, Flynn accepted a contract with Sage Western Pictures to appear in 1962's "Il Figlio del Capitano Blood", a sequel to his father's hit film "Captain Blood". He was paid $110 a week for the testing period, going up to $10,000 for twelve weeks work in the film. As Flynn was still legally a minor he needed his mother's permission, which was granted. The test was successful. The film was released in the U.S. in 1964 as "The Son of Captain Blood".


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: In September 1961 it was announced Flynn had signed a recording contract for a company known as Hi-Fidelity R.V. Records, and had already recorded four songs for them. Two came out: "Secret Love" b/w "Stay in My Heart". The songs were released as a 45rpm single (Arvee A 5043, 1961, and HiFi Records R. 9003, 1962).


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: In 1962, Hamilton announced that he wanted to make "The Brothers", based on a story by Hamilton, starring himself, Flynn, and Terry Thomas, but the film was never made. Around this time Flynn's fiancé was Julie Payne, daughter of actors John Payne and Anne Shirley. A few years later he was engaged to Alessandra Panao.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Flynn made a few more films in Europe, including "Il segno di Zorro" (1963; released in 1964 as "Duel at the Rio Grande"), "Verspätung in Marienborn" with José Ferrer (1963; released in 1964 as "Stop Train 349"), "Agent Special a Venise "Voir Venise et...Crever"" (1964; sold to U.S. television syndication as "Mission to Venice"), and "Sandok, Il Maciste della Jungla" (1964; released in 1966 as "Temple of the White Elephant").


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Flynn became bored with acting, and he went to Africa in late 1964 to try his hand at being a guide for safaris and big-game hunting. He also spent time as a game warden in Kenya. In the latter part of 1965, Flynn needed money, so he made two Spaghetti Westerns in Spain and Italy that were released in 1966: "Sette Magnifiche Pistole" ("Seven Guns for Timothy") and "Dos Pistolas Gemelas" {"Sharp-Shooting Twin Sisters") co-starring the Spanish twin performers Pili and Mili. In the summer of 1966, Flynn went to Singapore to star in his eighth and final film, the French–Italian action film "Cinq Gars Pour Singapour" (1967; released in 1968 as "Five Ashore in Singapore").


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Flynn arrived in South Vietnam in January 1966 as a freelance photojournalist, first for the French magazine "Paris Match", then for Time Life, and finally for United Press International (UPI). Flynn's photos were soon published around the world. He made a name for himself as one of a group of high-risk photojournalists which included Dana Stone, Tim Page, Henri Huet, John Steinbeck IV, Perry Deane Young, Nik Wheeler, and Chas Gerretsen, who would do anything to get the best pictures, even go into combat. In March 1966, Flynn was wounded in the knee while in the field.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: In April, Flynn was on patrol with some Green Berets and Nung mercenaries when they were ambushed by the Viet Cong. Flynn was carrying an M-16 rifle at the time and had to fight his way out along with the other soldiers. "I thought not only me but all of us were greased." Flynn had been given the rifle by the Green Berets and been under fire with them before.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: In June 1966, Flynn left Vietnam long enough to star in his last movie. Based on the 1959 novel "Cinq Gars Pour Singapour" by Jean Bruce, the film was shot in Paris and Singapore and was tentatively called "OSS 117 Goes to Singapore", but was released as "Cinq Gars Pour Singapour" ("Five Ashore in Singapore"). He soon returned to Vietnam.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: In November 1966, Flynn was credited with saving an Australian platoon from decimation by a mine by identifying the mine while photographing the troops near Vũng Tàu. He made a parachute jump with the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division the following month.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Flynn returned to Vietnam in 1968, after the Tet Offensive. In September of that year, he was working as a cameraman for CBS News when he was injured slightly by grenade fragments while shooting a battle between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces 85 miles south of Da Nang. Flynn went to Cambodia in early 1970 when news broke of North Vietnamese advances into that country.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: On April 6, 1970, Flynn and a group of journalists left Phnom Penh to attend a government-sponsored press conference in Saigon. Flynn (who was freelancing) and fellow photojournalist Dana Stone (who was on assignment for CBS) chose to travel on motorcycles instead of the limousines that the majority of the other journalists were using for traveling. Reporter Steve Bell, who was one of the last Westerners to see the two alive, later said that after the press conference, Flynn and Stone had received word that there was a makeshift checkpoint on Highway 1 manned by members of the Viet Cong. The checkpoint consisted of a white four-door sedan in which several missing journalists had been traveling, and which was now parked across the roadway. Flynn and Stone observed the checkpoint from some distance and spoke to several journalists already on scene. Surviving film footage captured both this moment as well as the sight of several persons, believed to be Viet Cong, moving around on the far side of the vehicle. Undaunted by the sight of a nearby platoon of government soldiers taking up defensive positions in a line perpendicular to the road, and eager to interview the Viet Cong, both Flynn and Stone chose to proceed alone to the checkpoint. Witnesses later reported that both Flynn and Stone were quickly relieved of their motorcycles and marched into a nearby treeline. Neither was ever seen alive again. Before they left, Bell snapped the last known photo taken of Flynn and Stone.


title: Sean Flynn (photojournalist)

text: Four other journalists, two Frenchmen and two Japanese, had been captured by the Viet Cong inside Cambodia on the same day. By June 1970, 25 journalists had been captured in Cambodia in the previous three weeks. Three had been killed, some returned, and others were missing. Flynn and Stone were never seen again and their bodies have never been found. Although it is known that Flynn and Stone were captured by Viet Cong guerrillas at a checkpoint on Highway 1, their fate is unknown. Citing various government sources, it is believed that they were killed by factions of the Khmer Rouge. Flynn's mother spent an enormous amount of money searching for her son, with no success. In 1984 she had Flynn declared legally dead. She died in 1994. In 1991, the remains of two men were found in Cambodia; in 2003, the Pentagon's Central Identification Lab in Hawaii confirmed by DNA testing that the remains were of Clyde McKay, a boat hijacker, and Larry Humphrey, an army deserter. In March 2010, a British team searching for Flynn's body uncovered the remains of a Western hostage in Cambodia's Kampong Cham province, allegedly executed by the Khmer Rouge. Test results on the human remains were released on June 30, 2010, and were found not to be the remains of Flynn. Wayne Perry of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) said there was no match between DNA from the recovered remains and DNA samples they had on file from the Flynn family.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The Grand Prix is a line of automobiles produced by the Pontiac Division of General Motors from 1962 until 2002 for coupes and 1989–2008 for sedans.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: First introduced as a full-size performance coupe for the 1962 model year, the model varied repeatedly in size, luxury, and performance during its production. The Grand Prix was the most expensive coupe Pontiac offered until the 1970s, when the Bonneville Brougham and the Firebird Trans Am became more exclusive. Among the changes were positioning in the personal luxury car market segment and mid-size car offering from the second generation to the fifth generation for the sedan and from the second generation to the sixth generation from the coupe. The Grand Prix, which is French for "grand prize", returned to a full-size car from the sixth generation to the seventh generation for the sedan, positioned below the larger Bonneville in Pontiac's model lineup.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The Grand Prix was an all-new model for Pontiac in the 1962 model year as a performance-oriented grand tourer coupe with bucket seats upholstered in "Morrokide" vinyl, while nylon loop-blend carpeting covered the floor and lower door panels. It was also installed with a center console with a transmission shifter, tachometer, 4-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts, and "acceleration" rear axle ratio (3.42:1). It used the Catalina coupe platform with minimal outside chrome trim, and was installed with the "Trophy" version of V8 engine with a 3-speed manual transmission or optional console-mounted 4-speed manual or Hydra-Matic automatic, and was equipped to the luxury standards available on the longer, top-line Bonneville coupe.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: It was given a distinctive grille and taillights unique to the Grand Prix, and replaced the Pontiac Ventura while the Catalina was still available with the "Ventura" trim package for 1962. The rear bench seat included a center fold-down armrest and a speaker grille that could be made functional with the extra-cost Bi-Phonic rear speaker. Included were a padded instrument panel, deluxe steering wheel, courtesy lights, and other features. The listed retail price before optional equipment was $3,490 ($ in dollars ) and was the most expensive model when it was introduced.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The standard engine was the Bonneville's V8, which came with four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts. Tri-Power carburation (with three two-barrels) raised output to . Two other high-performance 389s were offered, including a four-barrel version rated at and a Tri-Power. Late in the model year a "street" version of the race-orientated 421 Pontiac offered in 1961-62 became available, but only in a four-barrel form rated at . Pontiac also offered the Super Duty with two four-barrel carburetors, rated at , as a US$2,250 option ($ in dollars ).


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: John DeLorean, head of Advanced Engineering at Pontiac, contributed to the development of the Grand Prix as well as the GTO.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: For the 1963 model year, the Grand Prix received revised sheet metal shared with other full-size Pontiacs, but with its own squared-off roofline with a concave rear window that contrasted with the convertible-like roof styling of the previous year. New was a split grille with vertically stacked headlights and round parking lights as well as "hidden" taillights. Aside from grille work, taillight covering and bumpers, chrome trim was limited to lower rocker panels, wheel arches, and roofline.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The Grand Prix continued with luxurious interiors featuring real walnut trim on the instrument panel and bucket seats upholstered in "Morrokide" vinyl. The center console was now built into the instrument panel and featured an intake manifold pressure vacuum gauge along with a dash-mounted tachometer for cars with manual transmission. Pedals received revised custom trim plates. Options included power steering, brakes, windows, and driver's seat; air conditioning, eight-lug aluminum wheels with integrated brake drums, and Safe-T-Track differential. New options for this year included an AM/FM radio, cruise control, and a tilt steering wheel adjustable to seven positions.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 389 four-barrel V8 remained the standard engine. A new lineup of optional engines was introduced this year which included the 389 Tri-Power and three versions of the V8 including a four-barrel version rated at , a Tri-Power option, and the 421 HO option with Tri-Power carburetion and . The same selection of transmissions continued including the standard three-speed manual, optional four-speed manual, or three-speed Roto Hydra-matic. Brakes were drums.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 1964 Grand Prix received minor appearance changes. Those included a revised grille (based on the 1964 Bonneville/Catalina) with new "GP" logos and rear deck trim with new taillights, still hidden, again following the design of the other big 1964 Pontiacs.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Revised upholstery trims highlighted the interior, still featuring expanded "Morrokide" vinyl bucket seats and console as standard equipment.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Engine offerings were mostly unchanged from 1963 except that the standard 389 four-barrel V8 gained three , with the extra-cost Hydramatic transmission. The standard three-speed manual and optional Hydramatic transmissions were unchanged from 1963, however, a new GM-built Muncie four-speed available in either a wide-ratio M-20 or close-ratio M-21 options replaced the Borg-Warner T-10.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Grand Prix and all other full-sized Pontiacs were completely restyled for 1965 featuring more rounded bodylines with coke-bottle profiles, and a increase in wheelbase to (for Grand Prix, Catalina, and all Safari station wagons — Bonneville and Star Chief increased proportionally from to . While other Pontiac coupes received the semi-fastback rooflines shared with other GM divisions, Grand Prixs retained the exclusive squared-off roofline with concave rear window but a bit more rounded than the 1963-64 version. This generation also introduced fender skirts over the rear wheels for a upscale look, shared with Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile senior models.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Interiors were revised with new instrument panels featuring more walnut trim which now extended to the center console standard with bucket seats, along with a new steering wheel with horn bars replacing the horn ring used in previous years. The standard bucket seats could be upholstered either in expanded "Morrokide" vinyl or new cloth-and-"Morrokide" trim. New for 1965 was a no-cost bench seat option with a center armrest available with either upholstery choice. The Grand Prix retained the market position as the most expensive model, offering all equipment offered on the Bonneville hardtop coupe as standard equipment, and had a listed retail price of $3,426 ($ in dollars ).


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: New options included an automatic air conditioning system called "Comfort Control". This system, first introduced by Cadillac in 1964, was available in addition to the regular Circ-L-Aire Conditioning. Hazard flashers and seat belts were also optional.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Engine offerings were revised for 1965. The standard four-barrel V8 was uprated to with a manual transmission or with automatic. Optional engines included a 389 Tri-Power and 421 four-barrel — both rated at ; a 421 Tri-Power rated at and the 421 HO Tri-Power with . The standard three-speed and optional four-speed manual transmissions were carried over from 1964, however, a new three-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission with torque-converter that was similar in principle to Ford's Cruise-O-Matic and Chrysler's TorqueFlite replaced the older three-speed fluid coupling Roto Hydramatic (along with the four-speed Super Hydramatic in Bonneville and Star Chief models). The Turbo Hydramatic also featured the now-standardized P-R-N-D-S-L shift quadrant pattern in place of the P-N-D-S-L-R setup of previous Hydramatics.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A 1965 Grand Prix road test was featured in the February 1965 issue of "Motor Trend" magazine, which was focused on the entire Pontiac lineup receiving M/T "Car of the Year" honors for 1965. Other Pontiac road tests in that issue included a GTO convertible, Tempest Custom sedan, Catalina Vista hardtop sedan, and Bonneville hardtop coupe.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 1966 Grand Prix received only minor appearance revisions including a new more rounded split grille and new taillight trim. Inside, a revised instrument panel included a squared-off gauge panel and new Strato bucket seats in either "Morrokide" or cloth upholstery with higher seatbacks and more contoured cushions for improved lateral support. The Strato buckets were standard equipment along with a console, but a notchback bench seat with a center armrest was a no-cost option.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Engine offerings were largely unchanged from 1965 except that the Tri-Power 389 option was discontinued, leaving only the larger 421 available with the three two-barrel carb option, which was offered for the last time this year due to a new General Motors edict that banned the use of multi-carb options on all GM cars with the exception of the Chevrolet Corvette starting with the 1967 model year.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Revised sheet metal with rounded yet even more pronounced Coke bottle styling highlighted the 1967 Grand Prix and other full-sized Pontiacs. A convertible was new; this lasted only for the 1967 model year. Also new to the G.P.-concealed headlights with horizontal mounting (all other full-size 1967 Pontiacs retained the vertical headlights for one more year), concealed windshield wipers, and ventless front windows on hardtop coupes. The louvered taillights were similar to those found on the GTO.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: "Strato" bucket seats and console were standard equipment with "Morrokide" vinyl or cloth upholstery, or a no-cost optional notchback bench seat with either trims. Other changes included a revised instrument panel and door panel trim.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 389 V8 was replaced by a new V8 with four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts and . Similarly, the 421 V8 was replaced by a new V8 rated at or an HO version with - both with four-barrel carburetors. Both the 400 and 428 V8s were basically bored out versions of the older 389/421 block but with various internal improvements including bigger valves and improved breathing capabilities.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: New this year was a dual master-cylinder braking system and optional front disc brakes along with Rally II wheels. Also new for 1967 was an energy-absorbing collapsible steering column. Plus, Pontiac added an 8-track Stereo tape player.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 1968 Grand Prix received a more pronounced "beak-nose" grille in shock-absorbent plastic and a new front bumper. The concealed headlights were carried over, and a revised rear deck/bumper with L-shaped taillights and side reflector markers to meet a new federal safety mandate were new. The convertible was discontinued, leaving only the hardtop coupe for 1968.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The standard V8 was revised to meet the new 1968 Federal and California emission regulations. Both optional V8s received higher power ratings of for the base version and the HO.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: This would be the final year for the B-bodied, full-sized Grand Prix. The 1969 GP would feature a new body using a chassis based on the shorter Pontiac A-body intermediates.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: For the 1969 model year, Pontiac's general manager John Z. DeLorean ordered the development of an all-new Grand Prix. It featured new bodywork with a pronounced grille, and rode on a stretched version of the intermediate GM A platform and introduced as the G-Body.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The new intermediate-based 1969 Grand Prix began to take shape in April 1967, with a few prototype models built on the full-sized Pontiac platform before the G-Body was ready. To save both development costs and time in much the same manner Chevrolet created the original Chevrolet Camaro using the basic chassis and drivetrain from the compact Chevrolet Chevy II, the revised Grand Prix would have a unique bodyshell but share the A-body intermediate platform and mechanicals with the Tempest, Le Mans and GTO. This reduced development time from the usual 36 months required for a new model to less than 18 , allowing Pontiac to concentrate on upgrading styling and interior appointments.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Shortened by three inches from the previous Catalina wheelbase, the 1969 Grand Prix finally had its own body – and Pontiac's longest-ever hood. Like all but the short-lived 1967 convertible, the new Grand Prix was a 2-door hardtop. Model names borrowed suggestive Duesenberg Model SJ nomenclature for the exclusive "SJ" trim package and the prominent grille. The basic 1969 body shell saw a major facelift in 1971 bracketed by minor detail revisions in the 1970 and 1972 model years.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The new Grand Prix sought to deliver performance as attention-getting as its styling, with increased installation percentages for manual transmissions and engine options up to the 428 HO. Two engine sizes were offered with two power options were available in each engine size; a or , as well as a or V8. The 1969 Grand Prix debuted a "Command Seat" wraparound cockpit-style instrument panel that placed most controls and gauges within easy reach of the driver.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Enhancing the interior's sporty look, the "Strato" bucket seats were separated by a console integrated into the instrument panel that slanted toward the driver, which included a floor shifter, storage compartment, and ashtray. A leather trim option which also replaced nylon loop rug with cut-pile carpeting was finally offered in addition to the "Morrokide" vinyl and cloth and "Morrokide" upholstery offerings. Innovations in 1969 included a radio antenna embedded in the windshield, flush-mounted "pop-open" exterior door handles, side-impact beams inside the doors, and an optional built-in electrically heated rear window defogger. The listed retail price with the optional "SJ" trim package was $4,182 ($ in dollars ), keeping a higher price over the Bonneville hardtop coupe but was now less expensive than the GTO "Judge" convertible.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Also in 1969, Pontiac built a steam powered SE 101 concept car with a engine designed by GM engineering in conjunction with the Besler brothers. The engine, however, was heavier than a V8, and three times more expensive to make.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: DeLorean and other Pontiac planners saw a way to reverse the declining sales of the full-sized Grand Prix by creating a new niche in the burgeoning personal luxury car market. Smaller than the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado, but positioned with the Ford Thunderbird and Buick Riviera, the new Grand Prix also competed with the Mercury Cougar XR-7 "Pony car" and the B-bodied Dodge Charger intermediate.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Sales reached over 112,000 units, almost quadruple the 32,000 full-sized models built in 1968. The similar but less luxurious Chevrolet Monte Carlo followed in 1970. Ford and Chrysler responded by producing plusher versions of their intermediate Torino and Charger, but both eventually created newer entries to the intermediate personal luxury car battle—the Ford Elite in 1974 and Chrysler Cordoba in 1975.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Vertical grille inserts replaced the horizontal bars of the 1969, movement of "Grand Prix" nameplates from the lower cowls to the rear C-pillars and the vertical chromed louvers from the C-pillars down to the lower cowls, highlighted the 1970 Grand Prix. The optional V8 rated at 370 and in 1969 was replaced by a new with of torque at 3,100 rpm. The base 350 hp engine was still standard, but a low-compression 400 CID engine was available with a two-barrel carburetor. An automatic transmission was offered as a no cost option.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Interior trim also received minor revisions, and a bench seat with center armrest returned as a no-cost option to the standard Strato bucket seats and console. Bench seat-equipped cars included a steering column-mounted shifter with the automatic transmission along with a dashboard-mounted glovebox, replacing the console-mounted shifter and glovebox of bucket-seat cars. Power front disc brakes became standard equipment this year.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Due to the success of the 1969 Grand Prix, other GM divisions followed suit and introduced similar cars for 1970. The Chevrolet Monte Carlo used the same basic G-body as the GP but with a two-inch shorter wheelbase (116 vs. the GP's 118) and a long hood, though still shorter than the Grand Prix's, but still considered an upscale vehicle for GM's lowest-priced division. Oldsmobile, whose larger and more expensive front-drive Toronado was a direct competitor to the Thunderbird, decided to further capitalize on strong sales of its intermediate Cutlass line by introducing a new Cutlass Supreme coupe with a formal roofline similar to the GPs but on the standard wheelbase used for two-door A-body intermediates and the same lower sheet metal used on other Cutlass models. Both the Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme were also much lower in price, primarily due to smaller standard engines for both, and that many items standard on the GP were optional on those models — however, all three cars with similar equipment were actually much closer in price than the base sticker prices suggest. The introduction of the Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme did, however, cut into the Grand Prix's dominance, and sales dropped 40%. A total of 65,750 Grand Prixs were made in 1970.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Variations of the 1969 GP's central V-nose grille appeared on other 1970 Pontiacs including the full-sized cars and intermediate Tempest/Le Mans series. The 1970 Ford Thunderbird styling change was reportedly ordered by Ford Motor president Bunkie Knudsen, who moved from GM to Ford in 1968 after a long career at GM which included the position of general manager for the Pontiac Motor Division from 1956 to 1961 and ordered the addition of the Grand Prix to the 1962 model lineup.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A new integrated bumper/grille and larger single headlights replacing the quad lights of 1969-70 models marked the introduction of the 1971 Grand Prix along with a new slanted boattail-style rear with taillights built into the bumper. Interior revisions amounted to new trim patterns for cloth and vinyl upholstery patterns for both the bench and bucket seats, but the leather interior option was discontinued.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Engine choices included the standard V8 with four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts, rated at ; and the optional four-barrel V8 rated at . Both engines received substantially lower compression ratios (8.4:1 for 1971 compared to 10.25:1 in 1970) as part of a GM-corporate edict that required engines to use lower-octane regular leaded, low lead or unleaded gasoline beginning with the 1971 model year. Transmission offerings initially were carried over from previous years, including the standard three-speed manual, or optional four-speed stick or Turbo Hydra-Matic. However, at mid-year, Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic became standard equipment and the manual shifters were dropped. Variable-ratio power steering was made standard equipment as well.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: New power ratings were put into effect, requiring manufacturers to post net horsepower with all accessories installed (vs. gross rating without the accessories). This system gave a more realistic measure of power. The base four-barrel engine was rated now at and the in SJ models were (net). The 455 SJ model had a $195 option that included Rally gauges, body-colored mirrors, SJ badging, and a no-maintenance AC Delco battery. A corporate-wide labor strike in mid-September 1970 halted all GM production for 67 days. This delayed the production of the third generation Grand Prix by one year in 1973. Production numbers for 1971 were lower than in 1970 with only 58,325 units.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Minor styling revisions included a new cross-hatch grille up front and triple cluster taillights in the back. Inside, the burled-elm trim was replaced by a new teakwood design, and upholstery trim patterns for vinyl and cloth selections were revised for both bucket and bench seat offerings. Engine offerings remained the same as before with the major change being the change in power measurements from the previous gross method on a dynamometer to the new net ratings as installed in a vehicle with accessories and emission equipment which made the horsepower ratings of 1972 models lower than their 1971 counterparts though actual performance did not change much between the two years. Under the net horsepower measurement system, the standard V8 with four-barrel carburetor was rated at while the optional with four-barrel carb was rated at .


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: At mid-year, Pontiac released a radial tire option for the Grand Prix, which increased the wheel diameter from the standard to . This was the first time that Pontiac offered a radial tire option for the entire model year. In 1968, Pontiac announced a radial tire option for the GTO that was quickly discontinued due to production problems.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Also at mid-year, a new "Fasten Seat Belts" light with buzzer was added per Federal safety regulation. This light was located in the speedometer pod and the speedometer was changed from displaying a high of , back to .


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: An all-new Grand Prix was scheduled for 1972. However, a 67-day corporate-wide strike at GM in late 1970 that hobbled the 1971 model introduction set back 1972 model production plans, and the new A and G-body cars planned for 1972 were delayed for introduction by one year to the 1973 model year. Production numbers increased after two years of decline, reaching 91,961 units and only second place to the 1969 model.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: All A-bodies, including the Grand Prix, were redesigned for 1973. This generation was larger and heavier, due partly to the federally mandated crash bumpers. Although large V8s were still available, the performance was on the decline due to new emissions control systems. The most notable styling feature of this generation was the appearance of the fixed opera window, replacing the previous disappearing rear side glass. This year's Grand Prix switched from pillarless hardtop design to a pillared "Colonnade" hardtop with frameless door glass as did all GM intermediates in response to proposed federal safety standards regarding roll-over protection.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The front and rear styling of the 1973 Grand Prix was an evolution of the 1971 and 1972 models with a vertical-bar V-nose grille and single headlamps along with the new federally mandated 5 mph (8 km/h) front bumper. The rear featured a revised boattail-like trim with square-taillights above the bumper.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A new instrument panel continued the wraparound cockpit theme of previous models with new African Crossfire Mahogany facing on the dashboard, console, and door panels, which was genuine wood in contrast with the simulated woodgrain material found in most car interiors during that time. The Strato bucket seats were completely new with higher seatbacks and integrated headrests in "Morrokide" or cloth trims, and optional recliners and adjustable lumbar support, with a notchback bench seat offered as a no-cost option.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The standard drivetrain consisted of the four-barrel V8 rated at and the Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. Also standard were power steering and power brakes. A four-barrel was optional and included with the "SJ" option that also added a rally gauge cluster and a radial tuned suspension with front and rear sway bars, Pliacell shock absorbers, and radial-ply tires. The introduction of radial-ply tires improved handling. GM's "A" body cars' front suspensions were based on the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird during this production run.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The Grand Prix continued its top level designation as Pontiac's most exclusive product, with the "SJ" option package listed for $4,962 ($ in dollars ) while the standard Grand Prix was listed at $4,583 ($ in dollars ).


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Grand Prix production set a new record of over 150,000 units, despite intense competition from a similar restyled Chevy Monte Carlo, and "near" personal luxury coupes such as Buick's all-new Century Regal and Oldsmobile's Cutlass Supreme — both of whose styling and appointments were very similar to the GP and Monte Carlo, and even shared the same squared-off formal roofline with opera windows - but used the standard A-body coupe body and wheelbase shared with lower-priced models. The success of the GP (and Monte Carlo) led to direct responses from Ford Motor Company the following year with a larger Ford Elite and Mercury Cougar, which were followed by Chrysler entries in 1975, the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Cordoba.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 1974 Grand Prix received a revised split grille with vertical bars that was entirely above the bumper. The boattail effect was softened due to a new federally mandated bumper that was added to the similar mandated front bumper introduced in 1973. The license plate and fuel filler were moved above the bumper and taillight lenses were revised.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The interior trim remained virtually unchanged from 1973, with standard seating choices, including Strato bucket seats with center console or notchback bench seat with an armrest and cloth or "Morrokide" upholstery. The bucket seats were available with optional recliners and adjustable lumbar support. The real African Crossfire Mahogany trim was replaced by a simulated material for the instrument panel due to splintering problems on 1973 models; the "real" wood was continued on the console and door panels for another two years. A new cut-pile carpeting replaced the nylon loop rugs of previous years.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A federally mandated interlock system required the driver and front-seat passenger to fasten their seat belts to start the car. This system was offered only for 1974 and on some early 1975 models. It was rescinded by Congressional action.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Engines were carried over from 1973, including the V8 which was standard on the new "Model J" trim package, and which was standard on the "Model SJ", and optional on the "Model J". A Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission, variable-ratio power steering, and power brakes were standard equipment on both models. In addition to the 455 V8, the "Model SJ" also added a Rally Gauge Cluster, "SJ" identification, and a radial-tuned suspension similar to Pontiac's Grand Am. Radial tires were also a new option on the "Model J" this year.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Sales of Grand Prixs for the 1974 model year dropped from 1973's record of around 150,000 units to just under 100,000 units primarily due to new competition in the intermediate personal-luxury car market from a new upsized Mercury Cougar XR-7 coupe and Ford Elite, both based on the Dearborn's intermediate Torino/Montego platform. Still, 1974 was the third best-selling year to date for the Pontiac Grand Prix.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A revised grille with fewer vertical bars and revised taillight lenses marked the 1975 Grand Prix. Changes included the addition of GM's High Energy electronic ignition and a catalytic converter that mandated the use of unleaded gasoline. Radial tires became standard on all models.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A new luxury LJ model was added as the new top model. The base Model J remained available, as well as the SJ. The LJ included pinstriping and a velour interior trim. Speedometers were revised with numerals now topping at rather than the 120 or readings found in previous years and speed readings in kilometers were added.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The addition of the catalytic converter spelled the end of dual exhaust for 1975 and detuning of engines. The V8 (standard on J and LJ models) dropped from 230 to while the (standard on SJ, optional on J and LJ) was detuned from 250 to . New for 1975 was a more economical with two-barrel carburetor, which was available as a no-cost option on J and LJ models.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Sales dropped to 86,582 units thanks to an aging design, continued recession resulting from the 1973-74 energy crisis, substantially higher prices for all 1975-model cars due to that year's safety and emission control regulations, and intense competition from Ford's Cougar and Elite, and Chrysler Corporation's two new entries in this class including the Chrysler Cordoba and Dodge Charger SE.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A new split vertical bar "waterfall" grille and quad rectangular headlights in front and revised taillight lenses highlighted the 1976 Grand Prix. The same three model designations continued (J, SJ, and LJ) with the LJ and SJ offering the same trim and equipment levels as in 1975 with the exception being the SJ downgraded to a standard V8.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The base Model J underwent a number of content changes to cut the base price by around $500 to be more competitive with other mid-sized personal luxury cars. Those changes for the "J" included a smaller V8 as the base powerplant and some downgrading of interior trim that included a new notchback bench seat made standard equipment and the Strato bucket seats/console became optional. Features such as a cushioned steering wheel and custom pedal trim plates became optional on Model J, but remained standard on LJ and SJ, both of which also continued to include Strato bucket seats as standard equipment. All models got a new simulated rosewood trim for the dash, door panels, and console (with bucket seats) that replaced the African Crossfire Mahogany trim of previous years. Upholstery choices included cloth or "Morrokide" vinyl bench or bucket seats on the Model J, velour buckets on the LJ, or "Morrokide" buckets on the SJ. Leather interior trim was a new extra-cost option available with the Strato bucket seats and LJ and SJ models.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Both the "LJ" and "SJ" models came standard with a V8 that was optional on the Model J. The was optional on all models.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: In celebration of Pontiac's 50th anniversary in 1976, a number of special edition Grand Prix were produced. Technically a LJ trim option, these models featured removable Hurst T-tops, color-keyed Rally II wheels, special "Anniversary Gold" paint (actually the new Cadillac Seville's "Autumn Gold) accented by a white opera roof and white side protection. The only available interior color was Light Buckskin. Among the other distinctions was special badging with Golden hood and trunk medallions and a Golden "arrow head" logo in the steering wheel. Buyers could opt for other accessories available for the LJ. Many chose sport instrumentation, sport steering wheels, or leather upholstery. Mechanically, they were similar to the regular models. This was one of two anniversary models offered by Pontiac, the other was a special trim Firebird.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Grand Prix production increased: sales went up to 228,091 units total (a plus of 226%), making this Bicentennial year the best in Grand Prix' history — and second in its class only to the Chevrolet Monte Carlo with 353,272 units. This included 110,814 base model Js, 88,232 SJs, and 29,045 LJs (including 4,807 Golden Anniversary editions and a single demonstrator with Pontiac's not yet introduced V8 engine.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A complete reworking of the front header and bumper highlighted the 1977 Grand Prix, which was the final year for the 1973-vintage bodyshell that was set to be replaced by a downsized GP for 1978. The parking lamps were now positioned between the quad headlamps (same setup as a 1967 or 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass), and the previous year's 'waterfall' grille was replaced by a narrower one that extended into the lower portion of the bumper. Behind the bumper were new reinforcements (mounting panels) made from aluminum rather than steel to reduce weight. In back the taillights were simplified to eliminate the weighty pot metal bezels that created the horizontal stripe effect in 1976. The same three models (J, LJ, and SJ) were carried over with engine revisions. The base Model J got Pontiac's new V8 as standard equipment, which was much too small and underpowered to propel a 4,000-pound car. Optional engines included a V8 or ; those two engines standard on the LJ and SJ models, respectively. The original thinking on the 301 CID engine was that the weight savings from using a significantly lighter engine would cancel out the horsepower loss from the smaller displacement. This turned out to be a major miscalculation and 301 equipped cars became much less desirable among Grand Prix enthusiasts and collectors in later years. The 301 also had a knocking (pre-ignition) problem that was later determined to be caused by the shape of the combustion chamber.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Each of those engines were Pontiac-built units as in previous years, but offered in 49 of the 50 states. Because Pontiac's own V8 engines could not meet the more stringent California emission standards set for 1977, all Grand Prixs (and other Pontiac models) sold in California were powered by Oldsmobile-built engines including Lansing's "Rocket V8" for J and LJ, and the Rocket V8 standard on the SJ and optional on the other two GPs in California. Due to a shortage of Olds 350 engines resulting from record sales of Cutlasses and reduced production of that engine due to a plant conversion to build a Diesel V8 beginning in 1978, a few 1977 Grand Prixs destined for California reportedly came off the line with a Chevrolet-built V8.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Grand Prix sales increased to an all-time high of over 270,000 units for 1977, the last year for this bodystyle, despite competition from a newly downsized and lower-priced Ford Thunderbird introduced this year and a restyled Mercury Cougar XR-7 whose bodyshell switched to the T-Bird this year from the discontinued Ford Torino/Mercury Montego.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: 1978 brought a downsizing of the Grand Prix and the other A-bodies. The 1978 GP was about shorter and lighter than the 1977 model with an overall length of and a wheelbase.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: For the first time in Grand Prix history, a V8 engine was not standard equipment. In order to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) mandates set after 1973-74 energy crisis, a Buick-built V6 was standard equipment on the base model (formerly the Model J) and two versions of the Pontiac V8 (Chevy V8 in California) were optional. The luxury LJ model came standard with the 301 V8 with two-barrel carburetor while the sporty SJ was powered by a 301 V8 with four-barrel carburetor. Top speed for the six-cylinder was about , while the top-of-the-line V8 was .


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A floor-mounted three-speed manual transmission was standard equipment with the V6 on the base model and the three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic was optional. Turbo Hydra-Matic was standard on LJ and SJ models and base models with either of the optional V8 engines. Standard seating choices by model included a notchback bench seat with cloth or "Morrokide" vinyl in the base GP, a pillowed velour cloth notchback bench seat in the LJ, or Strato bucket seats in cloth or "Morrokide" in the SJ. The Strato buckets were optional on the base GP and a 60/40 split-bench was optional on both base and LJ models. Viscount leather upholstery was available with bucket seats on SJ models.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A new crosshatch grille and revised taillight lenses were the only appearance changes made to the 1979 Grand Prix. The same models, base, LJ and SJ continued as before as did the basic engine lineup including the Buick V6 standard on base and LJ models, the Pontiac V8 with two-barrel carburetor that was optional on both of those models, and the 301 V8 with four-barrel carburetion that was standard on the SJ and optional on the other models. Transmissions remained the same as before with the three-speed manual standard with the V6 engine on the base model and automatic transmission optional. The automatic transmission was standard on LJ and SJ models and all models when a V8 engine was ordered. Again, the Pontiac V8s were not available in California, where they were replaced by Chevy rated at 140 and .


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A new and one-year-only option this year was a four-speed manual transmission available with the four-barrel or two-barrel V8 on all models. Only 232 4-speed/301 V8 cars were built.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 1980 Grand Prix returned to a vertical bar grille and featured new taillight lenses with "GP" logos. Automatic transmission was standard equipment on all models and the two-barrel Pontiac V8 was replaced by a new V8 rated at . The Buick 231 V6 and the four-barrel version of the Pontiac 301 V8 were carried over from the previous year as was the Chevy 305 V8 offered in California.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A minor reskinning of the sheet metal for improved aerodynamics marked the 1981 Grand Prix along with a new grille design and revised tail section. The SJ model was dropped and a new Brougham series was now the flagship of the Grand Prix line. The Brougham models came standard with all power options, a plush cloth interior similar to the full-sized Bonneville Brougham, and a half roof vinyl top with coach lamps. The base and LJ models continued as before. All models now came standard with the Buick V6 with the Pontiac V8 available as an extra cost option (Chevy V8 in California). The V8 was discontinued and a new option this year was the Oldsmobile-built Diesel V8, which was not often ordered due to high cost of around $700 and poor reliability. The year 1981 was also the last for Pontiac Motor Division to offer its own V8 engine due to an emerging GM corporate engine policy that determined Pontiac would build only four-cylinder engines and Buick only V6 engines, leaving Chevrolet and Oldsmobile to build V8 engines for most GM cars and trucks, while Cadillac would produce its own aluminum-block V8 that debuted in 1982. From 1982-on, all V8-equipped Pontiacs were equipped with Chevy or Olds engines.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 1982 Grand Prix was a virtual rerun of the 1981 model with no appearance changes to note. No gasoline-powered V8 engines were offered this year (in the U.S. only — Canadian GPs were available with the Chevy 305 V8 as an option in '82), leaving only the standard Buick V6, a larger Buick V6 and the Olds Diesel V8. The A-body line became front-wheel-drive, leaving the rear-wheel-drive midsize platform as the G-body. The downsized four-door Bonneville was now related to the Grand Prix. The automatic climate control option was also dropped in 1981, leaving just manual climate control on all models. Most 1982 models had a two tone interior. Front suspension was independent with wishbones, coil springs, antiroll bars, and telescopic shocks while the rear still had a live axle.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: 1983 Grand Prix models specifically had no hood ornament and trim, and no rear trunk lock cover. One significant engine change to note was the V6 was discontinued and the gas-powered V8 returned after a one-year absence (on U.S. models) in the form of a Chevy . 1983 also marked the end of the LJ series, as the LE model would be added in for the 1984 model year.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: Some minor changes and revisions marked the 1984 Grand Prix, including the return of the octagonal Pontiac hood ornament (which originally debuted in 1976), gauges with orange needles and red markings (previous 1978–1983 Grand Prix gauges had white needles), a T-shaped console shifter, an updated bucket seat design, as well as a woodgrain plate above the glove box (previous 1978–1983 Grand Prixs used a black plate). A new optional four-spoke steering wheel was also available. The base and Brougham models continued as before but the LJ was replaced by a new LE model. Same engines continued as before including the Buick V6, Chevy V8 and Olds Diesel V8. A new option this year was the Turbo Hydra-Matic 200-4R four-speed overdrive automatic available with the 305 V8 for improved highway gas mileage.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: For 1985, Grand Prix's now included a new checkerboard grille design, as well as an optional two-tone paint scheme with a fading body stripe. The octagonal 'GP' logo also returned to the taillights. 1985 marked the last year for the flat rear deck panel in the interior, as by 1986 laws mandated cars to have a third brake light installed. New rectangular digital ETR stereo system options were introduced and replaced the dial pushbutton stereos. Options specific for the 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix include a factory rear spoiler, rare aluminum turbo finned wheels, and a full-size spare tire. The standard engine for 1985 was the Buick built 3.8 L V6 with a Chevy 5.0 L V8 optional. The 5.7 L Olds Diesel V8 was dropped from the option list. Equipment levels were Standard, LE, and Brougham.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: An ad for the 1985 GP promoted the fact that its instrument panel still used dials for gauges. It was highlighted by a question similar to one long used in advertisements for Dial soap since the late 1950s, "Aren't You Glad We Use Dials. Don't You Wish Everybody Did?"


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: An updated taillight design with three sections was the only major change to the 1986 Grand Prix. A new 2+2 model was offered for homologation of an aerodynamic coupe body for NASCAR competition, like Chevrolet's 1986 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe. (Pontiac never used the term "Aerocoupe"). The 2+2-specific pieces are an aero nose, bubble rear glass and a fiberglass trunk lid with an integral spoiler. All 2+2 models came equipped with a corporate four-barrel engine, the 200-4R four-speed automatic transmission and 3.08:1 rear axle ratio. They have a two-tone paint job with silver on top and gray on the bottom, with 2+2 decals and striping and 15x7 steel Rally II wheels. Modestly successful on superspeedways, where its bulbous rear end earned it a nickname of "the whale", the 2+2 design was seriously flawed for street use. Since the enormous rear glass was fixed (not an opening hatch), it forced the adoption of a dramatically shortened trunk opening. Although it had modest horsepower, benign handling, and design compromises, there were only 1,118 Grand Prix 2+2s built in 1986 and dealers were able to ask 20 percent above the list price for this limited-production version. The cars were all allotted to dealers in the Southeastern United States.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: While the 3.8 L V6 remained standard for the regular Grand Prix, a fuel-injected 4.3 L Chevrolet 90° V6 was added to the options list for models other than the 2+2. This engine was available with a three-speed or a four-speed automatic transmission.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The 1987 Grand Prix was basically a rerun of the 1986 model aside from the discontinuation of the 2+2 model. The same three models were continued including base, LE, and Brougham. Engine offerings again included the standard Buick 3.8 L V6, the Chevrolet 4.3 L V6, or optional Chevrolet 5.0 L V8.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: This would be the last year for the G-body Grand Prix, which would be replaced by the all-new W-body version in 1988. The 1987 model year was also the last Grand Prix to feature a V8 engine (until late-2005), and separate body-on-frame construction.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: The first front-wheel drive W-body Grand Prix coupes were built in October 1987, and released on January 12, 1988, for the 1988 model year. This generation Grand Prix was built in Kansas City, Kansas. The Grand Prix was introduced as base, LE and SE coupes. All featured GM's MPFI 2.8 L V6 that made and of torque. A five-speed manual or four-speed automatic were the transmissions offered. The LE was well equipped with power windows and door locks and a digital dashboard with an analog tachometer. SE models upgraded with power front seats with multiple lumbar, side bolsters, side wing adjustments, an AM/FM Cassette stereo, and a trip computer and compass located in the center of the dash. Some models of this generation have the rare feature of a split front bench seat with a column shifter. Another unique feature only found on the Grand Prix is the combination lock for the glove box, rather than a key. Grand Prix was Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1988.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A host of changes upgraded the Grand Prix for 1989 including for the first time optional anti-lock brakes. Air conditioning was standard as were rear shoulder belts, and the 2.8 L was replaced by GM's new 3.1 L MPFI V6 that produced midway through the model year. For 1989, the 3.1 L was only mated to a four-speed automatic transmission, while the remaining 2.8 was mated to either manual or automatic transmissions. The coupe was an SE model with body work such as hood louvers and extra body cladding (which would be the most controversial design element in the years to come). The interior featured more equipment, and only seated four, in contrast to the LE's five seats, which was a revival of the Pontiac 2+2 from the mid-1960s. The full analog gauges would become the 1990-93 sports cluster, and the basis for the new instrument cluster to replace the digital cluster for 1990.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: A new trim level was offered for 1989, a limited-edition turbo coupe that featured an ASC/McLaren turbocharged version of GM's 3.1 L V6 (Only 749 were produced). Output was , 65 more than the previous year. A four-speed automatic was the only transmission offered.


title: Pontiac Grand Prix

text: In 1990, the base model was dropped in favor of a sedan version (replacing the 6000 which ended production the next year and the Canada-only Tempest), entering production on September 12, 1989. A notable introduction for the Grand Prix in 1990 is the new STE (Special Touring Edition) which replaced the STE model of the Pontiac 6000. In contrast to that model, it trades in all-wheel-drive for the available Turbo 3.1 L V6. Standard features include a cassette stereo with equalizer and eight speakers (a compact disc player was optional), remote keyless entry, eight-way power driver's seat with multiple lumbar and sidewing adjustments for both front seat occupants, and a compass/trip computer that was more informative than the units in the SE and turbo coupes. An LE sedan was also available for 1990, standard with a 2.3 L Quad 4 engine and a 3-speed automatic, the first use of an inline 4 cylinder engine in a Grand Prix. The 2.8 L V6 engine was discontinued, while the 3.1 L engine gained widespread availability and a standard five-speed manual transmission. The STE sedan also offered a light bar between the halogen headlights that did not function as daytime running lights.