This '70 1/2 Ram Air Formula 400 Represents A "Regular Guy'' Approach To Restoration, Which Results In A Rare Pontiac That Looks Great And Is Still Somewhat Affordable
writer: Thomas A. DeMauro
photographer: Thomas A. DeMauro
As was stated in the June '07 issue, Ram Air Pontiacs are steadily rising in value in the collector car market. In that issue, we discussed how purchasing a base-engine GTO would be a lower-cost alternative to a Ram Air car, and we used a pristine '68 Goat as an example. The June '07 issue was one of the best selling of HPP for the year.
Now we have another option for you. While a base engine is fine for some, nothing but factory Ram Air will do for others. Short of upgrading a non-Ram Air GTO or Firebird to Ram Air specs, what's an intrepid Pontiac person to do if he wants a real Ram Air car but doesn't have the coin to go the round-port Ram Air IV route? Enter the D-port Ram Air III.
Pontiac aficionados can have their Ram Air and afford it, too, with a R/A-III GTO or Firebird. They have all the underhood paraphernalia that goes with all the Ram Air Pontiacs, they have the free-flowing exhaust manifolds and even the carb numbers are shared between some D-port and round-port engines.
The good news is that R/A-III cars are less expensive than R/A-IV cars--all other factors, like comparative vehicle condition, being equal. This is because their R/A-IV counterparts overshadow the '69-'70 R/A-III-equipped Pontiacs.
Look ma, no spoiler! And that's just how owner Bill McCoy likes it. "There's no spoiler to disrupt the smooth roofline-just the way it came from the factory," he said.
Another advantage to a potential purchaser is that though Pontiac built considerably more R/A-III cars than R/A-IVs, the D-ports still maintain rarity status when compared to H.O. and base 400 production of the era.
Obviously, '69-'70 Judges and '69-'70 Trans Ams-all of which had R/A-III engines standard-skew the price to the higher side due to their desirability but, again, you'll still pay much more for a R/A-IV T/A or Judge than a R/A-III. The '69-'70 R/A-III Firebird 400s, Formula 400s and GTOs are where the most money can be saved. How much? Roughly 30 to 40 percent, depending on the comparative R/A-IV price. (Also keep in mind that 455 H.O.s and SDs are more expensive than a R/A-III Pontiac.) So if you must own a factory-equipped Ram Air Pontiac, the R/A-III is your best bet if you don't want to break the bank.
Our Feature Pontiac
Bill McCoy, a 56-year-old merchandising director for SkyMall and the vice president of the Cactus GTOs Club of Phoenix, knows all about the benefits of Ram Air III ownership, as he has enjoyed driving his so-equipped '70 1/2 Formula 400 since 1994. Though HPP does run its share of high-dollar concours restos, we do like to feature real-world cruisers when we find a really clean one. Bill's Goldenrod Yellow Formula fits that description aptly.
"I had a '70 1/2 Formula back in 1972," Bill recalls. "I owned it for a year until the Arab oil embargo of 1973 doubled gas prices within 6 months to 60 cents per gallon for premium, so I was forced to sell the car."
Since Bill's first '70 1/2 Formula had Custom interior, he decided to upgrade this Pontiac to the same. And he swapped in a Formula wheel.
Though he kept busy with a '68 Firebird 400 project in the early '90s, and owned a '65 GTO that he's currently restoring, by the mid '90s, Bill was anxious to get back into a '70 1/2 Formula 400. "I wanted a nice Ram Air III Formula for my own personal enjoyment. The idea was to relive my college days in a Formula like I owned back then-one I could really have some fun with."
The only stipulations were that it had to be a Ram Air car with an automatic transmission, and it had to have A/C since he lives in Arizona. Not too tall an order until you realize that Pontiac only built 293 Ram Air III Formulas with an automatic trans in 1970.
Back to the R/A-IV versus Ram Air III comparison. To put production numbers into perspective, in 1970, there were only 88 Trans Ams built with the Ram Air IV, but there were 3,108 built with the Ram Air III engine-the standard powerplant for the line. Also, of the total Formula 400 production of 7,708, 689 were Ram Air IIIs and 7,019 were non-Ram Air 400s. As you can see, the R/A-IV engines are exceedingly scarce. The R/A-III is more plentiful but is still very rare as compared to the non-Ram Air 400.