Bowing for the 1960 model year, the Pontiac Ventura began as a trim level package for GM’s full size B-body platform Pontiac Catalina. The Ventura nameplate came from the tradition of using the names of towns such as Bonneville, Monterey, Malibu, Bel Air, and Catalina. The Ventura featured Pontiac’s upscale Morrokide tri-color vinyl that looked much like leather, deluxe wheel covers, unique exterior badging, and a sport steering wheel.
The Pontiac Ventura for 1961 was freshly redesigned. Pontiac’s trademark “beak” divided the grille, headlights were arranged in horizontal pairs, chrome markers were applied to the leading edge of the front fenders, and a smoothed wraparound front bumper was introduced. The thin C-pillars carried over from the previous year, and the rounded rear window allowed more light into the cabin and gave the coupe its “bubble top” appearance. The Ventura also had unique oval taillamps. Inside the Ventura featured a custom steering wheel, electric clock, and the signature Morrokide tri-color trim. Power was provided by the 389 cube V8 that could be ordered with either a manual or automatic transmission. 13,927 Pontiac Venturas rolled out of the factory for the ’61 model year.
Our feature 1961 Pontiac Ventura has been treated to a frame-off restoration with hot rod touches. Finished in Coronado Red over a tri-color Morrokide vinyl interior, the Ventura has custom touches with a steering column-mounted Sun Super Tach and Sun auxiliary gauges for water temperature and oil pressure. The Ventura is powered by a modified 1963 vintage 421 cubic-inch Super Duty V8 with dual four-barrel carb setup, Arias flat top pistons, Mallory electronic ignition, and Lunati hydraulic cam. The Super Duty is backed by a four-speed manual transmission that moves power through a 3.42 Positraction rear differential. Spent gasses exit through a Super Duty exhaust with cutouts. Drum brakes handle stopping duties, and the whole affair rides on eight-lug Pontiac wheels shod in wide whitewall rubber. The Ventura was a Goodguys award winner in 2024, as well as having been displayed at the Pontiac Museum and Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals.
Comments
With both style and beauty. One of the greatest cars ever produced by GM. I’m 77 and
remember them well.
I took am a child of the 1960’s … We had the best music, best food, prettiest girls, and the best cars ever built !
TOMMY: I also am 77. I was in High School with the son of a very wealthy business man. I remember his father bought him a Pontiac 2+2 the same color. I was more than a little jealous. Everyday I would get off the bus in front of the school and he would zoom by to park in the rear of the gymnasium. My father was a poor plumber with five children. We were lucky to have bologna sandwiches and considered it good eatin’. Let alone a car like that.
Gotta love the old “Ponies”! Sweet machine.
Beautiful classic with all the right equipment. But I don’t understand why people call that a bubble top. It’s not. Look at the XP700 Corvette Concept car. That has a bubble top.
I never heard it called that, but maybe because it is similar to the 1961 Impala Greenhouse roof.
The ‘bubble top’ term has to do with its thin A and C pillars and especially its large, curvaceous rear window which all together give it an airy quality. The ’61 and ’62 full size 2dr. hardtop Pontiacs were similar below the belt line, but entirely different in the roofline. The ’62 roofline was semi-T Bird like with a thick C pillar and a flat, rather upright rear window.
I do believe that these cars as well as Impalas were called “Bubble Tops” when they were 2 door coupes. The roof line was uninterrupted by the post that came on 2 door sedans and the roofline is “round”. The 2 door sedans had a “Flat Top” where the roofline actually extended a bit past the rear window, like a small spoiler. Both are great cars but most actually “Prefer” the “Bubble Tops”. This is also the case with just about every vehicle that came as both a 2 Dr Coupe and 2 Dr Sedan (Post Cars). Coupes are preferred.
I get what you are saying. However, I’m old enough to remember these cars when they were new and they were always referred to as two door hardtops. Bubble tops were used on custom cars created by greats such as George Barris, Gene Winfield, Alexander Brothers and also a few concept cars like the XP700. Probably the last decade or two is when I first heard the term connected to early 60’s GM cars.
maybe am still in GMA for 2 reasons, see future launches and see cars like those. However do not know what happened in car industries, designers are stylists of past, and none man today know how to do good designn like those guys were. In conclusion never will be in reality great designs, only in Simulated A I
Smokefoot. You are very correct. I too am plenty old enough to remember those “good ole days’.
I built my first hot rod (T-Bucket) in the 70’s. Although I’ve been a “Car Guy” all my life, I too can’t really remember the term ‘Bubble Top’ being used until about 20ish years ago when the “Collector Car” market started to become HUGE. None of the ‘slang’ references offend me in any way though. Add ‘Bad Chad’ to your list of customizers who have built true bubble tops. No. I am not Chad.
Lifetime car guy here too. My background required that I adhere to a strict meaning of words. That’s why I question a change to their meaning and have trouble adapting to new ones.
I haven’t heard of Bad Chad so I’ll have to look him up. However, I did have a rare opportunity to chat one on one with George Barris for a half hour about 12-13 years ago. What a personable guy. Said his life had been “blessed”.
Smokefoot. Naw! It’s not (just) your background (probably a teacher). You are just like the rest of us “Grumpy Ole Men”. Ha! Ha! Not all that interested in change. I can appreciate. I can barely understand any young person under 20 when they are speaking. I know change is inevitable, but don’t just change things for the sake of change. “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
Even some of the comments I read in this forum seem to be generated by Ai cause I don’t understand some of them. I will say, Car folks are a pretty good bunch.
Bad Chad is an East Coast Canadian guy. Car builder. He had a show for a couple of seasons on TV. He builds very “off the cuff” stuff. Very “Custom”.