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This 1973 Pontiac GTO Is So Damn Perfect, It Hurts! 455, Four-Speed, And Black? YES PLEASE!


This 1973 Pontiac GTO Is So Damn Perfect, It Hurts! 455, Four-Speed, And Black? YES PLEASE!

“The patron saint of automotive lost causes.” Brian Lohnes once wrote that about me, because my taste in cars is at the fringe edge of acceptable on a good day. It’s not that I don’t like the mainstream stuff…I lose my senses around Chevelles, Mustangs and Challengers all day long…but I’m so used to other options that I get more excited when I find something outlandish and forgotten. Case in point: 1973 Pontiac GTO. The last A-body Goat before the GTO nameplate shifted to a gussied-up Ventura, the odd-duck one-year-only body was barely more than a LeMans Sport, but in the right guise it could still smack around whomever, whenever. And the new platform had a lot going for it…sure, the hardtop was gone, but in it’s place was one of the best platforms GM has yet come up with, and surprise, for such a big bastard it could handle a corner or two! Or, if you wanted, you could stuff just about any tire under the rears without hacking the wheel wells.

GTO2

Seeing a 1973 GTO in person is right up there with seeing a Plymouth Superbird in line at Taco Bell…get your camera out if you do. Seeing a ’73 GTO in this kind of condition is exceedingly rare, which is why I’m sitting at my computer, twitching, trying to figure out what body part I can sell to come up with the money for this black beauty. The engine is the known and loved Pontiac 455, a torque monster in just about anything it was bolted into, and this one is backed up with a proper four-speed manual. Pontiac only made 4,806 GTOs that year, and only 544 came with the 455. Rear gears might not be deep, but that means long-distance driving isn’t out of the question. And racking up miles by the ton would be the first order of business…GTO 4

The interior is straight-up business: the chairs aren’t overstuffed, the dash is the full-gauge variety with tach, and the shifter has the proper cue ball on top. It isn’t as flashy as a Trans Am and it isn’t as plush as a Monte Carlo…which is perfect. There’s room for days for both front and rear passengers, and from the driver’s perspective, the forward visibility is just about perfect. Having the NACA-duct hood to look at is pretty sweet, too.

eBay Link: 1973 Pontiac GTO 455

GTO6 GTO5

 


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10 thoughts on “This 1973 Pontiac GTO Is So Damn Perfect, It Hurts! 455, Four-Speed, And Black? YES PLEASE!

  1. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    I am speechless!

    This black beauty is near perfect – although it drastically needs a mild lowering job as I’ve seen 4 by 4s with less ground clearance.

    And the best thing – not an LS in sight!

    1. BonusMaximus

      How can you be a chevy hatin’ mad whateverthefuckyouare and like Pontiacs? You’re a putz.

  2. jerry z

    If this had the Grand Am front end on it, then it would be perfect! Just can’t deal with the nose on the GTO. Other than that, its a beautiful car.

  3. Arild Guldbrandsen

    Im diggin the tripple black treatment,and the vinyl roof..Im with Jerry here too..i dig the Grand Am more than the GTO,but it would have been sacrilege to put a Grand AM front on this one.

  4. ANGRYJOE

    Stunning…..guy up the road from me had a dark green 73 GTO back in the early 80’s…I used to love it….great lines….

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