This 1971 Pontiac Firebird is a running project. It is located in Orange County, California and the seller states that the car has spent its entire 53 years in the State of California. It has been stored for the past 10 years in a barn and is now for sale looking for a new owner. The Firebird is powered by its original 350 cubic inch V8 engine. The car does have some rust and dings. Also of note, for 1971, the car should have faux louvers on the front fenders behind the front tires and this car does not have them. The car has received 23 bids on eBay and is currently bid to $4,400 but the reserve has not been met.
The seller states that the car is powered by its original Pontiac 350 cubic inch V8 engine that might have been rebuilt by the prior owner. The engine is said to run with the help of starter fluid. The base Firebird in 1971 was equipped with a 250 cubic inch inline 6 cylinder engine. Other engine options included the 350 cubic inch V8 engine that was rated at 255 gross horsepower and the 400 cubic inch V8 engine that was rated at 265 horsepower with a 2 barrel carburetor. Pontiac offered several trim levels or models of the Firebird including the base Firebird, Esprit, Formula and Trans Am in 1971. The Formula could be ordered with a L78 400 cubic inch V8 engine with a 4 barrel carburetor rated at 330 gross horsepower or a L75 455 cubic inch V8 producing 325 horsepower. The LS5 HO455 engine rated at 335 horsepower was the only engine installed in the Trans Am and was optional on the Formula.
The interior is dirty and the car is equipped with an aftermarket or nonstock steering wheel. The seats and door panels have also been recovered many years ago with nonoriginal fabric. The Firebird does not have air conditioning or the gauge package and an aftermarket stereo is installed in the dash where the factory unit should reside. The data tag shows this car left the factory painted in Code 67 Castilian Bronze which is a dark reddish brown color. Pictures of the engine bay and undercarriage show surface rust and the seller notes bondo on the doors and left quarter panel. The seller makes clear that the car needs restoration.
The Firebird rides on aftermarket wheels and likely very old tires. All in all this might make a good restoration candidate but it is going to need mechanical work, exterior paint and interior work. Since it has sat so long, new fuel lines and brake work will also be needed. This Pontiac Firebird is listed here on eBay. There are 4 days remaining in the auction. The engine is backed by a GM Turbo Hydromatic 350 automatic transmission.
The fender louvres were optional items,for instance a standard Firebird 6cyl or 350 had none,the Formula or a 455 powered Firebird could be had with the louvres,and the Trans Am of course had the “cooling scoop” vent? lol
I don’t believe that to be true. The 1971-only louvers were on all 71s. I had a 1971 Firebird with factory straight 6 cylinder, automatic on the column, no console and a black vinyl top. No other badging other than Pontiac and those louvers. Judging by the amount of waviness in that passenger fender, I would say someone took them off the subject car.
Every 1971 firebird that I have ever seen that wasn’t a trans am has had louvered fenders. Base, esprit & formula. Must have been a popular option?
I’d get it running, new black interior, formula hood, wide stock Pontiac rims , get it back down with new suspension and apply new carousel red paint job. Always wanted to buy one like this and create that. If this price remains below $10K worth doing.
I like it too, birth year car for me. Do the bodywork, back to original bronze colour, black vinyl interior, wide wheels, Hotchkis suspension, Momo Prototipo steering wheel, and maybe a 4-speed swap and a bit of tuning on the 350 – make sure it has a 4-barrel carb on it to start with anyway.
I would leave the flat hood and just redo the mechanicals and add some 15 ” steelies with Pontiac dog dishes and repaint it in the original Castilian Bronze color with black gut.
I am trying to place that steering wheel. Is it off of an ’82 and later generation Firebird?
This Firebird is begging for a Formula dual scoop hood…
My favorite Pontiac. I couldn’t get my wife to think that she wanted it.
Do second-generation Firebirds without air conditioning not have ANYTHING on the dashboard to the right of the gauges. I thought even non-AC cars came with center vents here. The two indentations in the faux woodgrain metal piece look odd.
SOLD for 8K.