The Firebird was a popular car for Pontiac with solid sales success, but the 1977 movie “ Smokey & the Bandit” made the Trans Am a household name and led to a doubling in sales over the next two model years – even outselling the Chevrolet Camaro. While big block, high power engines were the norm in the early 1970’s, by the middle of the decade Pontiac was forced to reduce power and add weight due to tightening emissions and safety standards.
#PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1980 SERIES#
Taking its name from the American race series (Trans-America Championship), the Trans Am was offered across four distinct generations of Firebird from 1969-2002.
Of all the trim levels available on the Firebird, the Trans Am was the most desirable and usually included handling, power, and aesthetic upgrades over the base Firebird. Gone was the “Coke bottle” looks of the previous car, now replaced by more streamlined styling, and the convertible was also absent (not to return for nearly twenty years). Most buyers wisely opted for one of three V8 offerings and in just the first three years of production Pontiac sold over 250k of them, a testament to its popularity.ġ970 saw the introduction of the second generation Firebird from Pontiac but engineering and production difficulties delayed the release of the new model that carried a very different body with a lot of changes. From grocery-getter inline six cylinders to 400 cubic inch V8s with ram air options for more power, the Firebird could be configured in many ways including as a coupe or a convertible. Despite sharing the F-body platform with its GM cousin the Camaro, the Firebird had its own distinct styling and more importantly, unique engine options that set it apart from the competition.
It joined the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang as being one of the most recognizable symbols of an era that spawned numerous classics and is now regarded as legendary in motoring. The Pontiac Firebird quickly earned its place in automotive history after its launch during the heyday of American muscle in the 1960’s. Please contact if you have any questions!Īdditional photos are available here for your perusal. 1978-79 would be the years of the Red Bird, while in 1980-81 saw the release of the Yellow Bird.Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. 1978 was a great sales year for the Firebird and Pontiac could not resist releasing more special editions, sometimes overlapping in availability. Finished with a light blue exterior and interior it marked a juncture where automakers got serious about marketing to women. Sky Bird was a wonderful excuse to make a pretty bird logo just for this car. The first was the 1977 Sky Bird, called Sky instead of Blue due to a Georgia company owning the rights to the name.
These designer Firebird Esprits with a themed color and options had their own versions of delicate looking bird graphics with plenty of curves and flowing scripts. Starting around 1977 Pontiac would start offering “Color birds”. To that end, Pontiac figured out that it could make the bread and butter Esprit models more appealing (and profitable) by simply adding color coordinated flair and a few choice decals that might appeal to the fairer sex (or less macho men).
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