GTO Acceptance
 

The question I have for everyone is: Why is the 74 GTO not really accepted as a GTO? It is Pontiac powered, it is built on a shared chassis just like the 64-73 GTO is. Just wondering what it will take to change people's perception of the car.

Who said it wasn't?

Some Chebby folks.

I think they are cool. The '73 as well...

The 73-74s were the red headed step children until the 04-06 cars came along, I guess the late model GTO owners took some of the wrath off of the 73-74 owners. Now the 04-06 owners have GTOs "that aren't real GTOs". Also the famous saying" after 1981 Pontiac was non existent. It's obvious that C Cass doesn't believe this hogwash as he has made a sizable commitment to the post 81 cars as far as supplying parts for upkeep and future restorations. Many examples of the Rodney Dangerfield of cars and parts in the Pontiac hobby.

It's same as always in this hobby, someone has to exclude a certain group so they feel superior. Cylinder heads are the same way, instead of feeling grateful that the aftermarket stepped up and provided so many choices, all they do is crap on one brand or another, blocks same thing. If you don't like a product or a vendor you vote by not buying their product. It's not necessary to drag their name or someones choice of car through the proverbial internet mud.

As my departed Father used to say:

"If Saint Peter opened the gates to heaven for someone, they'd argue that he didn't do it right."

"United we stand, divided we fall."

I liked the the 74 GTO. I think it has a weak perception of being a GTO because it was the first year they donwsizd the motor to a 350.

I think its a really good looking car. In fact there are two very nice ones where I live. Its always nice to see them. You dont see many of them.

In fact, at the 2004 GTOAA Nationals, there were a ton of them.

Usually I get "Oh a nova" when I tell someone I have a 74 GTO. I agree that Pontiac should have continued installing 400's in the 74.

I like the 74. Especially the front end and shaker scoop.

You mean they tell you that you have a Nova after you tell them you have a GTO? maybe they need a hearing aid.

It's like they discount the GTO.

Well, don't count me as one to dislike the 74 GTO. I've defended them vehemently on this board and other sites, especially when an elitist says "they're not a real GTO". They are every bit a GTO. Just because they had a 350 under the hood doesn't exclude them from the GTO legacy.

And they weren't the slowest GTO's made, not by a longshot, but they WERE one of the best handling GTO's ever made.

If someone says, "Oh...it's a Nova", just ask them what they drive. Odds are they have nothing, but they know someone with a 64-72 GTO, which they consider to be a "real" GTO.

If that's the case, tell them they have a nice Chevelle. http://www.smilieshq.com/smilies/happy0009.gif

I believe
 

It was a power to weight ratio thing. Not to mention gas supplies were pretty crazy at the time.

I remember the 73 oil embargo, that was just after I bought a new GP that got around 7 MPG around town.

As a previous 70Nova owner, I'd be proud to have a 70-74 Ventura, especially the GTO version.
Or clone of this 73.. anyone know what classic movie this is from?

http://www.imcdb.org/i018012.jpg

But this would do too!


http://www.allmusclecars.com/pontiac/74gtopf.jpg

MOVIE
 

The movie is-was...The 7UPS.....with Roy Sheinder as a cop.
That Pontiac had the same sound as Steve McQueens mustang as in Bullit.

I like the '74 GTO. I fact I been trying to purchase one just like the red one pictured here. Two blocks from my work I make it a point to road test down this dead end road just to talk to the original owner about it. Garaged 350/4spd with 45k. Won't start for him in about 5 years. I think the timing chain went south.

I like the looks of the 74 also. Can you imagine what it would have been like had Pontiac stuffed the SD455 into it!

News to me. I've owned GTO's since 1969, and first started restoring them in 1979 and I've never heard anyone refer to them as a 'stepchild'. They may have 'looked' like the Nova in '74, but I still like them.

I have heard people say that a '1974 was not a GTO because it wasn't on a A-body platform and it had a 350 engine.

i like them..but i never took into consideration of acceptance to anything thru a car...

Its your car..build it because you love it...

No Nova ever looked as good as the '74 GTO.

Plus when the 74's came out the GTO was tested against a Nova SS and the GTO was the hands down winner. I think I still have the magazine somewhere that this comparison was done. The GTO was around 2-3 tenths quicker in the quarter than the Nova, both automatics and the Nova had more gearing IIRC. Nothing against them from where I sit.

Have a friend that has a '74 Ventura in need of everything, including an engine. I keep thinking about buying it and cloning it into a GTO, but there are many other things higher on my wish list. We went to a show and saw this absolutely stunning 70 Nova SS L78 375HP. If I were to clone that Ventura, I would go with this exact color scheme -- and it would have to have 455+ cubic inches.

im sure the huge bumpers had a lot to do with it, looked like a snowplow

Count me in as one who accepts them. I wouldn't kick a '74 GTO out of my garage.

Thay must have painted most of them RED that is the only color i have seen them in?

That Black GTO is Awesome looking - we had one running around our town .

This one has done Quite well in NHRA Racing too .

Wheels up :)

I was late in getting my 73GTO as the one I ordered didn't come in & then I had to w to get one after that. I love my 73 GTO & still have it . If I would have had a better paying job, I would have bought a new 74 to go along with my 73. But being in the Navy & making a wopping $ 368.00 a month I wasn't able to get another car , let alone another new car on that amount of money. I did think about trading my 73 in on a 74 GTO but just couldn't pull the trigger on it because I did/do really love my 73.

Looked at one back in the late 80s around Kent, WA. Blue, hatchback, maybe a stick car? Cool cars!

Dr. Phil
 

Considering all the positive replies about your car , this must have lifted your spirit and you can drive around proud and confident again.

Print out this thread, frame it and hang it in your garage for future reference.

Happy and Healthy 2014 GTO4spd.

I guess we've got a bunch of friggen' Nova lovers around here! :gag::gag:








Just kidding. ;) I'd own one. In fact, it was on my short list for cars to build into a F.A.S.T. racer. Nice and light- compared to an A-body.

Never liked them....a glorified Nova. ;)

If you were a GTO enthusiast, the 73's and 74s were a big let down.

GTO had always been the top dog at Pontiac. Then in 73, Pontiac decided to offer the endura nose only on the Grand Am, and the SD455 was only available in the Firebird line.

Then in 74, Pontiac again offered the mighty SD455 in the Firebird line, but the biggest engine in the GTO was the lowly 350. On top of that, the 74 GTO was based on the Nova platform.

My uncle's first car was a 64 GTO, which he wrecked and replaced with a 68 or 69 GTO. My dad's favorite car was a 66 2+2 with a 421HO which he used to pull his camper. He had owned a GTO prior to the 2+2, but he thought the bigger car made a better tow vehicle. I was 16 when the 73s came out, and I remember how disappointed both were with the direction Pontiac was taking with the GTO.

Before I get flamed, I want to clarify that I'm just describing my father and uncle's opinions of the 73 & 74 GTO when they were new. I also should add that my father was originally a Ford man until my uncle got him to buy a GTO.

I bought a White 74 GTO in 1977. Traded it for a new 79 GP for the wife.
Bought another Gold 74 GTO in 1985. It drove funny, sold it.

Was the 64 GTO based on the chevelle, cutlass or special platform???

for old times sake (comments say might be clone)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAyH0DECi9k

And the rare camper option!

My opinion on the 74 has changed from bad to good over the last few years. I love the picture of the black one Mike Noun posted. Awesome looking car. But the camper option makes a joke out of the entire line. What where they trying to do compete with the Volkswagen Thing? Anyhow I believe that is what was called.

74 GTO
 

I think Poncho-Mike hit it on the head. Pontiac was moving to the Firebird for its performance/image. I was always a big GTO fan and was lucky enough to have a 69 at the age of 16 in 1973. At the time, I felt the 350 was a big let down and what a LeMans should come with. GTOs were being moved away from the top dog position at Pontiac. I quit driving GTOs and moved to the Trans Ams.
With that said, I certainly don't exclude the 74 GTO as being a real GTO. Part of the GTO history.

That was the big part about people not liking the 73 and 74.... the Nova platform. To be honest, I didn't like them back then cause they didn't look GTO enough. Now they've grown on me but you don't see them that often. There's only one around here we see every so often. They are rare, especially to see one that's been kept looking original. They do look better than the body style of the 04 to 06's. But then again, aerodynamics weren't really a part of the equation for the GTOs back in 73 and 74.

As for the 400s, Pontiac was cutting things back due to the Fed's regulations, and new emissions standards screwed things up royally. But look at today the horsepower these new muscle cars, and the foreign cars are putting out.

I like all the GTO's including the 74, but Pontiac obviously was not emphasizing the GTO by that time. When the GTO gets the 350, and the SD455 is available in the Trans Am, the GTO is far behind in performance and image. That was a let down since I was a GTO fan.

question?
where all Venturas of this vintage hatchbacks like the camper option shows?

The hatchback version was actually rarer (1,723 hatchbacks vs 5,335 coupes). The camper option may seem a bit silly now, but it was a viable option back in the day to make the Ventura more appealing to all buyers.

They had some options on classic GTO's too that people would like to forget.

The 1974 GTO would have been viewed quite differently if Pontiac had simply used their standard 400 in place of the 350, but times were changing. A fuel crisis, desire for better gas economy, and Detroit automakers abandoning big cube muscle cars, whose sales had declined drastically in the past couple years, brought about the popularity of the Gremlin, Vega, Pinto, and in 1974 a revamped Mustang. We can't criticize too much, because all these cars sold well, and in the case of the 1974 GTO, it sold better than the 1973 GTO, so it was a success.

The 1974 GTO was MUCH better looking, and faster, than the 1974 Nova SS. If you want an example of stickers on a car that harken back to the glory days of a particular model, look no further than the pathetic 1974 Buick GSX, built on the Apollo platform, which wasn't even available with dual exhausts or a 4-bbl.

I like 1974 GTO's. I think it's about time classic GTO owners accept them into their fold without prejudice.

The 74 GTO also had a functional hood scoop.
The 350 4bbl was new for 1974. Similar bore and stroke to an LS1.
Insurance costs were also a factor. Big-cube cars were expensive to insure. Some insurance companies were even refusing to insure them for younger people.
The camper option was cool for youthful buyers at the time. Minivans didn't exist (except for VW) but sin-bins were catching on. Weekend camping was cheap entertainment in the 70's.

Camper
 

:oogle:sure would have made life a little eaiser at the Saturday Nite Drive In:eek::rolleyes:;):p:D

I allways liked them but they did get a bad rap for the motor or maybe it was the decals :confused:

Camping & sleeping out of the back of a hatchback or small SUV is ALSO overrated. Been there, done that.

Good ol' GM also offered a camper/mattress option on these beauties... where are all the takers?

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Yw...tiac-Aztek.jpg

I'm envisioning AzzCracks & '74 GTO's with camper options all in a circle in the far back corner of the Convention parking lot...

"Head 'em move'em out, Rawhide!"

It probably doesn't matter much changing the opinion of people at this point. The "mojo" is cast. The biggest part of the mystique of a car is it's place in history. We can look at musclecars, ponycars, TA cars, and tie them to a cultural, sociological point in history..... and their legend today rides on the attitudes from the old days continued on.... so the poor 74 GTO (and 73 for that matter)...... they suffer a turning point in Poncho history... when sales and public demand was pointing towards the ponycars, and Pontiac reacted.... they did a real disservice to the Goat legacy, and in two years it looked like a real identity crisis.... seemingly bigger car in one year, then decidedly smaller the next... whoa.... and while 455 birds were easy to get, a 350 Poncho GTO was well, confusing.... and it was strange to all.... I remember talk back then, nobody could figure it out... so it instantly had a "different drummer" mojo, and then ice it with the last hurrah, the one Pontiac gave up after on, while they bedecked TA's in every flambouant color and graphics by 75.... It was a perplexing end to The Legend, and what you have today is all that still confusing Mojo forever cast in stone......

While I like them, I would build a deviant from stock with Lucerne blue and TA white stripe, old style small bumpers, 14 honeycombs, and yes I would do a healthy 350 build!

Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but we can't change the place in history our cars have, it is more a cultural identity then a current public perception...

and if it makes you feel better, I drive a "regular" / "plain" / or a little better "standard" Firebird (I defer from claiming Esprit, lah de dah), so homey knows public perception, haha..... dig it and go with it....