Hooniverse Obscure Muscle Car Garage – The 1974 Pontiac Ventura GTO

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Welcome to another installment of the Hooniverse Obscure Muscle Car Garage, a regular feature which aims to expand the definition of what a muscle car is, and to discover hidden treasures while doing so. When I started this series of posts, I stated that all of the vehicles featured were not generally thought of as muscle cars, or were rare oddities within the muscle car period. So, you wouldn’t think I would be showcasing a car with one of the most revered names in the Muscle Car category, but this car is a one year only model, the 11th of the series, and the last American made version. Let’s take a look at the 1974 Pontiac (Ventura) GTO.

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Pontiac started selling a version of the Chevrolet Nova during the 1971 model year named the Ventura II, and utilized Chevrolet engines for the first year, including the 250 CID Six Cylinder, 307 CID V-8, and the 350 CID V-8. However, Pontiac decided to drop the Chevrolet 350 and install their own 350 CID V-8, to try and align their new compact with the rest of the Pontiac lineup. This became the only V-8 offered on the Ventura for the 73 and 74 model years (having dropped the II designation in 1972). 1973 also saw the introduction of a hatchback coupe (Along with the Chevrolet Nova), giving the vehicle more versatility. All in all, a very nice compact. Yet Chevrolet offered an SS version of the Nova, and the new for 1973 Pontiac GTO was under performing in the market (It shared the new “Collonade” styling of all the GM intermediates that year), so something drastic was called for.

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For the 1974 model year, Pontiac introduced the Ventura GTO option package, which sold for $195 over the price of a comparable V-8 equipped Ventura. The base engine (and the only engine) was the Pontiac supplied 350 CID V-8, producing 200 HP, with 295 lb. ft. of touque. The Ventura was updated this year featuring a quasi Firebird styled grill, with driving light styled lamps inserted in the grill, so the “Baby” GTO looked right. Other equipment that came with the GTO package included Radial Tuned Suspension, including front and rear stabilizer bars, Power Steering, “Rally II” wheels, dual exhaust with “splitter” tips, and a rear facing “shaker” air scoop. The GTO option was available on the base Ventura Coupe or Hatchback Coupe, or the Ventura Custom Series Coupe or Hatchback. On the Custom series, carpeting was standard, as was all vinyl upholstery, added bright trim, and other miscellaneous items.

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In its May 1974 issue, Cars magazine compared a well-optioned ’74 GTO complete with four-speed manual transmission and 3.08 gears to a ’64 GTO with a 389 four-barrel engine, automatic transmission, and 3.55 gears. With Brooklyn legend Nunzi Romano behind the wheel, the ’74 posted a best quarter-mile pass of 15.72 seconds at 88 mph with the 64 model turning 15.64 at 90 mph. Zero-to-60-mph times were 7.7 for the Ventura GTO and 7.4 seconds for the 64 model. But even though the new model was not as quick, writers raved not only about its performance balance, but also how much ride and handling had improved since its inception.

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Some car enthusiasts consider the ’74 as an anomaly within the GTO family tree. Just 7,058 were built during the ’74 model year. Total production numbers can be broken down to 687 hatchbacks with manual transmission, 1,036 hatchbacks with automatic transmission, 2,487 coupes with manual transmission, and 2,848 coupes with automatic transmission. But when you consider that only 4,806 “Collonade” GTOs were built during the ’73 model year, it appears the smaller, X-body GTO may have offered to buyers more practicality than earlier models.

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There you have it, the last US Built Pontiac GTO, built from what essentially is a Chevy Nova. Did you know they ever existed? This one is a great example of that Obscure Muscle Car, and while I think it deserves a place on the Garage, what do you think? I look forward to your discussions.

[poll id=”154″]

Please Note: All Images are screen grabs from around the web. If you want credit for any image, please let me know in the comments section. Thank You!

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45 responses to “Hooniverse Obscure Muscle Car Garage – The 1974 Pontiac Ventura GTO”

  1. muthalovin Avatar

    "Total production numbers can be broken down to 687 hatchbacks with manual transmission"
    Craigslist, don't fail me now!

    1. P161911 Avatar

      Try Autotrader and E-bay too. Hemmings might be your best bet.

    2. MVEilenstein Avatar
      MVEilenstein

      Thought the same. Who wouldn't want a GTO hatchback with a 4-speed?

    3. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
      Peter Tanshanomi

      <img src="http://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Olds-Omega-73-hatch.png"&gt;
      I've always liked the X-body 3-door hatchbacks. Growing up, family friends had the Buick version (I don't recall for sure if it was an Apollo or a Skylark). Surprisingly practical.
      I could see picking one up cheap as the basis for a cool street machine project.

        1. Shant Jaltorossian Avatar
          Shant Jaltorossian

          This is too awesome to comprehend.

  2. Alff Avatar

    Although not muscular enough to be a muscle car in my book, this is a nice package that I would be pleased to drive today. 40 years later, it wouldn't be hard to restore some of the power lost to malaise.

  3. pj134 Avatar
    pj134

    Finally a no from me. I'll accept this as a muscle car around the same time I accept the dying whimper of the B-Body Chargers as a muscle car… never.
    <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Dodge_Charger_%28Auto_classique_Laval_%2710%29.jpg&quot; width=500>

    1. Alff Avatar

      That's simply a tarted up "personal luxury car".

  4. P161911 Avatar

    So with maybe a set of headers, a little carb tuning, a little exhaust work, and an improved air filter/intake, this thing would be faster than a 1964 389 GTO. Surprising.

    1. OA5599 Avatar
      OA5599

      All Pontiac V8s of the muscle car era were dimensionally similar on the outside. That 389 would drop right in, as would a 400 or 455.

      1. dukeisduke Avatar
        dukeisduke

        That's true. They were all the same size on the outside, until they came out with the 301, when they took a little over an inch off the deck of the block, lightened the block, redesigned the heads, removed some of the crank counterweights, and basically ruined it.

    2. Kogashiwa Avatar
      Kogashiwa

      I'm mainly surprised at how slow the '64 is.

    3. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      Keep in mind that the automatic used in '64 was the two-speed TempestTorque. GTOs didn't get a three-speed (a beefed-up Turbo 400) until '67. Pre-'67 cars are better with the four-speed.

  5. P161911 Avatar

    That really looks like a stick shift console, but I only see two pedals. Guess they used the same shift lever for both.

  6. LTDScott Avatar

    I'm loving this series. You're highlighting lots of forgotten models that I'd love to get my hands on if I ever won the lotto.

    1. jzEllis Avatar
      jzEllis

      If you win the Lotto? No need, Almost none of these cars are valuable, or even considered generally desirable. You can easily scoop one up for a steal…assuming you can find one.

      1. LTDScott Avatar

        I already own 4 cars (one of which being a car that Jim has featured in this series) and am not flush with money, so sorry, it would require a lotto win.

  7. vetteman61 Avatar
    vetteman61

    <img src="http://blog.inetvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/The-Seven-Ups.jpgL&quot; width="600">
    I can't believe I'm the first one. You guys let me down. The ending was unintentional but the kept it. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vACWV5sRcY” target=”_blank”>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vACWV5sRcY

  8. vetteman61 Avatar
    vetteman61

    OK, I'll try again
    <img src="http://blog.inetvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/The-Seven-Ups.jpg&quot; width="600">

    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      One of my favorite movies. My favorite lines?
      "That guy you iced was a cop."
      – "So?"

  9. fodder650 Avatar
    fodder650

    Small edit needed. You mean touque in one sentence and its misspelled as toque.

    1. Dave Avatar
      Dave

      I believe you mean torque.

      1. fodder650 Avatar
        fodder650

        heh.. i had it corrected and edited it to make it incorrect. Oh yeah I'm awake today. Anyway its still incorrect in the article.

        1. Dave Avatar
          Dave

          What's funny is that it was changed to your incorrect correction. LOL

      2. Devin Avatar
        Devin

        Nah, Venturas just came with 285 lbs-ft of knit hats, it was really weird but I guess it was the '70s.

        1. Kogashiwa Avatar
          Kogashiwa

          I thought it was just the Acadian that came with toques. Learn something new every day.

  10. Vince @DailyTurismo Avatar
    Vince @DailyTurismo

    Obscure yes – but even stranger was the next generation of Pontiac 'special' in the form of the Can-Am — that was an odd duck that makes the Ventura GTO look totally sane! Short article about one for sale a few months back here: http://www.dailyturismo.com/2013/04/20k-canned-ya
    <img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-flANcM89GZU/UWOlWsmalQI/AAAAAAAAM_E/wlp6MG40dII/s1600/1.jpg&quot; width="600">

    1. pj134 Avatar
      pj134

      It's in the garage already.
      http://hooniverse.info/2013/04/26/hooniverse-obscu

  11. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    The '74 at least uses a real Pontiac engine. I'll just leave it at that.

  12. Van_Sarockin Avatar
    Van_Sarockin

    It's obscure enough, but not muscley enough. Great body, keeping a lot of the magic of the Chevelle style. Unfortunately, the early Malaise was not kind to these cars at all.

  13. Markymark Avatar
    Markymark

    You're killin me! First it was 2dr Newports, then it was fiat 128 sedans, now this? Its every car i owned as a squid in San Diego, burning thru navy paychex! Mine was a non gto 74 ventura hatchback with white bucket seats. Wowsers…

  14. bostondairypigs Avatar
    bostondairypigs

    I don't like the choises given in the voting, so I picked the most applicable. It is pretty much a Nova, and really I don't think it's that obscure. I always thought most musclecar fans knew that they existed, especially Poncho enthusiasts. It's still a pretty cool ride, I'd definitely have one, but a real GTO should have a VIN beginning with 242, these don't.

  15. Kevin Avatar
    Kevin

    So i recently bought a locally(central Fl. ) famous 74 gto hatchback. Set up for drag with a 72 pont 455 bored 30 over. It was sitting in a guys garage for the last 3 yrs due to needing an engine rebuild.

  16. hubba Avatar
    hubba

    The only thing really wrong with this car is context. It's a 4-speed V8 compact with some sporty trim.
    But it was a six year old car that sold by the bajillions as a cheaper Chevy, and it sold in the same dealership with a much prettier car that had more powerful engine options. It's aimed at a pretty tiny group of Pontiac enthusiasts who really need a practical back seat.

  17. JAMES DUNLOP Avatar
    JAMES DUNLOP

    IT MIGHT NOT BE A MUSCLE CAR OR A MONEY CAR BUT ITS A PEOPLE CAR I GET THUMBS UP NICE CAR AND MEET LOTS OF CAR GUYS AND GALS THAT LIKE THE CAR

  18. Stéphane Dumas Avatar
    Stéphane Dumas

    We could wonder what if Pontiac had continued the GTO for 1975? There's some scans of clay models/prototype of a proposed 1975 GTO and one guy imagined what if there was a 1976 Ventura GTO.
    Let's add one more "what if?" on the table. One Apollo owner decided to make the 1974 Apollo GSX that should had been and the pics are posted on Hemmings blog.

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