The Pontiac GTO was the featured nameplate for the 2024 Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. And as you’d suspect, we were treated to a jaw-dropping mix of Goats, Judges, Royal Bobcats, and even a Holden Monaro or two.
But our favorite Poncho of the event was the super interesting, yet often overlooked 1973 GTO.
The third-generation GTO is a fascinating, albeit short, chapter in the Goat history books.
That’s because, for 1973, all of the GM A-bodies (including the GTO) shifted onto an updated chassis and sheetmetal, often referred to as the “Colonnade” styling era.
But then in 1974, while the other midsize cars in the Pontiac portfolio (e.g. the Grand Am, Grand Prix and Le Mans) carried on as A-body cars, the GTO package moved over to the GM X-body platform—now essentially a trim level on the Ventura (Nova) coupe.
All told, that meant the “third-gen.” GTO only lasted one year, 1973. And that’s a darn shame, because there’s an awful lot to like about the 1973 Goat.
For starters, to most folks its Colonnade styling has aged like fine wine (NACA hood ducts and window louvers FTW!) and, as far as performance goes, you still got a hot 400ci Pontiac V8 under the hood mated to an optional four-speed manual.
Fun Fact: Pontiac originally wanted to equip the 1973 GTO with the legendary Super Duty 455 powerplant (and even a few press cars were built). But those plans we shelved, opting to stuff the SD 455 into the Trans Am instead.
Unfortunately, the 1973 GTO wasn’t the hot seller Pontiac hoped for, and less than 5,000 were built.
Suffice it to say, a lot of these cars were run hard and put away wet, which meant not many 1973 Goats survived into the 21st century. But those coupes that did have become bona fide collector cars and clean examples are few and far between nowadays.
So when we spotted this one in Columbus, Ohio at the recent Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals, we had to track down the owner and hear about it firsthand.
Watch the video below for a closer look:
There’s a guy in Seneca, South Carolina has a 1973 GTO with a 455 ci, 4 speed. He claims it may be the only 4 speed 455 ever built in 1973. He says it was the last one that came off the assembly line and as a gag Pontiac built one. . if this is true probably the most rare gto ever? IDK