West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely stunning and exceptional example of this original recently completely restored and always completely rust free 1961 Pontiac Ventura 2 door Sports coupe 'Bubble Roof' in original factory 'Fernando Beige' (Code R) color paint with a date correct 389cid/318HP 3x2bbl V8 engine with factory options including: automatic transmission, Safe -T Track rear end, power steering, power brakes, back-up lights, deluxe steering wheel, outstanding and original Tri-Tone 'Fawn' (Trim Code 227) 'Jeweltone Morrokide' interior, original Pontiac radio, original and desirable factory option 8 lug Pontiac aluminum rims that combined wheel hub and brake drum and with period correct tires, dual exhausts and sold complete with it's PHS documents
This particular 1961 Pontiac Ventura 389 Tri-Power Bubble Top recently received a complete full restoration on a rust free and always garaged Texas car. The car received a total engine and transmission overhaul. It received a new master cylinder, wheel cylinders, new brake lines, belts, hoses and cables. It also has a new exhaust system, starter, water pump, fuel pump, battery, tires, weather strips, glass channels, windshield gaskets and more. It is powered by the 318 Hp (Tri-Power) 389 engine with correct auto transmission and Safe-T-track rear end. It also has power steering and brakes with 8 lug aluminum drums and new period correct tires. This is a correctly done automobile with Pontiac Historical Services certification.
Beautifully finished in it's original factory 'Fernando Beige' color paint with its original, gorgeous and highly striking 'Fawn 'Jeweltone Morrokide' interior and original 8 lug wheels with fairly new period correct tires. Purchased recently from a Pontiac enthusiast and collector who owned the car for approximately 4 years since purchasing it from a close friend in Texas and who restored the car and obviously knows Pontiac's inside out! The floor boards, trunk and all the typical rust-prone areas are completely solid and rust-free and the car has no indication of any accidents or rust of any kind - obviously an always garaged and cherished car since new!
With only some 200 miles since its restoration, the car looks extremely impressive in it's original factory 'Fernando Beige' color paint and the original 'Fawn' interior is in absolutely exceptional and completely original condition! The car has all it's original logos and its original pushbutton radio and manual antenna and the brightwork design on the dashboard, the dashboard itself, the headliner, the carpets and all the seats are in absolutely exceptional condition with virtually no signs of wear and tear! All the chrome work is also in very good condition and the original spare wheel and jack is in the trunk.
This particular car drive absolutely magnificently - must be driven to be believed - drives straight as an arrow with no strange road wobbles, shakes or rattles - a truly remarkable daily driver that will really give any modern day sports car a run for it's money! The transmission shifts smoothly through all the gears and the temperature always remains cool!
It is hard to pin down the first actual muscle car; some have asserted that it is the 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88, which was built with speed in mind and with an overhead valve V8 placed in a mid-size car with a relatively lightweight body. A lot of observers cite the next big step in the evolution of the early muscle car to be the introduction of the 1955 Chrysler C-300 with its 300 horsepower Hemi engine that could go from zero to sixty in 9.8 seconds and reach a top speed of around 130 miles per hour.
A car that came along a few years later that is of note to many collectors and muscle car enthusiasts is the Pontiac Ventura.
The Ventura hardtop of 1961 cost the same as the 1960 model but weighed 180lbs less. The new and shorter wheelbase by 4 inches 1961 Pontiac with the lighter bodies and stronger engines made Pontiac drag racers hard to beat on the street or strip and Pontiac won 21 of 52 NASCAR Grand National stock-car races this year. The 1961 Pontiac Ventura 389 with the standard 389 cubic inch OHV V8 and three two-barrels was capable of going from a standing position to sixty miles per hour in a brief 8.2 seconds, and it could get a quarter mile in 15.5 seconds and reach 93 miles per hour in the process. They were offered with the famed bubble-top body style and the eye catching 'Jeweltone Morrokide' upholstery and one could order the optional Borg Warner four-speed for an additional $306. The base price of the 1961 Pontiac Ventura 389 was $3,200 but these days a restored ’61 Ventura 389 bubble-top may carry a price tag in the vicinity of $60,000-$70,000.
This is a rare opportunity to own a great daily driving and never abused example of a restored and always rust free 1961 Pontiac Ventura in as close to a pristine example as you will find and one very rare and highly desirable, collectible and unabused example of one of the outstanding early muscle cars and beautiful Bubble Top GM designs of the sixties. SOLD
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