(first posted 9/2/2016) This weekend brings an unofficial end to the 2016 summer season in the U.S. that has brought much fun, sun and adventure. The stretch of time between Memorial Day Weekend this past May through this immenent Labor Day Weekend has whizzed by seemingly almost as quickly as did this beautiful, white Firebird that I had spotted in motion in the western Chicago suburb of Forest Park. A car like this one wouldn’t have turned my head ten or fifteen years ago. Nowadays, these Firebirds seem even more desirable to me than many more-expensive, American classics simply for having been such fixtures on roads for so long when I was coming of age – and seem all but gone today in decent, factory-stock condition.
The sight of a vintage 70’s car like this nicely-preserved F-Body in present day calls to mind the carefree, late-summer days of my 80’s childhood, and of seizing every opportunity to be outside during the week before returning to the drudgery of homework assignments, bus rides, and gym class. Speaking of “formulas”, I’d like to know what genius in the Chicago school board decided it was okay to send kids back into classrooms in August, before Labor Day. As much as I loathed doing them back then, I probably would have performed (or attempted) fifty Reagan-era “Presidential Fitness”-style chin-ups before starting fifth or sixth grade for just one more day of summer and back-to-school postponement.
Regardless, another great summer is in the history books and I’ve successfully avoided the temptation to purchase a classic car that I cannot afford to either purchase or garage in my neighborhood. The rediscovery of these frames, which were actually taken last summer, has reminded me of some of the joys of early- and late-summer, particularly of leaving the windows open to let in a cool breeze. I may yet buy a classic car of my own (and write about it here), but in the meantime, I’ll continue to enjoy living vicariously through folks like the guy driving this Firebird…and through many of you CC readers and contributors, both here and abroad. Happy motoring, and have a safe and happy weekend.
(Chicago suburb) Forest Park, Illinois.
Saturday, July 11, 2015.
Still very popular cars over here, mind you we didnt get any new but plenty have turned up since and command premium prices in almost any condition, lots of people saw Smokey and the Bandit and fell in love with Firebirds.
This was my favorite Firebird “face”–great update on an older body that actually looked just right. It’s amazing how a car that was once commonplace now stands out so much and is a treat to see.
I agree that it was a great refresh that worked for me quite well. Context probably plays in, I was very young when this generation Firebird was introduced, and these later versions were sold into my high school years. This is what was new and hot in showrooms during some of my more formative years.
Interesting future CC QOTDs: What was your favorite refresh? What refresh was an abomination?
Appropriately enough, the 1979 Firebird refresh would make my abomination list.
It really is interesting to me how much I have come to love this generation of the Firebird. In the ’80’s during my high school and college years when just about everybody I knew was driving one of these I had a self-righteous disdain for these cars, viewing them as low quality, poor performing, gas guzzling “Me Too Mobiles”. In mid-life (are our late 40’s really mid life anymore?) I’ve discovered a new appreciation for them. I’ve got to concede, they were genuinely pretty cars, they have proven to be infinitely adaptable, and they’re approaching classic status in spite of themselves.
Damn, I could really have used this as inspiration for an answer to yesterday’s QOTD, which I was stumped by, so didn’t even field an entry. Hindsight. 20/20.
Best of weekends to all.
In the late 1970s, Firebirds and Camaros were the dream cars of most of my high-school classmates. Everyone wanted a Trans Am or Z-28, but the basic versions really do the best job of showing off the handsome design of these cars.
During my senior year in high school, a female friend received a brand-new 1980 Camaro Berlinetta, in white with wire wheel covers, as a graduation gift. Lacking the usual spoilers, scoops and graphics that festooned the Z-28 version, it was a very handsome car.
This particular Firebird has a very handsome front end ensemble. It’s one of the few late 1970s designs that was as attractive as its pre-federalized-bumper predecessor.
As for the early start of the school year – it’s not just happening in Chicago. Here in the Harrisburg area, virtually all local school districts started school last week.
Back when I was a kid, North Carolina always started school in late August. And this was before a lot of schools had A/C–my 3rd and 4th grade classrooms certainly didn’t. Made for some extremely hot, sluggish days at the beginning of the year.
The flip side was that we got out in early May, so not a bad tradeoff altogether.
I had the worst of both worlds, we’d start August 20ish and end June 10ish.
Yikes, it’s almost eerie how you can spot that Chicago ugliness in a picture without even reading anything yet. Cool cars. Everything was broken in them within 13 months though. I’d still take a ’79 or ’80 anyway!
This is an apt car for an end-of-summer theme, because it was the car that represents to me the autumn of the original muscle car era, before winter came. If you take the 20 year period from 1962 to 1982, the 4 five year increments break down almost perfectly in to a spring-summer-fall-winter theme in terms of performance.
It’s funny, the end of summer still carries lingering dread for me from my school days. Funny because autumn may be my favorite season of the year.
That autumnal dread is an interesting phenomenon, and one that’s been on my mind lately. Living the the Northeast for most of my life, I came to see the Fall as the onset of “Depression Season”. Having moved to Florida, I now view August in the same light that I used to see February in up North. It’s the doldrums, with oppressive heat accompanied by a lack of desire to do anything but sit in the house and hibernate. All of a sudden Autumn (such as it is here) has become a season of rebirth, as cooler breezes make it viable to head outside again. It remains tom be seen whether I’ll have that old October slow-down, but all signs point to no. I did book a late September trip to NY just to get a taste of the crisp Northeastern Fall, but with my luck I’ll be sweltering in an Indian Summer during that trip. Keeping with the CC theme, it’s now the beginning of convertible season here in Florida. I’m wondering if I’ll remain a Floridian for enough years to get used to this “New Normal”.
MTN, having lived in Florida for decade, I know exactly what you’re talking about. I remember days in the Florida summer of leaving for work and already being sweaty in the five minutes it took to walk from my front door to my car. I hope you enjoy your trip to NYC.
And JP – to your point, if I’d have know back then that I’d be okay as a working adult, I probably would have spent less time dreading school as much as I did! It’s crazy how the institution of school caused me so much worry, yet led to decades-old friendships I maintain to this day.
This fall is the 40th anniv of the 1977 model year start!
🙂
Thanks. That just made me feel positively ancient!
Ugh, I get horrible anxiety this time of year. Grade school still has me screwed up since our mid-August start always guaranteed the turn of September would bring on the intense piling on of homework, ensuring whatever few hours after class where I can still enjoy Septembers still summery weather is wasted on 100 math problems, reading several chapters of some insipid book, and memorizing answers for the biology test – You know for all the knowledge and talk these days about PTSD and childhood Psychological development it’s a wonder nobody does a study on the massive mindfuck grade school does to you, I graduated 10 years ago for god’s sake – on top of that I just dread everyday accidentally seeing/hearing the 7 day weather forecast, because I know one day the end of week will show a temperature plummet, for which it will never recover from for another 8 months, marking the official end of summer weather, for which I cannot get enough of. I don’t like “crisp” air, I don’t like autumn colors, and I don’t like rustling sound of leafs. It’s an utter offense to all my senses.
A direct inverse however is this Firebird! In my opinion the 77-78 was the best restyle ever executed on an existing aging body, I’d dare say it looks better than the 70. Maybe the best execution of rectangular headlights as well, it’s one of the only curvy cars that really pulled them off well. This example I particularly like because it’s not a Trans am, but it has the ductail spoiler, which really fills out the droopy tail nicely – kind of like Fox Mustang Hatchbacks – and the color combo is superb.
I hear you, Matt – that first cold snap of the year from which you know you’ll never return until the next year is brutal. Unlike you, though, I really like fall.
I’ll agree with you that I like the ’77 restyle better than the ’70 – which to me when I was a kid, looked somewhat unfinished compared to these.
XR7Matt, I’m exactly the same way on seeing the 7 day forecast, except here in Melbourne Australia it happens in April. even though we don’t get the extreme cold you guys get, I still hate it.
So right now we are starting Spring and even though I’m going to lose my job after 34 years in the Auto industry, I’m happy because at least the weather will get better.
Joseph, great shot of a cool car as always.
I’m surprised no one has questioned whether that’s an actual Firebird Formula. I thought all of the second generation Formulas came with dual hood scoops, even though most of them were non-functional. Even though it has a rear spoiler and dual exhaust outlets (both of which may have been available on non-Formula cars), this car doesn’t seem to have the scoops.
Good call, I somehow missed it being referred to as a formula through the text, despite it being an analogy for the very point I responded to lol.
I think the spoiler may have been available on the Esprit, I’ve seen the bird decal on the spoiler on original 77-78 non-formulas before for sure
To be fair, I think later Formulas also have big-ass, lower side decals that screamed, “FORMULA” along the sides of the car, which this car is obviously missing, too. And the hood scoops had black-painted intakes.
But those side decals could have been an option (like the ‘Screaming Chicken’ hood decal on the Trans Am). It’s also possible, even likely, that this car may have been resprayed. Either condition could explain why the side decals aren’t there, and there may be hood scoops, but they’re just not easily seen if the intakes were painted body color. Those later Formula hood scoops were much more restrained than the earlier ones that came jutting forward, nearly all the way to the grille.
Nope. Guys, I think I goofed. Unless the hood is a replacement, this is probably not a Formula. However, the lower stripes and “FORMULA” lettering wasn’t on all of these.
Rudiger, thanks for pointing that out (mental note to self).
I wonder if the Formula side stripes were standard but could be deleted for credit, or they were some sort of separate ‘appearance package’ option.
It seems like there was an alternative Formula stripe available too, which followed the beltline and swept over the roof behind the side windows(imagine a super subtle starsky and hutch stripe). I’m curious about this as well, there’s very scarce information about these Birds compared to Trans Ams
I definitely don’t think this is a Formula though, I’m not entirely sure it’s a repaint either judging by the quarter panel rust. Although there should be emblems on the front fenders, I’m not sure if those are glued on or would leave holes if removed
http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/transam/7778dfns.php
This may be helpful.
The bold rocker callouts on ’76 and later Formulas weren’t standard, although they were popular (per Michael Lamm’s book on Firebirds). The split exhaust would have been more likely on a Formula, but that’s available in the aftermarket. Bottom line: almost 40 years has past, so without looking at the body tag, who knows?
Aaron, you rock.
I had one like that, but in bright red. Simple 350 with th350, black interior.
Still one of the best designs ever,imho.
The ’77-’78 Formula was my favorite 2nd. gen. Pontiac F-body. Ran good with the 403 Olds engine in them.
They ran even better with the proper Pontiac 400 in them, plus with that engine you get more aggressive rear gears.
Joe, your uncanny ability to have cars jumping in front of your camera thankfully continues unabated. Your encapsulating the end of summer is spot on.
If it helps….I attended school for 13 years (1977 to 1990) way south of you in Illinois. We always started in mid-August, much to my chagrin.
Whis white firebird is in the pic? That looks just like one I had and I would LOVE to have it!!
Michele, this Firebird just happened to pass in traffic while I was walking along. I do like this vintage of Firebird as well, but have never driven one.
I had it engine was built! Loved that car! Wish I could find one!!
I’ve always liked the 77/78 front clips. I remember at the time I’ve heard some call it the “Batmobile grille”. They were one of the bright spots in the malaise era, and are bona-fide classics today. I’ll take a ’78 4-speed with the W72 “T/A 6.6” and WS6 suspension.
The tacked-on looking fairing with its “porthole” headlights that followed was quite a letdown when they came out in ’79.
What ,nobody mentioned Jim Rockford?