"Thanks for putting this website together. I spent a while on it checking everything out. Really enjoyed the article on the star of the '7 Ups'. That clip when it goes under the truck used to be in the intro of the 'Fall Guy'.
Anyway, if you have room and time, please post my 73 Sprint, Navajo Orange first love. I still have this one, but it is in an auto cocoon alongside a 74 parts car with spare goat hood and shaker. Someday I will get to it. Thanks again, Ron"
Always a pleasure to post great shots like these, and add a little more to the Ventura's history as well. This is a pretty rare color for this car, perhaps someone can bring it back to life on their own Ventura restoration?
Speaking of history, remember these three characters from the mid-70s TV commercials? Undoubtedly the Uniroyal PR department has even more shots of the 'stunt' Ventura on file! Apparently they were known as the "Uniroyal Thrill Drivers".
"Here are a couple of photos of my 73 Ventura Sprint. It was purchased without an engine or trans in 1991 for $100. Since then, I have put in a 73 455, 4-speed and 3.70 10-bolt. I have also added a 74 GTO nose and a 77 T/A Shaker scoop for the 74 GTO look. Since these photos were taken, I have added custom black 74-style GTO decals. I have done all of this for a total investment of $2,500.
"These photos were taken at the Pontiac Heaven Drags in Phoenix, where it ran 13.03 @ 104 on cheap street tires."
His two daughters were the intrepid photographers as Dad smoked the Firebird off the line. Nice work by the young shutterbugs!
"He is very proud of his car. He had a sunroof installed and had his seats all redone with leather. Of course we had to put a CD too. We are from Listuguj, Quebec Canada and have gone to car shows in the Maritimes and never saw a car like Lloyds. Lots of Nova's though..."
Lloyd adds some of the details: "We have a 350 big block, with Western mags 11 inches wide. Paint job about 7 years ago with leather interior. Recently rebuilt motor. 188 thousand miles on it. In excellent condition." They look forward to chatting with folks about their car, so feel free to drop them a line.
(R) We can report the transformation of another car...
"I have some new
information on the 73 Ventura located in Bettie NC on page 5 under the 73
section.
"My name is Sam Mylin and I'm 16 years old. My dad lives in Wake Forest NC
and
was a next door neighbor to the owner of the car when he sent the pictures
in for your page. I was visiting him about a year ago and I noticed the car
with a for sale sign on it and looked into it. Anyway I bought the car for 2
grand and have now restored it close to the original state. Only I changed
the color from the Seafoam Green to high gloss black. I also put the
original wheels back on. Hope you put these on and Eddie (previous owner)
will notice the work I've spent on this. Here's the cardomain URL (
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/705643
)
"The car isn't completely restored as of yet. I still have to do most of the
interior and replace the shocks and coils. As you can see the cars stance is
pitifully low. Thanks for your help on getting this car on your site. It's
nice to see other people with these cars, because I haven't seen any other
than mine on the road.
Sam ( HABITATskater349@aol.com
)"
(R) Another unusual and pleasant color can be found on this remarkably straight New York '73. Unless we're looking at buckets of Bondo, it's doubtful this car saw many East Coast winters...
"Attached is a picture of my '73 Ventura. Although I don't own the car anymore, it is still my first love. It originally had a stock 350 2 barrel, but it died after 100,000 miles. I replaced it with a 400 c.i.d. with 4 barrel. It is the stock color. Don't see many orange Venturas running around. In the process of looking for one to replace it.... Great web site! Derek"
Joe Stalsberg ( pontiacflo@yahoo.com ) is the proud owner of this white '73:
"This is my 1973 Pontiac Ventura 350 Custom that I bought when I was 15 and it had 54,000 miles on it. Now the car has 60,000 miles and runs like it's new. I bought the car out in Colorado for $2,500 and it is original. It looked like it was a low rider when I bought it because the springs were old but since then I have new ones. The car is absolutely the best sleeper ever because no one knows what it is. Joe"
Photo has been retouched to get rid of a loaded clothesline, but the pool was too big for me to move....Ro :-)
(R) East coast project car that seems to have fallen just short of the mark.
"Just picked this one up on Father's Day (2005) in Olympia WA for $2350. Bought if from the original owner's son-in-law. All the manuals, new vehicle warranty brochure and the original purchase order came with it. It was purchased brand-new on April 21st, 1973 from a dealership in Sandpoint Idaho for a grand total of $3845.61.
"It has 130K on it. Typical rust around tail lights and around bottom of rear window. It is the original vinyl top and paint !!! The top is flawless, but the paint is pitted and will be redone. Driver's seat has a small tear and headliner came unglued, but is intact and fixable.
"I got my first one in 1976 at the age of 16 and had it for 4 years. It was the same color combination, but no vinyl top, 4 slot front grille, white factory high-back bucket seats and no rubber bumper strips or hatchback. I am pleased with this sweet find. My first Ventura, which was my 2nd car, has always been my favorite. I've had over 20 cars since and there has been nothing quite like it. More to come at a later date. Terrific site - I love it! Jim H."
(R) Look at how this car has cleaned up...it definitely looks ready to rock! "Here are a pair of current photos of my 73 Ventura. The headliner and seat have been re-done to stock specifications... new brakes, bearings, wheels, tires, axles and dual exhaust. Hope to have 400-450 ponies under the hood by summer. Keep up the great work! Jim Hintz" ( hintzville@hotpop.com )
Sprint Madness continues! Probably
the first '73 Ventura we've seen wearing its original silver-grey color.
To the best of my recollection, these images were turned up by following a
discussion thread on an online forum. If it's your car, we'd be happy to
hear from you.
(R) With all the devastation from the hurricanes of 2005, it's nice to see that some cars survived. I think Chris Haggerty's technique was to park his car in the middle of an open field last season. ( fishmaster79@yahoo.com )
From
Mark Napier (
napierme@insightbb.com )"This
was my grandmother's car (yes, it really was driven to church by a little
old lady, she was 5'0") It sat for a number of years and has been put
back into running condition with new gas tank, new brake lines/master
cylinder, tires, etc.
"The paint job is starting to deteriorate. I'm looking into a new paint job,
but the Sprint decals may be tough to get. A couple of the hubcaps are
sitting inside the car. They've rusted to the point that they would be
likely to come off while driving. Great to see that there are others with a
soft spot for this model."