I just came across your site and I wanted to say 'thank-you' to all of the people/enthusiasts involved in keeping cars, and their memories, from this era, alive.
I found the site while doing a Google search for '1973 GTO'. Despite the fact that it has been nearly 40-years, I often wonder about the car that got away!
In 1972, I was 15-years old. My Mom, 18-year old brother and I stopped at City Pontiac-Buick in Toronto. We looked at, test drove and negotiated a deal on a Dark Green '72 GTO (demonstrator). That evening, when my Dad got home, he wasn't very impressed. I suppose he knew what his 15 and 18-year old Sons wanted to get up to.
However, unbenownst to us, the next day, Dad went by himself to Hogan Pontiac-Buick on the Danforth and sat with a salesman named Marsh Smith. He spec'd out a fully loaded, all factory option, White-on-White 455SD, Automatic, and placed the factory order. It was back in the time when the manufacturers still had introduction dates for their new offerings, and Dad was told that the '73 GTO would arrive in time for the launch. We were all pretty excited and the weeks seemed to drag on forever.
On the day that the car was to arrive, we hadn't received a call, but we decided to visit the dealership to view the new models and styles.
After some investigation, Marsh Smith told my Dad that the order for our car was in 'production hold' and that there was no new expected date of delivery. As it turned out, the production hold was due to the order for the SD455.
While my brother and I were extremely disappointed, my parents turned their attention to the '73 Grand Am - Desert Sand - 400 2bbl that was sitting in the showroom. My brother tried to convince my parents to wait for the GTO, and at the time, I was indifferent...the Grand Am was a pretty cool looking car. A deal was made to buy the Grand Am, in place of the GTO and a couple of days later, we took it home.
Marsh Smith later said that the GTO we ordered, had its engine option for the SD455, changed to the regular 455, and the car eventually arrived at the dealer.
I never did get to see it, but my brother happened to take the Grand Am in for service, and he saw it. Apparently, it was snapped up by one of the mechanics at the dealership, only minutes after it rolled off of the truck.
Seeing numbers such as 519 total production of 455 Automatic Sport Coupes, makes me wonder, how many were White/White, with all of the options in the catalogue?
Once again...thanks a lot guys for keeping these memories alive.
This is such a small world. My Dad bought many cars from Marsh Smith at Hogans and in fact his 73 LeMans Sport Coupe came from there, Valencia Gold. We traded in a 1970 2dr. Tempest sedan on that which was purchased from Marsh. We got the car in October of 1972 and it created a stir everywhere we went with it since the '73s were such a radical change from what went before, not to mention the louvered rear quarter windows that were on the styling edge.
The only white 73 GTO I recall seeing at Hogan's had a burgundy vinyl roof and burgundy interior as I recall. I saw that car in 1976 at a used car lot at Victoria Park and Eglinton and again about 1978 at a used lot on Kingston Road Danforth Road area. To be honest it was the only 73 GTO I ever saw back then.
Rob, we must have lived nearby back then as I grew up near Donlands and Danforth area. In 1973 Oshawa only built 231 GTO`s so the car your Dad ordered was very ucommon indeed in Canada, probably only a handful of 455 cars came out of Oshawa. I probably know of most 73 LeMans & GTO cars in Ontario and there are not that many left.
You will see from my avatar that I never shook the 73 bug.
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Good Morning Ray...and thanks to all of you who took the time to send a welcome note!
It truly is a small world. I didn't expect to hear from someone who also dealt with Marsh Smith. Ray, we were from Ajax. I believe my Dad dropped into Hogan, as he often took Danforth out to Kingston Rd, to come home, and would have passed by Hogan, on a daily basis.
I didn't realize that the GTO he ordered, would have been manufactured in Oshawa. Wow, only 10 miles from where we lived.
A few years ago, I thought of trying to contact GM of Canada...I was hoping to be able to find some way of tracking down the serial number of the car that was ordered, and hopefully with that, try to track down the car's whereabouts.
Does anyone know if GM Archives has the details of the cars ordered, by dealership? I know that the records will show how many of a particular model were made, by virtue of the numbers that some of you have shared with me, but I don't see how that would help me to zero in on a specific car, unless the details of each and every one of them was available somehow?
If anyone has any ideas, I'd be pleased to hear them.
I didn't realize that the GTO he ordered, would have been manufactured in Oshawa. Wow, only 10 miles from where we lived.
Oshawa built GTO's in 1970 and 1973 only. It is possible that a Canadian ordered car could from elsewhere but not likely.
This is what the 1973 documentation says about GTO:
Vehicle: 1973 Pontiac GTO Vin: 2F37 or 2D37, T or Y, 315*****
Model Number: 2AF37 or 2AD37 - Lemans 2dr sport coupe or 2dr colonade hardtop Number Produced For Sale In Canada:
(Same Model No. Only) 3,761 {I don't know D37} (231 with W/62)
Option W62: GTO Performance Package
W62 includes: Special engine with dual exhaust system, G60x15 tires, special suspension with extra capacity front and rear shocks and stabilizer bars, special front styling with hood scoops, black grill and GTO identification.
