I have a 1970 GTO Judge, I inherited it from my dad after he passed, it sat in his shop for 30 years and I had to restore it. But it was worth every hour and dollar I spent on it. I done it all from frame up and did not hire out the first thing, body, paint, interior, engine, and transmission all by your's truly. Of course being a mechanic and paint and body man for 40 years helped.
I'm still underway on rebuilding a 74 ventura up to original GOAT standards with a race built 455, so it's always nice to see history on the lineup. Sure it doesn't have that dual grille and quad headlight array but it's still a stout frame and in fact weighs in less than it's predecessors. Some modern handling and frame rail stiffening should help it even more. I know people harp on 74's but that's when 455 swaps take it from a Ventura to a Vindicator!
Excellent summary of this important era of the GTO. I am the original family owner of a '72 GTO Convertible (Lucerne Blue/White top & Interior). Yes, in 1972, to get a convertible GTO, you had to start with a LeMans and then go down the build sheet ordering the GTO package, engine, and options you wanted. Kind of a work around from the insurance companies and govt crackdown of the time. One interesting point mentioned was the GTO went out in '72 the way it came in for 1964 - an option package. My dad (who passed this year at 92) and I checked nearly every option box at Chieftain Pontiac in Hubbard Woods IL in late '71 (400ci, full power, Tilt, A/C, Honeycomb Wheels, etc.). We took delivery in March of '72 and I've been lucky to be the caretaker (now owner) of this beautiful ride. I'll be passing onto my son - but not for a long time!
At 6:53 he did mention the 72 being only an option instead of a separate model. I just happened to hear that as I was writing my other comment. That's really cool though. Buy one car and have it made into another. I never got to live in those times as I was born in 1981, but man I wish I could go back. All the way to the 50's and finish out my life back then.
@@sonjaab1 As the both video and my comment said, you could not order a GTO (hardtop or conv) for 1972. It was an option package on a Lemans… just like in 1964 when the American Muscle craze all started. 💪👍 Thanks to Eric for showing the point where the video clarifies the point!
I had one of these 26 years ago,,,best car I ever had,,,kinda rare here in England,,mine was souped up and good for 0 to 60 tad over 4 seconds,,,white with judge stripes,,,my friend had a 70 Chevrolet chevelle 454 but someone had popped a 396 in it,,,,,Thanx for the great info,,,,,miss the old stuff, in 84 I worked in an American auto shop,,good ol' days,,,,
Lol, meet your doppleganger.... I bought a 68' GTO with a 72' 455 Judge engine in Sept. of 92, when I was 16, and yes I still have mine too. I paid $4500 for mine though. Wasn't it great going through high school never needing to masterbate?
I had a 72 . It was my first car and is still my favorite. Dark metallic green, four speed, 4.11 rear end. Monster! Fastest quarter miler in my high school, South Lyon ,Mich 1980.
The 72 GTO Front clip looked great recessed grilles with an argent surround, front air extractors. Cool Car!!! My dad had one new with the 400. He advanced the timing , put a bigger carburetor on it, and MSD ignition, bigger side exit exhaust, aftermarket mufflers in the 70s, it would turn high 13s with just these mods, and could top out at 147 mph! No exaggeration. He ordered his with manual steering, crank windows, no ac, 3.23 Posi Traction rear. I learned how to drive in it. only weighed 3300 lbs in base trim .Fast as heck even lightly modified. These 72s are underrated! They even handled well! If I hit the lottery I’m gonna find it and buy several more of em. Who else loves the 72???
I still own my 72 Lemans from high school .I gave $400 dollars for it in 1989 it has the enduro front bumper and vented fenders . When i bought it it had a 400 2 barrel 400 turbo it would bark drive at 70 miles an hour . It registers 140 mph and would do all of it and more. I still have it to this day at present being restored. I also had a 71 same endure bumper I paid $300 bucks for it but being young and foolish wraped it around a power pole one night. Iconic old muscle car,s I was fortunate to lived when you could buy them affordable .
Never should have sold my '72.Lucerne blue,fully loaded (400,Automatic, power steering/brakes,A/C that still worked great, power windows/door locks, cruise, tilt wheel, ect.never saw one that loaded up.
@@bobluna9488 yeah, that was the thing. You hardly ever saw anything, Pontiac or Olds that had power windows and locks. It was a big deal. I was into Oldsmobile and I had some with those oprions, including a 1979 Hurst/Olds. I feel your pain for sure.
@ Doug, the only way a 72 could weigh 3300 lbs, is if the motor was out of it. I "might" believe the high 13s, but not 147 MPH, (unless it was down hill, with a tail wind. ). I had one, base motor, Muncie, 3.55s as a daily driver for 10 years. Bone stock, (no hedders), granny shifting, ETed mid 15s@90 mph.
I own a 72 in Lucerne blue with a white interior 400 Ram Air III 4 speed manual M-22, 3.23 gears and factory AC. I love this car, it is a total monster!
A friend of mine bought a 72 LeMans 350 auto for $800 back in 1986. No rust and it can pretty good for a two barrel. Looked a lot like a GTO. I miss those days when you could get car's like that cheap.
I was 12 yr-old when we ordered our TRI-POWER. 4,spd 389. Dad was THE NEW PONTIAC MECHANIC at Pontiac, carburetor tuning legend, we had a new Pontiac every two years , I got my license in our 1969 428 HO. CATALINA , Goats couldn't take us. , even if they jumped, in my shop is a 1972 black on black 4spd formula 400cu ram air 4 , round port gear driven. Aluminum headed , billing distributor WITH NYLON NASCAR GEAR , crane rollers , 850cfm pro comp carb, Hurst super shifter , DRY ICE CAN , all the suspension goods, have had a life CENTERD AROUND 'HIGH PERFORMANCE PONYS, USED TO B A LITTLE LEARY OF FORMLAS? TOO FNNN SCARY !! FIRST CAR , ONE OWNER 67 "326", 4SP, RED , FELL ASLEEP. HIT A POLE , I LIVED, found a blue, white, 1970 ram air 4 Trans am , got married , got talked into selling 1 of 54 ever made.$$$ I forgot how narrley these are , NO WONDER THEY OWNED THE STREETS
Had a ‘72 Cameo white GTO, inherited from my older brother when he decided to joined the Navy. I was a senior in HS back in 1983 and had the best memorable moments of my life with this awesome car. Two upgrades I did to the GTO was in 1984: Panasonic CD player & Panasonic 3 way speakers and a set of new GT/Radial Turbo Tech tires. I spent a whole hot Summer working for my dad as an asphalt shingle roofer installer in NYC. I busted my a$$ working 6 days per week (14 hrs a day) and really hated the smell of hot asphalt, it used to get me very nauseous, but at the end it was all worth it.
I had a friend on the West Bank in New Orleans in a burrough(suburb) called Marrero in the mid and late '80's. He had an orange '71 Judge(one of the last to be for sure). It was the pride of his Pontiacs. He also had a '66 GTO "beater" that his wife ran around in as an everyday car. The '71 had been modified with a - are you ready? - 421 with a tri-power intake that had come out of a wrecked 2+2 Catalina(full sized Pontiac) from around '65.They never installed a 421 in a GTO from the factory that I'm aware of. It was his pride and joy and after he got it reassembled(he did a FRAME OFF restoration!) it was ready to for a show. I don't know what ever came of it b/c I moved from N.O. in '89. If you're there Greg Mecantante, here's a shout out to you from Lake Charles, LA ! Remember the guy with the '67 Goat and '77 Grand Prix? Dale Andrews, now in Lake Charles, LA
The 70 GTO was a nice looking car but I liked the 68-69 better. My favorite GTO is probably a 69 400 Ram Air IV or maybe a 65 389 Tri Power. Never really liked the front end styling of the 71-72 GTO. I always thought the Buick's and Oldsmobile's were the best looking 1970-72 GM A-Bodies. Pontiac did have the best low compression high performance engines though with the 1971-72 455 HO and the 1973-74 455 SD. If the 455 SD had come out a few years earlier it might've been the baddest production engine of the muscle car era...period. They say it made an honest 425 horses at the crankshaft with low compression pistons and an emissions friendly hydraulic cam. Imagine the power it would've made with 11:1 compression or more and a radical solid lifter camshaft. Easily 500 horses or more with the airflow capabilities of the 455 SD cylinder heads
@@jeremythompson9122 I was 4yr old when dad worked at Pontiac 27yrs, he would put me in the trunk of a new car. Then blast down a rough road test for rattles & squeaks, we live at 4000ft , in Oregon, the high compressin 10.75/ 1 engines were ALL TUNED BY MY FATHER. No one touched your car for 50 000 miles or five years , cept my dad, period ,he was your personal mech. For full warenty!warranty!! So they RAN. & they didn't sqweak, thanks to dad & the kid in the trunk , " trunk boy" what a life !!! My birds calling, it's fifty years old this year , and it's SCAREY R THAN EVER
The problem with Pontiacs is the tires !! I took mine to 145 mph , the spdo s top at 160mph , it would do 130mph in 3rd gear , click click he's frth gear , capable of 200mph. Don't do it , even NASCAR looses tires at spd! , the telephone poles fling by , I'd already knocked a pole down with my 67, sooo- 145 was good but REAL EASY.
Had a boyfriend with a GTO Judge. It was an incredible car in those days! Don't understand why they didn't do better. Several years ago my daughter saw a Judge with a license plate that said "ALL RISE". Would love to have one today!
love your content so much ive shared your page on enthusiasts boards saying as much. hope you up the content amount, but lately its been steady! thank you for your videos
Very good series I enjoyed that can you make a part 4? I think the 1973 GTO is one of the coolest looking cars ever made and even the 1974 GTO with the Ventura body is still a cool car I mean a shaker hood a 4 speed and back in a nice small body style still a very cool car all you had to do is swap out or modify it's 350 and you would have a serious performer
Drove a '70 Judge back in the day.....sweet torque, very civilized and sophisticated. Not as raunchy and revvy as my previous RoadRunner but more civilized in many ways. Loved 'em both but very different breed of cat. Drop-top black, white interior, RamAir 400, with 400 autotrans......nice. Damned insurance people put this car out of production.
My only real GTO was a 1970. It was equipped with power steering, tinted glass, a console, AM radio, deluxe wheel covers and a 455. Crazy car, non-power front drum brakes, 3speed manual trans. It was Baja Gold with a green interior…somebody had a sense of humor but it grew on me. I also had a 1970 LeMans Sport, 350/auto when it was born but I put several engines and transmissions in it over the 15years I drove it. Red with red interior, white vinyl top later was black. Nice car with cold A/C it was the family Car for many years. I had several other Pontiac’s including a 70 (I think) T-37 convertible, Fiero, a few GranPrix (69,85, 93) and a couple basic 70 LeMans, one with a GTO front clip. I was a huge Ponch fan until the Nova goat, then corporate engine stuff came online, dropping outta NASCAR, “New GTO”, By then the magic was kinda gone for me. All over, gone with a whimper (301 Turbo cars). Good memories though.
If I could build one my way, I'd start with a '70 hardtop, make a '71-72 hood/hood scoop design fit (Would need modifying), give it a '69 rear end and fabricate the "Ducktail" spoiler from '72 to it, give it 15" honeycomb wheels, massage the 455 a bit, 12 bolt rear, Safe-T track, and the VOE option
I bought a ‘70 GTO on Sept. 27 , 1969 , was out looking for a 69 Judge , but found a new one at a dealer that had the 366 hp - 400 , 4 speed Muncie trans with Hurst shifter for $2725.00 Am radio heater , roll up windows , no a/c Baja gold , Sandalwood vinyl top and interior . Front buckets with console .
My opinion. the 69 was the best looking of the GTO's. The 70 was good looking, 71-72 were ok. Problems for the 70-72 were higher weight than the 69 and thus slower. I saw a Pontiac commercial racing a 71 vs 70 GTO in a drag race, saying Pontiac kept the performance even with the lower compression and emission standards. Problem was they raced a 71 455 HO vs a 70 455. If they wanted to do a real test, it should have been a 71 455 HO vs a 70 400 Ram Air IV. I have no doubt the 400 would have been at least a car length faster in a 1/4 mile. AS far as I am concerned, if I am buying a car in the 70 to 75 period. It would be the Trans Am, better looking car. In fact, my first car bought new was a 74 Trans Am with the SD-455.
All those HP ratings were lies. Posted purely for political reasons. Each eng. had their own strong points. There's a big difference in performance from a base 400, to a step up to the RAIII, and then the RAIV. And Altho the 455 was rated lower, it provided an entirely different torque curve than the 400s, and (to me) was better suited to the heavy 70 body. We're talking stock specs, not souped.
I had a 1970 gto it was a 455 automatic car the letters on the block were YA when I took the engine apart I found that it had 4 bolt mains and also oil deflector trays above the rocker arms and hugh windage tray below the crank. It was definitely and impressive engine
My High School car was a 1972 GTO. Orange with a white vinyl top. Through the Internet information, I now find out that 72 GTO's with a vinyl top are rare. I think about and regret selling that car everyday.
My favorite GTO the 1972 hardtop 2dr coupe with the 455HO engine. That recessed grille and end of hood scoops were so stylish. Government regulations, insurance industry regulations, and the GM Corp. Labor strike plus the Oil Embargo ended the GTO muscle car era . The U S Auto industry has never recovered. Then came all of the junk imports of today.
The 69 Judge was actually designed to be a stripped down budget muscle car for guys who wanted a fast car but didn't care about all the creature comforts. It was built to compete with the Plymouth Roadrunner, Dodge Super Bee, and Ford Fairlane Cobra. I call it the Fairlane Cobra so people don't confuse it with the two seat Shelby Cobra
In August of 1971, I bought a silver '70 Judge with black interior for $3,000 (29,000 miles). Added a hood tach. It was a blast till I lent it to my brother who did bleach burnouts and brought it back with a spun rod bearing that cost $450 to fix. Sold it a few weeks later, September 1972 for $2,200.
I had a 72 LeMans, till today I wish I had spent a few more bucks and got the GTO,. I loved the LeMans but.....oh well, that was then and this is now! Lol.
Question, did the '70-'72 GTO employ the fully boxed perimeter frame as per the Buick GS. And was F41, the firm ride and handling suspension standard as on the Chevelle SS; it was not so on the Buick GS.
I HAD A 1968 GTO - GREEN WITH LANDAU TOP -- IT COST ME $3,250.00 -- BOY DI I LOVE THAT CAR. BELIEVE IT OR NOT I TRADED AIN A 1967 VW FASTBACK FOR IT. - IT TOOOK ME A WEEK TO GET USED TO IT .
well I like the 70 with the Enduro and the 72 that was pretty close.. the 71 was a badass machine. the only thing like it and it's cousin the 442 also in 72 I wasn't big on the snout it only came out that year and 71 it was a one-off
They were already catching up on the trend they started years earlier, these models, from '68 on looked way more generic than they did up to that point. As an absolute ignorant on the matter I'll go on and say that nothing looked like the '65-'67 models (especially 67, my goodness).
You mean when Pontiac at least made an effort when all other car comoanies were giving up? The 74 GTO was much closer to the size and weight of the original 64 GTO and after years of bloating, the GTO had to get back to basics. The Nova body fit the bill. Pontiac however did not "slap a GTO badge" on the car at all. The GTO package included L76 350ci 4bbl good for 200 hp at 4,400 rpm and 295 lb-ft at 2,800 rpm Dual exhaust RTS A functional Trans Am Shaker hoodscoop M11 three-speed manual, the optional M20 four-speed manual F41 Special Performance Suspension with bigger sway bars and stiffer shocks. Cars magazine May 1974 reported the following: 74 GTO four-speed manual and 3.08 gears vs 64 GTO 389 automatic 3.55 gears. 74 best quarter-mile of 15.72 seconds at 88 mph 64 turning 15.64 at 90 mph. Zero-to-60-mph times for the two were similar at 7.7 and 7.4 seconds, respectively. But even though the new model was not as quick, writers raved not only about its performance balance, but also how much ride and handling had improved since its inception. Not bad for a Nova with a sticker on it.
rosenb37 well I can't find any history reviews on them like I can find for any other car. Since they are so popular, point me in the right direction then.
Sadly due to the BABVVO laws from 2030 on all combustion cars including classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas station per city or county. Now they want to slow down all the gas station fuel pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions and smoke crime :-(//()/(/()/()/()/()/()
Pontiac WT 5 is the Only ( Firebird )GTO Judge 1970 455 Police Enforcer ! Built in 69 for 1970 NOT 1/2 ! P.H.S documented ! Google : Pontiac wt5 Or Google: 1970 Pontiac G.T.OJudge 382
Agree, old school hot rodder here and I had a 72 GTO. Torque was king back then, torque is what got those heavy beasts off the line and moving. My 72 GTO with 250hp would run 14's stock with bias ply tires which meant plenty of wheelspin when the 400ft/lbs (gross) torque was unleashed.
Yeah I always preferred the 64, because it's the original, and the 68-69. 70-72 wasn't quite as good looking but at least it looks and performs a helluva lot better than the 74 Ventura GTO. Pontiac should've offered the 455sd as a GTO engine option in 73-74. The 73 Colonnade GTO was actually a very nice looking car, but was a dog performance wise. Would've been a whole different animal with the 455sd under the hood
the 70's GTO were very ugly cars compared to 67/68, dont even look like a GTO only the sticker says GTO ,tottaly lost the classic look they just made another firebird lol
I have a 1970 GTO Judge, I inherited it from my dad after he passed, it sat in his shop for 30 years and I had to restore it. But it was worth every hour and dollar I spent on it. I done it all from frame up and did not hire out the first thing, body, paint, interior, engine, and transmission all by your's truly. Of course being a mechanic and paint and body man for 40 years helped.
That 70 GTO looks beautiful mate.
I'm still underway on rebuilding a 74 ventura up to original GOAT standards with a race built 455, so it's always nice to see history on the lineup. Sure it doesn't have that dual grille and quad headlight array but it's still a stout frame and in fact weighs in less than it's predecessors. Some modern handling and frame rail stiffening should help it even more.
I know people harp on 74's but that's when 455 swaps take it from a Ventura to a Vindicator!
Excellent summary of this important era of the GTO. I am the original family owner of a '72 GTO Convertible (Lucerne Blue/White top & Interior). Yes, in 1972, to get a convertible GTO, you had to start with a LeMans and then go down the build sheet ordering the GTO package, engine, and options you wanted. Kind of a work around from the insurance companies and govt crackdown of the time. One interesting point mentioned was the GTO went out in '72 the way it came in for 1964 - an option package. My dad (who passed this year at 92) and I checked nearly every option box at Chieftain Pontiac in Hubbard Woods IL in late '71 (400ci, full power, Tilt, A/C, Honeycomb Wheels, etc.). We took delivery in March of '72 and I've been lucky to be the caretaker (now owner) of this beautiful ride. I'll be passing onto my son - but not for a long time!
That's a great, story. Sorry about your pops, but thanks for sharing.
At 6:53 he did mention the 72 being only an option instead of a separate model. I just happened to hear that as I was writing my other comment. That's really cool though. Buy one car and have it made into another. I never got to live in those times as I was born in 1981, but man I wish I could go back. All the way to the 50's and finish out my life back then.
NO GTO option on a 72 ragtop ! Lemans sport with the t-41 option makes it look like a GTO.
Everyone on my 72 group calls ppl liars when they said they had a 72 goat convertible lol
@@sonjaab1 As the both video and my comment said, you could not order a GTO (hardtop or conv) for 1972. It was an option package on a Lemans… just like in 1964 when the American Muscle craze all started. 💪👍
Thanks to Eric for showing the point where the video clarifies the point!
The 70 GTO in my opinion was the best looking A body that Pontiac made...
I agree
Yup 🔥🐐🔥
I had one of these 26 years ago,,,best car I ever had,,,kinda rare here in England,,mine was souped up and good for 0 to 60 tad over 4 seconds,,,white with judge stripes,,,my friend had a 70 Chevrolet chevelle 454 but someone had popped a 396 in it,,,,,Thanx for the great info,,,,,miss the old stuff, in 84 I worked in an American auto shop,,good ol' days,,,,
My dad has a 71 all original apart from a new paint job 15 years ago but he’s had it for 40 years now.
He lives in Romford
SO how did your fellow British react to American musclecars over there, coming off basrs?
All GTO models are good looking but I have always loved the 1970-72 models the best. You could produce these today and they would not look outdated.
I bought my first 72 GTO in September 1991 off a friend for $1.500. I still owne it
Lol, meet your doppleganger.... I bought a 68' GTO with a 72' 455 Judge engine in Sept. of 92, when I was 16, and yes I still have mine too. I paid $4500 for mine though. Wasn't it great going through high school never needing to masterbate?
Sounds awesome brother 😎
Smart man. That goat is 51 now. I bet it has aged gracefully. 😎👍
I had a 72 . It was my first car and is still my favorite. Dark metallic green, four speed, 4.11 rear end. Monster! Fastest quarter miler in my high school, South Lyon ,Mich 1980.
Kenny Camaro dam I went back in time and saw everything with your comment😀nice 👏👏👏👏📻🍻👍
I actually remember that commercial! Man where has the time gone, and I was only 9 then!
The 72 GTO Front clip looked great recessed grilles with an argent surround, front air extractors. Cool Car!!! My dad had one new with the 400. He advanced the timing , put a bigger carburetor on it, and MSD ignition, bigger side exit exhaust, aftermarket mufflers in the 70s, it would turn high 13s with just these mods, and could top out at 147 mph! No exaggeration. He ordered his with manual steering, crank windows, no ac, 3.23 Posi Traction rear. I learned how to drive in it. only weighed 3300 lbs in base trim .Fast as heck even lightly modified. These 72s are underrated! They even handled well! If I hit the lottery I’m gonna find it and buy several more of em. Who else loves the 72???
I still own my 72 Lemans from high school .I gave $400 dollars for it in 1989 it has the enduro front bumper and vented fenders . When i bought it it had a 400 2 barrel 400 turbo it would bark drive at 70 miles an hour . It registers 140 mph and would do all of it and more. I still have it to this day at present being restored. I also had a 71 same endure bumper I paid $300 bucks for it but being young and foolish wraped it around a power pole one night. Iconic old muscle car,s I was fortunate to lived when you could buy them affordable .
Never should have sold my '72.Lucerne blue,fully loaded (400,Automatic, power steering/brakes,A/C that still worked great, power windows/door locks, cruise, tilt wheel, ect.never saw one that loaded up.
@@bobluna9488 yeah, that was the thing. You hardly ever saw anything, Pontiac or Olds that had power windows and locks. It was a big deal. I was into Oldsmobile and I had some with those oprions, including a 1979 Hurst/Olds. I feel your pain for sure.
@ Doug, the only way a 72 could weigh 3300 lbs, is if the motor was out of it. I "might" believe the high 13s, but not 147 MPH, (unless it was down hill, with a tail wind. ). I had one, base motor, Muncie, 3.55s as a daily driver for 10 years. Bone stock, (no hedders), granny shifting, ETed mid 15s@90 mph.
I own a 72 in Lucerne blue with a white interior 400 Ram Air III 4 speed manual M-22, 3.23 gears and factory AC. I love this car, it is a total monster!
I love all Goats, but looking over the 1968-70 GTO's hood with those mean twin scoops is a killer view.
I had a 1972 Pontiac Lemans, white with black vinyl....only a 350 auto.....but plenty fast for a 17 year old . I loved that car, what a classic look.
A friend of mine bought a 72 LeMans 350 auto for $800 back in 1986. No rust and it can pretty good for a two barrel. Looked a lot like a GTO. I miss those days when you could get car's like that cheap.
I'm living it now!
69 firebird convertible 400HO Dealer installed RA III.
Late mid life crisis but us guys deserve it!
HO..ram air III..??
Heart stopping in any version
I was 12 yr-old when we ordered our TRI-POWER. 4,spd 389. Dad was THE NEW PONTIAC MECHANIC at Pontiac, carburetor tuning legend, we had a new Pontiac every two years , I got my license in our 1969 428 HO. CATALINA , Goats couldn't take us. , even if they jumped, in my shop is a 1972 black on black 4spd formula 400cu ram air 4 , round port gear driven. Aluminum headed , billing distributor WITH NYLON NASCAR GEAR , crane rollers , 850cfm pro comp carb, Hurst super shifter , DRY ICE CAN , all the suspension goods, have had a life CENTERD AROUND 'HIGH PERFORMANCE PONYS, USED TO B A LITTLE LEARY OF FORMLAS? TOO FNNN SCARY !! FIRST CAR , ONE OWNER 67 "326", 4SP, RED , FELL ASLEEP. HIT A POLE , I LIVED, found a blue, white, 1970 ram air 4 Trans am , got married , got talked into selling 1 of 54 ever made.$$$ I forgot how narrley these are , NO WONDER THEY OWNED THE STREETS
Had a ‘72 Cameo white GTO, inherited from my older brother when he decided to joined the Navy.
I was a senior in HS back in 1983 and had the best memorable moments of my life with this awesome car.
Two upgrades I did to the GTO was in 1984: Panasonic CD player & Panasonic 3 way speakers and a set of new GT/Radial Turbo Tech tires.
I spent a whole hot Summer working for my dad as an asphalt shingle roofer installer in NYC. I busted my a$$ working 6 days per week (14 hrs a day) and really hated the smell of hot asphalt, it used to get me very nauseous, but at the end it was all worth it.
Worth mentioning is that the 72 GTO saw the return of the 2 door post sedan as a body style choice (first time since 67)
I had a 1971 GTO. Dark green with white interior/top. Formula steering wheel.... 400 cid, automatic. Car was badass. Got rubber in every gear. 😉
I had a friend on the West Bank in New Orleans in a burrough(suburb) called Marrero in the mid and late '80's. He had an orange '71 Judge(one of the last to be for sure). It was the pride of his Pontiacs. He also had a '66 GTO "beater" that his wife ran around in as an everyday car. The '71 had been modified with a - are you ready? - 421 with a tri-power intake that had come out of a wrecked 2+2 Catalina(full sized Pontiac) from around '65.They never installed a 421 in a GTO from the factory that I'm aware of. It was his pride and joy and after he got it reassembled(he did a FRAME OFF restoration!) it was ready to for a show. I don't know what ever came of it b/c I moved from N.O. in '89. If you're there Greg Mecantante, here's a shout out to you from Lake Charles, LA ! Remember the guy with the '67 Goat and '77 Grand Prix?
Dale Andrews,
now in Lake Charles, LA
Love your channel. It gets shared a lot.
The '70 GTO was such a fine looking machine!
The 70 GTO was a nice looking car but I liked the 68-69 better. My favorite GTO is probably a 69 400 Ram Air IV or maybe a 65 389 Tri Power. Never really liked the front end styling of the 71-72 GTO. I always thought the Buick's and Oldsmobile's were the best looking 1970-72 GM A-Bodies. Pontiac did have the best low compression high performance engines though with the 1971-72 455 HO and the 1973-74 455 SD. If the 455 SD had come out a few years earlier it might've been the baddest production engine of the muscle car era...period. They say it made an honest 425 horses at the crankshaft with low compression pistons and an emissions friendly hydraulic cam. Imagine the power it would've made with 11:1 compression or more and a radical solid lifter camshaft. Easily 500 horses or more with the airflow capabilities of the 455 SD cylinder heads
2006 model is better
@@jeremythompson9122 I was 4yr old when dad worked at Pontiac 27yrs, he would put me in the trunk of a new car. Then blast down a rough road test for rattles & squeaks, we live at 4000ft , in Oregon, the high compressin 10.75/ 1 engines were ALL TUNED BY MY FATHER. No one touched your car for 50 000 miles or five years , cept my dad, period ,he was your personal mech. For full warenty!warranty!! So they RAN. & they didn't sqweak, thanks to dad & the kid in the trunk , " trunk boy" what a life !!! My birds calling, it's fifty years old this year , and it's SCAREY R THAN EVER
The problem with Pontiacs is the tires !! I took mine to 145 mph , the spdo s top at 160mph , it would do 130mph in 3rd gear , click click he's frth gear , capable of 200mph. Don't do it , even NASCAR looses tires at spd! , the telephone poles fling by , I'd already knocked a pole down with my 67, sooo- 145 was good but REAL EASY.
Had a boyfriend with a GTO Judge. It was an incredible car in those days! Don't understand why they didn't do better. Several years ago my daughter saw a Judge with a license plate that said "ALL RISE". Would love to have one today!
That's a great idea for the license plate. I don't think I would've ever thought of that
love pontiacs
I still have my mother's 72 hardtop gto 52k anaconda gold. All original runs and drives great. I did replace the exhaust.
love your content so much ive shared your page on enthusiasts boards saying as much. hope you up the content amount, but lately its been steady! thank you for your videos
Love your reviews - keep them coming!
1968's are my favorite, but I love em all.
Very good video and Thumbs Up !
The Goat! "G"reatest "O"f "A"ll "T"imes!
The 70 GTO is the last of the great GTOs.
Very good series I enjoyed that can you make a part 4? I think the 1973 GTO is one of the coolest looking cars ever made and even the 1974 GTO with the Ventura body is still a cool car I mean a shaker hood a 4 speed and back in a nice small body style still a very cool car all you had to do is swap out or modify it's 350 and you would have a serious performer
Good Vid! Thanks for sharing!! BTW I still have my 70 Orbit Orange GTO Judge.. Built Dec 15 1969 in Oshawa Ontario
Still love them large! 3 car I ever owned!
Paul Newman drove a 70 Gto in slapshot...i had the same car a gold 70 400 4 speed...but i painted mine black...she was a monster
Timothy Cote I had a 68 400 4spd with some goodies. Lottsa torque.
Drove a '70 Judge back in the day.....sweet torque, very civilized and sophisticated. Not as raunchy and revvy as my previous RoadRunner but more civilized in many ways. Loved 'em both but very different breed of cat. Drop-top black, white interior, RamAir 400, with 400 autotrans......nice. Damned insurance people put this car out of production.
My only real GTO was a 1970. It was equipped with power steering, tinted glass, a console, AM radio, deluxe wheel covers and a 455. Crazy car, non-power front drum brakes, 3speed manual trans. It was Baja Gold with a green interior…somebody had a sense of humor but it grew on me.
I also had a 1970 LeMans Sport, 350/auto when it was born but I put several engines and transmissions in it over the 15years I drove it. Red with red interior, white vinyl top later was black. Nice car with cold A/C it was the family Car for many years.
I had several other Pontiac’s including a 70 (I think) T-37 convertible, Fiero, a few GranPrix (69,85, 93) and a couple basic 70 LeMans, one with a GTO front clip. I was a huge Ponch fan until the Nova goat, then corporate engine stuff came online, dropping outta NASCAR, “New GTO”, By then the magic was kinda gone for me. All over, gone with a whimper (301 Turbo cars). Good memories though.
If I could build one my way, I'd start with a '70 hardtop, make a '71-72 hood/hood scoop design fit (Would need modifying), give it a '69 rear end and fabricate the "Ducktail" spoiler from '72 to it, give it 15" honeycomb wheels, massage the 455 a bit, 12 bolt rear, Safe-T track, and the VOE option
I have a 1970 Pontiac LeMans sport what transmission is on it
I had a 70 and it had the 71 hood on it that was a sweet car 400 with automatic and the sport steering wheel
I bought a ‘70 GTO on Sept. 27 , 1969 , was out looking for a 69 Judge , but found a new one at a dealer that had the 366 hp - 400 , 4 speed Muncie trans with Hurst shifter for $2725.00 Am radio heater , roll up windows , no a/c Baja gold , Sandalwood vinyl top and interior . Front buckets with console .
My opinion. the 69 was the best looking of the GTO's. The 70 was good looking, 71-72 were ok. Problems for the 70-72 were higher weight than the 69 and thus slower. I saw a Pontiac commercial racing a 71 vs 70 GTO in a drag race, saying Pontiac kept the performance even with the lower compression and emission standards. Problem was they raced a 71 455 HO vs a 70 455. If they wanted to do a real test, it should have been a 71 455 HO vs a 70 400 Ram Air IV. I have no doubt the 400 would have been at least a car length faster in a 1/4 mile. AS far as I am concerned, if I am buying a car in the 70 to 75 period. It would be the Trans Am, better looking car. In fact, my first car bought new was a 74 Trans Am with the SD-455.
Great video.
I own a 1970 gto with a standard 4 speed
Personally the 70 has always been my favorite
Funny thing. My first car was the 1970 GTO, 455/360, ram air IV, hurst 4 speed! I was 20. Went through a lot of rear tires!
What amazes me is that GM would go through the trouble of having four or more engine options that all fell within a few horsepower of each other.
All those HP ratings were lies. Posted purely for political reasons. Each eng. had their own strong points. There's a big difference in performance from a base 400, to a step up to the RAIII, and then the RAIV. And Altho the 455 was rated lower, it provided an entirely different torque curve than the 400s, and (to me) was better suited to the heavy 70 body. We're talking stock specs, not souped.
I had a 1970 gto it was a 455 automatic car the letters on the block were YA when I took the engine apart I found that it had 4 bolt mains and also oil deflector trays above the rocker arms and hugh windage tray below the crank. It was definitely and impressive engine
My High School car was a 1972 GTO. Orange with a white vinyl top. Through the Internet information, I now find out that 72 GTO's with a vinyl top are rare. I think about and regret selling that car everyday.
1970 prettiest one from the 68 - 72 models.
My favorite GTO the 1972 hardtop 2dr coupe with the 455HO engine. That recessed grille and end of hood scoops were so stylish. Government regulations, insurance industry regulations, and the GM Corp. Labor strike plus the Oil Embargo ended the GTO muscle car era . The U S Auto industry has never recovered. Then came all of the junk imports of today.
The 69 Judge was actually designed to be a stripped down budget muscle car for guys who wanted a fast car but didn't care about all the creature comforts. It was built to compete with the Plymouth Roadrunner, Dodge Super Bee, and Ford Fairlane Cobra. I call it the Fairlane Cobra so people don't confuse it with the two seat Shelby Cobra
In August of 1971, I bought a silver '70 Judge with black interior for $3,000 (29,000 miles). Added a hood tach. It was a blast till I lent it to my brother who did bleach burnouts and brought it back with a spun rod bearing that cost $450 to fix. Sold it a few weeks later, September 1972 for $2,200.
The 1970-1972 Tempest and GTO were the most beautiful Pontiacs. The 1970-1976 Firebirds were a close 2nd.
68 and 69 yrs looked best! With hideaway head light option.
I sure MISS PONTIAC / OLDSMOBILE
I had a 72 LeMans, till today I wish I had spent a few more bucks and got the GTO,. I loved the LeMans but.....oh well, that was then and this is now! Lol.
70 gto is my dream car
u sure remember alot of stuff 😀👏😀👏😀👏😀👏👏😀👏😀👏😀
Question, did the '70-'72 GTO employ the fully boxed perimeter frame as per the Buick GS. And was F41, the firm ride and handling suspension standard as on the Chevelle SS; it was not so on the Buick GS.
sold my dads 1972 about 17 years ago. He bought it new in March of 72, kinda wonder where it is now.
Those HP and Tq numbers gotta be severely underrated. Must be for insurance purposes
I HAD A 1968 GTO - GREEN WITH LANDAU TOP -- IT COST ME $3,250.00 -- BOY DI I LOVE THAT CAR. BELIEVE IT OR NOT I TRADED AIN A 1967 VW FASTBACK FOR IT. - IT TOOOK ME A WEEK TO GET USED TO IT .
I’m looking for a nice drivers fender for a 72 goat here in Pittsburgh pa !
Found one 🤣🤣🤣
I had the 1971 GTO Judge. Need I say anymore.
well I like the 70 with the Enduro and the 72 that was pretty close..
the 71 was a badass machine.
the only thing like it and it's cousin the 442 also in 72 I wasn't big on the snout it only came out that year and 71 it was a one-off
Too bad that they didn't bring both cars into one model? The Pontiac Firebird Trans am GTO, got a nice ring to it?
Might as well have mentioned the 73 and 74 for a video wrap up
Im sad im crying over here
No mention of the WW5 performance package offered in 1972. Author probably does not know about it.
🔥🐐🔥
They were already catching up on the trend they started years earlier, these models, from '68 on looked way more generic than they did up to that point.
As an absolute ignorant on the matter I'll go on and say that nothing looked like the '65-'67 models (especially 67, my goodness).
The intro is a RAM AIR GTO 72'
Never guess how I know.
ramairgto72- Your goat called. Its got the Mopar flu. Wont be in today and can you please close the pneumonia hole, thnx!!
Check'en one more time pretty car what a move......
At 3:11 😍
💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽🔥
Cool car though
The 71 and 72 hoods were flimsy and would buckle.
I remember when GM slapped "GTO" on Chevy Nova's. Sad.
Its sad how GM did that. At least it had a Pontiac motor. Not like any Pontiac after 81...
You mean when Pontiac at least made an effort when all other car comoanies were giving up?
The 74 GTO was much closer to the size and weight of the original 64 GTO and after years of bloating, the GTO had to get back to basics. The Nova body fit the bill. Pontiac however did not "slap a GTO badge" on the car at all.
The GTO package included
L76 350ci 4bbl good for 200 hp at 4,400 rpm and 295 lb-ft at 2,800 rpm
Dual exhaust
RTS
A functional Trans Am Shaker hoodscoop
M11 three-speed manual, the optional M20 four-speed manual
F41 Special Performance Suspension with bigger sway bars and stiffer shocks.
Cars magazine May 1974 reported the following:
74 GTO four-speed manual and 3.08 gears
vs
64 GTO 389 automatic 3.55 gears.
74 best quarter-mile of 15.72 seconds at 88 mph
64 turning 15.64 at 90 mph.
Zero-to-60-mph times for the two were similar at 7.7 and 7.4 seconds, respectively.
But even though the new model was not as quick, writers raved not only about its performance balance, but also how much ride and handling had improved since its inception.
Not bad for a Nova with a sticker on it.
no actually they did it more on a Pontiac Ventura😉
Very Sad!
We had red one. White leather interior. My Mom crashed it. 😏
Do the 1969 6 pack Road Runner please !!!!
Can you do the roadrunners next please. nobody really gives them any recognition
This is a joke, right? One of the most popular muscle cars ever.
rosenb37 well I can't find any history reviews on them like I can find for any other car. Since they are so popular, point me in the right direction then.
Dominic Daley 😂
Sadly due to the BABVVO laws from 2030 on all combustion cars including classics will be banned
from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the
Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025
on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas
station per city or county. Now they want to slow down all the gas station fuel
pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in
the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems,
turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and
New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be
done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of
crime here, called emissions and smoke crime :-(//()/(/()/()/()/()/()
Hp might not have been g rd eat but the torque numbers were alot better. Which got that fat pig of a body moving a little faster.
Modern Pontiacs are fugly compared to the classic Pontiacs
Pontiac WT 5 is the Only ( Firebird )GTO Judge 1970
455 Police Enforcer ! Built in 69 for 1970 NOT 1/2 !
P.H.S documented !
Google :
Pontiac wt5
Or Google:
1970 Pontiac G.T.OJudge 382
What makes us men get around pretty girls like this and get all gitty from her because it was America pride🇺🇸☝
70-72 just didn’t have the clean modern look of earlier Gto’s. The 70 was still a nice looking car but the 71-72 front end was awkward looking.
I think the 72 by far was the best looking GTO ever.
GTO gas tires and oil.
Got To Overhaul
gross HP rating= useless number
Agree, old school hot rodder here and I had a 72 GTO. Torque was king back then, torque is what got those heavy beasts off the line and moving. My 72 GTO with 250hp would run 14's stock with bias ply tires which meant plenty of wheelspin when the 400ft/lbs (gross) torque was unleashed.
These 1970's Goat's were ugly; lost all the class of their 1960's forebears.
Yeah I always preferred the 64, because it's the original, and the 68-69. 70-72 wasn't quite as good looking but at least it looks and performs a helluva lot better than the 74 Ventura GTO. Pontiac should've offered the 455sd as a GTO engine option in 73-74. The 73 Colonnade GTO was actually a very nice looking car, but was a dog performance wise. Would've been a whole different animal with the 455sd under the hood
71 and 72 really ugly front end. Still better than anything after 72 anyday
the 70's GTO were very ugly cars compared to 67/68, dont even look like a GTO only the sticker says GTO ,tottaly lost the classic look they just made another firebird lol
James Anagnos The 70 and 72 looked great the 73-74 looked ugly