It’s just a fact: when it comes to older iron, everybody wants to remember the legends that they are supposed to be and not as they truly were. That’s why you see so many Super Sport Camaros and Chevelles that originally started life as base models at shows. On one hand, you can understand why someone would want to have one…there weren’t many made, many didn’t make it this far before ending up in that used-car lot in the sky, and those storied nameplates were legendary for good reasons. But if you were to take a look back in time you would see cars more in line with what this 1973 Pontiac Ventura is – a solid, straight-up car that had rather little in the way of flash. It’s not a Ventura trying to pass itself off as one of the rare 1974 GTOs or anything like that, and it hasn’t been butchered up into some kind of street machine ideal. This Ventura is like finding the car that Grandpa kept in the barn and took out maybe twice in the summer each year if you are about my age, but if you are older you remember this as the basic car that floated around town…nothing too inspirational or special, just another Pontiac rolling around, as if it was a Grand Am or Grand Prix in today’s world.

Forty-four years is usually more than enough to put a lot of cars out of commission, but this little X-body has held up well. One piece of chrome trim for the vinyl top, a fuel gauge that isn’t communicating, and some basic interior wear and tear are the only faults this 350-powered runaround has to show for the years of duty it’s provided. What would we change? We might consider a set of proper Rally II wheels for the car, but that would be it. It’s made it this far without much harm…let it be.

eBay Link: 1973 Pontiac Ventura Custom