IndyStar.com's view

Dreams do come true, at least in the form of the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix.

Pontiac kept its promise that the 1997 Grand Prix would closely resemble its 1997 Grand Prix 300 GPX show car. And for people who get excited about cars, the new Pontiac offers a plethora of features covering everything from performance to safety items.

The car is designed to enhance Pontiac’s theme of “Driving Excitement.” The new Grand Prix is for those who get a kick out of having a muscular set of wheels, but want to be ensconced in a certain degree of comfort and convenience.

Pontiac has long been noted for building performance automobiles, and the new models continue this image with an optional GTP package that consists of a supercharged 3800 Series II V-6 and a General Motors’ 4T65E electronic four- speed automatic transmission.

Actually, the ’97 Grand Prix lineup consists of an SE sedan, plus GT coupe and sedan. Both the GT coupe and sedan offer the GTP package with its supercharged V-6.

Standard in the Grand Prix SE is a 3.1-liter (191-cubic inches) normally aspirated (non- supercharged) V-6 that puts out a fairly respectable 160-horsepower.

More engine power is available by going up to the normally aspirated 3800 Series II (3.8-liter) V-6. This 231-cubic inch engine develops 190- horsepower, and is standard in GT models and is optional in the SE sedan.

However, for those of you who want to fly, there is nothing that beats running a blower (supercharger). The Grand Prix’s 3800 blown V-6 picks up 45 additional horsepower to come in at 240 horses. By running a supercharger, there is 50 more foot-pounds of torque for a total of 280 foot-pounds.

Considering that the 3800 is a fairly basic 12-valve push rod/rocker arm engine, obtaining slightly better than one-horsepower per cubic inch can be considered a pretty good piece of engineering.

The road racer purists probably will lament the fact that there is no five-speed manual gearbox available. But not to worry, the automatic has been upgraded to handle the added torque loads, and it features two shift modes.

3The two modes are Normal and Performance, and are selected by pressing a button on the center console. The Performance mode provides higher shift points, and Pontiac says it has built in a more aggressive downshift calibration to approximate the crispness of a well-timed manual shift.

That’s a pretty good trick if they can do it. It has been my experience that shifting an automatic from fourth gear to third isn’t too much trouble. But going from third to second, even at a moderate pace, can be a jarring experience.

The ’97 Grand Prix is not all about engines. Exterior and interior styling and chassis development loom large.

Wide track is back with a track width of 61.7 inches and a snug wheel-to-body relationship accented by fenders that flare at the wheels. The wheelbase has been increased three inches to 110.5 inches, while the overall length of 196.5 inches is shorter by less than one i nch over the Grand Prix’s predecessor.

Both the coupe and sedan have that aerodynamic theme about them, courtesy of an all-new Sport Roof design that creates a low, racy look. The appearance also is enhanced by giving the windshield a rake of 63 degrees and moving its base forward.

The driver cockpit layout follows the fundamental concept of a center console with shift lever and centrally located climate and stereo controls on the dash. The controls are angled toward the driver for optimum visibility.

An interesting addition to the car’s DIC (driver information center) display is a tire pressure monitor. Sensors in the ABS (anti-lock) braking system monitor the rolling radius of all four tires. If a tire’s pressure drops, the radius changes. And when there is a pressure drop of about 8 pounds per square inch, the monitor flashes a warning on the display screen.

These hot-to-trot Grand Prix models will be in Indianapolis Pontiac dealer showrooms later this year. Prices will be announced at introduction time.

“I’d say they will start to trickle in about July,” said Dave Wilkerson, general sales manager of Don Sisk Pontiac.