If you regularly attend car shows and were born before, say, 1990, you could be forgiven for thinking that all Firebirds between 1970 and 1981 were Trans Ams. But there were other models: The plain-Jane ‘Bird, luxury Jim Rockford-approved Esprit, and the twin-scooped Formula, as seen here.
I briefly spoke with the young owner, and he knew exactly what he had. Indeed, he seemed to appreciate that I didn’t think it was a Trans Am. I was very impressed with this car’s originality, with the Rally II wheels, nail-head cloth upholstery, and simple black-over-black color scheme.
So, can anyone tell me if there was a stripe-delete option on these cars when new? Even if not, I kind of like it without them. Nice car!
Gorgeous,I wanted one when I was 22 along with a white flying V guitar and some black leather pants
IIRC, the Trans Am “screaming eagle” hood decal was offered with a delete option. Don’t ask me which years.
All I can think about was how poor the quality on these things were. Leaked oil like a sieve, rusted faster than it went, and had ergonomics a contortionist would find appalling. Often when I jammed myself into my mom’s, to run an errand, I would get all sorts of compliments as I ran around town. I can’t wait to get out of it. I used to call it the beautiful bimbo machine because it looked like a beauty, but owning it was such a drag.
Happy when I saw it sold off. Made a lot of money and happy to finally get that leaking rust bucket off my driveway.
Looks like a Maaco paint job.
The plastic pieces in the lower grilles were painted body color, and I believe that they should be flat black.
Always liked these better than the T/A’s. Did they come with the 6.6? Buddy of mine in high school had one and it had a 350. Pretty quick car. Pretty bad on gas too!
Indeed they could! Most Formulas in ’79 had the 301 but some had the 403 Olds and a few even had the Pontiac 400 (4spd required with 400!) but those are very rare.
Those are the rarest 79’s, the Formula with the WS6/W72 6.6 4speed, I think they only made 199 of those for 1979, the majority of W72 engines going in the higher priced and more popular Trans Am.
1979 was a banner year for all F-bodies, and the Corvette too, this year is the reason everyone thinks they are all “Trans Am’s “, Pontiac sold 110,000 Trans Ams, just Trans Am’s, nevermind the rest of the Firebird line up. I think Chevrolet sold almost 300,000 Camaros that year too.
I always preferred the Formula over the TA. Especially the 71……..loved the functional hood scoops in a 400/455. It was somewhat subtle in comparison.
Does anyone remember the different colored “birds” available in the late seventies?
The Yellow Bird:
The Red Bird:
And last but certainly not least, the Blue Bird:
Sky Bird, Superior wouldn’t let them use the trademark from the Blue Bird buses.
Ooh, the Sky Bird would be my pick. It would look great next to my Lime Monte Carlo. I am partial to Camaros when it comes to those two, but this powder blue Bird is an exception!
Was these special editions also Esprits? I hope so.
Yes, they were Esprits, with matching Formula steering wheel in blue!
Skybirds are sensational — later ’77s and ’78 Skybirds had the engine-turned instrument panel like the T/A only with a light blue tint to it. They were also the only ’77 & ’78 model Firebirds available with a non-black Formula steering wheel and column. ’77-’78 Trans Ams with light blue interior only got black steering columns & Formula steering wheels which is interesting.
Interiors were otherwise Esprit-level and could be had in either vinyl or cloth. The light blue snowflake wheels are Skybird-specific and the whitewall tires are indeed correct.
There’s one on E-bay right now & I’m trying to figure out how to somehow get my other half to allow me the indulgence….I don’t think it’s going to happen though.
I found a yellowbird at the local u pull it. It was painted black and had the trans am decals added but it was a poorly prepped/applied paint job and the yellowbird was peeking out of every corner and seam. It even had the pinstriping and B pillar decal visible under the black paint.
As a huge Redbird and Skybird fan/owner: yes I do! Still looking for the elusive Yellowbird….
Trans Ams, Van Halen and mullets. That what the 80s were all about and it was a fun time to be a kid.
I was always more partial to the subtle Formulas rather than the look-at-me TAs but theres a 78 Trans Am in my garage now so go figure. This my second Gen II Firebird (my first was an ’80 Esprit that I had in high school where I swapped out the anemic 3.8 six for a junkyard 455 and wound up almost killing myself) and between those 2, my brothers 73 Camaro and countless other Gen IIs Ive driven and ridden in over the years, I always thought they were comfortable and well-built cars.
But oh, those doors!
RE: “Trans Ams, Van Halen and mullets. That what the 80s were all about ”
Well, you’re talking about used beat up 1975-81 TA’s in HS/Community College/Mall parking lots in ’87.
Brand new, F bodies were hot sellers to young adults and well off teens in the mid-late 70’s. [76-79] These managed to sell well despite ‘malaise era’ and recessions/gas lines.
And to answer FAQ’s
Yes, the 6.6 TA [400 ci] motor was available in the Formula.
Yes, the hood decal was an option,
yes, there were other Firebird models besides TA
Yes, Firebirds existed before 1970’s.
Yes, the TA existed before “Smokey & the Bandit”
Yes, ‘Jim Rockford’ drove customized models made to look like Esprits
V8+subtle=win in my book. My favorite cars are the ones that don’t scream “LOOK AT ME!” Subtlety makes me WANT to look two or three times at something.
Shame Formulas of this vintage have such little appreciation amongst collectors/restorers. I have little doubt Most ended up scrapped and the rest ended up Bandit clones. Definitely a sight for sore eyes as I always appreciated the Formula a bit more than the T/A as well. Yellow with the black/red decals on a 77/78 was always my favorite.
Weirdly I always found the 82 3rd gen Trans ams as more of an evolution of the Formula look vs. the popular Trans am look: The clean unspoiled(except rear) body, the lower body stripes, the “turbo” hood and wheels all pretty much carried over into the 82 theme more than the massive hood decal, big spoilers and shrouding.
I was obsessed with Pontiacs growing up in the 70’s. I remember looking in the catalogs and the option books seeing some really weird stuff. For example, Pontiac always made you order an upgraded steering wheel when you ordered a tilt steering wheel. It was either a luxury cushion steering wheel or sport steering wheel. The strange thing was that some models had this luxury cushion steering wheel standard. In 1977 and 1978 it was standard on a Formula Firebird but not on a Grand Safari wagon. Strange! I can understand that if you ordered a Bonneville Brougham you got the luxury cushion steering wheel standard but not on a base Bonneville. But a top of the line wagon gets the standard steering wheel and a Formula Firebird gets the luxury wheel? My uncle was a Pontiac salesman for 33 years and he always liked talking to me about this stuff. He gave me many dealer ordering catalogs and brochures that I treasure in my basement. I even have a tan luxury cushion steering wheel in my garage in case I get a Pontiac that doesn’t have that option! I know for 1979 they made the Formula steering wheel standard on the Formula. Makes sense, right? Gotta love 1970’s GM!!!
Only reason i can think of for having a ‘base’ wheel in Grand Safari wagon was they were considered ‘utility/family haulers’ and buyers would want ‘durable’ interiors. Just a guess.
I had a red on red 1980 Formula Firebird that I enjoyed quite a bit. It had the 301 engine so it wasn’t any kind of a powerhouse but I really liked the way the car handled especially after it got the new Michelins that it needed when I bought it. It was a reasonably well-cared-for car with no rust but with a slight water leak into the interior if it was left out in the rain. The original red paint was actually faded noticeably but I didn’t really notice it until I parked it next to the neighbor’s brand new bright red Supra, which made the old Pontiac look dull brick-red by comparison.
First off I don’t understand how anybody could display a car with the hood shut. Come on guys! IMO the engine compartment is 75% of the car! So we are left to assume that this car has the base 301. Or most likely some POS SBC transplant.
I couldn’t find any information to back up my speculation, but according to my 79 Firebird parts catalog decals were part of the Formula. Two different decal options. RPO W50 which were the big “Formula” decals on the lower doors and pinstripe around the lower body lines. Also the stripes on the scoop openings. RPO W66 is the decal package shown in the sales brochure that has the Formula decal on the fender and smaller pinstripes on the lower body line. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that this particular ‘bird didn’t roll out of Norwood or VanNuys with black paint. Tom it seems you go from one extreme to another. First the “virgin” over restored 35 Ford than this under cooked Firebird. Maybe you can introduce this guy to the Ford owner. Way more restoration parts for these 2nd gen ‘birds than pre-war Fords. Sorry I had to poke some fun your way after I noticed this dudes horn emblem is missing.
This guy may be working with a tight budget. If the engine needed changed, couldn’t blame him for going SBC. Now that the Pontiac mills are out of production for 30+ years, is the supply getting tight?
No more Plymouths, Oldsmobiles or Pontiacs. The sun has risen and set on both Saturn and Mercury. Man, do I feel old! 🙁
Being SBC wouldn’t stop me from spraying Pontiac blue over the Chevy orange. 😀
the engine compartment is 75% of the car!
Yes! Thank you! People think always call me OCD when I spend more time thoroughly cleaning up the engine compartment than cleaning the exterior paint.
Well, I don’t seek out only over-restored cars or only seasoned drivers at shows and cruise nights. If I find it interesting, it gets photographed!
This may be the most appealing late F body I have seen. You all know that I am no great fan of these cars, but this one has a bit of appeal.
I disagree with Lt. Bruno on one point – Every batch of cars displayed with hoods up seem to be overwhelmed with “350 crate motors” with everything but the plug wires done in chrome or stainless. Boooorrrrriiiiingggg. It was the photos with the hood closed on this car that made me stop and look at it and appreciate the clean look of the Formula that is not festooned with the usual mashup of decals. It is hard to appreciate a car from a styling perspective with open hoods, trunks, etc.
+1. I like to look at engines, but aesthetically, I’d rather have pics with the hood closed. You get the best of both worlds when you strike up a conversation with the owner and he/she offers to open/close the hood. That’s happened a couple of times.
I agree, at the recent local car show many of the owners were present and in the case of the interesting cars I did specifically ask them if they would mind opening the hood so I could get a shot of the engine. Those owners responded that it looks better with the hood down and also commented that it didn’t look pretty under there anyway. Look for those interesting cars to show up here in the future.
another +1.
I am not a fan of chrome under the hood. It’s bland and generic to me and a real downgrade on earlier cars when manufacturers painted their engines actual colors (black doesn’t count).
I could care less if the hood is up or down at the shows I’ve been to. At least the owner brought it for other people’s enjoyment. Who are we to judge or critique others for leaving their hoods down?
Clown rimz on the other hand……..
The ’79 restyle was such a comedown from the “Smokey & The Bandit” ’77 – ’78’s.
As was Smokey and the Bandit 2.
The headlights being separated is almost Olds-ish.
Still my favorite all time Firebird, the 79 – 81’s.
I don’t know why I fixate on those models, but they are my favorites.
I’d take a Formula anytime along with a T/A, so long as it had that beautiful Henry Haga designed body.
Just gorgeous!
The striping and Formula lettering were part of the “Formula appearance package” which was available right through 1981 on the second generation Formula cars. The std mill this year was the Pontiac 301 2BBL V8 with 140 HP with 150 Hp 4BBL optional along with the TA’s 403 and 400 Olds and Pontiac big cube motors.