In all layers of the car hobby, there are subtle outliers of vehicles that represent excellent value but seemingly fly below the radar. They offer some combination of features or desirable mechanical components that aren’t immediately obvious when looking at the car’s exterior, but undoubtedly improve the driving experience. Because these changes are subtle, the vehicle in question often doesn’t rise to the top of collectors’ must-have lists – and this 1991 Pontiac Firebird Formula with the WS6 package is an excellent representation of this concept. Find the low-mileage Firebird here on eBay with bids to $9,000 and a Buy-It-Now of $19,997.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the tip. Recently, Hagerty Insurance published its annual “Bull Market” list, which is effectively a run-down of cars and trucks it feels are poised for a jump in value. We the owners and collectors of such cars and trucks have been sleeping on a batch of vehicles that will soon no longer be cheap. I often take issue with some of their selections, mostly because at least half of the vehicles chosen have been expensive to own for some time – they’re just going to become more expensive. To my mind’s eye, this isn’t particularly helpful advice, especially when you have vehicles like this WS6 package Firebird available for $20K and still almost new in the wrapper. This is a car worth having on your radar, as it could be out of your price range by this time next year.
When talking about features that fly below the radar, this era of the Firebird is loaded with them. First, you have the Banshee concept-inspired nose design, which set the Firebird apart from its Camaro sibling in a big way. Pontiac was always the brand that got the in-your-face treatment, whether it was the billion button steering wheel or a Bonneville sedan with color-matched wheels and a snout featuring two pronounced driving lamps. However, with many muscle car buyers awaiting the fourth-generation Firebird and Camaro, these Banshee-inspired cars didn’t find a lot of takers, and they pop up fairly infrequently today – especially with 21,253 miles on the clock.
As such, the interior is in excellent condition, and the engine bay presents as new. The WS6 package got you some meaningful chassis upgrades including stiffer springs, Bilstein shocks, and bigger sway bars, and those performance-oriented shock absorbers are likely still installed given the low mileage. Engine-wise, the truly hot ticket is finding one of these with the optional 5.7L 350, but this example has the standard 305 5.0L V8, good for 170 horsepower and 255 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s a respectable number for a 1990s muscle car, and it will still make the right noises today. If the reserve is a few bucks shy of the Buy-It-Now, this low-mileage WS6 car looks like a great buy to me – regardless of what Hagerty has to say about it.
When I first saw the ad I figured it had a tuned port 350 or 305, I didn’t expect a throttle body 305 with an automatic. It was bid to just over $10,000 recently, it’s probably with a bit more, but I’d never pay $19,997, and I like this front end treatment.
Steve R
It was a big let down to see the TBI 305. Makes all kinds of cool noise, but is a dog.
Nice one but make mine green. I love all Trans Ams & Firebirds but this generation is probably the best because they’re too old for the LT1/LS1 argument & too new for the auction show car guy snobs to nitpick.
I love Firebirds over Camaros, but the snout on this model looked funny to me when it first came out, and it still does. With a 350 and 5 speed, I might be able to tolerate it, but 5.0, auto and elongated nose ? No thanks.
shame its TBI and not a tuned port and a 5.7. its clean though. not sure on the price though
Well. A pretty-close-to-new RWD V8 in original condition with 21K miles. And the possibility of modest upside in value? $20K or somewhere a little south of it doesn’t sound so bad compared to what one buys for that on any used car lot . . . and light to moderate use won’t beat up the resale much. If only I was at least 10 years younger so crawling in and out was less of a chore.
I think the ws6 firebird equipment was the same as the iroc stuff on the camaro. Suspension was a little lower and a little tighter than z/28 or regular Trans Am.
The Tuned Port cars are heartbreakers. Bad fuel injectors, bad Bosch mass air flow sensors, bad burn off relay, which kill the MAF, broken magnet in distributor shaft, bad fuel pump ,which is difficult to replace unless you cut a hole in the floor, and they weren’t all that fast. I made my living working on those beasts for a while. TBI 305 is a much better car.
My ’89 LB9 had over 300K when I pulled it in favor of a stouter L98. I’d replaced the MAF sensor once, and the fuel pump once, which is a bear…yes. I was on the original injectors and distributor until about 150K when I changed them for larger capacity Bosch and MSD pro billet parts.
As for fast…it took a change to a manual trans, big runners, ported aftermarket base and plenum, an LT-1 cam, headers, a high flow cat, 3.42 gears, a got-dang airfoil, and a tune to get the 305 to keep up with most of the modern V6 cars.
The TBI 305 is a more reliable car, as I used to tell my brother all the time, it dosen’t make enough power to break anything.
Only automatic with the 350.
A roller-cam L05, a tune and a G80 would be undetectable other than through the seat of the pants..
Or better yet, an L98 with a pair of 65lb injectors.