It’s an all-too common story; where a young father had to give up his pride and joy prematurely in order to raise his family – only to never find his old car again. It happens every day, and this scenario has been played out through just about every generation where man and machine have formed a seemingly unbreakable bond.
That’s the reality many of us have faced over the years, but we’ve been seeing a growing trend of GEN-X’ers and Millennials either tracking down the treasured, charished classic that once belonged to Dad, or one very similar. There was a case a few years back, where a son tracked down the actual ’65 Impala SS his father had owned, and we continue to run across these similar stories and videos, periodically.
In this latest example, we stumble upon video uploaded by Nathan Streifel and his father’s ’73 Pontiac LeMans Sport Coupe; complete with the LeMans GT/GTO NACA hood, light blue paint, and a white vinyl top.
It’s even equipped with the factory body-color Pontiac Rally II wheels and matching white vinyl interior. What makes this particular example stand out from the rest, is the subtle truck-based LS-swap and 4L60E transmission. It lends a perfect blend to form, function, reliability and sheer performance.
At the beginning of the video, we see the Streifel family presenting a set of keys, owners manual and sales brochure to their parents, although we can’t really tell what they’re to (without reading the description). Once the kids manage to coax their parents to the driveway of the family house, we see a freshly restored Pontiac in all of its glory. Minutes of shock and disbelief ensue, with the inevitable first drive around the block to commence.
The LeMans had a subtle but menacing rumble emitting from its exhaust and it isn’t revealed towards the end of the video what lay beneath that ram air hood. With well over 300 hp being sent to the tires, we don’t doubt that Mr. Streifel’s ’73 Pontiac has the performance to back up it looks. It’s a beautiful that that we believe the elder Streifel’s will enjoy.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of AutoCentric Media, the parent company to Timeless Muscle Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the magazine’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next round modifications for his own cars.
