THROWBACK THURSDAY

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Today’s ad is the 1977 Pontiac Can Am, “created in the Trans Am tradition”:
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(image courtesy OC,SHer BILL O SR, who owns 1 of these)
Based on the mid-size Pontiac LeMans, the Can Am (named for the racing series) was a special edition option package only available in 1977, introduced midway through the production year at the North American International Auto Show (Detroit MI), January 1977. Alongside the unveiling was the Pontiac Sunbird Sports Hatch model. The Can Am package featured Cameo White paint with orange-red-yellow graphics & blacked-out lower panels & window trim. While standard road wheels were Rally II with chrome trim rings, options were available, including the popular “snowflake” wheels offered on Trans Ams. To manufacturer the special model, complete LeMans coupes were shipped to Jim Wangers’ Motortown, which did the Can Am appearance modifications. Pontiac originally envisioned producing 2,500 units when introducing the option to dealers; however, buyer requests quickly upped the order to over 5,000. When the mold producing the fiberglass rear spoiler broke, production at Motortown ended; but, instead of finding an alternate option, Pontiac management (already worried about losing Grand Prix sales) scrapped the project, causing only ~1,377 (commonly agreed upon number) to be completed.

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