Great info! I also have that Hot Rod test, and it's very vague as to what that GTO actually had under the hood. I think there was as much confusion back in 1968 as there is today! Imagine in consecutive model years, Pontiac went from a 389 (66), to a 400 (67), to a mid-year RAII (68) with round port heads, to a RAIV (69), to a 455 (70), then a 455 HO (71/72), then an SD455 (73). Talk about yer quick engine development. Nowadays, manufacturers keep the same engine for years, maybe tweaking the computer here and there and marketing it as a selling point.
The Ram Air setup was available as a seperate option without ordering the Ram Air engine. I believe the 1969 Firebird option list has a code for Ram Air Inlet, which allowed a buyer to get a Ram Air setup without getting the RAIII or RAIV option.
Pontiacs are too confusing. I'm going back to Buick.
