Given the collector car market, and desirability of rare musclecars, there is always the risk of a buyer encountering a fake, or "cloned" car. It can be easy, and profitable, for an unscrupulous vendor to retrofit an engine or other special features to a less desirable base car, and voila! a 442, Cobra Jet Mustang or 440 Six-Pack 'Cuda. While the Can Am is definitely not (yet?) in the same league as these cars, it is in your best interest to know how to determine if the car you are looking at is genuine. While the following discussion won't help you determine if more minor options have been added, such as a tachometer or radio, it should at least ensure that you are buying a legitimate 1977 Can Am.

There are common characteristics to all Can Ams - they're all based on the LeMans Sport Coupe with the Colonnade (louvered) rear quarter window treatment, and they all began their lives in the same Michigan assembly plant. Accordingly, this is reflected in the first seven digits of the VIN:

A Can Am VIN will start with 2F37Z7P or 2F37K7P, where

• "2" denotes Pontiac,

• "F37" represents a LeMans Hardtop Coupe,

• the fifth digit indicates the engine: "Z" for the W72 400, and "K" for the Olds 403;

• "7", indicates that the car is a 1977 model; and

• "P", indicates that the car was assembled in the Pontiac, Michigan plant.

The remaining six digits in the VIN are the assembly line sequence number.

Beyond this simple test and the other information here at Angry Clown, a potential Pontiac buyer has a wonderful resource at their fingertips - the Pontiac Historical Services(PHS). This organization is unique to all domestic auto manufacturers, and it only exists for Pontiacs. For $35.00 US, this company can provide the build sheet, invoice and other documentation on a Pontiac if they are supplied with the VIN. Note that this is the only source that can provide you with hard evidence on your Can Am. GM Canada Vintage Vehicle Services can supply info on GM cars made or sold originally in Canada, but the Can Am was only made and sold in the United States. PHS is is one of the easiest ways to ensure originality, but you may also want to do some further investigation in the meantime!

Continue on to Page Two for more information on the W72 Pontiac 400 engine.