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"I'm now driving the GTO FINALLY after 4 years and 4 months of restoration. I recently got a NOS Pontiac emblem for the trunk and should have the roof gutter chrome installed this weekend and I'm done. This car is a pleasure to drive with the shift kit, the engine runs very strong, being 30 over and cammed a little hotter. Bob ( slickvillepanels@aol.com )"

It's great to see something besides the usual popular colors on our favorite GTO. Going with the vinyl top makes it that much more distinctive as well. Those who have followed the development of this car throughout our pages will surely agree that this is a remarkable job inside and out! Bob even had enough inspiration left to put his car on a T-shirt for his shop, shown here being modeled by his secretary. -Ro

"Hey, Thought you might like to see my "Firestorm", a 1977 Phoenix, after upgrading the engine compartment and the brand-new Firethorn Red Metallic paint job! Quite a difference from the 'Before' pic on the website don't you think? ...I did a little something different and it turned out really well....I took all the rubber bumper guards off (typical) but I also took off the rectangular guards on the front and back and had the holes filled in and re-chromed and put them back on the car. Look awesome and just 'make' the front and back of the car... Haven't seen anyone else do it, usually, they either take them off completely or leave the rubber on them. Front and rear pics [are not ideal] because the bumpers picked up reflections of red cedar chips we have around the drive. But they are good enough I think to see what has been done.

"Kept the 305 but changed out the manifold and 2bbl carb for better Weiand manifold and Holley 4bbl carb. Switched out the awful Cherry Bomb muffler to a dual Flowmaster exhaust system...oh yeahhh, now she has the rumble I wanted all along! Put air-shocks on and lifted it two inches in the rear...does make a difference to the stance. New Street Performer Camshaft. New 15X7 Goodrich tires and Cragar Rims. Had them paint the side window louvers a semi-gloss black (which really looks matte black) because I just could not stand that gray garbage!

"Firestorm" is just the way I wanted her....a classy lady with lots of attitude in looks and sound (even though my son thinks she looks evil coming up behind his 57 Olds hotrod on the road). Can't wait to see all the new cars on the website! It is a real treat to go to your website.....and I do it a lot! I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this venture and I personally would like to say a huge "Thank you" for what you do. Bye for now! Take Care! Cindy Barks & the Barks Family barkse@yahoo.com "
If this gorgeous car doesn't get your heart rate up, ya might as well buy a Honda! Seeing a completed car like this is unbelievably inspiring for fellow owners of this body style who have projects collecting dust! -Ro

"Hi there my name is Chuck... I built a small block Chevy 350 in my bedroom this winter. I started with a 4 bolt main block and had it cleaned, line honed and bored .030 over. I then loaded it with a brand new Eagle rotating assembly and ARP main studs. The top end came from the folks at Horsepower TV. They used a kit from performanceparts.com on the "bang for the buck" episode where they made 409 hp and 380 ft lbs. It consists of a Lunati roller cam and retro-fit roller lifters, Holley aluminum heads, a Weiand stealth air-gap intake, and a Holley street avenger 770 carb. After the show the $2900 kit was sold to me on Ebay for $840. After the motor was done it was time for the engine dyno. I made 406hp and 400 ft lbs.

"With the motor ready to go it was time to find a car. I had set up a deal with a guy for a 73 Nova, only to have it fall through. So I began touring the backroads of western Montana looking for a "barn find". On the 3rd day of driving around I heard of a "Nova" that had been sitting in a lady's yard for years. Instead of a Nova I found this Ventura drag car. I called the realtor selling the property the car was sitting on, he put me in touch with the woman who owned both the property and car.

"I met with her and she explained the car was her ex-husband's 1/8 mile drag car he campaigned in the late 80's. The car had a race fuel only 377 Chevy stroker motor. The motor is backed by a fully built turbo 350 trans with a full manual valve body, trans brake and an sfi scatter shield. Under the car is a set of sub-frame connectors. The rear end is a Ford 9 inch with a spool. There is also a line-lock and a B&M ratchet shifter. After some talking with the lady I picked up the car for a cool $1,450. I hauled it to the shop and transplanted my motor into the engine bay.

"This car is as mean as a snake and is all business, and will be for sale at the end of the hotrodding season. Thanks for the cool website. Chuck Jeske ( chuckhole@hotmail.com )"

"Enclosed are photos of my Ventura. Very little rust, needs cosmetics and a paint job. Not yet dialed-in but very consistent and fun. Running 455 Pontiac, turbo 400, Ford 9" Slicks, cage. Very little maintenance required, idles at 1100 rpm. Solid CamMotion cam, 8" 4500 stall, bit too wild for everyday driver. Taking this car back to a more streetable combination: 10" 3500 stall, street tires, possible gear change... 3.90"s currently, maybe 3.55's. Daniel Holmes ( danholmesjr@yahoo.com )

"I bought this '73 Ventura Sprint from an old lady in 1988 (the original buyer, a 74 year old grandma at the time) when it had 35K miles. For years I only drove it during the winter when it was raining and I couldn't ride my motorcycle. Now the 350/ TH 400 automatic has 141K miles. The baby moon hubcaps are original. The exterior was painted to match the original 'porcelain blue' color last summer. I'm also keeping the interior as close to original. I'll send photo's of the interior when its finished.

This car never had stripes or dual sport mirrors. From what I can tell, the 'Custom' features are:

- 350 eng/THG400 transmission. Because of 1973 California smog laws, it has a 2 barrel carb.
- Sprint nose and grill. Grille is anodized aluminum square pattern, natural silver.
- Baby moon hubcaps and rim trim rings
- Anodized aluminum trim cover around side window head and jambs, and rocker panels
- Vanity 'Pontiac' mirror on passenger visor
- Sport steering wheel
- Rear window defogger
-'Custom' script emblem on exterior pillar
-'Custom' badge on interior door panels

Thanks, Doug Gawoski ( dgawoski@yahoo.com )" As you can see, Doug went the extra mile in choosing locations and great angles for his photos. Nice work on both the car and photos! -Ro

"Here are a few pictures of my 74 GTO, the red one. (The blue and white one is owned by George Zammicky, the original owner of my red car). George took it off the streets in the early 80's and drag raced it at the old Detroit Dragway. In 1993, he was Division 3 NHRA champion in his class with this car. He was running in the 10's with a Pontiac motor with a small blower.

"I purchased the car in 2003 and put it back on the streets of the Motor city. You can read my plate in the one picture, NTANOVA !!I I actually found one of Georges' old pay stubs under the carpet I tore out. He put the cage and the ladder bars in the car. I used to watch him drag race in the mid 80's, and always wanted that car. At the time I had a stock 3 speed manual 74 GTO."
John Agostini ( service@pro-mower.com )" I guess good things come to those who wait! -Ro

Bee-Yootiful!

This sweet '73 was photographed by Diz Dean at a car show last summer in Youngstown, OH.

"Been workin' on this thing for years. Paid $500 cash for it, got $7,000 more in it. Engine is Pontiac 350 block, 400 ram air III heads, air cooled intake. Bored .030 over, flat top pistons, and a mild cam. 670 cfm Holley Street Avenger carb feeds it & 2 1/2 inch dual exhaust lets you hear it. TH475 Cadillac tranny with B&M stall converter and stage 2 shift kit. B&M Z-gate shifter to control it all. Poverty hubcaps and factory chrome parts inside and out keep the "old school" look goin' for me. Hope ya like it. John May ( g17surgeon@yahoo.com )" Great stance, and this is one case where primer is indeed finer! -Ro

"Last week one day my wife took the day off to go shopping with our kids. I figured there was something up, because no one goes shopping at 6 A.M. This is what they came home with. I had one that looked like Al Pipher's (green 73 Sprint) I had bought new in 1973. I will be the third owner to work on this car and I will finish it. I am looking for a few parts. It needs some interior work and some of the lettering. It is a project in progress but it brings back many good memories from long long ago. Kenny & Joddy Roys ( k_jroys@alpinecom.net )" I found some 1980s car mags at a garage sale, and yes, this is how they painted cars back then! But darned if I can remember seeing any at the time... - Oblivious Ro?

"Hey me and my friend were at my house today, and we got some really great pics of our cars. Mine is a 76 Ventura and his is a 1980 turbo Trans Am, his car isn't in the greatest condition, needs some serious work exterior and interior...it would be cool if you could add them to the site if its not too much more trouble. There is so much power difference between our cars it kills me, I am going to need an engine upgrade...Kolten Ducy ( kolten02@gmail.com )"

See that? This is how it starts, that unstoppable quest for more horsepower!! To be fair, we should point out that the turbo motor is no longer in the TA, it's got an older, stronger heart under the hood. Nice camera angles! -Ro

"My name is Mark Steeves. I'm from Moncton, NB, Canada. I have enjoyed viewing your web site for quite some time now and have been meaning to let you know how much of a good job I think you're doing with this site. It's nice to see someone appreciate these cars, as we know these cars are not as desirable as the Nova. (Correct, they are MORE desirable J )

"I've been meaning to send you some pictures of my 1971 Pontiac Ventura Sprint. Let me give you a few details about my car. I have owned this car for I'd say 13 years now. It has seen a few different stages of improvement over the years. It was originally burnt orange - with a tan top and interior. As you can see I have changed both the body colour and the interior. I have replaced all the interior with factory black replacements. I have completely restored the car myself. Every nut and bolt has been turned. The car has seen many motors over the years. Currently it has a healthy 355 Chevy - estimated 350 horse - with a TH 350 transmission with a 3000 stall converter. The rear end is 10 bolt with 3.42 posi traction.

"Over the years I have shown this car and received numerous awards in the Maritimes as this is rare car in New Brunswick. Now I just enjoy ripping it up and just cruisin'. Maybe I could send you some before and after pics (once I scan the old photos).
Keep up the good work!! Mark Steeves ( hot.rod.71@hotmail.com )" The shaker scoop looks like it belongs there, and the Sprint graphics have been modified while still keeping the original script. Personally, I like the '71-'72 script the best; maybe because it seems to be very rare (not like the others are exactly common, though!) -Ro

"Thank you for your site, I've enjoyed it since the first year you launched this site, but did not have a computer to send you my story. Sorry for my writing, I'm French Canadian, but try hard. (No problem...his English is better than some of us locals!)

"I bought my Ventura in May 1999, almost 10 years ago. I had just graduated from college and went back to my new girlfriend's house in my hometown. I saw this car for sale, $4500. I was dreaming of it since I'm a kid. My first muscle car, but didn't have the money, so my uncle signed for me, and I paid it back. My uncle was working in a dealer place back in '73 so he prepared those cars for show room, brand new. He gave me my chance to enjoy it, so I take care the most I can and my kids are in love with it. My wife hesitated the first years, didn't love the colors, but since the car is in the wedding picture...she won't let go. In storage for the hard Quebec Canada winter, I can't wait for the summer to cruise. Factory 350 blue block 2bbl, small muscle but enough for me. Martin Legault ( ventura350@hotmail.fr )" We definitely don't see many cars in Navajo Orange, so when we do, it's always a treat! -Ro

"Hi there, I just came across your website, and noticed my car on there. J I bought my black with red stripe '78 in 2004, and have had it for the past 5years. I bought it from a dealer in CA, www.BrockersBeautys.com. Some of your pictures show the car for sale with info about price year and options. But the car is for sure a 78, I have the title, and the VIN tag.

"I have made some small modifications since I purchased the car, such as removing the stripes from the tail light panel. I don’t like the way they look, but I may put them back. I also changed the mirror on the drivers door from a chrome piece to a sport mirror. The tach that is shown on the steering column has been placed into the dash in the blank space where some of the dummy lights were before. The interior is the same, it has a velour treatment on the seats with a vinyl panel down the center.

"I have made some engine upgrades, but still the original block and trans. I will include some links of pictures I have posted online. Any information that you have about this car would be greatly appreciated. I have been trying to find info about the original owner, history etc. When I got the car, it looked like the only changes made were a repaint, the seats recovered, and new tires. The engine bay was original, even down to the exhaust, which after 30 years was pretty amazing. I did replace the single muffler with 2 tail pipes, with headers, but I still have all the original exhaust and emissions parts. Richard Olsen, Bountiful, UT ( richard@floorstylesinc.com )"

"PS. I bought another 78 Rally in '06 from a guy in Eugene, Oregon, you can see in the last 2 pictures. I did some checking, and the cowl tag shows that the black one I bought in '04, and the red one (silver originally) were built the same week and year in the same plant. The VINs are not consecutive, but I can imagine them both going down the line one in front of the other. Wish I had pictures of THAT day." For other images of Richard's hot cars, please see the following links:

"Have you ever had a love affair with a car? Well, this is mine! I owned one of these right off the showroom floor that my Dad bought me for graduation. I let a friend borrow it and he flipped it on the freeway. Totaled it out; left it running up-side-down.

"One night while looking for parts for the '37 Olds that I am restoring, I came across a message board in a car club and found an e-mail from 'JoshSOA' saying that he had found this car and his dad told him what it was and how rare it was, and questioned if he should restore it or not. I replied to him about the one I lost, and said that if he ever wanted to sell, I would buy "sight unseen".

"A very spiritual lady in Pennsylvania happened upon that note, and called me saying that she found a 1974 Chevy Nova Spirit of America in her husband's aunt's barn and we negotiated the price. Weeks later, it arrived via transport to its new home here in Houston. I could not really afford the car, and it was highly unmanageable of me to take on another project (not having finished the first one) but I sacrificed and bought the car.

"It has the original motor and transmission, (three speed, just like I had) which seem to work just fine. The interior window trim is a bit weathered, which I am looking to replace, yet having a hard time finding. The other trim and kick panels have yellowed, but no problem there. I am hoping to go back original with the wheels and caps, so if anyone has any that they are replacing with "trick" wheels, please, let me know.

"We've only just begun! My body man and I are determined to be street worthy by the end of the summer. The good thing about the '74 Nova is that there are a lot of good sites that still have parts available for this car, unlike the '37 which I struggle to find some major parts for. So, thank you JoshSOA. Keep coming back... more will be revealed! Jackie Stafford ( Jaess777@aol.com )" Sometimes, things are just meant to be! -Ro

"Hey there PontiacVentura.com, you have a great website, and we wanted to add our 73 to the mix.

"We were looking for a different Pontiac body to build up (instead of a T/A or a GTO) and decided the Ventura was the car for us. We bought the car in 1991 in Upstate New York. It had the original 350 and was missing the automatic transmission. We put it together with a 400 pushing about 450 hp, a super T-10 4spd, 3.43:1 gears and a corporate posi carrier in the original rear housing, put in a fuel cell in the trunk, power brakes so it would stop, frame connectors and traction bars so it would hook up, and for safety we installed a drive shaft loop, scatter shield and roll bar.

"We painted it 1973 Cadillac Firemist Green and put in a 60/40 crushed velour seat from an Olds Cierra (or some such car). The build was done in the summer of 1991 and we’ve been having fun ever since! The body and paint are pretty rough now, but it still runs strong. We recently picked up a shaker hood, and expect that upgrade, along with a new set of Richmond 3.90:1 gears and new Hooker super comp headers to be competed this spring. After that, the next project is about two years out from now; my son (14) is planning to restore this car with me and set it up with a much more reasonable drive train for him to use for high school! Thanks for supporting Pontiacs! Paul B., Long Island, NY ( Seaworthy64@aol.com )" Score one for the color, and another for the lowered look on fat tires! -Ro

"This yellow 76 Ventura is a car I still own (see an earlier Ventura in the Memory Lane section below). It has factory sport stripes and a RTS handling package. It is a somewhat rare car, about 1500 hatchback Venturas were built like it. I bought it about 6 years ago, it was originally a California car that was brought to WI by the person I bought it from. He was going to put a 455 engine into it but never got around to it and got tired of it sitting in his pole barn. The car has 71,000 miles on it. Someone in California ran it low on oil and it had a rod knock...I found out later when I pulled the engine the rear intake seal had fallen out, causing a big oil leak.

"I swapped in a 92 Camaro TBI 5.0L engine and 4l60 trans (the Camaro was rear ended hard with only 40,000 miles on it). I also swapped in some 3.42 gears, they are great with the overdrive trans. Future plans are to put a set of ported TPI heads and a LT1 cam on the engine. I really have to get rid of those side stripes also...I don't think they are original are they??

"I also had a white 76 Ventura hatchback many years ago. That one had an Olds 260 engine and rear seat vent windows that would swing out ...cool! You have a great site, and hope you enjoy the pics. -Rod- ( rodmc66@yahoo.com )" About those side stripes, my '77 Pontiac manual shows only some super-wide side-molding, something I've also seen on other '76s; maybe someone painted over where the original molding used to be, like if the paint was damaged during removal? -Detective Ro

"These are pictures of my 73 Pontiac Ventura Hatchback. Randy Condon ( randys73ventura@yahoo.com )" Slick, shiny, red with custom rims... what's not to like??? -Ro

"This is my 71 that I modified a little on the front with a 74 nose...I drove it back the day it was purchased from Dallas to Houston and prayed all the way home, it made the trip! All original parts are there under the hood just as the day it came off the assembly line, a 307 V8. I believe I am the third owner, the original owner was from Oklahoma. The front bumper has a sticker on it which says 'Department of Defense USAF Tinker, Oklahoma' …which I researched, and there is an Air Force Base in Tinker, Oklahoma …so I have nicked named it my “Tinker Toy”. Keep up the GREAT JOB, all of us Ventura II junkies always look forward to what’s new. Jody Ross ( Jody.Ross@amsi.com )" He sent a photo of the airbase sticker, but if we published it, the MPs would come looking for us :-)

Carl's got a '76 Olds Omega wearing Chevy emblems and admits "Yeah, I'm running a small block Chevy engine. The spoiler came off of a 95 Cougar. Also both bumpers are off of a Nova and front fenders, all body parts will interchange, only difference is grill and bumpers and tail lights." You can also see more photos at: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3333241 CARL BARRON ( carlbarron1957@windstream.net )"

"Look What I Found!"

"I just recently acquired this beast. I started searching on the internet and found your site. 1977 Pontiac Ventura. Not sure what I am going to do with it. It looks all original, 301 V8, automatic, hood ornament and chrome hood strip, rally wheels. Also check out the engine block heater plug sticking out of the grill. It has some minor issues like worn carpet and dash cut open for an updated radio. But once I cleaned it up it looks great! Might be a nice project for me that I can drive or sell. Oh, and it looks like 49,000 original miles! I had to share this with you. Sincerely, Warren Cestare ( wcestare@yahoo.com )" Remarkable!

Great White Apollo for the Great White North

"Hi there, I am submitting some pictures of my 1974 Buick Apollo 4 door, all original, built in California, sold out of Arizona, now it's in Saskatchewan, Canada. Trevor Taylor ( grover0@hotmail.com )" Seeing how rare these are becoming, you can bet Trevor is the first on his block to have one! Let's see if he keeps it original or personalizes it somehow. -Ro

		(L) "This is my 74 Olds Omega. 350 rocket motor, stock, rebuilt short block. It has a comp cam, roller tip rockers, Edelbrock Performer RPM, Holly 750, and MSD 6AL with matching distributer and coil. The tranny is a Turbo 350 with a shift kit. Rear is a hand me down Detroit locker with 4:10 gears. It runs consistent 13.90, and has run a best of 13.78 at 97 mph in the quarter. I live in Forest Grove, Oregon and race at Woodburn Dragstrip. It is primer red (I can't decide on a color) and most of my parts are swap meet items, or hand me downs. David Cookman ( medadof4@yahoo.com )" Sounds like the spirit of true hot-rodding to me! -Ro (R) I have some pics of my 73 Ventura, finished in 2001. 400 CID, Turbo 400, Q-jet, 71 455 HO ALUM intake, and rare functional GTO shaker. 1969 # 16 heads, MSD/HEI, Harland Sharp roller rockers. It has 72 bumpers (73 bumpers look funny). If you can, please post on your site for all to see. Thank you, Guy Saladino Tampa, FL ( GASGTO73@tampabay.rr.com )" Your wish has been granted, Guy, and congrats on getting the coveted shaker to work too. -Ro
		(L) This is probably the last we'll see of Cam's beloved Phoenix..."I sold my 79 Phoenix LJ... The buyer was so impressed with the condition of the car and the colour, that he never even drove it before buying it and paying cash. The car will never see snow and salt again. Here is my favourite photo. Best regards. Cam Moffatt ( cam.moffatt@gnb.ca )" (R) My name is Nate. I live in Littlerock, AR. I have a 1972 Pontiac Ventura II that was my Grandma's car that I am restoring. Thanks for having this website. Nate ( nathankitzke@hotmail.com )"
*"Repent, Ye Horsepower Heathens!!!"* John Everett ( johneverett@mac.com ) forwards "roadside religion in the form of a Pontiac Ventura (with Nova hood)". Model Kits Hey Roland ... A friend sent me this link for a Ventura model car ... thought you might find this interesting and may wanna post it : ) David Meier, ( davidmeier1@hotmail.com ) Chevynova.ca http://www.timemachineresin.bravehost.com/gmkits.html

(1) Bill Zettler was the first of several folks to alert us to a video that surfaced during the battle to appoint Mr. Daschle to a position in the Obama administration. He writes, "Don't know how you feel about Tom Daschle, but his old car just became a lot more famous. This video's all over the place today:" http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/02/driving_tom_daschle_washington.html (2) Jody Ross from Texas found a great site where you can look up practically any car appearing in the movies and TV... www.imcdb.org (3) "Glad to see the site is still going strong. Great job!! I have some videos of my car on youtube now, just do a search for "565rat". That will bring up all my vids. You can see a walkaround and hear the car running. If a picture is worth a 1000 words, a video should be priceless. I don't know if you know it or not but my car was featured on a Mothers Car show Competition in 2007. It scored the highest in points of any car they ever featured. A feather in the cap for the under rated Ventura, huh. The part of the show featuring my car is on the youtube site with the judge's comments. Keep up the good work. Later, Kenny Mark3GE@aol.com "
Where your old photos come back to life	"Cool to see a website on the Pontiac Ventura! I owned a 74, and a brown 76 as you see in the attached pictures. The brown one was a winter beater I drove while my 76 Nova was stored in winter. It was a fun car to drive once I swapped in a 400 Pontiac engine. Both the Nova and brown Ventura went to the junk yard years ago." -Rob- First Car Still the Favorite "My grandmother had a Pontiac Ventura, she bought it brand new in 1975, the year I was born. It was a blue two door hatch back with tan interior. She passed away in 1987. She left one thing to me, that car. My mother saved it for me until I was 16. It was my first car, I loved that car with all of my heart. It served me well for many years, I was 24 when it finally gave way on me. It was, and still to this day, was the best damn car that I have EVER owned! Dawn Washburn, http://thesunriseweb.com "

Serious Syrian Motoring! So many of the x-bodies we've seen from the Middle East have been in pretty rough shape, but here is a nice-looking exception. Harout 'Harry' Aro ( htl1988@hotmail.com ) writes: "Hello, this is my 1975 Ventura, it's my perfect car... It has a V8 350, this Pontiac's top speed is 140 MPH, starting from zero to 21.25 seconds." Arnoud van Ekris ( chevycruiser@wanadoo.nl ) was advertising for a new bumper on the site, wonder if anyone was able to help him? Here's his car posing in front of a rather distinctive structure. More fine-looking machinery from Holland! "Hello I'm Theo Baris, I live in the Netherlands and have a 1975 Pontiac Ventura. It's a great car and fun to drive in. It's got a V8 4.3L engine. Lots of chrome. Greetings, Theo.( t.baris@chello.nl )"