1 Of 200 Made? Autoform Pontiac Firebird

It’s truly amazing how captivating the concept of a convertible automobile has been for large portions of the general population. Despite roadster bodies and folding-top models aplenty during the brass era, Americans have always been infatuated with convertibles, especially when their car of choice was not offered with one. It’s hard to think of many other products where so many individuals were willing to spend the money to substantially alter its appearance for an experience that’s heavily dependent on the weather. Find this rare Autoform Pontiac Firebird listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,600. Thanks to Barn Finds reader JDC for the find.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader JDC for the tip. Over the years, there have been numerous vehicles that aftermarket companies decided to make a go of converting into convertibles, and the Pontiac Firebird is one of them. When first introduced as its third generation model, GM didn’t offer the Firebird with a drop-top option. As opposed to simply waiting a few years while it assessed the new model’s reception, the aftermarket sprang to action to offer a complicated conversion that included removing the rear seats and adding a tonneau-style cover, in addition to chopping off the roof.

Known as Autoform, the Elkhart, Indiana-based outfit clearly saw an opportunity to beat the OEM to the punch, but it didn’t end up producing all that many examples, with the seller believing only about 200 were ever made. I can’t refute that claim, but I can’t validate it, either; however, they don’t exactly pop up for sale all that often. Despite this, these oddball conversions are not worth all that much money, as you can see with the asking price. It’s barely worth more than your average 3rd-generation Camaro or Firebird, which is saying something for a rarity like this.

While the condition isn’t great, it’s not terrible, either; the leather bucket appear to be in good shape and while I don’t believe they are Recaros, they appear more robust than your average GM seats of the era. Supposedly, extra chassis bracing was installed to make the car stiff enough to account for the missing roof, but I doubt you’ll find much info out there clarifying exactly what was done. You could spec any model Firebird this way, so the engine choice is purely a guess; hopefully those side-pipes indicate there’s at least a 305 V8 under the hood. Do you think this rare Firebird convertible conversion is worth restoring?