After more than 50 years in the same family, this 1968 Pontiac Firebird will have a new owner soon. It’s listed for sale here on craigslist and is located in Westminster, Colorado. The family is asking $9,500 for this piece of their history — see if you think the price is reasonable!
Look how long and low the Firebird appeared in these unaltered original shots from the factory brochure. Compare this art with the picture above and you’ll see some liberties were taken, especially with the ride height! Pontiac (and GM as a whole) were desperate by this point to find an answer to Ford’s Mustang juggernaut and put out five different Firebird models for 1968 in addition to the Camaro lineup on the same platform. The 1968 models did better than the 1967s with 107,112 leaving showrooms, 90,152 of which were hardtops. This still left the Firebird a distant third in the pony car wars, as 235,147 Camaros and 317,404 Mustangs were sold in 1968.
This car appears to be a plain hardtop, although it is equipped with the Pontiac 350 cubic inch (I found two reference sources that state that the engine actually displaced 355 cubic inches, contrary to marketing claims) V-8. We’re told that there is “significant” rust in the rear quarter panels (as you can see from this picture) but that the car as a whole is solid and tight and drives well.
The seller was kind enough to provide closeup pictures of some of the problem areas, and, well, they are problems. To deal correctly with this rust the windshield will have to be pulled and some reconstructive surgery completed. By the time you are done with this and the other work necessary there won’t be enough of the original Verdero Green paint left to save. I’m not saying it can’t be done, just be aware that this is a little worse than it looks at first glance.
The rust around the fender lip actually worries me a little more than the quarter panels, as the mating surfaces of the inner and outer fenders will both have to be addressed. At least panels are available if you don’t want to try to form your own (I don’t recommend trying that unless you are more patient than I am). Side question for our readers — would you prefer white letter, white wall, black wall or some other tires on this car with the original hubcaps? I’m sure many of you would have a set of Pontiac Rally II wheels on order before you got the car home, but what would you pair with these originals?
Given that the interior is original, I would call it nothing less than spectacular from this shot; the original floor mats are a nice touch. It’s hard to believe the car has 109,277 miles; someone must have loved it a great deal to keep it this nice on the inside.
The aforementioned 350 (or 355) cubic-inch V-8 was rebuilt less than 2,000 miles ago and is attached to an automatic transmission. While a weekend spent with cleaners and detailing tools would go a long way under here, this is a nice place to start! Do you want this 1968 Firebird to fly into your coop (garage)? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
This looks like it has the potential to be a good restoration project or weekend cruiser once the price comes down. Depending on the amount of rust on the undercarriage it might be something you could drive as is.
I don’t think the family that owned it for 51 years is selling the car. This is a generic ad. Someone that has owned the car for that long would generally have an attachment and cover at least some of the cars history or use the be first person when writing about the car, there is none of that.
Steve R
It sure seems to be in good shape for ts age ; This is what condition the car would have looked like here on the East Coast in 1978 ! Its going to need quarters for sure so the paint condition isnt too important , and the Verdero green is pretty faded anyway. Pontiac had some really durable interiors , and wouldn’t doubt they could be original. The block is the wrong color too, but that isnt too much of a problem either . I’d leave the hubcaps and put a set of redlines on it . Its rare to see cars with hubcaps considering 90% cars came with them
That catalog illustration is a fine example of Kaufmann/ Fitzpatrick artwork – longer, wider, lower! Don’t tell me those Firebirds don’t look great in that drawing!? Definately sets the standard for any Firebird’s ride height…!
Interesting too that the wheelcovers on the lower brochure illustration are a dead ringer for later 1970s Lemans caps, I do believe. I never saw them on any Firebird, Esprit, Formula or Trans Am of any year.
I have a 1970 Pontiac full line catalog I picked up at a swap meet years ago and the whole book is full of great artwork , from the Bonneville to the Tempest . I don’t even own a Pontiac but the painting are so beautiful I cant get rid of it !
This is a pretty nice 68 considering that it is 52 years old , and yes it does need some work, but that is to be expected. I believe that the price is fair too since the motor was rebuilt just two years ago. I would also like to know if the trans and rear-end is good though. I have a 67 OHC Sprint with 83K on it, and the interior is identical as this one. My 67 came with 4 on the floor, but switched it out to an automatic about 5 years ago. I had spokes on it before, but went with the Pontiac Rally 11 wheels, and I think that they look great.
any muscle car of this era looks better in redlnes. forget the raised white letters or the thin white wall, it’s the redlines that make the car stand out.
Nice car, well kept for all these years!! Doesn’t need a total restoration in my opinion but it would be nice to see the undercarriage to make sure the frame rails aren’t soft!! A base model but it should bring some good money!!!
I’m tempted to buy it and drive it just how she is.
Car sold! Well the post has been deleted. Nice car for the price. Yes has some rust but as long the frame, trunk, and floors are good,this is a great project.
I had a ‘67 Firebird…what a cool car. Had a ton of fun in that car. It had the 4-speed and original engine was the 6 cylinder SPRINT.. engine blew up and I put a Small Block Chevy in it. Super cool car. Loved that car!!!!
I own the convertible version of this car, just a 3 speed. Same colors, same interior.I paid the same money about a year ago. Pretty much the same condition. I got a great deal, this one was very fairly priced. I hope both the buyer and seller are happy.