I had a 1971 T-37. It was a great first car. Handsome, substantial and planted. I always put low mile used Goodyear police radials on it via a family connection. It handled well but with the inline 6 was not quick. It was very reliable and easy to work on.
I had your same car with the 350 2bbl. Red with a black vinyl top. Had Widetrack Super 70's. It felt fast but my I believe my 2018 Sonata 2.4 four cylinder will get to 60 faster...
Growing up in Pontiac Michigan at that time, my little old lady neighbor behind me had a T-37 Lemans in gold color . That's the only T-37 I can ever remember seeing in person ever. She made kick ass cookies for me as a kid. RIP Mrs. Lee.
I always felt Buick and GMC should have been axed instead of Pontiac as we could have had the G8 UTE, a new GTO and Trans-Am by this point instead of kits for the Camaro but no since Buick sells so well in China but no Pontiac had to be the one let go.
@@sd31263 GM stopped building Pontiacs anyone wanted. The G8 was too little too late. Grab one before they shoot up in price. The last of the great Pontiacs.
I had a 70 t-37. Bench seat, manual brakes, manual steering, radio delete, key and a heater, 3 speed floor shift but, it had the 400 HO and it would move.
Exactly! Good voice, not Morgan Freeman but it doesn't need to be. Natural is where it's at, and the... understandability (pronunciation, no reverb, pacing, loudness) was outstanding!
I remember one of these, it was around the mid or late 80s. A guy had one with the 455HO. He had the motor blueprinted, put slicks on, and it ran 12.7 quarters and the front wheels lightly came off the ground.
I remember the T 37. In '69 my parents bought a Tempest Sport. 350 with a 2 speed automatic. $2992. It was my pops daily driver until I acquired it in '77. By then 2 cylinders needed plug extenders it burned 2 quarts of oil per tank of fuel. No matter I cut it to dual cherry bombs and beat the hell out of it.
I had a 68 Tempest Custom 2 door post I had while in high school. 350 2bbl, powerglide. Alpine blue with a white (painted) roof and chrome reverse wheels. Gutless but I'd love to have one like it again. I'm certain a 4 speed automatic with overdrive and dual exhaust would help its acceleration enough to satisfy me now.
@@markchapmon8670 dual exhaust made a difference I could beat up on 4 and 6 cylinders lol zero to 70 in first gear screaming from the traffic stoplight. .
In 1973 we had a car in the running at a dirt track in saluda Virginia 55 Chevy. In the next higher division was pretty much an outlaw division like if it ran you could be in the class. One guy had a nova with a 427 set back 12 inches but got beaten really bad by a lemans with the inline 6 overhead cam. In 50 laps the lemans was ahead by three laps on the 3/8s mile track
Thats really cool to know, some of my friends would buy a Lemans and fit the GTO stuff on it for a poor mans GTO Inline 6's have some definite potential but to beat a 427??? Nuts
I’ve been to that track many times in the very early ‘80’s . Saw the fastest car there get beat badly on a Saturday night because the driver couldn’t drive it ! He would outrun everyone in the straight away but get destroyed in the corners ! I wanted to set up my ‘73 Barracuda for dirt but I needed it to get to work in ! Oh well , probably better off , I had a family to support . That track was called Virginia Raceway , I loved going there on Saturday nights . Take care everyone !
@terryoquinn8199 awesome. In the 90s I built my wife a racecar for saluda 1972 rotted out Torino I installed a 460 4 BBL automatic transmission drive train. She placed 3rd in her division for the season. We had a great time there. The track is still there and it's still called Virginia raceway. It's actually in a place called little Jamaica.
I was born in 1966. That was a very wonderful trip on memory lane as a child growing up. My parents both had Volkswagen buses. My father also had a 356 about the time I was eight or nine years old. I got rid of the German thing And we got a 1968 impala super sport silver with the black land down top and the horseshoe shifter was it was a beast. It was definitely different than the Porsche. I was the Porsche but I also grew up about 1000 feet from a Chevrolet dealer that had all five brands, so was no nothing walked past a lot of brand new Corvettes and Chevelle and who is a young kid. I used to get to watch daily brand new cars and it was amazing. It was amazing back then that was very informative documentary that you put together, buddy that was awesome.
This is how modern muscle and pony cars need to be today: stripped down with the biggest engine possible, instead of being heavy, $80,000 luxo barges. Cars like the T-37 were how muscle cars were originally intended to be.
That's why Vipers and Cobra R Mustangs were so good in the 90s, those were the last two American performance cars I can think of without all the infotainment bullshit.
@@taxirob2248 Pretty much. The closest thing we have now is a base Mustang GT. Even that is going to have Apple Car Play , Android Auto and traction control. It is the expectation of the customer base. At least Ford still lets you turn off traction control and still offers a manual transmission (aka theft control). The old day are gone, unfortunately.
I have heard of both the T-37 and the GT-37. I knew that you could order a 455 in them. Read about them in the 80's. Never seen one in person until the late 90's. A buddy in HS has a 70 LeMans Sport. I owned a 70 LeMans Sport in '96-'97. Both were 350-2bbl. Thanks for sharing this story.
@the 9.30 mark- girlfriend in HS, the family had one just the same color combo they bought new. But, 16 years of Michigan & Ohio winters, and her older brother were not the nicest to it. It was sitting in the driveway (Enon, Ohio) about the mid'90's and somebody bought it. They definitely had their work cut out trying to bring it back. Hopefully it happened, don't know
While a couple friends owned GT37's when they were new, I've never seen one w/ a 455. They were both 350's w/ 4 speeds. While we had (2) large Pontiac dealers in the area, this was not a heavily stocked vehicle.
@@opera93 I guess it's basically a poor man's GTO. I wouldn't mind having a GT37 w/ the 350 though, that said, prices on old cars have went crazy in the last 4 years.
In 1978, I bought a 1970 Lemans with a 250 six cylinder and a 3 sp. This was my college car. It was actually pretty fast because this was before detuning in 1972. I think it had about 210 hp and cost me $1500.
I remember the package. I had a neighbor that was a Pontiac salesman. He often brought home interesting cars. I would love to build a 4 door sleeper Lemans with a manual trans☺
I had a 4 door Lemans Sport , ‘72 , with a 400/400 Turbo that looked like hell but ran like a bat out of hell ! I sent many people home , embarrassed by my beater !
I had an uncle that refused to buy anything with an automatic transmission. I remember giggling when we went to visit in the mid eighties and he had a brand new 4 door cutlass with a four speed from the factory. He had to special order it and they had to cut the bench seat out to make room for the shifter! It was Cleveland so that unicorn is long gone, but what would that thing be worth now?!?!
@terryoquinn8199 Dam your car is almost identical to the Lemans I bought from another Soldier when I was leaving Fort Bragg except my car had a 350 Trans.
I always thought the GT-37 was Pontiac's real answer to the Road Runner. The Judge was supposed to be, but then they moved it up market. On a personal note - when I was a kid a guy on our street had one. He was about 10 years older, so we all looked up to him. I believe his was a 400, but not certain. Thanks for highlighting an overlooked car.
Did Pontiac have a car that wouldn't get killed by a cheaper '71 440 6 barrel Road Runner? I won't even mention the HEEMEE. Nobody had an answer for the '68 $2700 Road Runner certainly not a straight 6 Poncho ! LOL
@@cuda426hemi maybe a fully American owned version of Chrysler would still be around if they weren't practically giving away some of the best muscle cars ever made back then. They also developed the M1 Abrams tank shortly thereafter.
@ The comment was in reference to an affordable performance car. With the 400, it held its own. The 440/6? Among my favorite engines - period - even more than the 426 Hemi.
@@cuda426hemiNot sure about that one, the 68 Nova, with a 375 hp 396 might just have a little something to say about that. LOL Not dissing the 68 RR, with the 2 door post, one of my favorite cars.
Nice! I didn't know about the GT-37. The T-37 would even be a good choice for slamming in a big block, because we all know that sneaking up on a Pinto could be hazardous to your health 😂😂😂
I’m a Mopar man but when I was younger and poorer , I drove whatever I could afford at the time . Nothing “nice” but I did have some fast cars . My favorite Pontiac was a 1972 Lemans Sport 4 door grocery getter that I paid $275 for in 1977 . It was kinda rough looking but it had a 400 / 400 Turbo in it that just flat out flew ! I would spot “nice” cars 1 , 2 and sometimes even 3 lengths before dusting their butts at the other end . That car was impressive and made a lot of people very angry , not to mention a bit less rich . Man I loved the good old days ! I guess I’ll have to learn to live with my new Last Call Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak in Plum Crazy purple that will dust about anything except possibly another Mopar ! A Super Stock or Redeye or Demon is about all and depending on the driver , who knows . I’ve been street racing for a lotta years . Track time too in an 11 second Duster for a while . I love the smell of racing fuel in the morning ! Take care all and drive like you know how to ! Peace ☮️ !
I bought a '71 Sport Lemans in 1981. It was equipped with a 400-4bbl. 4 speed and 3:08 posi rear. It had been primered and the floor had been pop riveted over the rust holes. It had an M-22, but I couldn't say that it was original, except that at 100,000 miles it needed a cluitch, which was real easy for my meager skills. I also rebuilt the Hurst shifter, which was specially configured for the bench seat. I paid $800.00CAN and sold it in '85 after a front end collision bent the header panel, which I could not afford to repair. Fun and cheap times.
Being a Pontiac GTO fan since before I even got my license, I must say I have never heard of this model. I would assume insurance would have been cheaper on this over the GTO.
I had a friend who drove a '71 T-37 for a while in the late '70's-early '80's. The car had a 350 w/ an auto trans & remains the only one I've ever seen "in person".
I had a subscription to Hemmings muscle car, and they featured one of these, one that was racing in F.A.S.T meets at that time. Neat car, but the Oldsmobile cutlasses were so much better looking( My Dad bought one).
I had a 71 Le Mans 400 .I purchased it for £250 and it was fast and great fun .A rare sight in the UK and i embarrassed many hot hatches lol .Painted it in bright orange with twin satin black bonnet roof and boot stripes and swapped out the bench seat for buckets .Got threw a set of rear tires in a fortnight doing smokey burnouts and kicked it's head in for 4 years ,never said no and no breakages .Awesome sounding lumpy tick over .Sold it for £4800 and regretted doing so .
I had a 1971 T-37 with the 350. I loved that car. I should have never sold it. Front discs, power brakes and power steering. I still think Pontiac had the best looking cars of the early 70's.
In 1975, while stationed at Ft. Carson, CO. I was fortunate enough to buy a 1969 LeMans off the original owner, special ordered with the 400/4 brl dual exhaust 4 speed M21, with 3:73 posi, with handling package. The original owner had just re-enlisted with a $3,500 cash bonus, so he ordered a 1972 GT37 with the 455/4brl dual exhaust 4 speed M22, with 3:55 posi, he again insisted more due to all the snow in CO, than anything else. See it actually wasn’t the price difference buying a LeMans over a GTO, NO it was the greedy insurance companies who jacked the rates on GTO’s to the younger buyers, including young Sargent’s.
The first time T and GT-37's came to my attention, was discovering Dan Jensen and his racing '71 455-HO T-37 featured in the Pontiac car magazines I was getting at the time in the 80's or 90's, since I owned a '71 T/A, which had the same engine. Saw him racing the car at the Pure Stock drags at the Mid Michigan Motorplex Pure Stock drags in the 80's & 90's. Well into the low 12's, if I remember right. Kind of a tan/orange color car. The original factory rated engine compression was 8.4-1. Seems like I remember him saying that both the heads and block were decked, so it was probably right at about the 9.9-1 compression mark. Compression modification was limited to 1.5 points over stock, if I remember the pure stock rules right. Thing could really launch, saw the car squat back, the front rise up, and him take a W30 455 Olds 442 off the line and keep pulling distance. I don't remember who won the race, but I think it was Dan.
There was one at our highschool but it was a 400 not 455. everybody made fun of him - 'Should had got a GTO' ... and then he would shut em down at the lights or at the track .... Dark Navy Blue, White Stripe, light blue interior .... we called him Pappa Smurf ... he would eat Chevelle SS's on the reg.
My dad picked one up around 1980. A woman had it sitting in her back yard for years, and dad bought it as a car for my sister (it was a great car, she said). It wasn't in that good of condition, so he kept it for himself to drive back and forth to work. Speedometer didn't work, loud exhaust, the entire brake system had to be replaced and a plethora of other problems. Eventually the frame broke from rust, and he sold it to a coworker who wanted it. It was a 1971 GT-37, white with reflective blue sword stripe, and a 455. I'm not sure which 455 it had. Does it still exist? I have no idea, but probably not. Years later, there was a gold with gold sword stripe floating around, but I never did get to find out who owned it. Only seen it 2 or 3 times. It looked a little rough.
I saw one in a car magazine (might have been a late '80s issue of Muscle Car Review) where this guy wanted to buy a '70 Judge but the elders at his church told him that wasn't the image they wanted to project. So, he wound up ordering all the Judge equipment on a GT37 convertible.
I remember as a kid, picking up a copy of the June 1971 Hot Rod Magazine and reading an article about the '71 Pontiac GT-37. I've never seen one in the flesh, but that article stayed with me for years. I finally found a copy of that magazine and purchased it. I've seen a couple T-37's but still never had the pleasure of seeing a GT-37 in any configuration, but since I visit every car museum, show and cars & coffee event I come across, maybe someday.
I have a early 1971 GT-37. Got it from a N.C. junkyard in 2009. Mine was a 350 car with AC, I was told it was a zone rep car. I have the PHS and found 2 build sheets. Back then they didn't have the hype as today.
While not a GT-37, my buddy had a 1971 Lemans. Factory 455HO one of 6 built and the only 3spd manual built of the 6. It was drop dead gorgeous and so unassuming.
Everybody gets this wrong: 1970 was the TEMPEST model, with Trim options T-37 and GT-37. GT-37 was V8 only with Judge stripes and Hood pins. 1970 you could get 400. 1971 had the 400 and 455. In 1971 T-37 and GT-37 were LEMANS based, as Tempest was discontinued in 71. So 1970 it is referred to as a Tempest GT-37. 1971 It is a LeMans GT-37.
A great story well done. I have a 70 GTO convertible with the 400 ci 350 hp engine and M20 4 speed. Of the 3,783 1970 convertibles, only 887 were configured like mine. Additionally, the original 3.55 rear end has been replaced with a 3.90 version. The car is really quick, easily outrunning my 1969 427 Corvette convertible. The low end torque is amazing.
Just when I think you bettered you last video, you continue to prove me wrong. Your channel just keeps getting better. Keep up the great work and thank you.
My good friend had one of these. Metallic brown with yellow stripes, iirc. He pulled the original motor and had a 455 Pontiac built for it by RHS (Racing Head Service). That thing really moved. Never saw him lose a race.....
Thru 1986/`87 I had a `72 LeMans Gt (American model) which meant some Canadian parts here up north didn`t fit make & model. Though not my fastest it held it`s own in a straight line. Bright orange with the silver/black reflective side stripe & black interior. Acquired for $700 running & driving well.
I had a 1971 Pontiac Lemans Sport with a 350, 2-barrel in it. Kind of routine but it had the same body as the GTO with about 90% of the parts compatible with it. Only thing missing was the engine and transmission!
The GT-37 was actually what the original, 1969 Judge was intended to be. The '69 version was a prototype, based on the Tempest and called "ET", probably a reference to "elapsed time", and it was intended to compete with the Plymouth Roadrunner. John Delorean decided to only offer the Judge option on the GTO, thus moving it out of the Roadrunner price range. As originally intended, it was a bare-bones car, but mechanically the same as the GTO, with the same engine options. Pontiac produced a 1969 high performance catalog showing that car, wearing an early version of the Judge body stripes. Also shown in that catalog are the Tempest 350 HO, Tempest OHC 6 Sprint, Firebird 350 HO, Firebird 400, Grand Prix 428 HO, and the base GTO. Those cars were tested by several car magazines including Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Super Stock, and possibly another. The 1971 and 1972 455 HO were not D-port engines as stated in the video. They used round, exhaust port cylinder heads, as did the 1969 and 1970 Ram Air IV 400 engines, except the compression ratios were lowered to 8.4 vs. 10.75 and 10.5 of the 1969 and 1970 engines respectively. Also, all of the engines offered in the 1971 and 1972 GTOs were also available in the 1971 LeMans, T-37, 1972 LeMans and LeMans GT. The 1970 T-37 was also available with the 330 HP, 400 4-bbl engine, as were the Tempest and LeMans, except station wagons. No 455s were offered in an A-body Pontiac until 1971.
A very good presentation. My compliments! I grew up in the NW Chicago neighborhoods, and I saw several T-37's as a youngster. But since I was an impressionable teen who dug the more flamboyant top-line muscle cars, I never paid much attention to what I deemed to be "poor substitutes". Like I said, I was a kid, so I likely saw a few "GT-37s", but paid no mind to them. Pity! I never knew what the "T-37" badging stood for either. It seemed so random to me.
I bought a red1970 GTO convertible with the 345hp 400 cu. in. V8 . It was a looker, especially with the all rubber nose cone and quad tipped exhaust pipes. I mounted 60 series B.F. Goodrich Radial TA's on it and Man! could it handle, especially with the rear anti-sway bar. It attracted two things: tickets and girls and I had an excess of both back then!
My Grand mother bought one brand new in 1971, Lemans sport with the hood scoops and all options of a GTO but it only had the 350ci in it when she gave it to me. I put a 455HO and Turbo400 headers and cam, it all just bolted in and that car was a beast ran 12's easy with street tires and was grandma mint condition. "Grandma said I made her car mean like a GTO" It was totaled while parked.. I really miss that car
I knew of a few but couldn't tell you what engines they had in them. For 71 and 72 though the 455HO had round port heads and an aluminum intake manifold similar to the RAIV. Only one year GTO had front disc brakes standard and that was 73. All other year GTOs had 4 wheel drum brakes standard with front discs as options for 67 - 72 and 74.
@@dcarden3031 Pontiac Motor division never made a big block of any sort, if you’re talking about the Big Chief aftermarket, I don’t know, never worked on one.
Easily forgotten, it was insurance costs that wounded the muscle cars of the late Sixties, then smog that killed them. The GT-37 slots right into that time frame. Buy the base car optioned up, show your agent the title (which does not llst engine size in my state) and stay out of trouble.
Always loved under the radar cars. Like a lx coupe 5.0 fox mustang that was quicker than its gt counterpart. The 4th gen firebird formula over the trans-am. The t- type turbo Buick over the gsx. Etc, etc.
So why would you want the 455HO vs the 400 in the 1970 gt37 because at 345 horse, the 1970 400 had 20 more hp than the 1971 455 and 10 more then gto 455 so the 1970 gt37 with the 400HO would seem like the sweet spot especially if you could order a 4 speed or something similar just saying the 1970 with the 400HO would have been lighter and likely faster.
Car manufacturers were known for fudging hp numbers, and then of course there was the switch from Net to gross hp to really screw everyone up, but I'm pretty sure insurance companies and the rates they charged were one of the main reasons for the discrepancy, but also to keep the numbers somewhat SECERT to the other manufacturers
Not sure that the weight would have been much different. Unlike the Chevys 350/400/455 Pontiac engines were all based on the same block with varying bore and stroke. All had iron heads and cast manifolds with HO cars getting an aluminum intake.
The part of the story that was missed here is that drag racing and street drag racing were still a big deal in the 1970's Woodward Blvd, etc. A V8 equipped T37 was much lighter than the heavily optioned GTO, and less weight means more speed. Ford did something similar. While the BOSS 429 Mustang and Torino Cobra 429 brought in the big bucks, you could order that engine in a Fairlane or for a short time in 1970, the Falcon, which shared the same body style until it was discontinued mid year. Thrifty and smart drag racers were the only ones to catch on.
In the early 80s, I remember a young lady who owned a '71 LeMans with a 350 / auto. Fast car. Until the timing chain broke, taking the timing cover and balancer with it. I fixed it with new chain and gears, and a junkyard cover and balancer. Six months later, all were broken again. She had another guy fix it, with all new parts. Six months after that, pow, all again. I fixed it again, and told her to trade it in.
At the age of 16, I had a 74 Duster, slant 6/3 spd. Had an opportunity to trade even for a 72 Lemans GT 350/4 spd. My dad drove it, as I needed his permission to do the deal…. The ole man got rubber in all 4 gear and simply said, no deal! I was crushed! It was gold with the black GT strip and stripper 5 spoke wheels. I’m an old man now and I’ve rarely seen another GT or GT37.
In 1975 a good friend I went to high school with older brother had a 70 or 71 T-37 350 and if I remember right the floor shifted manual was a 3 spd, car was gold with red side stripes & gold int., he was rear ended on our newish 3 yr old I-275 changing a flat tire and was standing at the rear of the car when it was hit at over 50 mph, he survived but couldn't walk for about a year, car Did Not survive, I rode in that car very many times and it was pretty fast for a 350, I don't think I've seen another T-37 since and I have a 68 Malibu with a big block that I take to some local shows
Always been a top fan of Pontiac. Fact, I even seen John DeLorean at grocery store I worked at. My first 2 cars were Pontiacs. I would take a GT-37 over a Judge just based on rarity and more towards a sleeper look.
Should point out that the name T-37 came from the GM factory code for a 2-door hardtop A-body. Being cheaper than a base Chevelle made sense since from 1964 up to the '71 Ventura Pontiac didn't have a true compact car.
Wouldn't it be ironic if public awareness of the T-37 Pontiac grows to the point where it's no longer a hi performance bargain because there's not enough of them to meet demand so it becomes more sought after than, say, a Judge, which costed way more when new and becomes worth more than the Judge. That does make sense? Ultimately, the best deal is to buy a plain Jane 350 car or six cyl and build something from it. Thus is the cheapest way to go.
I had one from 2013 until last spring, a 1970 TEMPEST GT-37 400 4 speed. Very few people know about these cars, and so few were made (1425 I think for 1970, and 80% of those were 350 Auto cars). I advertised it back 6 years ago, running perfect, rebuit engine, 12 bolt posi, could not even get a phone call at 12K asking price - as NOBODY knows what the hell it is.
@gt-37guy6 thanks for sharing bud, that is an awesome car that you owned! Yeah, disappointing the lack of interest out there, I don't get it, yours was a bona fide collectible original car, wow.
@@bruceh92 Thanks, it was an old amateur restoration, but was super solid underneath, Iowa car. Had lot's of issues with rod bearings, I drove it really hard - got my Steve McQueen out with that car!
In the 1980s I had a scout master that had a 455 GT-37 with the wing in that avocado color. Black interior. Don't know if it was one of the 50, but it sure was fast.
I never heard of a GT-37 445HO. It's a cool car, but it could never assume a sleeper stance because of the extremely close appearance to an actual GTO. If that body shape pulled up beside you at the lights you'd ALWAYS wonder what was under the hood and the floorpan, and never take it for granted you could leave it behind unless you had a Hemi, a Cammer, a LS7, or a Stage 1 455. If they wanted to race, you could be pretty sure they weren't nursing a 6 banger, OHC or not.
The dealers decide what to put in stock. As it is now, it was likely close to this back then. They could stock GTO's and the GT-37 and bleed off sales from the GTO or just not stock the lesser version. No different than a dealer selling pickup trucks these days. IF they even have a single cab pickup on the lot, it will be hidden so sales would go to a higher spec version with a bigger profit margin. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I don't remember what engine it had but I do remember one of the first GT37's I saw coming down the line had a cable operated exhaust cutout. I thought that was unusual for a factory car.
I had a friend in Tyree. I don't know if you really coming from me associate. We worked at a Shell station and he had I believe a 455 Pontiac sport Le Mans He's to smoke the tires in the Shell station. He wind up going to the Air Force and I seen him on television doing ad for the Navy and they showed him doing a muscle car or something like that I remember was a red in the neat when he was doing for the I believe he was doing a Chevy there Camaro like 1970 something with a blower motor on it and you wind up working for Nissan a hard but that guy was a wizard. That kind of stuff I used to know from Highland oaks Junior high. When I first met him he was driving motorcycle I believe he must not been older 15 when I first met him this is a shout out to Tyree that put me something like Chuck Norris when he puts him in that back breaker thing with a neck
I own a 1971 GT-37 with a 400-4barrel auto a/c buckets, I need a hood and a grill. The car is appart. From TX. Now in Ca. I wanted to put on a GTO front clip, but way too expensive.
I know Olds had the SX, which was a Supreme body that offered almost all the 442 options. It was to get around insurance because it was classified as a family car. I always wondered what the Pontiac version was. Anyone know if Buick have a similar offering?
I have a 72 lemans gt 37 forest green I did use its 350 in a catalina to sell that but the catalinas 400 is built and in my basement . Mine has the rubber endura bumper in the front orig. I do have the auto th 400 but i colleceted the parts to go manual with a m22 that i have. The gt 37 is still in a field but spent 20 years in a garage . its in good shape. I will redo it soon .
Never knew they were made I was a mopar guy had a 69 rr and the went chevy ss novas and such never heard of them I will look and keep my eye out THANKS
I had a 1971 T-37. It was a great first car. Handsome, substantial and planted. I always put low mile used Goodyear police radials on it via a family connection. It handled well but with the inline 6 was not quick. It was very reliable and easy to work on.
I had your same car with the 350 2bbl. Red with a black vinyl top. Had Widetrack Super 70's. It felt fast but my I believe my 2018 Sonata 2.4 four cylinder will get to 60 faster...
Growing up in Pontiac Michigan at that time, my little old lady neighbor behind me had a T-37 Lemans in gold color . That's the only T-37 I can ever remember seeing in person ever. She made kick ass cookies for me as a kid. RIP Mrs. Lee.
my dad had a lime green pontiac tempest he bought brand new in 1969. I always loved the Pontiac brand. GM murdered a great brand.
Yep
I always felt Buick and GMC should have been axed instead of Pontiac as we could have had the G8 UTE, a new GTO and Trans-Am by this point instead of kits for the Camaro but no since Buick sells so well in China but no Pontiac had to be the one let go.
Americans murdered Pontiac by not buying enough of them to make the brand profitable.
@@ChampionBlueRacing GMC is making tons of money. You don't kill your profitmakers.
@@sd31263 GM stopped building Pontiacs anyone wanted. The G8 was too little too late. Grab one before they shoot up in price. The last of the great Pontiacs.
I had a 70 t-37. Bench seat, manual brakes, manual steering, radio delete, key and a heater, 3 speed floor shift but, it had the 400 HO and it would move.
Thank you for being so thorough and no AI voice.
Exactly! Good voice, not Morgan Freeman but it doesn't need to be. Natural is where it's at, and the... understandability (pronunciation, no reverb, pacing, loudness) was outstanding!
I remember one of these, it was around the mid or late 80s. A guy had one with the 455HO. He had the motor blueprinted, put slicks on, and it ran 12.7 quarters and the front wheels lightly came off the ground.
@@Mikeysixkiller so good to hear a story about someone doing things right, including running that engine!
that was probably the logic behind buying a loaded GT instead of a GTO: you'd be as fast or faster on the strip and in stoplight drags for less money
I remember the T 37. In '69 my parents bought a Tempest Sport. 350 with a 2 speed automatic. $2992. It was my pops daily driver until I acquired it in '77. By then 2 cylinders needed plug extenders it burned 2 quarts of oil per tank of fuel. No matter I cut it to dual cherry bombs and beat the hell out of it.
Reminds me of my 1967 Barricuda. 273 4 barrel that smoked like hell. It still beat most small blocks I came up against.
I had a 68 Tempest Custom 2 door post I had while in high school. 350 2bbl, powerglide. Alpine blue with a white (painted) roof and chrome reverse wheels. Gutless but I'd love to have one like it again. I'm certain a 4 speed automatic with overdrive and dual exhaust would help its acceleration enough to satisfy me now.
@@markchapmon8670 dual exhaust made a difference I could beat up on 4 and 6 cylinders lol zero to 70 in first gear screaming from the traffic stoplight.
.
In 1973 we had a car in the running at a dirt track in saluda Virginia 55 Chevy. In the next higher division was pretty much an outlaw division like if it ran you could be in the class. One guy had a nova with a 427 set back 12 inches but got beaten really bad by a lemans with the inline 6 overhead cam. In 50 laps the lemans was ahead by three laps on the 3/8s mile track
Thats really cool to know, some of my friends would buy a Lemans and fit the GTO stuff on it for a poor mans GTO
Inline 6's have some definite potential but to beat a 427??? Nuts
Yorktown was my home for many years, know that track.
I’ve been to that track many times in the very early ‘80’s . Saw the fastest car there get beat badly on a Saturday night because the driver couldn’t drive it ! He would outrun everyone in the straight away but get destroyed in the corners ! I wanted to set up my ‘73 Barracuda for dirt but I needed it to get to work in ! Oh well , probably better off , I had a family to support . That track was called Virginia Raceway , I loved going there on Saturday nights . Take care everyone !
@terryoquinn8199 awesome. In the 90s I built my wife a racecar for saluda 1972 rotted out Torino I installed a 460 4 BBL automatic transmission drive train. She placed 3rd in her division for the season. We had a great time there. The track is still there and it's still called Virginia raceway. It's actually in a place called little Jamaica.
@@michaelvarble4392 You sound like a cool guy to do that for your wife
Respect!
I was born in 1966. That was a very wonderful trip on memory lane as a child growing up. My parents both had Volkswagen buses. My father also had a 356 about the time I was eight or nine years old. I got rid of the German thing And we got a 1968 impala super sport silver with the black land down top and the horseshoe shifter was it was a beast. It was definitely different than the Porsche. I was the Porsche but I also grew up about 1000 feet from a Chevrolet dealer that had all five brands, so was no nothing walked past a lot of brand new Corvettes and Chevelle and who is a young kid. I used to get to watch daily brand new cars and it was amazing. It was amazing back then that was very informative documentary that you put together, buddy that was awesome.
This is how modern muscle and pony cars need to be today: stripped down with the biggest engine possible, instead of being heavy, $80,000 luxo barges. Cars like the T-37 were how muscle cars were originally intended to be.
todays muscle cars are boat anchors fully loaded with every power opt know
That's why Vipers and Cobra R Mustangs were so good in the 90s, those were the last two American performance cars I can think of without all the infotainment bullshit.
Most people are too soft to handle a raw, stripped down performance machine.
I had a 62Tempest with heater delete, though no one needs a 600HP car on a public road.
@@taxirob2248 Pretty much. The closest thing we have now is a base Mustang GT.
Even that is going to have Apple Car Play , Android Auto and traction control. It is the expectation of the customer base. At least Ford still lets you turn off traction control and still offers a manual transmission (aka theft control).
The old day are gone, unfortunately.
I have heard of both the T-37 and the GT-37. I knew that you could order a 455 in them. Read about them in the 80's. Never seen one in person until the late 90's. A buddy in HS has a 70 LeMans Sport. I owned a 70 LeMans Sport in '96-'97. Both were 350-2bbl. Thanks for sharing this story.
@the 9.30 mark- girlfriend in HS, the family had one just the same color combo they bought new. But, 16 years of Michigan & Ohio winters, and her older brother were not the nicest to it. It was sitting in the driveway (Enon, Ohio) about the mid'90's and somebody bought it. They definitely had their work cut out trying to bring it back. Hopefully it happened, don't know
While a couple friends owned GT37's when they were new, I've never seen one w/ a 455. They were both 350's w/ 4 speeds. While we had (2) large Pontiac dealers in the area, this was not a heavily stocked vehicle.
Same here….. 455s , rare? Etc.
@@opera93 I guess it's basically a poor man's GTO. I wouldn't mind having a GT37 w/ the 350 though, that said, prices on old cars have went crazy in the last 4 years.
@@opera93 15 had the 455-4, and 54 had the 455 HO. According to 'street muscle' mag.
In 1978, I bought a 1970 Lemans with a 250 six cylinder and a 3 sp. This was my college car. It was actually pretty fast because this was before detuning in 1972. I think it had about 210 hp and cost me $1500.
Congratulations!
I remember the package. I had a neighbor that was a Pontiac salesman. He often brought home interesting cars. I would love to build a 4 door sleeper Lemans with a manual trans☺
I had a 4 door Lemans Sport , ‘72 , with a 400/400 Turbo that looked like hell but ran like a bat out of hell ! I sent many people home , embarrassed by my beater !
I had an uncle that refused to buy anything with an automatic transmission. I remember giggling when we went to visit in the mid eighties and he had a brand new 4 door cutlass with a four speed from the factory. He had to special order it and they had to cut the bench seat out to make room for the shifter! It was Cleveland so that unicorn is long gone, but what would that thing be worth now?!?!
@terryoquinn8199 Dam your car is almost identical to the Lemans I bought from another Soldier when I was leaving Fort Bragg except my car had a 350 Trans.
I always thought the GT-37 was Pontiac's real answer to the Road Runner. The Judge was supposed to be, but then they moved it up market. On a personal note - when I was a kid a guy on our street had one. He was about 10 years older, so we all looked up to him. I believe his was a 400, but not certain. Thanks for highlighting an overlooked car.
Did Pontiac have a car that wouldn't get killed by a cheaper '71 440 6 barrel Road Runner? I won't even mention the HEEMEE. Nobody had an answer for the '68 $2700 Road Runner certainly not a straight 6 Poncho ! LOL
Mopar or no car !
@@cuda426hemi maybe a fully American owned version of Chrysler would still be around if they weren't practically giving away some of the best muscle cars ever made back then. They also developed the M1 Abrams tank shortly thereafter.
@ The comment was in reference to an affordable performance car. With the 400, it held its own. The 440/6? Among my favorite engines - period - even more than the 426 Hemi.
@@cuda426hemiNot sure about that one, the 68 Nova, with a 375 hp 396 might just have a little something to say about that. LOL Not dissing the 68 RR, with the 2 door post, one of my favorite cars.
Nice! I didn't know about the GT-37. The T-37 would even be a good choice for slamming in a big block, because we all know that sneaking up on a Pinto could be hazardous to your health
😂😂😂
I’m a Mopar man but when I was younger and poorer , I drove whatever I could afford at the time . Nothing “nice” but I did have some fast cars . My favorite Pontiac was a 1972 Lemans Sport 4 door grocery getter that I paid $275 for in 1977 . It was kinda rough looking but it had a 400 / 400 Turbo in it that just flat out flew ! I would spot “nice” cars 1 , 2 and sometimes even 3 lengths before dusting their butts at the other end . That car was impressive and made a lot of people very angry , not to mention a bit less rich . Man I loved the good old days ! I guess I’ll have to learn to live with my new Last Call Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak in Plum Crazy purple that will dust about anything except possibly another Mopar ! A Super Stock or Redeye or Demon is about all and depending on the driver , who knows . I’ve been street racing for a lotta years . Track time too in an 11 second Duster for a while . I love the smell of racing fuel in the morning ! Take care all and drive like you know how to ! Peace ☮️ !
Yeah well my Cadillac CT5 V Blackwing will kick your butt in the 1/8 mile Bud!!!
I bought a '71 Sport Lemans in 1981. It was equipped with a 400-4bbl. 4 speed and 3:08 posi rear. It had been primered and the floor had been pop riveted over the rust holes. It had an M-22, but I couldn't say that it was original, except that at 100,000 miles it needed a cluitch, which was real easy for my meager skills. I also rebuilt the Hurst shifter, which was specially configured for the bench seat. I paid $800.00CAN and sold it in '85 after a front end collision bent the header panel, which I could not afford to repair. Fun and cheap times.
I lived through that era as a teenager, street racer. And I never heard of that combo. !!
Can't believe being 53 years old that this is the first im learning this. Great video!
I love all the GM cars in this body style.
@@The_R-n-I_Guy so very yer!
Yes, I grew up in the Maryland/DC area and there were several T-37 and GT-37 models running around on the streets! 😉👍🏻
Being a Pontiac GTO fan since before I even got my license, I must say I have never heard of this model. I would assume insurance would have been cheaper on this over the GTO.
I recall that car and option package but unfortunately no stories.
You dude are giving me more surprises with today's video of gt-37 that few people know 😮 so thanks and have a good day bye now.
I had a friend who drove a '71 T-37 for a while in the late '70's-early '80's. The car had a 350 w/ an auto trans & remains the only one I've ever seen "in person".
I Had a 1970 T37 back in the mid 70's....350 with turbo 350 automatic loved that car.....
I had a subscription to Hemmings muscle car, and they featured one of these, one that was racing in F.A.S.T meets at that time. Neat car, but the Oldsmobile cutlasses were so much better looking( My Dad bought one).
I would agree I prefer the look of the Cutlass, especially the Cutlass S
And I Am a Skylark fan! All were beautiful cars, amongst the most attractive automobiles ever made.
I had a 71 Le Mans 400 .I purchased it for £250 and it was fast and great fun .A rare sight in the UK and i embarrassed many hot hatches lol .Painted it in bright orange with twin satin black bonnet roof and boot stripes and swapped out the bench seat for buckets .Got threw a set of rear tires in a fortnight doing smokey burnouts and kicked it's head in for 4 years ,never said no and no breakages .Awesome sounding lumpy tick over .Sold it for £4800 and regretted doing so .
Those twin low-profile hood-scoops @ 0:45 _SCHWING!_
I had a 1971 T-37 with the 350. I loved that car. I should have never sold it. Front discs, power brakes and power steering. I still think Pontiac had the best looking cars of the early 70's.
In 1975, while stationed at Ft. Carson, CO. I was fortunate enough to buy a 1969 LeMans off the original owner, special ordered with the 400/4 brl dual exhaust 4 speed M21, with 3:73 posi, with handling package. The original owner had just re-enlisted with a $3,500 cash bonus, so he ordered a 1972 GT37 with the 455/4brl dual exhaust 4 speed M22, with 3:55 posi, he again insisted more due to all the snow in CO, than anything else. See it actually wasn’t the price difference buying a LeMans over a GTO, NO it was the greedy insurance companies who jacked the rates on GTO’s to the younger buyers, including young Sargent’s.
The first time T and GT-37's came to my attention, was discovering Dan Jensen and his racing '71 455-HO T-37 featured in the Pontiac car magazines I was getting at the time in the 80's or 90's, since I owned a '71 T/A, which had the same engine. Saw him racing the car at the Pure Stock drags at the Mid Michigan Motorplex Pure Stock drags in the 80's & 90's. Well into the low 12's, if I remember right. Kind of a tan/orange color car. The original factory rated engine compression was 8.4-1. Seems like I remember him saying that both the heads and block were decked, so it was probably right at about the 9.9-1 compression mark. Compression modification was limited to 1.5 points over stock, if I remember the pure stock rules right. Thing could really launch, saw the car squat back, the front rise up, and him take a W30 455 Olds 442 off the line and keep pulling distance. I don't remember who won the race, but I think it was Dan.
I owned a 71 T-37 with a 455 it was canary yellow with black interior, found it in an old garage in Perkins Oklahoma 2001
Wow...I'm sure you had a 455 in it (if you know cars) but if it was original it would be one of MAYBE 100 or so built with factory 455.
Thanks. never heard of it but I'm from the Netherlands so that might cut me some slack. Get better soon.
There was one at our highschool but it was a 400 not 455. everybody made fun of him - 'Should had got a GTO' ... and then he would shut em down at the lights or at the track .... Dark Navy Blue, White Stripe, light blue interior .... we called him Pappa Smurf ... he would eat Chevelle SS's on the reg.
My dad picked one up around 1980. A woman had it sitting in her back yard for years, and dad bought it as a car for my sister (it was a great car, she said). It wasn't in that good of condition, so he kept it for himself to drive back and forth to work. Speedometer didn't work, loud exhaust, the entire brake system had to be replaced and a plethora of other problems. Eventually the frame broke from rust, and he sold it to a coworker who wanted it.
It was a 1971 GT-37, white with reflective blue sword stripe, and a 455. I'm not sure which 455 it had. Does it still exist? I have no idea, but probably not.
Years later, there was a gold with gold sword stripe floating around, but I never did get to find out who owned it. Only seen it 2 or 3 times. It looked a little rough.
I saw one in a car magazine (might have been a late '80s issue of Muscle Car Review) where this guy wanted to buy a '70 Judge but the elders at his church told him that wasn't the image they wanted to project. So, he wound up ordering all the Judge equipment on a GT37 convertible.
Um...not really possible, they did not make a GT-37 in convertible. Maybe a Lemans sport Convertible with a GT stripe could be ordered though?
@gt-37guy6 That might be possible. It's been almost 40 years ago that I saw that article. It could have been a Lemans
Three speed with a Hurst shifter! I Am assuming this is the 'Heavy-Duty' Trip.
I remember as a kid, picking up a copy of the June 1971 Hot Rod Magazine and reading an article about the '71 Pontiac GT-37. I've never seen one in the flesh, but that article stayed with me for years. I finally found a copy of that magazine and purchased it. I've seen a couple T-37's but still never had the pleasure of seeing a GT-37 in any configuration, but since I visit every car museum, show and cars & coffee event I come across, maybe someday.
I'm 61 and have only seen 3 in my life of car shows since age 15, and one of them was my car - a 1970 400 4 speed. Sold it last spring.
I have a early 1971 GT-37. Got it from a N.C. junkyard in 2009. Mine was a 350 car with AC, I was told it was a zone rep car. I have the PHS and found 2 build sheets. Back then they didn't have the hype as today.
While not a GT-37, my buddy had a 1971 Lemans. Factory 455HO one of 6 built and the only 3spd manual built of the 6. It was drop dead gorgeous and so unassuming.
That is super rare - no BS. The Lemans in manual shift any year is rare!
Everybody gets this wrong: 1970 was the TEMPEST model, with Trim options T-37 and GT-37. GT-37 was V8 only with Judge stripes and Hood pins. 1970 you could get 400. 1971 had the 400 and 455. In 1971 T-37 and GT-37 were LEMANS based, as Tempest was discontinued in 71. So 1970 it is referred to as a Tempest GT-37. 1971 It is a LeMans GT-37.
A great story well done. I have a 70 GTO convertible with the 400 ci 350 hp engine and M20 4 speed. Of the 3,783 1970 convertibles, only 887 were configured like mine. Additionally, the original 3.55 rear end has been replaced with a 3.90 version. The car is really quick, easily outrunning my 1969 427 Corvette convertible. The low end torque is amazing.
Your Corvette needs some work done then.
Just when I think you bettered you last video, you continue to prove me wrong. Your channel just keeps getting better. Keep up the great work and thank you.
My good friend had one of these. Metallic brown with yellow stripes, iirc. He pulled the original motor and had a 455 Pontiac built for it by RHS (Racing Head Service). That thing really moved. Never saw him lose a race.....
Thru 1986/`87 I had a `72 LeMans Gt (American model) which meant some Canadian parts here up north didn`t fit make & model. Though not my fastest it held it`s own in a straight line. Bright orange with the silver/black reflective side stripe & black interior. Acquired for $700 running & driving well.
Older Canadien Pontiacs had Chevrolet Engines - so any engine related parts were just Chevy. The model names were Beumont, Arcadia, Parisienne.
I've seen a few GT-37 models at the Woodward Dream Cruise.
I had a 1971 Pontiac Lemans Sport with a 350, 2-barrel in it. Kind of routine but it had the same body as the GTO with about 90% of the parts compatible with it. Only thing missing was the engine and transmission!
Had both, my T-37 had the 6 in it, but had a GTO sleeper as well. Learned about the GT-37's after the fact.
The GT-37 was actually what the original, 1969 Judge was intended to be. The '69 version was a prototype, based on the Tempest and called "ET", probably a reference to "elapsed time", and it was intended to compete with the Plymouth Roadrunner. John Delorean decided to only offer the Judge option on the GTO, thus moving it out of the Roadrunner price range. As originally intended, it was a bare-bones car, but mechanically the same as the GTO, with the same engine options.
Pontiac produced a 1969 high performance catalog showing that car, wearing an early version of the Judge body stripes. Also shown in that catalog are the Tempest 350 HO, Tempest OHC 6 Sprint, Firebird 350 HO, Firebird 400, Grand Prix 428 HO, and the base GTO. Those cars were tested by several car magazines including Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Super Stock, and possibly another.
The 1971 and 1972 455 HO were not D-port engines as stated in the video. They used round, exhaust port cylinder heads, as did the 1969 and 1970 Ram Air IV 400 engines, except the compression ratios were lowered to 8.4 vs. 10.75 and 10.5 of the 1969 and 1970 engines respectively.
Also, all of the engines offered in the 1971 and 1972 GTOs were also available in the 1971 LeMans, T-37, 1972 LeMans and LeMans GT. The 1970 T-37 was also available with the 330 HP, 400 4-bbl engine, as were the Tempest and LeMans, except station wagons. No 455s were offered in an A-body Pontiac until 1971.
A very good presentation. My compliments!
I grew up in the NW Chicago neighborhoods, and I saw several T-37's as a youngster. But since I was an impressionable teen who dug the more flamboyant top-line muscle cars, I never paid much attention to what I deemed to be "poor substitutes". Like I said, I was a kid, so I likely saw a few "GT-37s", but paid no mind to them. Pity!
I never knew what the "T-37" badging stood for either. It seemed so random to me.
I bought a red1970 GTO convertible with the 345hp 400 cu. in. V8 . It was a looker, especially with the all rubber nose cone and quad tipped exhaust pipes. I mounted 60 series B.F. Goodrich Radial TA's on it and Man! could it handle, especially with the rear anti-sway bar. It attracted two things: tickets and girls and I had an excess of both back then!
Back in the day, Pontiac put a 421 CID engine w/ 3 - 2 bbls in the Bonneville. Somebody even made after market hemi heads for it.
I had a 71 LeMans sport I didn't hear you talk to anything about them😮 it was a bucket seat car just like the GTO
My Grand mother bought one brand new in 1971, Lemans sport with the hood scoops and all options of a GTO but
it only had the 350ci in it when she gave it to me. I put a 455HO and Turbo400 headers and cam, it all just bolted in and that car was a beast ran 12's easy with street tires and was grandma mint condition. "Grandma said I made her car mean like a GTO" It was totaled while parked.. I really miss that car
I knew of a few but couldn't tell you what engines they had in them.
For 71 and 72 though the 455HO had round port heads and an aluminum intake manifold similar to the RAIV.
Only one year GTO had front disc brakes standard and that was 73. All other year GTOs had 4 wheel drum brakes standard with front discs as options for 67 - 72 and 74.
Just remember Pontiac never had a big block.
I’ve been reading the comments, waiting for someone to drop that one, LOL YOU DID IT NOW CHIEF! LOL You’re correct, by the way!
The big chief wasn't a big block😮
@@dcarden3031 Pontiac Motor division never made a big block of any sort, if you’re talking about the Big Chief aftermarket, I don’t know, never worked on one.
Never heard of the GT-37. Never even heard of the Lemans based T-37.
To make it even MORE obscure the 1970 model was TEMPEST only. 1971 Was LeMans based after Tempest discontinued.
Heard of the T-37 but not the GT-37. Very cool!
I never saw a GT-37, BUT I did see A T-37 growing up as a kid in Winnipeg, Canada. Some guy about 5 blocks away owned one.
I knew a blue gt 37 in California in San Luis Obispo.
Easily forgotten, it was insurance costs that wounded the muscle cars of the late Sixties, then smog that killed them. The GT-37 slots right into that time frame. Buy the base car optioned up, show your agent the title (which does not llst engine size in my state) and stay out of trouble.
Always loved under the radar cars.
Like a lx coupe 5.0 fox mustang that was quicker than its gt counterpart.
The 4th gen firebird formula over the trans-am.
The t- type turbo Buick over the gsx.
Etc, etc.
T-37 was featured on Roadkill.
Had a 69 Lemans,350, turbo 400. Great car,drove the hell out of it.
Never heard of this Model. Thanks another great video. Glad I subscribed.
So why would you want the 455HO vs the 400 in the 1970 gt37 because at 345 horse, the 1970 400 had 20 more hp than the 1971 455 and 10 more then gto 455 so the 1970 gt37 with the 400HO would seem like the sweet spot especially if you could order a 4 speed or something similar just saying the 1970 with the 400HO would have been lighter and likely faster.
On the track? Yes. On the strip? Mmmm, not so much
In 1971 horsepower ratings went from Gross HP to Net HP...
Car manufacturers were known for fudging hp numbers, and then of course there was the switch from Net to gross hp to really screw everyone up, but I'm pretty sure insurance companies and the rates they charged were one of the main reasons for the discrepancy, but also to keep the numbers somewhat SECERT to the other manufacturers
Not sure that the weight would have been much different. Unlike the Chevys 350/400/455 Pontiac engines were all based on the same block with varying bore and stroke. All had iron heads and cast manifolds with HO cars getting an aluminum intake.
455 should have a lot more Torque, and as others said '71 engine specs were stated as Net vs prior model year's Gross
The part of the story that was missed here is that drag racing and street drag racing were still a big deal in the 1970's Woodward Blvd, etc. A V8 equipped T37 was much lighter than the heavily optioned GTO, and less weight means more speed. Ford did something similar. While the BOSS 429 Mustang and Torino Cobra 429 brought in the big bucks, you could order that engine in a Fairlane or for a short time in 1970, the Falcon, which shared the same body style until it was discontinued mid year. Thrifty and smart drag racers were the only ones to catch on.
Watching on the Big Screen and shared it with my Landlord who loves these things 😇
In the early 80s, I remember a young lady who owned a '71 LeMans with a 350 / auto. Fast car. Until the timing chain broke, taking the timing cover and balancer with it. I fixed it with new chain and gears, and a junkyard cover and balancer. Six months later, all were broken again. She had another guy fix it, with all new parts. Six months after that, pow, all again. I fixed it again, and told her to trade it in.
I still have a `71 T-37. With a 630hp 455.
At the age of 16, I had a 74 Duster, slant 6/3 spd. Had an opportunity to trade even for a 72 Lemans GT 350/4 spd. My dad drove it, as I needed his permission to do the deal…. The ole man got rubber in all 4 gear and simply said, no deal! I was crushed! It was gold with the black GT strip and stripper 5 spoke wheels. I’m an old man now and I’ve rarely seen another GT or GT37.
In 1975 a good friend I went to high school with older brother had a 70 or 71 T-37 350 and if I remember right the floor shifted manual was a 3 spd, car was gold with red side stripes & gold int., he was rear ended on our newish 3 yr old I-275 changing a flat tire and was standing at the rear of the car when it was hit at over 50 mph, he survived but couldn't walk for about a year, car Did Not survive, I rode in that car very many times and it was pretty fast for a 350, I don't think I've seen another T-37 since and I have a 68 Malibu with a big block that I take to some local shows
Always been a top fan of Pontiac. Fact, I even seen John DeLorean at grocery store I worked at. My first 2 cars were Pontiacs. I would take a GT-37 over a Judge just based on rarity and more towards a sleeper look.
Great content my brother, I herd of T-37, did not realize there was this!!!~
Yeah, my favorite car of the past. Just have to learn how to change the clutch
@@mechanicman8687 lotta lifting
@
I had a ‘71 La Mans Saginaw 3 speed
Should point out that the name T-37 came from the GM factory code for a 2-door hardtop A-body.
Being cheaper than a base Chevelle made sense since from 1964 up to the '71 Ventura Pontiac didn't have a true compact car.
Wouldn't it be ironic if public awareness of the T-37 Pontiac grows to the point where it's no longer a hi performance bargain because there's not enough of them to meet demand so it becomes more sought after than, say, a Judge, which costed way more when new and becomes worth more than the Judge. That does make sense? Ultimately, the best deal is to buy a plain Jane 350 car or six cyl and build something from it. Thus is the cheapest way to go.
I had one from 2013 until last spring, a 1970 TEMPEST GT-37 400 4 speed. Very few people know about these cars, and so few were made (1425 I think for 1970, and 80% of those were 350 Auto cars). I advertised it back 6 years ago, running perfect, rebuit engine, 12 bolt posi, could not even get a phone call at 12K asking price - as NOBODY knows what the hell it is.
@gt-37guy6 thanks for sharing bud, that is an awesome car that you owned! Yeah, disappointing the lack of interest out there, I don't get it, yours was a bona fide collectible original car, wow.
@@bruceh92 Thanks, it was an old amateur restoration, but was super solid underneath, Iowa car. Had lot's of issues with rod bearings, I drove it really hard - got my Steve McQueen out with that car!
In the 1980s I had a scout master that had a 455 GT-37 with the wing in that avocado color. Black interior. Don't know if it was one of the 50, but it sure was fast.
I never heard of a GT-37 445HO. It's a cool car, but it could never assume a sleeper stance because of the extremely close appearance to an actual GTO. If that body shape pulled up beside you at the lights you'd ALWAYS wonder what was under the hood and the floorpan, and never take it for granted you could leave it behind unless you had a Hemi, a Cammer, a LS7, or a Stage 1 455. If they wanted to race, you could be pretty sure they weren't nursing a 6 banger, OHC or not.
Thank you for sharing this video, your voice sounds better than those other AI vids out there about older cars which I cannot stand.
The dealers decide what to put in stock. As it is now, it was likely close to this back then. They could stock GTO's and the GT-37 and bleed off sales from the GTO or just not stock the lesser version. No different than a dealer selling pickup trucks these days. IF they even have a single cab pickup on the lot, it will be hidden so sales would go to a higher spec version with a bigger profit margin. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The 71 Lemans was a great looking car...especially the front end.
I don't remember what engine it had but I do remember one of the first GT37's I saw coming down the line had a cable operated exhaust cutout. I thought that was unusual for a factory car.
I had a lemans sport which looks very much like the T37 but had a soft suspension and higher end interior had to part with it.
The big goofy 20 inch wheel look ridiculous.
Muscle cars came before the GTO. 62 and 63 Ford and Chrysler were doing the muscle car thing.
I’ve seen TWO in person first one about 1980. Then a blue one at cars and coffee Irvine Ca that was for sale in 2004 ??
My 71 GT-37 was red with the full length side stripes and a black vinyl top. 3504v 3spd manual. I should have kept it.
I had a friend in Tyree. I don't know if you really coming from me associate. We worked at a Shell station and he had I believe a 455 Pontiac sport Le Mans He's to smoke the tires in the Shell station. He wind up going to the Air Force and I seen him on television doing ad for the Navy and they showed him doing a muscle car or something like that I remember was a red in the neat when he was doing for the I believe he was doing a Chevy there Camaro like 1970 something with a blower motor on it and you wind up working for Nissan a hard but that guy was a wizard. That kind of stuff I used to know from Highland oaks Junior high. When I first met him he was driving motorcycle I believe he must not been older 15 when I first met him this is a shout out to Tyree that put me something like Chuck Norris when he puts him in that back breaker thing with a neck
I own a 1971 GT-37 with a 400-4barrel auto a/c buckets, I need a hood and a grill. The car is appart. From TX. Now in Ca. I wanted to put on a GTO front clip, but way too expensive.
These brothers in my neighborhood were into GTO s ,the youngest brother had a T37 ,that car would smoke the tires down the block
Love this one I had a70 Pontiac tempest that I fixed up and was fast ,I wish I still had it 😢
I knew a guy had one of these, I believe... looks similar anyway, him and his wife played music in our church, 4SQUARE, in
Newcomerstown, Ohio
I know Olds had the SX, which was a Supreme body that offered almost all the 442 options. It was to get around insurance because it was classified as a family car. I always wondered what the Pontiac version was. Anyone know if Buick have a similar offering?
I have a 72 lemans gt 37 forest green I did use its 350 in a catalina to sell that but the catalinas 400 is built and in my basement . Mine has the rubber endura bumper in the front orig. I do have the auto th 400 but i colleceted the parts to go manual with a m22 that i have. The gt 37 is still in a field but spent 20 years in a garage . its in good shape. I will redo it soon .
The 396/375 eat these pontiacs for snacks
I had a '69 Custom S Pontiac. 350 / Powerglide.
Got it for 100 bucks with 99k and change on the clock!😮
Never knew they were made I was a mopar guy had a 69 rr and the went chevy ss novas and such never heard of them I will look and keep my eye out THANKS