Here are a couple of shots of my 73 LeMans. I have owned this car since 2004. I know it is a real cliche but it was in a barn in Parry Sound for about 6 years when the third owner decided to sell, he brought it down to Barrie from the family farm. One weekend while at our cottage on Georgian Bay I went to drive it. I had learned to drive in my Dad's 73 SC back in '72. Remember the new models came out each September!
Anyway she fired up but idled badly but I soon had it heading up towards Springwater Township and the corn fields we just flying by as I looked down to see 80 mph on the speedo. It was pretty solid and that Chevy 350 was purring. The car was a mess though, lots of trim missing parking lamps broken, engine covered in grime. He assured me the 53,000 miles were original. I drew my fingers across two holes on the trunk lid, when the owner said, "Oh I have that it is the dealer name plate" When he returned it said "by Rumble, Leaside Ontario" I turned to my son who was 15 at the time and with a laugh I said to him "We have to buy it" You see he went to Leaside High, youngest still does, I went to Leaside High and for driver training Rumble supplied the cars, LeMans and Regals.
I gave him $400 as a deposit then returned on Monday with $2,400 more. We drove that car from Barrie to LaFontainne that night with my wife following in our Sub. A week or so later it made the trip to Toronto. Still runs great and hasn't cost me an arm and a leg to enjoy.
Right now it is tucked away but in the fall I put on a NASA hood which was the standard GTO hood in 73 and optional on the LeMans and Grand Am. It is in red primer but will be painted to match this spring.
Should also mention that GM Canada lists this as one of 3,761 built. Mine was built in Oshawa on March 9, 1973.
I hope you enjoy my photos.
-- Edited by 73SC on Monday 17th of August 2009 10:45:06 PM
There was one at Performance World last weekend, a nice recently done 73 GTO in silver. People were really digging it and saying how cool it was. I was surprised because mostly those of us with them hear how ugly there are. I think when we look back to the 70 through 72 GM cars we can see how GM owned the styling. These were just a bit too different I guess and those big bumpers didn't help either. I think they are getting some respect now but believe me there are no parts available to restore them. That hood came out of a junk yard near Grafton.
I remember wanting to get one of those hoods for my dad's Lemans. Rare as heck. I like those Olympic edition LeMan's that came out in '76 with the red and white two tone. I think they had the NASA hoods as well? Your next challenge will be to make those scoops functional! Todd
I think if you poke around a bit you will find the hood is actually called a NACA hood, not NASA. I forget what it stands for, but I know it's a pet peeve of some guys that it is often called by NASA rather than NACA.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
I think if you poke around a bit you will find the hood is actually called a NACA hood, not NASA. I forget what it stands for, but I know it's a pet peeve of some guys that it is often called by NASA rather than NACA.
You are correct in that it is a pet peeve of some guys. No matter what it is called it always stirs up conversation. In fact these style of scoops were developed by the US under NACA - National Advisory Comittee for Aeronautics which existed from 1917 - 1958. Then NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration took over from 1958 to present and is the short form generally used today.
All marketing materials I have ever seen from GM Canada and in particular the dealer brochures refer to these as NASA style hoods. I have never seen a piece of GM literature refer to them as NACA. So in the end the style of scoops were developed by NACA but for marketing reasons GM decided to call them NASA in their marketing materials.
There are two styles of this hood, one with cowl louvers and one without. The one with cowl louvers is "correct" for 1973 and part of 1974 then these louvers were removed. The one I have is the later style but it is stamped 1973 on the underside. I understand that service replacement hoods had no louvers. Originally they were standard on the GTO in 73 and optional on the Grand Am and LeMans. They were offered through 1975 as an option. Production figures show 4,806 73 GTO's for North America so that number for sure were produced in 73, making this one rare part. In 1975 a LeMans GT in the red and white paint scheme was offered with these hoods, Blue and white in Quebec only. These are generally known as "Cup" cars. The red and white 76 Olympic Edition did not have this hood since 75 was the last year they were offered.
Anyway your description of Pet Peeve fits these well. Probably could start a thread on them as this is not the only question about these hoods. It has never really been determined whether the scoop inserts were black or body colour leaving the factory as examples of both have been found. Some think it was dependent on what plant made them. For me I think they should be black since I have never seen an Oshawa car that was otherwise.
Great looking car. I had a 74 Sport Coupe in 78 with a 400 Pontiac. I grew up in Mount Forest and at the same time there was a 75 cup car, a 75 GT with a 455 4 speed and a 73 GTO with a 400 4 speed. I wish I would have bought one of the 4 speed cars when they were for sale. I ended up trading my SC for a 69 Beaumont. When most people were trading up in years I was going the other way. I guess things haven't changed much today.
Great looking car. I had a 74 Sport Coupe in 78 with a 400 Pontiac. I grew up in Mount Forest and at the same time there was a 75 cup car, a 75 GT with a 455 4 speed and a 73 GTO with a 400 4 speed. I wish I would have bought one of the 4 speed cars when they were for sale. I ended up trading my SC for a 69 Beaumont. When most people were trading up in years I was going the other way. I guess things haven't changed much today.
It's remarkable how many people have stories similar to your's, if not a LeMans another GM A body from that "colonade" era, yet where are these cars today? I have been attending cruises very regularly around Southern Ontario for 4 summers and have only ever seen one 73 GTO - Oshawa car too, and one 74 Olds Cutlass. Seems like a forgotten era these 73 -77 A bodies.
BTW, 1975 was the last year for the 455 in the LeMans. 4 speed cars of this vintage are rarer than Hen's Teeth, something like 147 '73 GTO's made that way I believe.
WOW, any production numbers on that ? Love that Olds hood too. That is just one fine looking car. I can tell you that that car cost a pretty penny back in '73. Cutlass was the car, I tell all the young ones at the cruises the same thing, yes a SS, GTO, Trans AM, Z/28 was cool but the Cutlass always had the respect back in the day, always a strong runner and class.
Yes, that Cutlass must be a rare one. In many years of scanning wreckers, I think I've seen a total of 2 73-77 Cutlass manual trans cars, and I believe one of them was likely a 5 speed 260 car.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
we have been in contact with a cutlass club in the states,they cant give any numbers for the car,ive seen a few 442 s with a 4 gear ,not too many 350 four gears on the cutlass s line though.its funny cause when he first bought it i didnt think it was all that much,70s car and all,now years later its way rarer than any of my cars.plus it has swivel buckets,really cool
-- Edited by 73SC on Monday 17th of August 2009 10:48:11 PM
When he first bought it i didnt think it was all that much,70s car and all,now years later its way rarer than any of my cars.plus it has swivel buckets,really cool
Indeed, and this makes restoration very difficult because there are virtually no parts reproduced so one must rely on scavenging wrecking yards. To make matters worse for the most part all of the GM 73 A bodies are one year only bodies. 74/75 are the same, 76/77 are the same. A UAW strike delayed the release of the 73's which were supposed to be 72's. This is why GM 72 A bodies are a carry forward of the 71's.
