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2-Owner 4-Speed: 1974 Pontiac GTO

The year was 1974 and all the muscle cars were gone except for the Pontiac Trans Am which still offered the high performance Super Duty 455. Pontiac tried to revive GTO sales in 1973 by using the colonnade body style and, in 1974, switched the GTO moniker over to the X body Pontiac Ventura. They installed a Pontiac 350 cubic inch V8 engine with a shaker scoop and dual tipped exhausts to make the car look sporty. This red example is located in Milford, Connecticut and shows 67,455 miles on the odometer. The GTO is listed for sale here on eBay with 2 days remaining in the auction. the car is bid to $18,600 after 30 bids but the reserve has not been met.

Pontiac installed a shaker hood scoop on the Trans Am starting in 1970. Only the 1970-1972 Trans Am had functional shaker scoops prior to this. I recently heard Herb Adams, the father of the Trans Am, give his account about how the shaker scoop was created in 1969 on a test car. After a magazine article came out about it, other auto manufacturers incorporated the shaker scoop on their cars. For the 1974 GTO, the functional shaker scoop fed a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel engine. The scoop used a solenoid-operated air valve to allow the intake of cold air when accelerating. The actuation system allowed the flapper to become operational after the coolant temperature exceeded 140 degrees.

The red interior on this car looks to be in great condition. It is surprisingly spartan but that is probably because Pontiac took a commuter car and gussied it up into a performance offering. For the last year of Pontiac powered production of the GTO, the 1974 GTO was powered by a Pontiac L76 350 cubic inch produced 200 net horsepower at 4,400 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. It was the first year that no other engine option was available on the GTO. This example sends power to the driveshaft via a M20 4-speed manual transmission.

The GTO comes with PHS documents showing it is a true GTO. The car has been repainted once it Code 75 red according to the seller. It looks to be in excellent condition and rides on factory Pontiac Rally II rims and black wall tires. Over 7,000 GTOs were built in 1974 which was higher than the prior two years of production. The GTO would be cancelled until it was revived 3 decades later using the Holden body style and imported from Australia.

Comments

  1. Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

    Sorry but I’m more into the older GTO’s, not the Nova based ones. Having said that, the color on this one is such an eye popper it’s hard to miss it.

    Like 5
  2. Avatar Kirk

    1/4 mile 16.1 sec
    0-60 7.7 sec
    Top speed 120 miles per hour

    Like 3
    • Avatar Geebee

      Just a little slower than my 2015 Ford Escape. But this car would sure draw more attention!

      Like 9
  3. Avatar Mikefromthehammer

    WOW.

    This one took my breath away.

    On Napoli Classics they are asking $34K. I imagine the reserve will likely be > $30K.

    Like 6
    • Avatar Al

      Napoli was the Pontiac dealer in Milford on US1 back in the day. Haven’t lived in neighboring Stratford in 21 yrs, but never seen this one around even at shows in the 90’s. I guess it has some potential being the last of cat-free ‘muscle?’. But having lived there, I’d be VERY skeptical about buying any classic out of Fairfield County. More body shops than attorneys in the phone book & the SALT that they’d lay out on the roads at the slightest dusting of snow in the forecast there, lets just say sitting at a traffic light, you could open the door, flip a glass, place on the asphalt & salt the rim for a Margarita! Nothing unnerved me more than seeing cars with body rot less than 5 years old back in the mid 70’s & I don’t mean a dime size bubble on a lower quarter panel. I’d go over this one with a flat business card refridgerator magnet.

      Like 5
  4. Avatar Dan August

    Why no engine pics…

    Like 0
    • Avatar Steve R

      The engine pictures are are among the 54 included in the description. So are pictures of the transmission, which clearly show a Saginaw transmission. This car looks nice, but it’s been dolled up for resale, potential buyers would be wise to thoroughly investigate this car.

      Steve R

      Like 14
  5. Avatar nycbjr Member

    Kind of dig it! Love the 4 speed, bet this is fun to drive!

    Like 4
  6. Avatar Troy s

    This black sheep definitely grabs the looks department all decked out in red! I like those wheels on it too. I’m curious about something though, was Chevrolet still making the SS350 Nova in ’74, and wonder how it ran performance wise compared to the little GTO here. I mean really, it’s from 1974, not exactly the big performance year, despite the ultra rare SD455 Firebirds.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Bick Banter

      Sort of. The Nova SS was another tape stripe option package this year. Unlike this, it could be had with all Nova engines, including the old Stove Bolt 250 six.

      Tops was the 185 horsepower 350 4-bbl 0-60 and quarter mid 8s and mid 16s. This had 15 more HP so it was probably slightly quicker, though both would be considered slow today.

      Like 8
      • Avatar Troy s

        Most likely slow back then too, when I think of what cars were running just a few years earlier. Thanks for the heads up.
        Yes tape stripe specials. I heard even a 4 speed transmission could upset an insurance agent, greedy guys.

        Like 1
  7. Avatar Bick Banter

    One of the first of the tape stripe package performance cars. The 350 4-bbl dual exhaust that this has was available in the regular 2 and 4 door Ventura. Spiritual father to the Volare Road Runner, Aspen R/T, Hornet/Spirit AMX, Mustang Cobra II, Camaro RS, etc.

    Like 4
  8. Avatar Stan

    Nice car. Moves out good with a 4sp and a rear gear . Probably a 3.08 cog

    Like 3
  9. Avatar Raymond

    Ok…if i wanted a Nova this would be the one…add hood tach, lose 350 add 455SD…thats about it…but its still a Nova in the end…sad death to a storied name….i like this one tho…its pretty….

    Like 5
  10. Avatar Frank Sumatra

    Amazing view of what happened to High-performance cars over one decade.

    Like 4
  11. Avatar Don Page Jr.

    Already at $20,800 and the reserve not met. Collector car market has it at $23,200 for a #1. I would call it a #2. Quality of the paint is not what I would expect for that price. Leaks underneath, pitting on some chrome and interior is far from perfect. Do I like it, yes. But I would have to give it an up close and personal inspection before I would pay that much.

    Like 1
  12. Avatar Bigbird

    Car is perfect for an internal motor upgrade. This motor sucked gas like truck. New pistons, cam, some head work, and manifold upgrade (stock Pont. perf.) would make it more fun to drive. Very nice car indeed, and the 4-speed it a big plus.

    Like 3
  13. Avatar scottymac

    Mine was this cars twin, but with a white interior, really set off the red. Biggest problem was the cheapy Inland shifter that would lock up between gears. For that price, would expect the fender top stripes and GTO decals.

    https://www.phoenixgraphix.com/gm/1974gto.php

    Like 2
    • Avatar morrisangelo

      Same here except mine had the hatchback and the RWB side stripes. It used to drive by my gas station when I worked there and every time it went by, I swore I’d buy it.

      The guy happened to stop in my gas station one day and I went ballistic. We struck a deal and it was mine a short time later.

      I had to go fetch it at a lumberyard on quite possibly one of the coldest mornings in Pittsburgh’s history.

      Bad clutch, was backfiring and stalling, and no heat.

      I’ll never forget that ride home through the hills and valleys of the Pitcairn section of Pittsburgh…

      Like 2
  14. Avatar Robert Sykes

    More likely Pontiac saw Ford developing their shaker in late 67-early 68 for the 69′ Mustang(lead times to production were years) so if Pontiac was testing it in 69′ they were behind Ford :P I do prefer the Pontiac style though,especially seeing the gaping hole staring back at you as you drive along :P

    Like 1
  15. Avatar Johnny Demonic

    Should have offered the SD455 in it.

    Like 0
    • Avatar jerry z

      And beat up the flagship Trans Am? Blasphemy!

      Like 1
  16. Avatar Moparman Member

    At first glance, this one really pops, but upon a closer examination I find: pitting on GTO door emblems, dome light cover on floor(probably broken tabs), package tray is extremely warped, screws missing from console; Minor details, but give this one a personal look over. I like the looks of the one in the brochure picture w/ the chrome trim around the windows and the bumper guards/strips. GLWTA!! :-)

    Like 0
    • Avatar 19sixty5 Member

      Did you notice the interior drivers plastic vent and rear interior quarter trim? They painted the pull knob and shaft, and didn’t even paint the lip of the rear panel that was masked when they painted the black panel to red to color to red. All these little things plus the already mentioned items suggest that this is clearly lipstick on a pig… proceed with caution!

      Like 1
  17. Avatar Mark Member

    This is the beginning of the beancounter era, and they have only become more soulless than in 1974.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar Ed Fairbanks Jr

    I got one of these in 1978 on the day before I graduated from high school, still had the stock gear shift knob, mine was red with a white interior and the stripe on the side. I put a 650 spread bore Holley on it to replace the Quadrajunk, 3″ Hooker headers with Cherry Bomb header mufflers with no exhaust. Never touched the inside of the motor. The Saginaw transmission never had a chance, when I bought the car the trans made a little noise, chipped gear. Got that fixed but it kept chipping gears and the last time I got it fixed I put a brand new clutch, pressure plate and t.o. bearing, 10 hours later I blew the gears out the side of the transmission. This time I took it to a transmission shop that knew what they were doing and built me a 254 Muncie and I got a Hurst Competition Plus shifter with a Zoom street clutch with a Borg & Beck type pressure plate and never had another problem. Lotsa fun for an 18 year old kid back then, it would spin the tires in the first 3 gears and bark them hard when I hit 4th. I was from a small town and it was a very well known car, I burnt 3 sets of back tires off the first summer. Oh to be a kid again, back then the cops would just tell ya to knock it off.

    Like 1
  19. Avatar joenywf64

    All of these that remain should be converted to the earlier bumpers.

    Like 0

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