Re: 1973 GTO - what could have been
Very cool 73 Grand Am. The Grand Am nose was supposed to be on the new 1973 GTO, but Pontiac marketing decided to create an entirely new model called the Grand Am instead. They hoped the Grand Am would appeal more to a European-style buyer.
That NASA-duct Ram Air setup is ridiculously rare. None were installed at the factory, about a dozen ended up in the Pontiac Parts bins.
The original intent of the SD-455 engine was to make them available on the 1973 Lemans, GTO, and Grand Am. And the Ram Air setup was supposed to be exclusive to the SD-455 option. With delays in engine production, orders for SD-455 cars began to pile up. Halfway through the year, still no SD-455 cars were built. Then without warning, Pontiac announced that the NASA-duct Ram Air setup would not available on the 1973 A-bodies at all, and the SD-455 would only be available on the Firebird Formula and Trans Am.
The people that ordered SD-455 Grand Am's and GTO's must have been pretty ticked off. Not only did they not build the SD-455 GTO or SD-455 Grand Am they ordered, but Pontiac took the Ram Air system AND the SD-455 away from the A-bodies, all in one memo.
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