Part 4: Pontiac GTO History - 1973-1974
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2017
- This is part 4 of our Pontiac GTO History series. For 1973-1974 the GTO continued on as a muscle car however it was no longer Pontiac's top performance car - that title was given to the Trans Am with the Firebird Formula being a very close second. Never-the-less the 1973-1974 GTO still was a solid and respectible muscle car.
Pontiac GTO History Video Series:
Part 1 - 1964-1967: • Part 1: Pontiac GTO Hi...
Part 2 - 1968-1969: • Part 2: Pontiac GTO H...
Part 3 - 1970-1972: • Part 3: Pontiac GTO Hi...
Part 4 - 1973-1974: • Part 4: Pontiac GTO Hi...
Part 5 - 2004-2006: • Part 5: Pontiac GTO Hi... 
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I actually like the 74 GTO.
It's a Nova with a WAY better looking front end. The flaring nostril grill with shaker hood of the Trans Am looks great, and the body style is perfect for retro modding.
Agreed!
I agree
Yep you got it brother
I'm a Aussie and have never seen a 74 GTO before this video but I actually like them
Ventura. Not a nova. Had a 73 gto got it for$1000 in 1980
Mid-1970's was a good time to be a high school car nut. Even though the "performance" cars available at the dealers in the '70's were considered a joke, many fast 1960's muscle and pony cars were available cheap on the used lots before they became so collectible. My high school parking lot back then would be a collector car dream today.
The insurance would've been a killer. I've seen 1972 Amica insurance bills for my dad's Roadrunner. He paid close to $1300 in premiums that year which in 2022 adjusted for inflation is around $8700.00. He sold the Roadrunner in 73 because my sister was born the year before so my dad just couldn't afford the extra expense. He traded it in for a Malibu station wagon.
@@Ideo7Z The cool cars in my high school parking lot I can assure you had liability insurance only! : )
The 74 GTO would have been fantastic with the 455. The 350 was a good engine. Still can't get over that they kept Buick but killed Pontiac.
Glen Power at the time Buick was selling more cars, right?
Buick is popular in China. The only good cars Pontiac had left were rebadged Holdens and the Solstice, which they weren't selling enough of to bother keeping.
what they should have done was put in the 350 LT-1 vette motor.
@@Hobodeluxe960 That engine produced 195 hp. There was no advantage.
Pontiac didn't sell as well as Buick globally and if I recall domestically. If you were around for the early and mid 00's they went to plastic (unpainted). They looked cheap and were cheap feeling. Pontiac Aztec anyone? Buick Rendevous was much more palatable. LeSabre and Park Avenue were solid cars especially with the 3.8. Buick did however in the mid to late 00's have some horrible cars like the mini van lucerne and lacrosse. They simply couldn't replace the roadmaster (caprice) or the park avenue. 2008-2010 The SUV lineup changed and the eventual redesign of the lacrosse and verano (impala/malibu/cruze) are all top notch. Buick and even Chevy have been top rated for almost 10 years right next to toyota/lexus even. The worst GM brand atm is Cadillac. They score low and they generally look awful in comparison.
I LOVE these old muscle cars from the late 60's to early 70's. I live in the UK and we never had cars like these, I suppose the nearest we got to them was the Ford Capri, which was really just a lets pretend sports coupe. I saw a few old Yank Muscle carsaround the town where I live back in the 70's and there was a lovely metallic blue GTO Judge with a white top and rear spoileron the back. I often used to stop and stare admiringly at the car. We had nothing that looked as good as those old muscle cars, and my father sold cars for a living.
I had several friends back in the '70's who owned 72-73 Capri's and those cars were a blast. Small cars with 3.0 V-6's. We were probably the last generation who truly raced Mullholland Drive in the Hollywood hills. Shortly after that too many homes built and more police to stop it. Can hardly find any Capri's in the states now.
It's sad Pontiac is gone because that was always my favorite GM division
It was mine too Jeremy, but the fact is that Pontiac was "gone" years before the plug was pulled 10 years ago. It's not having to be degraded any longer by ugly 4 door sedans, crossovers, SUV's and all of the other hideous rent-a-car body styles everyone is putting out now, and all you see everywhere, everyday.
Same here brother
Thank you for your hard work putting all these collections and their history together!
I love the look of both 73 and 74 GTO. Great cars to buy and upgrade engines.
A buddy of mine had a ‘74 GTO. For everything that was out there in 1974, it was pretty quick.
For everything that was out there... That year...
In 74 the only real muscle car left still was the 455 Super Duty Trans Am/Formula Firebird. In 73 Chrysler still had the 340 Duster and Demon/Dart Sport, but the junk 360 replaced the 340 in 74 and that was it for Mopar Muscle. In 74 there was nothing even close to matching the performance of the Pontiac 455SD. Then in 75 catalytic converters came out and that was it for the greatest era in automotive history BY FAR!!!!! Although the 75-78 trans am with the 400/ 4 speed was a cool car. Don't like the styling of the 79. Also the 77 Pontiac Can Am was a cool car too, probably my favorite car of the late 70s right up until 1987, when the Buick GNX hit the streets
@@jeremythompson9895 The 360 was no slouch either. Chrysler's 360 and 400 V8s were both more powerful than GM's or Ford's engines from 1975-77 when performance tanked. Chrysler's 400 4bbl still had 240 net hp with duals in the back. Reliability is another story
@@jeremythompson9895 My 74 Challenger with 4 speed and 360 got 128 mph real quick.
I like your informations very much and I appreciate that you put them on here!
A quick read of a 74 GTO road test Super Stock and DI shows a different story from what many less informed have posted. They say the 74 was much more in keeping with the original theme than many before it. It was similar in size and had less weight. It handled far better than any of the 60s model and offered decent performance/economy. Mid 15s at 90mph. That was stock with no special advance curve or tweaks of the carb, timing etc. They went on to say it pulled better than a HP Vette they tested earlier in the year. It was a sporty fun car to drive that handled well. I think Pontiac was on the right track with this car. It went on to be one of the winningest stock NHRA Pontiac musclecar offerings which says a lot about its potential. The vaunted Trans Am of the late 70s turned no better times. Very sweet looking car with Pontiac's styling cues and that Macho hood scoop, stripes and splitter exhaust.
I love all of the old car memory videos. I never comment but I'm a true fan and every time I see a video I watch it they are just the best and I for some reason like his voice and the video at the introduction is just so throwback
Love your channel and your shows!!! Please keep them coming!!!
awesome coverage of the GTO, very accurate, great arrangement of your videos, as always. Looking forward to the LS powered 2004 GTO next vid!
The 2004-2006 GTO was a Holdon Monoco from Austrailia. GM didn't even bother to restyle it. It was a good sedan, if GM had even tried to Americanize it, this GTO may have been more successful.
When GM fired John Z in early '73 they should have killed his car, too. The '74's were a pathetic joke with 350 engines rated at 200 hp but dynoed between 175-185 hp. They were rebadged Ventura's with decals, dual exhausts, and drum brakes standard.
They were 'Emily Post' polite. Light turns green, stomp the accelerator, and EVERYBODY else goes first. What a joke!
The modern GTOs are nothing but rebadged Holden Monaros from Australia 🇦🇺.
I loved mine. I drove it from Virginia to New Orleans while in the navy. great runner. my only complaint is how light it was in the rear. I had it actually swap ends on me in the rain while slowing on a steep down hill at a light. Seriously regret having traded it for a pickup. It was red, ordered with a white interior and a 3 speed manual Hurst shifter in the floor. I also had a 72 nova with a canvas sun roof before it. 302- 2 barrel.
What a great video and series!!!!
So they had the Aztec in mine even back in the 70s with the tent
Although not liked by many, I like the 1973 LeMans and the 1973 Luxury LeMans with fender skirts and bucket seats, I had a neighbor with one, when I was a kid, it was light green metallic, dark green vinyl top, dark green interior, floor shift and Pontiac wheels, hot and sexy car in my opinion. That car had a bullet shape to it.
The 73 Grand Am was originally going to be called a GTO, but they changed the name to Grand Am. GTO sales were sliding in previous years so in 73, Pontiac decided to promote the brand new 73 Grand Am in their advertising instead. There were magazine ads and tv commercials. The 73 GA sold very well for a first year new model, with over 43,000 GA's sold. That was far more than the sales of 71 and 72 GTO's, and even more than the 40K GTO's sold in 1970. So, the new 73 GA accomplished what the previous years' GTO's could not...more sales. That took a lot of sales away from the actual 73 GTO, which was not promoted. I don't think I've ever seen a magazine advertisement for the 73 GTO. There's a small picture of one in the 73 Pontiac dealers brochure as an option for the Lemans. Otherwise, most people didn't even know that was a 73 GTO available, so they only sold about 4800 of them. Other than the Grand Am's flexible nose and Grand Prix dash, the 73 Grand Am and 73 GTO were very similar cars, both being based on the Lemans body. Both had handling upgrades over a Lemans, and came standard with 400 engines, with 455 optional. For a short time before final production, it was thought that the GTO and Grand Am would get the 455 SD engine as an option. "Hi-Performance CARS" magazine even put out an issue pre-maturely crowning the 73 GTO with SD455 as "The Car of the Year" for 73. But the SD455 was cancelled for those cars before production, which was a bit embarrassing for the magazine. The SD455 became only available in the 73-74 Trans Ams.
People hated the Ventura GTO back in the day, but it was pretty good considering that 1974 was smack in the middle of the performance doldrums. 200 HP out of the Pontiac 350 4-barrel was respectable, considering that the W72 400 of the loved '77 TA only had 220 HP. That engine in the 500 pound lighter Ventura would have performed enough to be interesting.
the johnny ligtning company is right now selling a 1974 pontiac gto. those miniature car toys with that body style just came out recently, in a very limited number special edition red color. I can't put the site on here, but it is easy to search for and purchase. they are selling for around fourteen dollars if you're interested.
Nice video and I gave a thumbs up.
Love this channel
Great video. What a sad time for car enthusiasts.
Love your channel. That's why i'm a subscriber. Please do a Grand Prix video.
The 455 Super Duty in the 74 GTO might've been the fastest GTO ever built IF it was built. Instead it got a 200 net hp 350. I really like the Colonnade styling of the 73 GTO. It's too bad they didn't offer the 455SD in the 73 too, although the 1973 455HO was a pretty decent performer if you got rid of the smog pump and put some headers and Flowmaster Super 40s on it
That smog pump thing is an urban legend. Takes maybe one HP to run it and removing it adds nothing more than a little more room under the hood. It was the tuning that changed and '74 was the last year before that really hit the fan, so to speak.
Pontiac didn’t have a 455HO in 73.
@Mike E No but it had the Super Duty for the Firebird Formula/Trans-Am though, which was essentially a smog legal race ready engine
What a beauty my goodness!
I actually like the 74 goat. Back in the day my friend had a Ventura Sprint. It was basically a gto sans the Shaker hood scoop.
Not really. The GTO had many performance upgrades in the suspension and a real bonafide Pontiac V8 in the engine bay where other Ventura's were fitted with a lower power Chevy 350. I am not sure about the Ventura by the GTO version came with three-speed manual transmission with floor shift (4 speed optional), 3.08:1 rear axle ratio (3.23:1 optional), chrome tailpipe splitters, F41 Special Performance Suspension, 14 x 6-in. Rally II wheels with E70-14 tires, dual exhaust with chrome splitters, full gauges in the console (optional). One cannot go without talking about a 74 GTO without mentioning the shaker hood which was operational and opened under hard acceleration.
Motor Trend article, Nunzi Romano compared the ’74 GTO to a ’64 model equipped with a 389 four-barrel, automatic, and 3.55:1 rear axle.
"Nunzi wheeled the four-speed ’74 from zero to 60 in 7.7 seconds and down the quarter-mile in 15.72 seconds at 88 mph-very close to the 15.64 at 90 mph he got from the ’64. It wasn’t apples-to-apples with the ’74 4-speed stick versus the ’64 car’s two-speed automatic. Still, that was a good showing for the later car.
" (The 74 with a 3.08:1 gear)
For more context, consider Hot Rod magazine’s test of a 1968 GTO with the standard 400, 3-speed automatic and 3.23 gears, a combo that yielded a 15.93-second run at 88.3 mph. That performance was fairly representative for most factory GTO's from previous years.
I had a 2-door '74 Ventura hatchback for many years. The owner's manual had all the references to the GTO options. Always amazed me they didn't drop the bored-out versions into it as the chassis and running-gear were interchangeable with the Firebird. I've always suspected it was because the Ventura line was assembled at the Los Angeles GM plant but the SD engines were only used at the Ohio or Detroit factories. I could very well be wrong.
The Super Duty was originally planned for the GTO /Formula/Trans-Am, and maybe even the Grand-Am - They scrapped the intermediates plan altogether. Whether the Super Dutys were exclusive to either to the Van Nuys or Norwood plants IDK (Never gave it any thought)
They should have put the 455 SD in the 74 X Body GTO
My thoughts exactly. After all the chassis could easily accept the 455 V8 as did the Trans Am. Both cars shared the identical chassis. I've seen this conversion done before to the X body Pontiac Ventura and Chevrolet Nova and it really made these cars like rocketships. Ah the good old days I'll forever miss them,but I suppose we have to move on.
@@paulkirkland1535 GM wouldn’t allow a 455 equipped X body especially with a Pontiac badge on it. In 1973 while every other division of GM and all the other manufacturers were killing performance, Pontiac introduced the SD455. It was supposed to be available in all of Pontiac’s performance cars but was limited only to the F Body in 73-74. From 73 on up through 79 the Trans Am was the Corvette killer if properly equipped. No way would they allow an X bodied Pontiac embarrass the mighty Vette.
I loved Paul Newmans 1970 from Slapshot, it was a 4speed too
I have the red 74 Ventura, but the only difference is I have an Oldsmobile 455 engine with 15k miles. Lemme tell ya it is a BLAST to have. Out running alot of cars, and the jaws dropping at it feels great. The driving is AMAZING.
Good show
I like all the GTO
Great Video... the 74 Compact would have been a ripper with the 455 ...
ctp Mark it was a beautiful car.
That is if it didn't blow up that 10 bolt rear.
After looking to see what options to throw in mine, I know a lotta people swapped a 455 in there later on. X-bodies get a bad rap because of the time they were produced in. Now they tend to fetch a good price for people wanting to build street rodders.
w41duvernay the 10 bolt rear was used in the heavier SD Formula and T/A. Its durability was never really an issue.
The writing was on the wall, GM knew the days of factory performance autos was coming to a end. Because of the required emissions plus insurance companies were still tacking on the surcharges simply because the new car owner was drivin a muscle car!
I Loove Them Goats when it comes to cars!
Pontiac should've put the sd455 in the GTO in 1974. Might've gone down as one of the fastest muscle cars of all. Should've used it in the 73 GTO too. Always liked the looks of all 73-77 mid size GM cars. A 73 GTO with the sd455 and a 4 speed might've gone down as the fastest GTO out of all of to hem
Them
Imagine the 74 gto with sd455 and Manuel trans.super car for sure.
The 74 GTO is a great car to add a 455 engine to, it will fit right in with no mods. You can also use pretty much every Trans Am suspension part on them.
The GTO died because of the oil crisis and the rising insurance rates on "sports/muscle cars". When you were buying a t/a back then you were in the same insurance bracket as vettes, Camaros, mustang's, etc.. then, you had the gto and grand am... because of their specialty nature they got put in the same category which helped to kill off sales. The Laguna and the grand am were both killed off.. with the can am as a last ditch effort.. and it was all because they were tooling up to bring out the longer running new for '78 g-body platform which was a 9 year run also.
Post Watergate, Nam, moon landings, graduations, weddings, babies, house buying, inflation, gas lines. The world and everyone moved on. Muscle cars, pony cars left behind in junk yards.
In Australia we had a GM hatchback Torana hatch hutch option that was a tent for that hatchback the 70s was a strange time
I remember as a kid seeing the 73 GTO and couldn’t believe that it was so hideously ugly, how did the same designers who had made the gorgeous 65-69 GTO’s crest the 73 disaster? I won’t even discuss the 74.
In '73 federal law mandated 5 mph front bumpers and in '74 mandated 5 mph rear bumpers. Designers were having trouble making these massive hunks of steal hanging off both ends look good.
The Endura noses made a much nicer look. But keeping paint on them is tough.
A friend had a stick shift '74 Ventura model with a 455 transplant from a '70 Bonneville. 375 HP 525 ft/lbs torque, 4:10 posi. It just flew and idled smoothly.
They used to call these things "Dogtrackers" from the unibody shift... Horrible cars...
@@lonmcq7317
Used?🤣 An old friend had a "73 Ventura Sprint manual transmission with a 455 (stock 375 hp/525 lbs torque) transplant from a '70 Boneville. 3:90 gears. Nothing could touch it and it cornered flat. Had the optional/functional T/A Shaker & factory hood, Ralley gauges. Put it together for only $1,500.00.
Do you have a video about the '73-75 Grand Am?
A buddy had a 73 Ventura Sprint. It had the turn signals in the grill like a 74 GTO. I have never seen another one that way. Not sure if had been that way from new or not.
Hello there. I got a question. I can’t find any articles or comparisons on the entire X Body line up. N.O.V.A. Who had the most HP etc.
I would like to know if you know where I can get a pair of scoops for 1973 Pontiac GTO lemans.
I had a ride in a 74 GTO a day or two after it rolled off the showroom floor, burgundy with a white interior and a 4 speed.
As a fan of that generation Nova? I like the 74 GTO.
The '74 GTO performace was a match for the revered '64. So it wasn't all that bad. It handled better, was way more comfortable, got better gas mileage. It just didn't have a 389 with a 6 pack. It was basically a refined '68 Nova. Same thing so it came across as an old car. It didn't take much to open those up with a few upgrades and a weekend.
W1se0ldg33zer
The 1/4 mile et was very close on the 74&64 Gto
@@dewaynechambers5307 A full second difference [at least] between a 389 Goat and a 350 Ventura/GTO in both 0-60 and 1/4 mile times.
@@crankychris2Nope. They were basically even.
They couldn't offer a high output big block in the GTO. Rule #1 at GM is nobody gets more than the Corvette. Even when the Vettes really sucked, other models sucked more.
Pontiac never made a big block. Their blocks had the same external dimensions from the 326 thru 455.
I might be weird but I think that 1974 GTO in dark blue looks great!
I may be wrong, but living through these eras of very big cars, "Colonnade" styling has come to mean 'Flying Living room'.
there was a 73 GTO in my home town it was white with a huge GTO graphic on the sides. i believe it was a 455 car. it was only around for a short time. i never saw another GTO with that graphic
One correction, a 74 GTO weighed within a 100 pounds of a 73 trans am and if you added the larger engine and heavier duty suspension the two cars were basically the same weight.
John Hall of course almost the same chassis was used for the Camaro and firebird came from the Nova parts bin.
Make Some Noise. Car and Driver had a ad last page in magazine Pontiac is back. There are You Tube videos of this. So go tell everyone and Make Some Noise!
Kool !
Although very rare, three good examples of the 1974 GTO Tent Option can be seen in pics online. See for yourself this ultra odd option.
the ⛺option was far out I think the Nova and the Omega offered to? I don't know if the Buick Apollo did or was it just a Pontiac thing but I thought you could get that tent option on Nova but I might be wrong..
My dad’s 2, 65 GTOs made me a car guy since I was born.
I like the look of a 74 gto a little bit, minus the nova gauge cluster
The 74 GTO would've been ridiculously fast had Pontiac offered the 455 super duty as an option in the GTO as well as the trans am/formula firebird. Maybe as fast as ANY muscle car seeing how it was 500 lbs lighter than a trans am and the sd455 t/a was capable of mid 13s right off the showroom floor
Right, if they put the SD 455 in the 74 and do something else with the truck bumpers it could've been a winner. Sad.
I like the 74 GTO they was slept on. 73 to 77 body style where nice in my opinion
GM screwed up on the GTO so many times
Right even the last years of it .
Yep they sure did my brother
7,000 units aren't enough and the GTO wasn't even close to the heyday of the mid-60s when over 70,000 cars were sold in all types of power range my 65 GTO Was dressed up inside with a center console and a 3 duces and 4 speed ,389 !!! What was the best GTO,64/65? 66/67? 68-70?71/72? I got to drive them all and my friends 72 455 automatic was the best handing of them for me,for pure fun my 65 was a blast Rev it up dump the clutch and start pulling gears and smoking tires,!!! 2021
I like the 73.
The 1973 gto had a beautiful interior....identical to the the grand am model.
It is a nice interior, but it's not like the Grand Am interior. The GTO had the same dash and interior as a Lemans, the only difference being a small GTO emblem on the door panels. The Grand Am had a Grand Prix dash, and upscale seat upholstery and door panels.
@@grand73am I stand corrected!!
I should have wrote similar!!
I bought a Grand Am in '73. I don't think the dealers had GTOs on the lots at that time. When I had shopped for my '67 GTO there were at least a dozen goats on the lot.
I have a 75 Grand Am
@MrDusterdave I think he's saying that era of the GTO was determined a sales flop from the get-go, so dealers wouldn't buy them. I'm sure they could've been ordered back in the day.
I`ve been meaning to ask for awhile. Would you do a video on the 65 Dodge Dart GT convertible? I had one with the 273 engine with factory 4 barrel, solid lifters, dual point distributor, torque flight 904 auto. Man I loved that car, it would give any larger cubic inch small block ford or chevy a run for the money. I spanked a lot of GM 350`s and Ford 351`s with that little factory hypo engine.
Firebirds are one of my most favorite cars but the GTOs were not far behind for me. I don't understand why they couldn't have figured out a way of making it work without killing the GTO. I think Pontiac was the best line of GM, but along with Chevy they made some mistakes, with the biggest mistake being that GM dumped Pontiac all together.
They apparently wanted to kill the GTO, putting it on a Ventura, nonetheless Pontiac was my favorite GM car line for decades and I inherited a G6 from my Dad.
GTO used the same strategy as Corvette. V8 only. Sales of Camaro, Firebird, Mustang had 6 cyl and small V8 engine options and those are the cars that sell and keep production going. In 2004 the gto was reintroduced. If GM would have named the car with a different name, they could have used 6 cyl motors as a base engine, the car would have probably been a success. I have a 06 gto and love it.
Steffy Hobmann
Steffy Hobmann
Steffy Hobmann
Pontiac dropped the ball not putting the SD in the 74 GTO. That would have been so cool.
Welcome to the disco era.
They forgot to mention that the 73 was the best handling model of the GTO.
A sad ending to the car that not only saved Pontiac in the mid 60's--but was the original muscle car that all others emulated.
I think if it weren't for Trans Am we'd still have GTOs. Honestly givin the choice I'd definatly go with the Trans Am. Case in point.
Last thing for sure, Pontiac didn't put a 4 speed behind ANY 455 in 73 & 74. All the other GM cars that had the 455 in 73 & 74 got a 4 speed behind them , but Pontiac NEVER put a 4 speed behind the 455.
Good reporting on later models 6:56 6:56
Now if you come across that Nova GTO today it would be a collector's
I would love to find a 74 GTO, and look up for a ram air V, or super duty 455 to put in it.
Big buck project for sure!
How many Pontiacs other than Trans Am got a TA style shaker hood I wonder? I know this GTO and the Can Am. Any others?
Face it, the GTO died in 1972 and all the memories won't bring it back.. ever
Sadly almost had 73-4 in blue during my freshman year, but nope mom played with my feelings just to keep up with my grades which made it worse....the day after she saw it for sale the car was gone.
For parents in the future that will have kids who love classics.
1. If you're going to "buy it" then so let it be. If it's a crappy $500 project take it.
2. Don't get your kids hopes up...could lead to depression, etc or worse, lack of trust.
3. If the car/truck doesn't work out right away, keep it for a while and let the child decide to fix 'er up or sale 'er away.
4. Tell em to save up for their own but at least help like $20 a month.
5. Classic vehicles lives matter.
Why i tell you this?? Current owner of a 1972 Ford F-100 ratty daily/project muscle truck. Been there many times. Long list of regretting on classics
Great story. I tried to talk my Dad into buying a used red 73 GTO and he wouldn't, he just was not into muscle cars Ironically, my Mom bought a 75 LeMans Sports Coupe, great car and fun to drive!
1974 Pontiac GTO produced a whopping 200 Horsepower. We had one.
The desultory re-badging and warming over the cheapie Nova platform was not in keeping with the original GTO premise, which was stylish performance. I am not sure about the 350 badges on this specimen. Those look like '70 Chevrolet items.
If you think these arent cool, you must have never seen the car chase from The Seven Ups
They probably couldn't put a 455 in it because of Cafe laws. They are based off of wheelbase and the emissions are way tighter on a compact car. They started getting really strict in the early 70's and that's what really killed the muscle cars, not the oil embargo.
1973 & 1974 GTO was a real betrayal to the muscle car it was known to be
best looking Pontiac A body after the GTO swapped to the venture was the 77 CanAm
If you knew the engine codes you could still order just about anything you wanted... my brother ordered the 73 pontiac gto with adding a several codes; which got him a 73 Gto with the 455SD 4spd m20, and honeycomb 15" wheels! Bright blue on black bucket vinyl...
You can put this in the file under "STUPID DECISIONS" :
The FIREBIRD begins to tear into GTO sales. The 'Bird sells...the GOAT doesn't.
The GTO lasts only 10 years...the FIREBIRD lasts 35 !!
So...WHAT DOES PONTIAC DO ?? Go with the PROVEN WINNER ? They SHOULD have !!
But NOOOOOOOO....
They bring back the car that isn't selling....THE GTO...And lets the more successful car , The FIREBIRD, pass into history !!
Does THAT make sense to YOU ?? ( Me neither. )
If the GTO failed in 1974, what made Pontiac think that it would be a success in '04 ??
Three model years, and it was gone again. The reason ? poor sales.
But, People still miss the FIREBIRD till this VERY DAY . Case in point: TRANS AM DEPOT and several other companies have been making Camaro-based clones of The Firebird EVER SINCE !!
Bob Lutz said that : "The Firebird's day was DONE."
Perhaps it was...THEN.
But a new Firebird, introduced when the next-gen Camaro came out, would have changed his tune in SHORT ORDER. Look at how successful the CAMARO has been !! The "Bird would have been just as successful...if they had only LET it.
The FIREBIRD actually SAVED Pontiac back in the 1970's. It could have done so AGAIN in the 2000's ..again, If only they had LET IT.
Now , today, there IS NO PONTIAC.
Who's fault is THAT ??
I agree totally! The Firebird/Trans Am, like the Camaro, have always been great cars! Compared to the Mustang, which had some gens that were awful, the Firebird/Trans Am/Camaro have always been... Supreme! As if they were jealous, GM always tried to stifle Pontiac. Their restrictions, even when DeLorean was with them, were ridiculous!! Dropping Pontiac is a shame!!
williamg2552 they retired with millions billions more$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ so they can care less what anyone thinks says
GM brass ALWAYS gave Pontiac a hard time about their high performance cars because they didn't want Pontiac building a car that would outperform their baby, the Corvette
1973 was GTO 10th anniversary.
No, because the first year 1964 doesn't count as an anniversary. The first anniversary GTO was the 1965, and then you add from there. So, 9 years later in 1974 you have the 10th anniversary. Same thing happened with the Trans Am. First year of Trans Am was 1969. 1979 was the Tenth Anniversary, for which they made a 10th Anniversary special edition Trans Am (TATA).
Very interesting. I liked the Le Mans styling, but not would rather have a Judge.
Old car bad memories
Guess I don't understand a manufacturer giving up on such a staple, but I didnt major in marketing.
I knew someone that had a Sprint model with 4 speed stick and a 455 from a 70 Bonneville. It was evil.
It was 74 Ventura Sprint.
What a sad ending for a cool car. Should have stuck with the A-body.
Yep someone wasn't using their heads in the board room that's for Certain!
I watched.
I like the Nova style GOAT! With the Shaker hood on it but the down fall was it looked to much like a Nova and Nova's we're already popular , 350 Muncie 4 speed u cud not go wrong with a a Nova ss
The hottest engine in a Nova SS for 74 was a 185hp 350. The Pontiac was 200hp and had a functional Trans Am style shaker air induction RTS and more.
I like 'em too.
randsonic I meant the Novas before 74 in this case in 74 I take the Goat
1974 GTO 350 200 hp & 295 Tq
1974 T/A SD 455 290 hp & 395 Tq
I can't say it wouldn't be quicker, but the reality is, "not by much".
My 66 was a better hp maker then all of these..400 bored, biggest cam available,aluminum intake hedman headers, rear had hd 12 bolt with a 456 posi with traction bars and airbags in coil springs, had a turbo 400 trans with short tailshaft, that baby was geared low had a manual shift valve body in it.
UNDERRATED
1974 was a bad year for car designs. The feds mandated that in 1974, all cars had to survive a front or rear end collision of 5mph with no money damage. As a result every car had these huge Checker Cab type bumpers that ruined the look of the car. Compare the 1973 Firebird and the 1974 Firebird. YUCCHH!
Actually, the T/A did a pretty good job of incorporating the 5 mph bumpers. Unlike the Malibu, GTO and Buick GS, which looked like girder beams bolted to the car.
The 74 Firebird was still a really good looking car I always thought. Not as good looking as the 70-73 though