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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 พ.ย. 2023
- In this Rare Cars documentary, we are diving into the history of one of the most underappreciated and often forgotten Pontiac muscle cars of the 20th century. The 1973 GTO seems to constantly get glossed over in the history books and it absolutely does not deserve to be as you will soon learn!
Learn all there is to know about the 11973 Pontiac GTO in episode 38 of our documentary series on the world's most fascinating cars.
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*Note, we are not historians. If you see an error in our research then please mention it in the comments!
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My dad sold Pontiacs back in the 60's. When the first GTO hit the show room floor he talked his boss into letting him take one to the local drag strip to show it off. My dad was a professional part time racer so the boss trusted him. He said he was being custom drag racers in a GTO with a 389 and Hurst Shifter with the window stickers still on it. Talk about win on Sunday Sell on Monday. He said Monday morning there were guys from the track waiting out side for the dealership to open an one bough the car he took to the track and it was still dirty.
That's a cool story man!
Great story, share some pictures.
In 1976 I was in the USMC and stationed in San Diego. A friend who had acquired a '65 GTO with blueprinted 389 and 4 speed Hurst shifter as payment for totaling his Ford Pinto with it, sold it to me for $400 (friend also got his insurance payout so had no need for the GOAT). It was red and I replaced the destroyed passenger front fender with a yellow one from a junk yard. The only other change I made to it was a pair of M50s on the back.
I raced from stop light to stop light with everything I could find in San Diego for a year, including many '67 GTOs (which were much more popular at the time) and never came close to losing - only using 2nd and 3rd gears. It wouldn't break those M50s loose but got awesome wheelies in 2nd gear. The starter went out soon after I got it, so push started it everywhere and learned to park on hills when possible. PFCs didn't make much money in those days so took a couple months to save for the starter.
It had the folding front end, which eventually led to it's doom. When putting it on a lift to fix the starter, the front end fell apart (probably from a combination of the accident with the Pinto and my wheelies). I searched all over California for parts but couldn't find any. Eventually left it on the side of a road in San Diego. Still kicking myself for not finding a way to transport it home (Wisconsin) for future repairs. I've had a lot of muscle cars since then that would have easily run it down in 1/4 mile, but none faster from stop light to stop light. :)
@@ralphvalkenhoff2887 It was 1964 and people did not walk around with cameras back then.
38 year GM Pontiac mechanic here, I outlasted Pontiac by one year. Retired now. 🇺🇸
Yes, but Pontiac beat you to retirement😂 thanks for your service to the General. You are a true mechanic, not some air breather that has to plug an electrical device into the car to figure out what's wrong with it.
I have a one owner 1973 pontiac gto with less than 47,000 miles on it. I have had it sense it was new. Just finished a two year restoration and it looks fabulous. I will be making a really good video in the next few weeks so I can share with those that enjoy these cars. It was my first car and now 50 years later I am going to enjoy it all over again.
did you ever make that video?
Can't wait to see it, I love the 73's, I've had 2 Sport Coupes and one Plain Jane Lemans. Each time I sell them, I regret it after about 2 minutes.
back when I was in the Navy, a buddy of mine and I took a 1975 Pontiac Ventura and stuffed a high compression 455 in it. We put a Trans Am shaker scoop on it and made our own GTO. It was stupid fast and bad ass looking!
They made a GTO in 74 which used the Ventura . It was a hatchback with shaker hood and decals. The only engine offered was an anemic low compression 350 rated at 200hp.
I swear those morons neutered all those beautiful cars and engines for no reason. Global warming what a complete load of crap.
They also offered a coupe in 74.
@@charlesshults7398 The GTO was the 2 door Ventura Coupe with the GTO shaker hood and tape stripes.
@@Awsom47Merc Yep, I had one. Mine didn’t have the stripes but had bucket seats with a gauge cluster on the center console. The dual exhausts didn’t sound bad at all. Plenty enough torque to squeal the tires.
The 1973 GTO is still drop dead gorgeous. Thanks for vid on such an underappreciated muscle car.
Nor from the rear.
The car to have in '73 was the Grand Am 4 door 400 4 speed. That was a real thing, the grandfather of the G8 GXP 6M and Chevrolet SS 6M cars that are so sought after today.
Why would you want 4 doors?
The 1973 Grand Am design was suppose to be the GTO. At the time, the Pontiac Product Planners wanted a performance 4-door sedan to compete with the European 4-door Mercedes and BMWs that we’re starting to gain popularity in the US, however the decision to put the GTO nameplate onto a 4-door just didn’t seem to sit well with management so the Grand Am was born (utilizing Grand Prix/Trans Am name). The 4-door 4-speed 400 and Auto 455 Grand Ams were good looking and great handling cars and are sought after by Pontiac car collectors today.
I actually know a guy that has a couple 73 Grand Ams. Both 2 drs but I remember when he got them back in 2000, I laughed cause it was such a lame car. He still has them today. They have increased considerably in value. Only smart thing ole boy ever did lol
@@drippinglass Why would you not want a 4dr, w/a big block & a 4spd.?????????????
@@louyork8379What’s so lame about a 73 Grand Am? It’s still a Pontiac 400 or 455 under hood. Even though HP was down, it’s an easily fixable situation. They are awesome looking cars.
The black one with red emblems and cragars was sweet lookin
The '73 GTO could have been an absolute legend worth over $100,000 each if they would have equipped them with the 455 Super Duty engine from the Trans Am and Firebird.
Yes, thanks… interestingly, the early 455 s, (*!!) Tran Ams , gOT my ATTENTION : & seeing a 1976 TA ,IN BLACK &* GOld “LOADED “, REALLY got me to saving for a. “”1977 TA/ Hurst Hatches/SPECIAL Ed( req with HURST??): auto,Cruise(*no decent Manuel Cruise available in 1976 yet),tilt,*6.6L(*the *TA6.6 maybe better for TUNING,but HO PRODUCTS,& NUNZ’S PONTIAC, HAS great stuff)/Black Velour interiors/Rear Defrost/AM RADIO/ delete Window tint/ ZIEBARTED ( helped road noise, not “Hatch leaking” &WARSAW INDIANA winter salt)/Mats floor/ & , ordered LATE OCT 1976, rec in MARCH 3(?),1977. From Hurst Products in ?MICHIGAN..PS BEFOre Smokey Bandit…
they had planned on doing that, but pontiac got into some serious trouble for putting a thermal switch to turn all the emissions equipment off after the car heated up on all their v8s causing them to need to revise their intake manifold design and retrofit all of their current inventory. It just added too much of a delay to production and the 455sd gto never made it to the customers that had ordered it.
most don't know the 73 GTO SD 455 was motor trends car of the year, yet it wasn't produced
An SD/GP woulda been gnarly 🍺🍺
Seems a bit much to me. Especially for a girder bumper '73. No matter what the engine.
20-50k seems redic for the ones in the video. They look like the could almost pass for a Grand Prix boulevard cruiser...which they were.
They weight only 100 lbs. less than my full-size '68 Fury w/a 440!
The '73 GTO is a gorgeous classic!
These were beautiful cars. In a world where everyone is slower than a Tesla, these mid 70s cars, especially the rare manuals, are worth another look.
In a world where everyone is slower than a Tesla? What are you even talking about and what does that have to do with the 73 GTO?
These engines still had huge potential for performance even a novice could just junk out that choked exhaust add some headers and intake and a 600 or 700 CFM carburetor and get back most of the power that they made in the late 60s without even having to take off a valve cover
The stock QJ was rated at 750 CFM.
@@joequillun7790 Yes and they can be jetted accordingly.
I was mostly talking about the 2 barrel version I should have been more specific@@joequillun7790
In my high school, we had a couple '73 Lemans cars in Drivers Ed. They were in high demand by students.
Pontiac also released the Grand Am in 1973, so the A-bodies were in a sense competing with themselves that year.
8.2 compression... that 400 Cid would've been perfect for a supercharger...! Thanks, keep up your awesomeness
The closing question would be a tough one. As a T/A guy myself, handling would be very important to me. But, that fire breathing forward dual scoop split grille 1971/'72 GTO front end look is tops in my book. If I could have a '70 GTO 455 with '73 handling and interior it'd be a no-brainer. It's so hard to have the best of all worlds, though.
Putting 20+ inch rims and low profile tires on classics should be considered a capital offense. Turns these beauties into abominations :(((
I also hate seeing giant wheels on otherwise well done resto mods.
Yes, and by the way, that particular car isn't a GTO. The large white striped decals along the side of the car indicate that it's a 73 GT, not GTO.
A very unique car which I didn't realize was as rare as it is. There was one in my hometown when I was younger. I think there are actually quite a few examples of mid 70s cars which we didn't really appreciate back in the day because we were so disappointed in the decline in power but which turned out to be very nice vehicles.
It's unfortunate that so few survived. If only we could've seen into the future and how much different our perspectives would've been all those years later.
The problem, other than the wheezy HP, was that most of them were butt ugly.
I remember thinking that at the time too but I see them a lot differently now. Nostalgia perhaps.@@katazack
as an owner of a 1973 lemans, and having driven a few of the earlier generations of Lemans/gtos, the later Colonnade chassis handles quite respectably and feels very planted through turns, much more so than the earlier versions. my car is also a noticeable bit quieter on the highway than the earlier models. its got a factory 4-link. rear suspension with a gto sway bar that ive added after the fact
The extra 500 pounds on the poor tires offset any handling improvements to the suspension...
@@buzzwaldron6195 with modern tires even on the stock wheels it’s way better, thing handles almost like a modern car
I too had a 73 Lemans but mine was a Luxury model w/buckets and console. Hated that 350 gas guzzling no gas milage engine.
@@Rev22-21 Mine was a 73' 2-door, blue bench seat, blue vinyl Landau roof, blue fin rear windows, 350; same color as the one @04:03. It was beautiful. The 74' Trans AM was a gorgeous model too - they're so under appreciated in the market.
@@buzzwaldron6195 who is still driving on tires from 1973?
this and the Oldsmobile Cutlass look great to me of that year.
I had the 73 Oldsmobile 442 as my first car. They were great cars especially with a hot big block
I spent my money in 1973 on a Black 442 with a 4 speed.
nice looking car also liked the 73 Hurst olds, had that poster on my bedroom wall ,and the 74 ford pantera
Mr. B. Here ! 🍩☕️👀😎👍. The GM 73-77 Colonnades were short change ! At this point of my life I have my Colonnades , I love them !
Great! I have 3 73's and a 75 myself. My favorite cars!
Mr. B . Here ! 👀😎👍🍸. Most guys don’t see these vehicles the “lbs” are under 4000 witch today’s power plans weight to power you can not lose ! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. 🍸🍸🍸🍸
Mr. B. Here ! 👀😎👍. Guys instead of talking about these cars what they might’ve being , save them before it to late, the platform have many interchangeable parts and my Cutlass S the weight est, 3600 lbs , my 70 442 Convertible is about 3800 ! If any one has the skills these vehicle will be next gen of hot rods , oh 80 to 86 rear wheel drives also good platforms ! Pass it on .
My friends mom got a 73 Grand Am (basically the same as the GTO) with a better front end. Anyway it came with a plaque on the dash that stated " Radial Tuned Suspension". That car cornered nice and tight and was actually "Tossable". 👊😎👍
75 Lemans had the same badge.
74 formula 400 same badge. It did stick like glue.
@@edmessina8392 Too bad they didn't have the SD 455 4pd. I loved my friends mom's Grand Am . I helped talking her into buying it. Then they ruined the 74's taillights . And that was the year they made the Can Am ! Nobody remembers those Grand Am's either.
Most Pontiac cars around that time (early 1970s to late 1970s) had that dash plaque. We had a 1978 Pontiac Phoenix for years and it had the "Radial Tuned Suspension" small silver plaque near the steering wheel.
@@michaelthomas2916 Yes , radial tires were new in 73 . Thats when Pontiac started adding the dash plaques so you thought you were getting something special. You were, radial tires ... 🤭 .
When I was in high school (early 80's) something like a 73 GTO would have creamed anything new you could buy. Indeed the kids with family discard high compression big blocks in family sedans could take most of what was available new at the time - in a straigh(ish) like. This was the time of 4 cylinder X cars, the Aries/Reliant, and 125 horsepower HT4100 V8s in a 4000 lb Sedan DeVille. People today scoff at 8 sec 0-60 times (what's a Honda Acord, 6.5?). In the early 80's 15-16 seconds probably wasn't far off as an average for 'family sedans' with an auto. Whole different ballgame.
There was a gorgeous blond in my town who had a silver 1973 GTO with the 455. I've loved the 1973 GTO ever since.
The 66-67 GTOs will always be my favroite.
Do a video about the Pontiac CanAm. In my opinion it’s more forgotten than this GTO. And I think it’s also much better.
New subscriber. Great video.
Really cool car!
Fantastic video well done 👍👍
Buddy of mine had a 73 GTO,, I'm not a GM guy but that car was really cool, the best looking old school GTO...
They were a nice looking car. Thanks for all the info!
My first car was a ‘75 LeMans Sport Coupe with a 350. It was 1983 and I was 16. I loved that car. It was smooth, comfortable, cool and fun.
I have one
I have one as well. Always liked them, so I found one in 2002 with only 62K miles on it. 75 Lemans Sport Coupe with 350, Alpine green with avocado color landau top and interior. Louvered quarter windows. Still going 21 years later with 192K on it.
I had a 73 Bonneville .Green with white interior. That was a great car. I bet that GTO was too!
I feel your pain trying to find quality video for this upload, LOL. Everything about the '73 is rare! Mine is rough but I now have TWO parts cars to help get it road worthy once again. Folks will never understand how good if feels to drive one of these just by looking at it. I look forward to re-living my youth in the next year or two. Thanks for putting this together and Cheers from Ontario
I was a car nut in high school.I knew all the salesmen on Steven's Creek Blvd in San Jose. I sat in a 1973 Pontiac G.T.O. on the showroom floor. I have owned a 1969 Pontiac 400, a 1967 Pontiac G.T.O. Convertible, a 1965 Pontiac G.T.O. with a 389 bored .060 over with a 4 speed close ratio. I will never forget. P.S. When I was 13, I saw a Silver 1970 Chevellle Malibu 396 with cowl induction at the chevy dealer in San Jose at night,when the dealership was closed, up in front of the main glass showroom doors.
My best friend back in the day, had a 73 Pontiac ventura sprint. It is the only one I have ever seen with the 74 GTO style turn signals in the grill.
I had a 1973 Pontiac Grand Am , most beautiful car I ever had
She was a real head Turner as were most of the cars on the Pontiac line .
Beautiful lines ,beautifull interior had it all .
I wish that I could find another , loved that car .
The Grand Am was the better choice in '73. I tried to talk my dad into either that or the Grand Prix, but he bought the boat - the Catalina. We got him to trick it out a little with the base 400 and dual exhaust. They had a white Grand Am in the showroom when we were there that I loved. If I wasn't a poor college student I would have traded my Firebird for it.
I had a 76 Malibu and it came with that 150hp 350. Immediately took that apart, traded for some double hump heads off a 67 Impala SS, high rise, Holley, nice mello cam, headers, 2.5 inch pipes with a cross over...and it was a different car. Dude tried to race me once with his GTO with the 455 and I honestly was scared but finally gave in...took a while before I figured out that thing was just choked out. I smoked him but looked and told him, we need more air and compression and that thing would be fire.
1974 actually was the last year of the GTO. Google image. It came in the same body style as the nova.
The narrator shows a 74 GTO at 7:09 . It was made from the Ventura, Pontiac's x-body, similar to the Nova.
That was terrible. Worse than the Mustang II.
Yes, the 74 is mentioned. I was wondering if it was a Canadian only car. There is another GTO like car in 75 called the sprint. That may have been a dealer only or looks package only. Interesting.
I had a 74 GTO and a buddy had a Mustang II, performance wise there was no comparison the GTO was much better.
No, not a Canadian only car. It was just the GTO that was available in 74, made out of a Ventura and came with only a Pontiac 350 engine. There was a Sprint in the 70's, but it was the GMC version of the El Camino, which of course was a cross between a Chevelle/Malibu and a pickup truck. Look up GMC Sprint. So, you must be thinking of something else. The Grand Am was made from 73-75, so maybe you're thinking of a 75 Grand Am, would be similar in body to the 73 GTO. There was also the limited production, one year only Can Am in 1977, also similar in body style. @@goldwingconepatterns2565
I had a 74 GT Lemans with the nice Stripe Package. White with Oxblood Interior. I miss that Classy ride.
I had one my first GTO but I saw a 73 Roadrunner and liked it better so I traded mine.
i love the 73. so much style. have seen a few 4 speed cars for sale now and then. yea, down on power, but so was everything else too, so in comparison it was doing alright.
1973s can run it on todays pump gas , ....1970 high compression engines needed 99 octane leaded premium gas
I regularly attend car shows and I've NEVER seen a '73 GTO. They must be really rare.
I had a '73 LeMans, had a 400 with a boat package. Had an extra leaf spring, higher gear and posi rear end. It ran good, would love to find a Can Am, those were beautiful cars.
my friend had a '74 Grand Am. We used to do spin outs for hours in empty parking lots covered in snow all the time in minneapolis Mn winters. great fun!
This was the last of the mid sized A body gto’s. The gto continued to 74, but was based on the x body ventura and was only available with a Pontiac 350
Cool cars, cool video and a thumbs up.
My first car was a 73 GTO with a 400 automatic love that car
I had a black '73 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a 350. Not the GTO, but the body was very similar even with the shaping right behind the front tires. I miss that car!
73 GTOs n the Lemans still in my opinion are cool looking car 🇺🇲💪🇺🇲
I remember when the 73s came out. They were such a good looking car. For a while. The swept under side panels soon took the brunt of the stone chips, watr, mud, salt, and in a few years the sides had all rusted out.
same with the grand am and 73 cutlas S ,best looking of the colande styles
I don't deny that happened to some of them. But I think it depends on where you lived and how it was cared for as to whether they rusted out. I have 3 73's and a 75 here in the Atlanta area, and none are rusted out. The 75 Lemans Sport spent 25 years with the original owner in N. Dakota and is still in great condition. He didn't drive it in the salt and kept it washed.
These videos are good. The comments below; excellent !
Gorgeous car, I love it..BTW, the GTO was no slouch. Ran 14.69 at 96 mph..that's fast.
My cousin still has his 1972 GTO 350V8/350HP 4 Speed Hurst Shifter
Many have offered him big bucks for it but he's not selling... yet
Had a '73 LeMans Sports Coupe which looked exactly like the blue one shown, just with a different hood. Miss that car.
Cool cars. I remember that body style from my youth. Too bad it didn't get the motor it really deserved.
Can definitely see what ended up turning into the Grand Prix/can am. Me personally would much rather have a can am. The 73 gto is a sad reminder that it's a end of the muscle car era.
Dad's friend had a '73 wagon, 400/4-speed! White with lower body woodgrain. He was always souping it up...a real sleeper!
In 74 you could get a grand am with a 455, and in 75 - 76 you could get the LeMans sport, and then 77 you could get the CAN AM.. Pontiac kept going making as much performance as they could over other gm a bodies
Should've had the SD455 option. With a Muncie, and SD, would've really been a fun Goat. Saw the clone in the video.
My first car was a 73 Grand Am which I think are much better looking cars than the 73 GTOs, the front bumper/ grill was just way better looking on the GAs. Loved that car, huge back seat 😉
I had a 1976 Golden Anniversary Trans Am with a 455 and a 4 speed transmission. I loved that car even though it only had about 220 horsepower (I think)!!!
My parents had a 73 LeMans and it was totally rusty at 10 years old. Things were always broken and I don’t remember it being especially fast.
Your parents need to clean and maintain their cars
@@noduh736 Yes they should’ve repainted it because 10 years is a very long time and cars typically rust right through the paint in 10 years. I know I repaint my cars about every 8 months or so.
That is called the "fuselage" body style, and is one of the main things I love about '70s cars, the others being opera windows and vinyl tops. It's not just the lower side panels that were swept under. The roof pillars and door glass was done the same way, giving the side of the car a ( curved shape. As for rust, I'm in AZ, and cars just don't rust here.
@@geraldscott4302 I liked the back end. It wasn’t bad.
@@noserly crazy I live next to the biggest saltwater lake in the world and my 20 yr old clear coat is coming off but no rust and believe me we use alot of salt on the roads here in winter
The 455/250HP motor is not putting out much less power than the original 389/325HP in 1964. Author should mention the difference between net and gross HP instead of just tossing numbers out there.
the 64 389 - rated in SAE Net - would have been around 215 bhp
@@iBrisk Not sure about 215, I was thinking maybe 270-280. And maybe from there it might be 230-240 at the wheel.
@@justme307 usually it's 65% of gross - but that would not account for factory over or under hp rating. I also look at legacy performance by Car and Driver and other mags for 0-60 times and compare against similar vehicles with Net hp ratings.
@@iBrisk Here's a sampling of 1971 power levels as published by Pontiac:
1971 Pontiac
350 V8
gross hp/torque 250/350
net hp/torque 180/285
400 V8
gross hp/torque 265/400
net hp/torque 205/335
400 V8
gross hp/torque 300/400
net hp/torque 255/340
455 V8
gross hp/torque 325/455
net hp/torque 260/380
455 V8
gross hp/torque 335/480
net hp/torque 310/410
Firebirds
350 V8
gross hp/torque 250/350
net hp/torque 165/275
400 V8
gross hp/torque 265/400
net hp/torque 185/320
400 V8
gross hp/torque 300/400
net hp/torque 250/340
@@justme307very interesting - thank you!
Buick had the best post-emissions 455. As a matter of fact, even though lower compression started in '71, only one year after being made publicly available... the revised oiling, front mount distributor, and lighter overall castings made the Buick a better engine.
Had a new '73 GTO when I was 24. Black 455. Only came with THM tranny. Mine had 342 posi rear,ps,pb and am radio. No air etc. 250 net hp. That is about 290-300 gross hp as pre 1971 engines were rated as. Kinda slow compared to earlier high perf. vehicles. Compared to other '73 hi-perf. cars it did quite well. Very few were around so I was often asked about it. It was based on the LeMans platform,while the last GTO of 1974,was based on the Nova platform! It came with a 350. It sold it in 1980. I then purchased a 14,000 mile '70 'Cuda from California. Also black. 440 6 pack,Torqueflite,373 posi,manual steering and brakes,no radio. Eagle GT tires. Equiped this way it was quick on the street. Very few,100 % stock non blown, cars were faster. The guys with the big block Ford's and Chevy's did not like my little Mopar.
Hope you still have the 'Cuda.
The 4 door Colonade cars had a newly added pillar between the front and rear side windows, while the 2 door version had the pillar as well as rear glass that was bonded in place. I don't imagine that last feature was much appreciated by rear passengers of un-air-conditioned cars, but it probably contributed to the structural integrity of the body, which was passed through the rubber mounts to the chassis, part of the reason the '73s were better handlers than the '72s.
The Colonnades had in fact been slated for introduction in 1972 but a strike delayed them a year.
The 73 SD-455 Trans Am was the car.
i sold a lot of them in europe ,that the engine with such a powerfull capacity didn´t had the h.p. they used to have but sold a lot of them ,but very nice allthough i don´t know if in the U.S, was sold or not, i kept 3 pontiacs boats all from 1967 the coupé lemans ,the coupé Catalina and the only convertible i have the Grandprix that had to be restored at a transmition level ,also the only automatic i kept for me, the grandprix also with common design in the front with the catalina and the back in the coupé lemans(the catalina) also a pontiac firebird formula from 74 ,also coupé and from Ford i kept a excelent car it seemed to me at the time a mustang for rich people ,the mercury cougar with a 7.0L engine from 69 ,and also the split bumper Camaro as the firebird body but from 69 also all white with blue winshields ,i had but sold it a mercury that was made for the police with a manual 3 gears transmition it was fast as hell at least a friend in L.A. told me so ,being made for the police and i was ofered by a dutch friend so much money that i said "take it"either than the money he gave me a mercedes 500SL from 76 ,it was also fast as hell and came with soft and hardtop, now the laws are so prohibitive that it´s just impossible to do this business, GTO i sold them a lot but didn´t kept one and i remenber a ford having similar front with the gto but convertible and huge the most long car i had for only one month till i sold it for good money ,i was hearing everywhere ,"oh,i would like so much to have this and that U.S. car that i went for them ,and the initial investment i was almost sick of spending so much money that i phoned a girl that worked for me and had the listing of the first 20 cars i bought and when she tells me ,hi, all the cars are sold you have to bring more they ordered more 15 cars especific models , to what i replyed send me the list i´ll buy them and me, a dutch friend and the guy from L.A. went for a three days comemorative party it was 1977 and i was in my late 20´s i remenber doing things but not one of us remenbered when this or that happened, good old days, and we never had more fun than those days and we never forget pontiacs
I think pontiac was trying to make a splash with the grand am.
Grand Prix killed the GTO. They made over 150k in 1973 . Basically the same car.
Yes, the Grand Am was a brand new model for 73, so they were pushing it in their advertising, and pretty much ignoring the GTO. The GTO's sales had declined pretty badly by 72. So, 73 Grand Am sales were a big improvement over 72 GTO sales.
I owned a '74 LeMans Sport Coupe with a 350 engine, buckets, console shift and aftermarket sunroof in '82. After much under hood cleaning, l came across a sticker that read: Notice, this engine is designed to be run on 98 or better octane. The bulb lit. At that time in Houston you could still get 105 octane. Ran down to 1/4 tank and filled up with the good stuff. Boy Howdy did that car love it. Woke up from a mediocre "old car" to a respectable bone stock runner able to get a legit 2nd gear prolonged "chirp". Never should've sold it.
The most sad car loss of my life was my straight, clean, rust free '73 LeMans 350 2 dr. Not a Goat, but got me in plenty of trouble in 1990.
in 73 the Grand Am was taking over this area of the market.
Yes, the Grand Am was a brand new model for 1973, so Pontiac was pushing it in their advertising, and in their dealer brochures with full page pictures. The GTO got only a small mention and insert picture in the brochure, and rarely, if ever, had a magazine ad. Although there was that infamous edition of "High Performance Cars" that put a 73 GTO SD-455 on the cover proclaiming it as 1973 Car of the Year, before finding out that the SD-455 had been cancelled for the GTO 🙂.
Sadly, the Pontiac Division doesn't even exist anymore. It is questionable how long GM might continue after loosing billions creating electric cars for which the general public doesn't want.
Our whole country and lifestyle has turned to sh*t. It's not just the loss of Pontiac and the GTO.
Good comments about the 1973 model as I found it to be very informative.
Plate C
Excellent topic! Well researched and presented.
I like the look of the 73-77 Pontiac A-body for similar reasons I like the 70-72 Monte Carlo. That means really great - for someone else.
They are not near enough the "real" performance design of the Chevelle 70-72, or Le mans 70-72 etc.
So I would much rather spend $25000 on a 72 in complete, but grimy shape than a mint 73. Particularly with top of the line options in both. I would not restore any car beyond daily driver abilities. If I can't use it, it's of no use to me.
Refershed engine, carb, distributor, transmission brakes and suspension. Maybe a new paint (orange, black, silver, yellow - something I like, regardless of original color) if it looks horrible. 15*8 inch wheels with 275/60 in the rear for sure.
My mom had a 76 Pontiac LeMans.
Years later I came across one of these 73 GTO’s for sale. But in my mind it was a mom’s car.
I have a 1973 Pontiac LeMans Sport Coupe. It's almost the same as the GTO-- though not all GTOs are the same. The Sport Coupe does not have hood vents. Mine has the 400 L78 engine and a shifter on the floor. I think some GTOs with the same engine had a better carburator and better transmission. I really like it on the open road. very very smooth to drive. relaxing. I suppose I could look into removing the emissions devices - whatever those are.
Emissions devices had nothing to do with the power decreases, as a smog pump takes nothing to turn. An 8.2:1 compression, suboptimal timing curve and pedestrian camshaft most certainly did. Now the catalytic converters of the mid 1970's on the other hand....
In the mid 70s the camaro n firebird were probably the only muscle cars that still looked good
My first car was a 1973 Pontiac Lemans with a 400. I wish I had that car back.
One side note - I saw and tried to buy a 1973 GTO with the SD-455 from a Pontiac dealer in Torrance, Calif. I tried to trade in my 1969 Ram Air III GTO Judge with Hurst M-20 wide ratio 4 speed and 3.55 gears. However, the car was already sold to someone else and they low balled me on my 1969 Judge. I do not know if the SD-455 was put in the car as a "special edition" or original. They did not have any 1973 SD-455 Firebirds on the lot and sold the only two they were able to get from Pontiac. I kept the Judge for a couple more years and bought a Dodge Van when the van craze took over in 1975. The good old days
I remember a daytime game show where whoever wins gets a set of keys and got to pick one of a dozen new Pontiacs,if it started, they got the car as their prize
Definitely a would have preferred a 1972 Goat that needed restoration over the 1973.
These and the 73/74 Oldsmobile cutlass looked amazing. But that was it.. lol
I think to a lot of people, it's all about the style, maybe the 73 handled better but the 72 had better style, so most GTO pureists would probably pick 72 and earlier in my humble opinion.
The Goat was also made in 74 on the Ventura platform.
Yes, the narrator showed a 74 GTO at 7:09
I have a 1966 GTO
I had a 73 Pontiac Grand Am in high school, same 400 as the GTO. The front grill and bumper were different, as was the center console, but everything else was damn near the same. I still kick myself for selling it b4 I joined the Army.
What I am into now is Moto Guzzies and jeeps
That is a handsome car.
I've had several mid-70s A body cars. My favourite to drive was the '73 Grand Am. The quickest was a '73 Malibu. Originally a 350 2bbl. single exhaust car. I added an Edelbrock performer intake, custom dual exhaust and a re-curved HEI distributor.. I had to retard the timing to stop the tires from spinning on wet roads. But I really like the B body cars; I'm currently building a '63 GP. 400 5 speed, SD Performance heads, long branch exhaust manifolds. Gonna be a nice 400hp cruiser.
Interesting
My grandparents had a Pontiac and buick dealership and when they passed my dad took it over for a few years but remember seeing in the show room what I think they called it a pontiac lemans A/FX can't remember what engine was in it but it had large factory installed cheater slicks on it was only around 12 or 13 but thought it was so cool
Just like many cars from that era , putting in a non neutered engine was all it needed.
The Pontiac A-body Colonades were the best of the Colonades from GM. And 1973 was the best year. I’d take any.
Limited supply of 455 SD engines was the reason that the 455 SD wasn't installed in the 73 GTO.
Had a friend years ago that had the Can-Am version and always Loved the Sweeping Look of that car, it had the T/A 400, six way seats, Posi, RTS, and it would really Skin It for a Heavy car.👍
I had one burgundy with same vinyl interior
The GOAT.