Some "Oddball" Pontiacs that might be cool....

Pontiac always tried to have innovative stuff even if it didn't always go over with the buying public. Here's a few that would be cool to have.  # 1. 1967-68 OHC 6-cylinder Firebird. That's not a Typo. In 1967-68 you could get a Firebird with a 250 inch overhead cam straight six that made 215 hp and had a four-barrel carb. Transmissions were either a 4-speed or an automatic. Since the '67-68 Firebirds were light-about 3300 lbs-they were pretty good performers-they have the same power to weight ratio as a Tuned Port Injected LB9 '85 IROC-Z Camaro. However-with gas about 30 cents a gallon and the musclecar craze in full swing-nobody cared about a 215 hp Firebird that got good gas mileage. Everyone wanted the mighty 400 V8. They still do-which lucky for you if you want a "cammer" six model-keeps the prices low even though their kind of rare. # 2. 1967-68 "Turnpike" Edition GTO. For some insane reason someone in GM marketing thought that replacing the GTO's standard 350 hp 400 4bbl V8, 3-speed manual trans and 3.36:1 gearing with a 265 hp 2bbl 400, a TH400 automatic and 2.93:1 salt-flats gearing would sell like hot cakes. ( Olds oddly did the same thing with the 442 those years ). Like with "New Coke" the public was not amused. No one wanted a GTO that had no balls, and got 16 mpg instead of 12. Their not worth anything other than the fact that you may have a clean GTO body. And Pontiac collectors snub them like the plague so you may be able to find a deal on one. The upside is installing a 4bbl carb & intake is easy, as is swapping the 2.93:1 gears for something like 3.55:1 to get the performance to back up the image. # 3. 1968-69 Firebird / Tempest 350 HO. Insurance companies were already raising rates on big-block cars so Pontiac countered with a hot-rodded 350 in the Tempest and the Firebird. These actually came about because the engineers were trying to build a lower-priced GTO to compete with the hot-selling Plymouth Road Runner. The prototype was a strippy Tempest coupe with a hotted-up 350 and a 4-speed; it was tentatively name "E.T."-for "Elapsed Time"-get it?  In testing it beat a 383 Road Runner in a drag race. DeLorean had a fit and said there would never be a GTO with an engine smaller than 400 cubes as long as he was in charge. The "ET" somehow morphed into the "Judge". However the engineers like the performance of the package and the fact that it could be priced lower than the 400 versions and would get lower insurance rates with the smaller engine. DeLorean said they couldn't put it in the GTO-he didn't say anything about the Tempest or the Firebird.  They were rated at 325 hp-within 25 hp of the GTO's standard 400's 350 hp rating. Think about this-all a 250 hp 302 or 290 hp 351 Mustang or a 275 hp 327 or 295 hp 350 Camaro would see of the 325 hp Firebird would be it's taillights. Ditto for the Tempest against a small-block Chevelle. Again-although these 350 HO models are fairly rare-people are fighting with machetes for 400 versions. You can buy these several thousand dollars cheaper than a same-condition 400 model. # 4. 1973-75 Grand Am. These were based on the LeMans chassis. 400 cubes standard, with 455 optional. You could even get a 4-speed with the 400, although the 455s were limited to a TH400. 34,000 were built in 1973 alone-so their not a moon rock. And any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle fit these cars. # 5. 1974 Ventura GTO. Often called the "Best Nova Ever Built". These were based on the "X" body-( read Nova ) platform. They had a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350, front and rear sway bars, front disc brakes and a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop. 7,058 were built. The bonus is a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap, which would make a badass sleeper. I know-I took the 400 out of my wrecked '77 T/A and stuffed it into a '71 Ventura. Anyhow-some would say these aren't collectible, just weird-but they are unique and fun to drive and might be fun to play with. Mastermind