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Once corrected the SD-455 was recertified and was released for production in late April 1973. Given how late in the model year it was, Pontiac decided not to incur the costs of recertifying the SD-455 for other models other than the Firebird. Ultimately Pontiac produced only 295 1973 SD-455 Firebirds (252 Trans Am, 43 Formula).
1973–1975 L65 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 with 2-barrel carburetor (standard engine, others were optional) 1973–1975 L78 400 cu in (6.6 L) V8 with 4-barrel carburetor; 1973–1975 L75 455 cu in (7.5 L) V8 with 4-barrel carburetor; Notes: A SD-455 equipped engineering prototype Grand Am was built and tested, [4] but was later dismantled and destroyed.
The "all hand-assembled" LS2 SD455 engine was rated at 290 hp (216 kW) at 4000 rpm and 395 lb⋅ft (536 N⋅m) at 3600 rpm. All Pontiac engines included a new EGR system, which delayed the SD-455 program until late into the production year. The shaker decal on the scoop read "SD-455". The 1973 Trans Am introduced "Radial Tuned Suspension".
The 1974 models featured a redesigned "shovel-nose" front end and new wide "slotted" taillights. The 400, 455, and SD-455 engines were offered in the Trans Am and Formula models during 1974. A June 1974 test of a newly delivered, privately owned SD-455 Trans Am appeared in Super Stock and Drag Illustrated. With an unmodified car and a test ...
Also announced for the '73 GTO and Grand Am was the Super Duty 455 V8, which was rated at 310 hp (230 kW). Cars magazine tested an SD-455-equipped 1973 Pontiac GTO and chose it as Car Of The Year, yet that engine never made it to production in a GTO or other Pontiac A-body, but would be limited to the Firebird Formula and Trans Am.
Pontiac boasted the new system made it easier to load and unload the wagon in tight spaces, but the "Glide-Away" tailgate was prone to electrical and mechanical problems, and water and air leakage problems, as the cars aged. Another trouble-prone feature Pontiacs shared with all GM B- and C-body cars for 1971 was a new power ventilation system.
Also available was the L77 V code 455 with 270 horsepower (200 kW) available only without air conditioning. Although Pontiac's SD 455 cubic-inch engine lasted one more year with 290 horsepower (220 kW), Oldsmobile's high performance 455 engine would only last one more year culminating with the L76 optioned 455 W-30 Hurst/Olds in 1974.
The Grand Prix is a line of automobiles produced by the Pontiac Division of General Motors from 1962 until 2002 as coupes and from 1989 through 2008 model years as four-door sedans. First introduced as a full-size performance coupe for the 1962 model year, the model repeatedly varied in size, luxury, and performance over successive generations.