1973 Pontiac Ventura Sprint coupe
I've had alot of cars . there's no way that 1973 Pontiac Ventura Sprint coupe could have held up to that abuse . And they never sounded that cool either .
shareThey normally toughened-up the suspension (and more) on cars used in chases like these. My grandfather once took the Newburgh exit off NY 17 at the last possible moment because he almost missed it, and his '71 Chrysler Newport nearly went over on two wheels going around that ramp. Imagine if the Grand Ville had been equipped with nothing but that pillowy standard-equipment 1970s "luxury sedan" suspension. OMG, when it barreled out of the garage its front end probably would have slammed against the pavement and it might have lurched out of control into the building across the street! (Hey, I wonder if there are any "blooper outtakes" from the chase...?)
I would have preferred the genuine engine sounds. The cool thing is, with today's audio programs, even a non-professional could conceivably "fix" that and post the result on YouTube or something... maybe someone already has!
Yeah your right I just meant in real life that car couldn't take that kind of abuse . also it seemed like the car chase was a rip off of the Bullitt car chase . Hell they even used the same driver - Bill Hickman . Btw William Friedkin has an autobiography out . fascinating read . never knew he is married to Sherry Lansing . great guy .
shareThe scene borrowed the same sound from Bullitt as well.
That car came with a low HP 350 V8 engine and a spongy suspension and you are correct off of the factory line that particular car would not accept that kind of abuse or sound that good. But those cars and engines were easily modified so they would do both, and being a cops car, I found it conceivable it could have been done for him. Enough to not make the scene completely unlikely or preposterous. I love the scene.
yeah i like the scene too , just a little over the top .
shareFunny coincidence: The Ventura aspect of the chase was a little more relevant for me because in the late '70s my parents rented a '76 Ventura with a small V8 and automatic transmission, so we could visit the same grandfather I mentioned previously. It was perhaps the only V8 (and almost the only rear-wheel-drive car) I've ever driven, so I don't know if its behavior would be considered unusual. Maybe the idle speed or something in the auto-trans needed adjusting, but whenever we were stopped at a red light I had to keep my foot down HARD on the brake pedal to hold the car back, because it was pushing so anxiously to go forward. I've never experienced that with any other car. The Ventura felt like it was champing at the bit, saying, "Let me go! I need to go really fast, RIGHT NOW!" So when Roy Scheider jumped in his '73 and laid a patch, I was like, "Uh... yeah, I can dig that."
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