1990 Pontiac McLaren Turbo Grand Prix

The TGP, resting on the side. Rural Illinois near my old house in 1999

Funny thing, this car. Back in 1998, 2zen2 and I saw this car sitting at Heller's dealership lot in Pontiac Illinois. The Grand Prix at the time was undergoing some profound stylistic changes, all of which I held at arm's length. But this one caught my eye. It was different. It had that widebody kit, all murdered out, sinister, lower. As I recall we weren't really looking for a car, but pulled into the lot anyway. 

2zen2 was immediately in love, and I thought it was pretty neat too. The 3.1 V6 was decently responsive and the turbocharger was neat. It had 27-way power leather buckets and a heads-up display, an astounding feature for a late 80's design (pretty out there even by 2016 standards too). I looked up the VIN and discovered the reason behind all the special-ness: the platform was started by Pontiac, but then shipped to McLaren for special finishing, the same McLaren that produced the GNX and the MP4-12C. Pretty cool, but an aura of weird hung around the car too. The dealership wanted $5K, but for reasons that sounded very contrived and gave a whiff of lawyers around the corner, would only sell as a consignment deal. I smelled trouble, but even so, somehow couldn't walk away from this car. I offered them $3K and they took it.

The transmission started slipping almost immediately. Replaced the transmission. Then fuel injectors, alternator, upper engine mounts, multi-function switch, power steering pump, fuel pump and sender. Wasn't all doom and gloom though. We did drive the hell out of it from 1998-2005; Boosting down the freeway, kid seat in the back, my kid going 'wheeee' when I stabbed the gas. 2zen2 made acquaintance with the local constabulary on a few occasions, picking up a speeding ticket or 2 on Rte 66. It was just hard not to keep your foot in it. It was a fun little car. Alas, it sat for 4 years when I was chasing down some bug, and then the transmission started slipping, again. In 2010 I tucked it away in my storage space and pretty much out of mind.

Getting the old girl out of storage after a very long nap

I had other car projects, the BMW e46 coupe, the Mustang, never got back to the TGP, that is, until my storage guy let us know he sold the place, and the new owners (and their lawyers), did not want to store it unless I kept it driveable and registered (which I thought a ridiculous condition for storage, but had no steam or inclination to fight). I hadn't looked at it for at least 3 years, but figured it was time to visit the car with a "for sale" sign. We got there, I took a look at her, then decided maybe we should just get her home and in a stall for a deep dive overhaul. 2zen2 fell in love all over again. And I think I can do better this time around. She's under a cover, when the Mustang rolls out, the TGP gets the main stall for some love, cleaning, and repair. Although these cars haven't really appreciated over the years, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth saving. Stay tuned for the big deconstruction.  

As she sits today, ready for some TLC