History has a funny way of skewing the truth. We have discussed folklore of the Mopar “Wing Cars” and Chevrolet’s big-block 348 “truck engine,” but there are plenty of other examples of false narratives in automotive history that need to be put to rest. This time, it’s the 1977 Pontiac Can Am’s turn.
The Can Am has been a strong collectible for years within the Pontiac hobby and it has had many admirers beyond those into Ponchos. All were white with yellow/orange/red stripes and featured a shaker-equipped 400ci engine (or, for California and high-altitude areas, Oldsmobile’s 403). Only 1,377 were built. The story goes that Pontiac would have built many more if the spoiler machine did not break. As it turns out, Can Am expert and editor of Smoke Signals (the club magazine of the Pontiac-Oakland Club International) Tim Dye has shown us in Issue I 2025 that this narrative is not quite true.
The story begins in 1974 with the bicentennial-themed All American, a Grand Am-based show car that was somewhat like a Grand Am given the Trans Am treatment. However, in June of that year, production consideration was rejected. Motortown, the company run by former Pontiac adman Jim Wangers, came up with an evolutionary proposal in 1976: an orange LeMans Sport Coupe with a shaker scoop and GTO Judge-inspired striping. Pontiac rejected this proposal too.
However, LeMans sales had been falling since 1973, so Pontiac executives were keen on giving sales a kick in the rear. Wangers was encouraged to meet with Pontiac product planners; the team ended up proposing two variations (LeMans and Ventura) of the same idea: white paint with a black lower body, a shaker hood, exhaust splitters, painted bumpers (white on top, black below), and a rear spoiler. The Ventura also had louvered rear quarter windows created to match the LeMans Sport Coupe’s. In Wangers’ book Glory Days, he said that the LeMans received white Rally II wheels, but photographs show only the Ventura got these wheels, while the LeMans came with body-colored Snowflakes.
The Ventura proposal did not receive approval (though, interestingly, the prototype ended up being sold to the public and is currently in the hands of Dye), but the LeMans proposal persevered and was approved in November 1976. Dealer announcements were made the following January, with the public first bearing witness at the Detroit Auto Show the same month. Production began in February; Can Ams arrived at dealerships in March.
The initial production Can Ams were “pattern” cars, meaning they were built with the same equipment: a Safe-T-Track limited-slip differential, GR70x15 white-letter tires, a Custom Sport steering wheel, Soft Ray tinted glass, Custom seat belts, dual horns, and floor mats. This was in addition to the “WW3” Can Am package, which included the Grand Prix’s instrument panel with Rally gauges, the Trans Am’s L72 400 (or the 403—42 were built, we now know!), Rally Tuned Suspension, a Hydramatic transmission, power steering and brakes, body-colored mirrors and Rally II wheels, a black grille, and several other items. At Motortown, the shaker hood, special trim (yellow/orange/red striping and black lower body paint that included the underside of the bumpers), Can Am decals, and decklid spoiler were added. The package’s initial cost was $1,214.43, plus $375 for the Motortown conversion.
At the time, Pontiac had 4,000 dealers, which placed orders for 5,000 Can Ams. However, according to a March 17, 1977, letter to Motortown, Pontiac desired to be released from its commitment to produce 2,000 vehicles for conversion due to a tool breakdown, specifically the machine that created the unique spoiler.
This has been the narrative for several decades, but Dye has been able to provide evidence that the spoiler was not the end of the Can Am. Per an internal company letter, “From the week of April 11 forward Can Am orders will be processed on a free-flow basis,” meaning production would continue. Additionally, a Car Distribution Bulletin dated April 26 stated that the Can Am option had been removed from “hold” status. It’s also worth noting there are Can Ams known with scheduled build dates through June 1977, proving that production did not cease after the machine breakdown.
If stories like this interest you, it would behoove you to join POCI. Not only does Dye produce the club magazine, but he also manages the Pontiac-Oakland Museum, which has a Resource Center full of internal company documents that allow hobbyists to learn about Pontiac straight from the horse’s mouth.
