Experimental Pontiac Engine Found in Storage
 

Larry Dillon is one of those devoted Pontiac fanatics whose mission in life is to discover sad and neglected high-powered Pontiacs and return them to the streets where they belong. It's something that's been near and dear to his heart for the last four decades.
Larry's taste for Pontiac horsepower has put him in the seat of many top-tier muscle cars over the years. Countless GTOs, 2+2s, and Bonnevilles have made their way into his stable, and he's always on the lookout for more rare rides. It was another prize from Pontiac that recently made its way into his collection, and it happened under the most bizarre circumstances.

"I got this cool Latham blower from a friend of mine," Larry said. "His dad had it on a '60 Vette. It was unique, and I figured I could always use it, and I put it to use right away. One day my buddy Anthony came over looking for some parts for a GTO he was building. He saw the Latham, and that sight must have jogged his memory, because he then told me about some crazy experimental Pontiac engine a friend of his had stashed away. That got me interested in just exactly what this powerplant was."

Anthony relayed that the engine had overhead cams and fuel injection. It was a 303 engine built in the late '60s for Pontiac by a group in Australia. It was possibly for Trans Am racing and had never been installed in a vehicle.

"The whole thing sounded pretty crazy," Larry said, "but as we all know, this hobby can get way out there at times. I really had to see this motor."

ventually, Larry got to meet the owner, who provided the rest of the story. "He told me he was going to school at General Motors Institute in the late '90s," Larry said. "At that time, GMI was moving to a new building, and this motor had been stashed there years before. They had no need for it and planned to scrap it. So, this kid asked if he could have it, and GMI said yes. It seems pretty surreal that they would just hand this over to a student, but they did, and they gave him all the release forms needed to take possession."

In Michael Lamm's book, The Fabulous Firebird, there's a page dedicated to this engine. It states that around 1967, Pontiac general manager John DeLorean contracted driver/builder Jack Brabham and his REPCO group in Australia to design and build an overhead-cam 5-liter version of the Pontiac 400 for SCCA racing. This engine was to be another stepping stone to the future development of the 1969 Pontiac Trans Am.

Pontiac liked REPCO's design and ordered five complete engines, along with a set of spares. There were some important features Pontiac required on these high-revving beasts. The engines had to have a head bolt pattern that would accept Pontiac heads, they had to include a Pontiac sump pump setup, and they would also need to use other Pontiac parts such as seals and gaskets.

The engine blocks were made in cast iron by REPCO, and the aluminum cylinder heads boasted single overhead cams and a Lucas mechanical fuel injection system. At 13:1 compression, it's built for serious performance. Sadly, only one complete engine was finished before interest waned. It has been said that Pontiac was not impressed by its power output and that a 303ci short-block, built with modified Ram Air IV heads and a single four-barrel carburetor, outperformed the exotic REPCO engine. That was enough to seal the project's fate.

From its birth land of Australia, the one complete REPCO engine made its way to GMI in Detroit, where it lived out most of its years. The new "student" owner then transported it back to his home in New Jersey where he kept it tucked away, thinking of what he could possibly do with such a rare and exotic piece. There it sat for 20 years; the chance to put it in a car never materialized. It was only recently that Larry found out about it and purchased the engine.

"I'm a lover of all things Pontiac," Larry said. "When I got the opportunity to purchase it, I also didn't have a thought on what to put it in. Obviously, a Firebird would be the car of choice, but right now I'm loaded down with project cars. I would love to see it go to someone who wants to get it running and installed in a proper ride. From what I can see, the engine is clean, complete, and everything looks great. East Coast Pontiac guru Larry Hansen came over and inspected the engine with a borescope and a compression test. It passed with flying colors. It turns freely and should fire up with the right coaxing."

Larry is thinking of taking the engine out for a public display if no one buys it from him. "I'd love to get it out there in the public eye and check out how true Pontiac fans react to it. So, it's possible that it might make the trip to the Pontiac Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, on July 21-23 [2023]. I hope to see this engine getting the recognition it deserves," he said. "It's another piece of both Pontiac and GM history that needs to be valued by the hobby."

More pictures on the Motor Trend website at https://www.motortrend.com/features/...-engine-found/

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...9&d=1690384486

I could see that happening.

I don't recall stumbling across it while I was attending GMI (1979-1984) and wandering the bowels of the various buildings.

K

That's crazy....stupid question; is there still a T/A retro series running today?

Very cool story. I remember when I’d talk about stephen Pontiacs aluminum block dual quad RAV and most Pontiac people (even those highly immersed in the hobby), would say they never made a Pontiac aluminum block or RAV dual quads from the factory. �� I’d say no you just never saw one yet. This was in the days before the internet (Hemings ads days ).

They made a lot of test pieces All kinds of variations. There’s crazy (sometimes little) anomalies from the norm out there floating around .

I I grew up next to a performance dealer so I’d seen or heard of some cool stuff and that was in CT, imagine what’s floating around that got back doored out of the factory.

Very cool! Thanks for sharing! I hope it gets running soon! Wonder what numbers it made?

I think that engine was sitting race side at the top of the track at Norwalk. Didn't take any pictures though.

I would bet it did better than the regular 303 Ram5 engine .

303cid just wasn't optimal with giant ports .
Lay that stuff on top of some big cubes and make us all proud !

Aluminum , OHC , RamAir V tunnel port heads .
Damn. :beerchug:

Dimitri Toth's dad is the guy that made all the experimental cast parts.

Dimitri is still kicking around and has well over 50 years seniority at the Pontiac Michigan home plant.

K

Found a picture Larry posted on FB.

Those exhaust ports are awful thin aren't they? That why the coolant lines are there? That engine would have the whole car show around it I'd think!

I was lucky enough to own a few alu blocks and one complete alu engine.Tom

Yes there is. In my opinion the Australians have the best one with more racing and less parading around the track.

https://www.australiantransam.com.au/

https://youtu.be/YWM7T3jlqeg

That is very cool. Still some amazing stuff stored away in the Design Center as well as some warehouses around SE Michigan.

Yes the article said it would be at Norwalk and for sale if anyone was interested. Question is how much? Yes I asked and can't afford it.

Don posted a you tube video about it at Norwalk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCQZNux6pok

Clay

Someone posted this engine on Instagram a couple of weeks ago. They were selling it and asking $1,500 for it...

https://www.instagram.com/p/CuymE4vt0lh/?img_index=1

Is pontiac_spare_parts2 the real owner or a scammer?

Is it still for sale at the $1,500 price tag?

When I worked at GM Research, starting in 1986, I found and engine on an engine stand up in a loft. It was a 1967 GTO 400 with 670 heads and a handle and a bar going over the rocker arms. My dad told me they were experimenting with variable valve timing and by moving the handle fore or aft it would vary the timing so many degrees. He said it could idle smooth as glass at 400 rpm. There were a lot of interesting projects GM Research always had going on.

That's so cool...thx mate

Price was 35k at Norwalk. He turned down a 28k offer.

Clay

Should’ve taken the 28k and ran.

Not too many folks are willing to throw down that kinda coin for something that’s garage art at best, the next one who is might offer less.

Offering 80% of the asking price is entirely reasonable in my thinking, maybe coming down to 30k would have sealed the deal.