Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang.
The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird series of concept cars in the 1950s.
First generation (1967–1969)
The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO and Pontiac Grand Prix. Both a two-door hardtop and a convertible were offered through the 1969 model year. Originally, the car was a "consolation prize" for Pontiac, which had desired to produce a two-seat sports car based on its original Banshee concept car. However, GM feared this would cut into Chevrolet Corvette sales, and gave Pontiac a piece of the "pony car" market by sharing the F-body platform with Chevrolet. The listed retail price before options for the coupe was $2,666 and the convertible was $2,903.The 1967 base model Firebird came equipped with the Pontiac SOHC inline-six. Based on the architecture of the standard
Chevrolet inline-six, it was fitted with a one-barrel Rochester carburetor and rated at. The "Sprint" model six came with a four-barrel carburetor, developing. Most buyers opted for one of three V8s: the with a two-barrel carburetor producing ; the four-barrel "HO" 326, producing ; or the from the GTO. All 1967–1968 400 CI engines had throttle restrictors that blocked the carburetors' secondaries from fully opening. A "Ram Air" option was also available, providing functional hood scoops, higher flow heads with stronger valve springs, and a hotter camshaft. Power for the Ram Air package was the same as the conventional 400 HO, but peaked at 5,200 rpm.
The engines were subsequently enlarged for 1968 to 250 cubic inches, the base version developing an increased using a one-barrel carburetor, and the high-output Sprint version the same 215 hp with a four-barrel carburetor. Also for the 1968 model, the engine was replaced by the Pontiac V8, which actually displaced, and produced with a two-barrel carburetor. An HO version of the with a revised cam was also offered to start in that year, which developed. The power output of the other engines was increased marginally.
There was an additional Ram Air IV option for the V8 engines during 1969, complementing the Ram Air 400. The Ram Air IV was rated at at 5000 rpm and of torque at 3400 rpm; and respectively. The HO engine was revised again with a different cam and cylinder heads resulting in. During 1969 a special engine was designed for Sports Car Club of America road racing applications that were not available in production cars.
Modifications for 1968 included the addition of federally-mandated side marker lights: for the front of the car, the turn signals were made larger and extended to wrap around the front edges of the car, and on the rear, the Pontiac Arrowhead logo was added to each side. The front door vent-windows was replaced with a single pane of glass and Astro Ventilation, a fresh-air-inlet system. The 1969 model received a major facelift with a new front-end design but unlike the GTO, it did not have the Endura bumper. The instrument panel and steering wheel were revised. The ignition switch was moved from the dashboard to the steering column with the introduction of GM's new locking ignition switch/steering wheel.
In March 1969, a US$1,083 optional handling package called the "Trans Am performance and appearance package", UPC "WS4", named after the Trans Am Series, was introduced. A total of 689 hardtops and eight convertibles were made.
Due to engineering problems that delayed the introduction of the new 1970 Firebird beyond the usual fall debut, Pontiac continued production of 1969 model Firebirds into the early months of the 1970 model year. By late spring of 1969, Pontiac had deleted all model-year references on Firebird literature and promotional materials, anticipating the extended production run of the then-current 1969 models.
| Model | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| Two-door hardtop coupe | 67,032 | 90,152 | 75,362 |
| Two-door convertible | 15,528 | 16,960 | 11,649 |
| Two-door coupe Trans Am | 689 | ||
| Two-door convertible Trans Am | 8 | ||
| Total | 82,560 | 107,112 | 87,708 |
Engines
Second generation (1970–1981)
The second-generation debut for the 1970 model year was delayed until February 26, 1970, because of tooling and engineering problems; thus, its popular designation as a 1970½ model, while leftover 1969s were listed in early Pontiac literature without a model-year identification. This generation of Firebirds were available in coupe form only; after the 1969 model year, convertibles were not available until 1989.Replacing the "Coke bottle" styling was a more "swoopy" body style, while still retaining some traditional elements. The top of the rear window line went almost straight down to the lip of the trunk lid. The new design was initially characterized by a large C-pillar, until 1975 when the rear window was enlarged. Originally, the "wraparound" style window that occupied more of the c-pillar was initially supposed to be the design, but problems with the glue and sealing of the rear window led to the flat style window being used until the re-designed body in 1975. This style became the look that was to epitomize the F-body styling for the longest period during the Firebird's lifetime.
Models
- Firebird
- Firebird Esprit
- Firebird Formula
- Firebird Trans Am
1970
The base model Firebird came equipped with a inline-six. The Firebird Esprit and the Firebird Formula came standard with the,. The Esprit could be upgraded to a two-barrel carbureted,, while the Formula could be optioned to receive the L78 4 barrel 400 that produced or the L74 Ram Air III 400.
There were two Ram Air Pontiac V8 engine#400| engines available for the 1970 Trans Am, carried over from 1969: the L74 Ram Air III 400, and the L67 Ram Air IV. The Ram Air IV was exclusive to the Trans Am, and could not be ordered on any of the lower Firebird models. The difference between the GTO and Firebird engines was that the secondary carburetor's throttle linkage had a restrictor which prevented the rear barrels from opening completely, altering the linkage could allow full carburetor operation resulting in identical engine performance.
For the 1970 and 1971 model years, all Firebirds equipped with radios had the antennae mounted "in-glass" in the windshield.
1971
The 1971 model year had a few minor changes to the Firebird. Fenders across all models featured a one-year-only exhaust vent seen on the lower half of the fenders. The interior options also changed to the newer style collared bucket seats in the deluxe interior, and the previous year's seats with the headrest were no longer available. The rear seat console was introduced as an option, and Honeycomb wheels became available for all Firebirds.Engine selection saw the addition of Pontiac’s largest V8, the 455, available in the L75 version and the LS5 HO version. Both the 455 and 455 HO were available as engine options for the Firebird Formula, but the Trans Am received the 455 HO as standard equipment.
1972
During a 1972 strike, the Firebird were nearly dropped.The 1972 model year saw minor cosmetic changes. A difference that differentiates a 1972 Firebird from the other 1970-73 Firebirds is the hexagonal honeycomb grille insert on the nose of the vehicle.
1972 saw an industry-wide change to the way the engines were rated from the factory, with misleading SAE Gross horsepower ratings replaced by more accurate SAE Net figures. The compression ratio was also lowered for many engines to accept more environmentally friendly low-leaded fuel that had been mandated, further lowering power ratings.
Engine options remained mostly unchanged, however, the L75 455 engine was dropped, but the LS5 455 HO remained as an option for the Formula and standard for the Trans Am. Pontiac advertised the 1972 455 HO as de-tuned to 300 hp, but the engine was unchanged from 1971.
Starting in 1972, and continuing until 1977, the Firebird was only produced at the Norwood, Ohio, facility.
1973
In 1973, the Trans Am added two new colors, Buccaneer Red and Brewster Green. Other exterior upgrades included the updated more modern nose bird. The new hood bird was option "RPO WW7 Hood Decal", a $55 option exclusive to Trans Am. The "Trans Am" decals were larger than previous versions and shared the same accent color schemes as the hood bird.Inside the 1973 Firebird, the standard interior equipment was almost the same as in prior years. A new "Horse Collar" optional custom interior featured new seat coverings and door panels. Interior colors were limited to Black, White, Red and Saddle, with the rare option for customers to order orange, red and blue carpet to any of the interior options. The 1973 Firebird also had to meet the new safety and emissions requirements for 1973. There were extra steel reinforcements in the bumper and core support to the fender.
The 1973 Trans Am engine displaced 455 cubic inches in the base L75 and the Super Duty LS2 option. The base 455 produced 40 fewer horsepower than the round port Super Duty 455. Horsepower for the base L75 455 was rated at at 4000 rpm and at 2800 rpm. Pontiac removed the H.O. designation from the base engine, and simply decaled the now non-functioning shaker with "455".
The "all hand-assembled" LS2 SD455 engine was rated at at 4000 rpm and at 3600 rpm. All Pontiac engines included a new EGR system, which delayed the SD-455 program until late into the production year. The shaker decal on the scoop read "SD-455".
The 1973 Trans Am introduced "Radial Tuned Suspension". When ordered, it included 15-inch radial tires. This delivered a more comfortable ride while also providing better cornering.
The 1973 Trans Am production was up over previous years, the L75 455 production was 3,130 with automatic and 1,420 with manual transmission. The special ordered $550 Option LS2 SD-455 production saw 180 automatics and 72 manuals.