The weather was unusually nice that August day in 1971 when Howard Williams spent the day with his wife Phyllis since it was her birthday. They went for a long drive and their route took them by a Pontiac dealership showroom. On display in the showroom window was a Bluestone Gray 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix, which quickly caught the eye of Williams' wife.
He agreed with her that both the color and the style of the car were beautiful. On a whim he parked by the dealership and told his wife that he was going inside to gather additional information on the car. What he did once inside was tell a salesman that he would return the next day to buy the car on display.
He then returned to his waiting wife and resumed the trip home. On his lunch break the following day Williams returned to the dealership and bought the car that his wife had seen the day before. The base price was $4,557.
The 3,863-pound Grand Prix stretched a hair shy of 17 feet, 9 inches from bumper-to-bumper. Until Williams brought the Pontiac home, he says his wife had never driven. But having that "birthday" car parked outside her home changed all that.
And soon she had her driver's license. The Grand Prix is equipped with power-assisted equipment including: brakes, steering, windows, and trunk latch. For the comfort of the occupants the car has a factory-installed air conditioner.
The speedometer is calibrated to record speeds up to 140 mph. "It will do every bit of it if you've got nerve enough to do it," Williams ob.