Final Outing: 1974 Pontiac GTO
With sales of its mid-size muscle car – the GTO – on the skids through 1973, Pontiac shifted the auto’s focus to competing with compacts like the Plymouth Duster 360. It was now an option on the Ventura, which was essentially a Chevy Nova with a Pontiac engine. It lasted just one year, so this ’74 GTO was one of the last of the once-noble line. Having set up a bit in Brockton, Massachusetts, the seller says its runs and drives. Needing some TLC, this hatchback is available here on craigslist for $8,500.
Buyers of a 1974 Ventura could turn their car into a GTO by checking the box for Code WW3 on the order form and giving the dealer an extra $461. This upcharge brought a floor-shifted transmission and a beefier suspension with anti-roll bars. Plus, the car got a shaker hood to create a badass look. You could choose just one engine, a 350 cubic inch V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor and a weak compression ratio (it was the mid-1970s). The original purchaser of this Pontiac sprung for the 3-speed automatic tranny. While demand for the ’74 GTO was up slightly from 1973, only 7,000 copies were delivered, so Pontiac chose to not go forward with the product in 1975.
GTO purists don’t seem to be fans of the one-year compact, perhaps because the car wasn’t as robust as before (what Detroit car was by then?). Breaking 16 seconds in the quarter mile was a stretch and involved the optional 4-speed manual. The seller’s car wears Buccaneer Red paint, which looks like a redo to me. The car has been sitting for some time and may have been covered for much of that. While it looks okay, the hatch area is going to need some body work perhaps because the back window needs resealing. However, note that the time stamp on some of the photos is at least 10 years old. Did the seller not adjust the settings on the camera or just dug out old photos to use?
If you’re looking for numbers matching, this isn’t your car. The Pontiac has a rebuilt 400 V8 under the hood from an unmentioned time frame. The white interior could use some detailing, but the bucket seats will continue to wear some rips. And we’re told the headliner is a goner. The reported mileage is 150,000, so this vehicle has seen its fair share of use. As a runner, we assume the flow of fuel hasn’t been encumbered by the passage of time.
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Comments
Seller photos are time stamped 10 years ago.
Your right stamp 10 years ago. Wonder what it looks like today? Could this be a scam? 🤔
Pictures are terrible.How about some pics of the quarters ,fenders,under car.I’d be in at a 1 to 2 k imo. With what I see.
Something seems off , do I see a powerglide shift pattern in the instrument panel ????
Powerglides were used thru ’73. Maybe a leftover, or maybe a speedo from a Nova?
I like these 74 GTO’s cuz ya just don’t see them much, now ya can’t compare them to the 66/67’s but still ya could still have a lot of fun after it’s all done with a 350 LT 1 crate motor and change it over to a 4 spd maybe some older Nova bumpers that’s what I’d do to it!!
I’ve got a 74 Nova SS that i’m just finishing. Installing a 396, 72 front end and bumper plus a fiberglass rear bumper saves nearly 300 lbs.to offset the big block. Can’t use earlier rear bumper because fuel filler moved from fender to center under license plate.
Guess it’s just some moron from Brockton.
Hoping they didn’t adjust the camera’s clock.
I’m guilty of that… oops. I like these. Had a
6cyl ’74 Ventura. A good car.
I had the 74 GTO was a fun car to drive but oil pump went out and froze the motor. Granted it was a baby GTO it was a nice ride, I agree it should be changed to a 4 or 5 speed and engine should be changed to a crate since the numbers don’t match.
Probably a pile.
In 1978 or ’79 a buddy asked me to drive him to the next town over to look at a GTO he had seen for sale in a newspaper, remember those? So as we pull up to the dealership he spots it right away and tells me to “just keep on driving, don’t even stop in, let’s go back”. He was yelling “It’s a Nova! It’s just a friggin Nova!”. So, we turned around so I could drop him off back at his house… in my ’70 Nova.
Wasn’t the final outing for GTO. 2004-2006 there was a Pontiac GTO also. I know, it was made by Holden in Australia but probably as much a GTO as a Ventura.
That 04 thru 06 was a terrific car. I had two of them, both 6 liter 6 speeds. Should have kept the black one.
Can’t agree more! I had a 06 6 speed, great all around well-balanced car, The 04-06 GTO’s never got any respect. I still have my 65, I have had at least one of every year except a 73, 74, and 66. The worst part of the 04-06 is the availability of parts, especially front sheet metal. Many of these cars were totaled from relatively minor collisions due to the parts cost and availability issues.
I too have owned an 05 and 06, both 6speeds and really enjoyed them.
Russ has been reminded several times regarding the Holden cars but chooses to ignore it.
This 74 being a hatchback is pretty rare and worthy of a restoration. Too bad it’s not closer…and it’s in the rust zone.
Much more!! I have a 2005.best GTO ever made.
This is the perfect body for the GTO. Going back to it’s roots, big motor, small car. As far as sleepers go a 455 fits perfectly in place of the 350 Pontiac and it’s indistinguishable except for the numbers.
Looks like a 04 / 06 GTO parked beside it in one of the pictures. Also looke to be a S/C RAMBLER Under a cover. Might be worth a look at some of the other stuff sitting around….. I see PLUM CRAZY in a picture also
I was big Nova fan when these were new. I was just finishing high school and wanted a new Nova SS after seeing a new ‘73 SS the year before. Even though I had saved enough for a new ‘74 SS I did look at a new GTO too but it was even more expensive. My father, ever frugal and clear thinking, said don’t spend all your money on a car as I was starting college in the fall talked me out of buying either and instead I bought a much cheaper very plain-jane base Nova. Ever since I’ve still wanted either ‘74. I have owned, and still do, some really nice Chevys, Fords etc but 73/74 Nova SS and 74 GTO’s always get my attention.
Gary I’m obviously a little older than you are. I likewise lusted after a Nova SS 396 in 69 when I got out of college. Even went as far as ordering one from Curtis Persons Chevy in Millington TN. Then discovered that even with my dad’s USAA insurance the premium would be more that the car payment! (I was a known drag racer and had a couple of tickets). So I bought a used Falcon Sprint. Fast forward to 2023. I STILL wanted a 396 Nova, so decided to build one from a 74 The up shot of this epistle is that like the look, and I’ve been looking for a GTO hood and intake setup along with GTO grille. No luck so far.
This thinly veiled attempt of a GTO is just as unlikely as the Korean Daewoo Pontiac “Tempest” of the same era … what were they thinking …
If you’d been there, you’d know . Muscle cars were dying out , gas was supposedly running out, and prices for it were on the rise. Economy was the “in” thing .
Not only “been there,” I sold them …