Quote:
Originally Posted by rexs73gto
Nice looking 73 GTO , the gold one but the dash plate is wrong it has a RTS badge on it. That would be correct for a 74 but not a 73.
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The car looks great. I have one that was originally the same color inside and out, and the same steering wheel. Even the black vinyl top. But mine has a factory power sunroof too. Mine's still a project car, in rough looking shape though. So, it's great to see yours to see how good it could look.
But, I think Rex is correct. In 73, the Grand Am was the only Pontiac that came standard with Radial Tuned Suspension and radial tires. And even though the 73 Grand Am came standard with RTS, even it did not have an RTS badge on the dash. The RTS badge didn't appear on the dash of a Grand Am until 1974.
RTS was not even offered on 73 GTO's. They only came with wide bias ply tires, because they felt the tried and true bias ply tires would handle better than the radials, considering radials were still fairly new technology at the time. So a 73 GTO would not have an RTS badge on the original bezel. So, that bezel would have to be from a later year Lemans. Many times a damaged or deteriorated original bezel would be replaced with a new one or a better used one from a later model.
Only other 73 Pontiac that could have RTS was a Trans Am, but it was an option and didn't come standard on them, as it was on the Grand Am.