Before Mark
brought the car home in 1975, he had new slotted mags and Uniroyal Tiger
Paws put on it. He parked it across the street from our house. I could
not stop staring at it--it was so damn cool! (Remember, I was 17.)
Well, it so happened that he brought it home about three days before I was going to the junior prom with Sue Ball. I HAD to have that car for the prom! I would be the coolest guy there if I could show up in it.
I begged Mark. No dice. I begged mom. "Sorry David, but he just got that car. You can't expect to get it this soon." ARGGGGGGGH!!!! I ended up in dad's monster 1972 Plymouth Wagon Sled--the dorkiest guy at the prom.
To the left: Here is Mark in 1975 with his new '73 GTO. I never got to use it for the prom. Instead, I used dad's 1972 Plymouth Fury "Honeydew" wagon in the background. I'm sure this is why Sue Ball spurned me and married my friend Brian Young soon after high school.
73
facts about 1973
The event that rocked the world in 1973 was the renewed
Arab-Israeli war and subsequent oil Embargo. As recalled:
"Saudi Arabia's King Faisal sanctioned the
embargo on 17 October that year to punish the West for its support of
Israel in the Arab-Israeli war that started 11 days earlier. Oil prices
quadrupled, scarring the economies of the West for years with recession,
inflation and unemployment."
This
event changed the automotive world forever and completely killed the already-declining
muscle car phenomenon that began in 1964.
Rhiannon....Fleetwood Mac
No discussion of GTOs is complete without an understanding of horsepower (HP). The Society of Automotive Engineers changed the calculation of horsepower in 1971. Before 1971, engines were tested for HP with no exhaust or emissions equipment (this is called the GROSS method.) After 1971 car engines were tested with full exhaust and emissions equipment (this is called the NET method.)
So? Well it's a big difference when talking about HP. For example, the 1971 GTO was rated at 300 GROSS HP but "only" 255 NET HP. Any comparison of HP ratings between pre-and-post 1971 GTOs must take this recalculation into account. Having said that, keep in mind that Pontiac constantly underrated the true horsepower of their engines--an attempt to both keep the Feds at bay and help younger buyers secure insurance (which eventually became all but impossible.)