STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In 1980, at the Alpine Pontiac dealership in Brooklyn, a young Michael Gorgia fell in love not once, but twice.

The young mechanic would ogle a 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville Brougham convertible with a sleek black paint job and, coincidentally, it was in the same shop where he would meet his future wife.

"In 1982, a lovely young lady drove in and bought Pontiac Grand Prix, she had so much trouble with the car, the only way to get it fixed is she had to marry me," he chuckled.

"My wife and I are married 33 years."

After winning over his first love at the Brooklyn dealership, Gorgia saw an opportunity to acquire the other.

I always loved that car and I always wanted one," he said. "Two years ago I found one in Bronxville, New York through Craigslist."

The car was in near-perfect condition with all the tell-tale signs collectors look for.

"When I bought the car it had the original brakes in it and the original [retainer] clips holding the brake drums," Gorgia explained.

Mr. Gorgia even still had his old uniform from the dealership, which he proudly wore, as he popped open the massive hood and revealed the 400 cubic-inch V8 engine with 48,000 miles.

It wasn't as densely packed as newer, contemporary models and its power wasn't as noticeable as the Pontiac muscle cars of the 1960s, but Gorgia said it was plenty of power to move such a long body.

"Unfortunately, in 1975 the cars were kind of de-tuned ... but it's a big enough engine to rocket the car down the road," he said.

It's hard not to notice the sheer size of the car, which naturally, translates to an abundance of room in the interior. And GM really took advantage of the design to afford owners that kind of space.

"A lot of people compliment how big the cars were back then, and yes, they were very big cars, they're boats ... but the car is in great condition and it's a great show car."

In addition to the engine compartment, the trunk also seemed to have endless space -- Gorgia's Jeep Cherokee may well have been able to fit inside of it.

Before we took a ride around the neighborhood, the coolest feature of the car was unveiled -- the automatic convertible top. Of which, the design was also meant to save room in the interior.

Typically on a convertible when the top goes down the mechanism folds into the quarter panels, but with this model the top folds behind the seat.

"They have the scissor top and the reason General Motors did this was to increase rear seat room ... like they needed a bigger rear seat," he mused.

It was a nice sunny day for a ride with the top down. The breeze was perfect for making the July heat feel temperate.

Rain, however, is the arch enemy for older cars with a fold-down rag top. They're prone to water leaks and aren't as tightly sealed as the newer models today.

When asked if there was a rain-proof top for older convertibles, Gorgia simply answered:

"Yes, the garage."

To see the convertible in action watch the video above and for more photos click the gallery below.

Want more classic cars? See the others here.