Pontiac Ventura

The Pontiac Ventura was an automobile produced by the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors.

1960-1970 full-sized

The Ventura trim package was first introduced in 1960 on the Pontiac Catalina four-door Vista sedan and two-door hardtop. The package included exterior identification, deluxe wheel covers, a sport steering wheel, and distinctive tri-tone seats done in Morrokide (Pontiac's vinyl upholstery trim which had the look and feel of top-quality leather but far more practical for everyday use).

In 1961, the Ventura was a stand-alone model, although it was still based on the Catalina. When the Grand Prix arrived for 1962, the Ventura was still available, only as a trim option for the Catalina. The Ventura's length was 209.7 inches (527.5 cm), and its wheelbase was 119.0 inches (302 cm). Weight was between 3680 and 4005 pounds (1670 and 1815 kg), depending on what options and engine the car had. The 389 CID (6.4 L) engines were standard, and the 421 CID (6.9 L) was a special order option. This was an interesting and logical move--the Star Chief middle-of-the-line model was restricted to four door sedans and hardtops and continued on the longer wheelbase shared with the Bonneville, while the Ventura offered only two doors and was smaller and lighter, though similar in price. This was such a good idea that it spawned the similarly-sized, but pricier, Pontiac Grand Prix in mid-1962.

The Ventura returned to its trim package status on the Pontiac Catalina from 1963 through 1970, often using interior trim similar to that of the slightly larger Pontiac Star Chief/Executive, which was built on the longer-wheelbase chassis of the Pontiac Bonneville. After the 1970 model year, the Ventura was replaced by the Catalina Brougham for the 1971 and 1972 model years. However, after a few-month's absence, the Ventura name was resurrected in mid-1971 when name (augumented by the suffix II) was applied to the Pontiac version of Chevrolet's compact Nova.

1971-1977 X-body compact

In 1971, Pontiac moved the name to their new X-body Nova clone, the Ventura II.

Ventura II production ran from 1971 to 1977. The "II" suffix was dropped after 1972, and the Phoenix name replaced Ventura in 1978. Engine offerings for the abbreviated 1971 model year included a 250 cubic-inch six cylinder or 307 cubic-inch V8, both Chevrolet powerplants. For 1972, a Pontiac-built 350 cubic-inch V8 with two-barrel carburetor was added to the option list and became the base V8 for 1973 and 1974. Transmission offerings consisted of a standard column-shift three-speed manual with options including a four-speed manual, two-speed automatic (with six-cylinder) or three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic (with V8s). The 1973 six-cylinder Ventura was the last Pontiac model to offer the two-speed automatic, a badge-engineered Chevrolet Powerglide, which was dropped completely from all GM cars and trucks after this model year in favor of the Turbo Hydra-Matic.

A Ventura Sprint option package was offered on two-door models 1972 to 1975, including three-speed transmission with floor shift, body color mirrors, custom carpeting, all-vinyl upholstery with either the standard bench or optional Strato bucket seats, Custom Sport steering wheel, blackout-grille trim, special striping, blackout grille, and 14x6" (36 cm diameter, 15 cm wide) wheels.

In 1974, the Pontiac GTO name moved to the Ventura from the intermediate LeMans line. The GTO package gave the basic Ventura a 350 CID (5.7L) engine with a four-barrel carburetor of about 200 hp (149 kW). The package also came with a functional "shaker" hood scoop, tri-color GTO decals, Rally II wheels, and special grill-mounted driving lights. The GTO package could be ordered on the hatchback Ventura as well as the base and Custom coupes.

There were plans to continue the Ventura GTO in 1975; however, the project was dropped when GM decided to discontinue the Pontiac 350 in the Ventura that year. Instead, the Buick 350 was used. Proponents of the 1975 GTO knew nobody would want it with a Buick engine, and the project was closed.

By 1975, when all GM car divisions except Cadillac offered its version of the compact X-body (Nova, Ventura, Oldsmobile Omega and Buick Apollo), in some circles the original car of the bunch - the Chevrolet Nova - was acronym of each the other four related cars: Nova-Omega-Ventura-Apollo (which later turned into Skylark). Another joke was the X-body design was often called AVON (NOVA spelled backwards), the trade name of a popular cosmetics firm, a sly reference to the badge engineering.

External links

* [http://www.pontiacventura.com/ Pontiac Ventura Page]