GM A-Body Brethren: Four-Speeds Forever!

If you caught my last post about real deals under 5K, some of you may easily recall the black 1979 Chevy Malibu parked right next to a white 1978 Pontiac Grand Le Mans. Both were coupes, and at the time, I promised more specific details of both.

We’ll start alphabetically, if for no other reason. The A-body Malibu (later shifted to the G-body platform starting in 1982) has long been a favorite among circle track combatants. They also make for a relatively cheap hot rod for quarter-mile conquistadors, at least for those who dare. That’s it. This one in particular had signage in the window that indicated this one was equipped with bucket seats, a center console and a 250-cu.in. V-8. We’ll dispute the latter, to some degree, in that the 5.0L 305 was tops in ‘79, except in the wagon version. But the point here is that topping the list was the “Factory Four-Speed” notation. Yup – most probably don’t know that one could have ordered a four-speed that year. In fact, 1,903 were reportedly produced with it – far more than the 1980 version, but impressively low considering the stratospheric total production number well into the six figures.

And what of the ‘78 Pontiac? Same thing – touted as a factory four-speed equipped version. A one-owner car with 92,000 miles, buckets, console, heavy-duty suspension, Posi rear, air and other power options. According to the resources we have on hand, the four-speed was a $125 option, and for the moment, any production guess is as good as ours – we’re betting somewhere under 500.

Again, in spite of the fact that – on paper – they are not the single most desirable set of cars to leave the GM assembly line, with the four-speed knowledge now in the forefront, would you have been willing to part with the $2,900 and $2,500 (respectively) asking price?