By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to another installment of the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the definition of what a muscle car is, and to discover hidden treasures while doing so. When I started this series of posts, I stated that all of the vehicles featured were not generally thought of as muscle cars, or were rare oddities within the muscle car period. I’ve introduced you to the first turbocharged American car, an English Touring car with the heart of a Chrysler, a couple of German Uber Sedans, even a couple of V-8 equipped Japanese models, among others. I even tried to convince you that turbocharged 4 cylinder models were muscle, and made an argument for front wheel drive vehicles. So, you wouldn’t think I would be showcasing a car with one of the most revered names in the Muscle Car category, but this car is a one year only model, the 11th of the series, and the last American made version. Let’s take a look at the 1974 Pontiac (Ventura) GTO.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot – The 1974 Pontiac Ventura GTO" »

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

A late model Pontiac GTO was attempting a burnout when suddenly extreme failure occurred. And not just any normal failure, but a failure with a felony caught on tape.

The scene starts out like a great opportunity to show off that modern GTO’s potential. Bystanders with a camcorder sitting thirty feet higher hit record as the GTO appears at the entrance ramp with a couple of open lanes for extra room. Turning off the traction control and slamming the accelerator to the floor, the fun begins.

First gear rolls out nicely with prompt acceleration leading to the burning of rubber. Ah, the joyous feeling! The car starts to slide to the left a little too much for the driver’s comfort, leading to over correction. The law of inertia takes place, catapulting the over-corrected vehicle across two lanes of traffic into an innocent Lincoln Town Car. After the collision, the driver’s instinct is to run.  

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

After hearing about the death of Pontiac and drawing a heavy breath, I, like lots of us car guys took a few minutes to think about my experiences with the fabled and now doomed brand.

My thoughts wandered to my experiences of growing up, cruising in the 1964 GTO that my dad restored when I was a little guy. It’s a four-speed, single-four-barrel 389 (obviously) hardtop with a vinyl roof. Living on a dead end street, I remember dad heading off to the gas station or some such places, stopping to talk to a neighbor, and then the sound of the motor winding up, the clutch dumping and the redline bias-plies smoking off down the road.

I remember chasing down a guy in a Datsun who thought he was hot poop on the highway coming home from Nick’s in Natick, Massachusetts, a formerly epic cruise spot that was featured in Hot Rod magazine back in the 1980s. The best was when my dad looked over at my mom and said, “Moves pretty good from 70 to 100.” She was not pleased, and my sister and I had eyes the size of pie plates. We even cruised out to a big Pontiac convention in the western part of the state and I was convinced that dad’s car was going to win best in show, despite the fact that this was a national deal and I was blissfully unaware that concourse judged muscle cars don’t actually drive to the show.

All this stuff combined in my head to bring me to the shocking revelation that a 1964 Pontiac GTO is the one car I’d love to have above all else. Dad still has his, but Lord willing, he’ll be messing with it for decades to come. Continue reading at BangShift.com

Photo: Richard Rhoat’s Pontiac GTO

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

We got some great entries for our little book giveaway of GTO: Pontiac’s Great One by Darwin Holmstrom. Picking a winner was very difficult, but we’re going with Zach AKA Esoteric18

I would love this book becuase , my love for Pontiacs was given to me by my father who regrets everyday, the time he sold his 68 LeMans to help the family survive through the rough times. He spent several years adding mods and whatever he could afford before he sold it. It was simply his pride and joy and if given this book I would give it to my father as a gift. To show he did the right thing even though to him it didnt seem like it.

Congrats Zach, hope you and your dad enjoy the book!

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Motorbooks just sent me a copy of GTO: Pontiac’s Great One by Darwin Holmstrom. Stephanie, our resident Pontiac maniac, immediately stole it off my desk, so I’ve barely had a chance to look at it. Still, it looks amazing. We’re talking a huge $50 coffee table book with 336 pages of incredible photography, containing just about everything you might want to know about the GTO. Given GM’s announcement on Monday, the timing of this book couldn’t be any more… well, you get the idea.

So anyway, I’m giving this book away. If you own a Pontiac (any Pontiac, doesn’t have to be a GTO) and have a ride page for it on CarDomain, leave a comment telling me why you deserve this book. I’ll pick a winner and mail it out on Friday.

More pics after the jump!

Continue reading "GTO: Pontiac’s Great One by Darwin Holmstrom" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Or anyway, that’s what Edmunds is reporting today. According to inside sources, GM will make the announcement on Monday. Sounds like the whole “niche brand” idea has gone out the window.

By Brian Lohnes

BangShift.com

I have a soft spot for 1964 Pontiac GTOs. My dad restored one when I was a little guy and drove the wheels off it while I was growing up, and now it sits in his garage while the Nova bracket car gets most of the attention. I’ve got lots of great memories of being pressed back in the seat when dad dropped the hammer on the 389. Continue reading at BangShift.com

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

Now that the new SHO is a reality, it’s time for a reality check. GM pretty much bombed the new GTO, which was too bad because it was a great car in spite of the baggage that the GTO name brought with it. So how does the new SHO stack up to its original? The new SHO keeps to the guidelines: high output V6, solid transmission, and a fancy leather interior, all set up as a trim package, just like the original (GTO). At the same time, the SHO doesn’t have to live up to a foggy flashback image, so there’s no confusion about what it’s supposed to be. Advantage: SHO. Face it, the SHO was the GTO of the 80s, and the new one is much closer to John DeLorean’s vision of a hopped up family car than GM’s snappy Holden rebadge was. I feel for GM, but Ford wins this round hands down. What do you think?

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Bought a few Hot Wheels last week. I almost always take them out, but the packaging on the Super Bee and Corvette Grand Sport are pretty cool. More pics after the jump. And which one do you like best?

Continue reading "Do You Leave Them in the Package or Do You Take Them Out and Play With Them?" »

On Thursday I posted pics of this beautiful 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, and Steve noticed that it had a FRAM oil filter. I asked Patrick Ernzen about it and he said that "they’re considered ‘acceptable’ and I believe they’re frequently used in vintage Ferraris like this." My buddies over on Moparts tend to get pretty worked up any time someone brings up FRAM, and usually post a link to this site. I’ve never had a bad experience with FRAM, but I generally run the Napa Gold filters made by WIX on my Mopar.