At first glance, this 1970 Pontiac Firebird looks like the subject of a nice restoration. In fact, the condition is almost unbelievable. You are looking at an all original car that has only had one repaint about 30 years ago. It can be found here on eBay with a current bid of $40,000. There’s no information in the ad regarding where the car spent its life, but it was purchased from the original owner with only 18K miles on the odometer. Currently located in Parker, Colorado, the car is 100% original except for a few small items. Take a look at this beauty!
Here you can see the interior looks really clean and original. The black color goes well with the Carousel Red exterior paint and the wood grain on the dash is nice. As you would expect, the rear seat doesn’t look like it has ever been sat on. The trunk is also super clean and contains what appears to be the original spare tire and trunk lid stickers.
Like the interior, the engine compartment is really clean. The engine is a 400 cubic inch V8 backed by a 4-speed manual transmission. While not as potent as the 455, the 400 does well to motivate these cars and when combined with the manual transmission, they are no slouches on the street.
As mentioned before this car is nearly 100% original. The seller calls out the sheet metal, drive train, and interior as being all original. Even the windshield and headlights are original! The only parts that have been replaced are the mufflers, which isn’t surprising. Overall, this is an awesome car that even with the repaint could be considered a survivor by many. What do you think?
That is a stunning Poncho. I’m guessing it’s not a factory Formula? What stands out to me besides the awesome color is the absence of a factory tach.
Formulas did not have the factory tach standard, only the TA’s. Three instrument panels available – one with idiot lights; the Rally Gauge pkg with analogue oil, temp, volts and clock, and then the tach pkg with oil, temp, volts, and tach with clock inset.
I have a 73. The majority of Formulas were “Budget Minded”, with out the rallye gauges. Mine doesn’t have the tach/clock in dash, But it does have the hood tach. I recently saw an option list that was available in the early 70’s. They were all about optioning as much as possible to charge extra bucks. That is a nice one, but not a true RamAir car either. Mine has the RanAir hood and air cleaner.
No air, no tach. Has the Formula hood and the callout below Firebird on the fenders. Looks like later 15″ rally wheels were added with incorrect trim rings and at least one missing PMD center cap. But…Nice one! Striking!
Tach was an additional cost option on the Formula in 1970.
Great looking car, but shouldn’t a real Formula have a tach & a rear spoiler? 2nd gen F-bodies just don’t look right (to me) without a tail, especially Formulas & RS Camaros.
No, a rear spoiler wasn’t part of the Formula package, neither was the tach. I’ve owned a couple of the 70 Formula’s that didn’t have a tach. I am surprised it has manual brakes, I would have thought that would have been standard.
It’s really nice and unusually optioned. I would have thought it would take a factory Ram Air for a Formula to reach the current high bid of $40,000.
Steve R
I believe power steering was not std either.
Not sure why the dash does not match the glove compartment door – 2 different vendors? aging?
No optional rain gutters – water comes right in if you open the window. lol But makes the car look even sleeker.
I would have gotten gages b4 i got optional trim rings or hidden wipers.
The glovebox doors on my 1971, a 74, a 76 and 1977 faded at a different rate than the dash. If I recall, the 76 which was practically new was already a different color when I took delivery of it at the dealer. The rain gutters were a concern on second gen. Firebirds were different than Camaros in this detail….Chevy used metal gutters while Pontiac went cheap and used plastic with a chrome backing.
A. Repainted. Car. Is. Not. All. Original.
Yeah, I re-read the ad…the seller is a real word smith…although he (or she) claims 100% sheet metal, glass, numbers matching, and runs, drives and smells original, he (or she) never claims the car is 100% original…and does state the re-paint…so he (or she) is very clever….
I respect your comment. I myself am a ‘hair spliter’ UT I’ve noticed that some people that comments on different vehicles here on Barn Finds go over and above the call of duty as being a hair splitter.
Pardon me. It was supposed to to say BUT not UT.
I’m having a very off day. Even spelled splitter wrong. I wish there was a delete option once a comment was posted.
Beautiful mostly original car, that unlike many others on this site, appears that it might really have the stated 18k miles. But $40k? Are the bids legit?
22387 in the VIN makes it a base Firebird, not a Formula. Formula would be 23687.
Nice car, original engine and trans makes it uncommon.
“mufflers” is wrong, as it originally came with a single muffler over the rear end
Formula would be 22687
Doesn’t matter now as the car has been pulled off eBay, no bidders. But the Bill of Sale from Salay shows 22687 as the identification, but as we see the cowl tag shows 22387. Wonder if there was some sort of administrative mixup as someone manually typed the dealer invoice. Could happen, and we’d be talking about it 50 years later!
This price is encouraging. My son is preparing to sell his ’71 formula 455ho 4 spd. I think it’s 1 of 160 or so built. Because of the rarity it’s hard to find comps to figure out an approximate value. Maybe this can at least give some sort of direction. Let’s see where this 1 goes.
Third time trying to post this….
I hope your son has assembled proper and relevant information, including that available from the PHS.
I was part of a team which finished out a supposed 455HO last year, but we found that it was a formula born with a 400. Still, a great, angry sounding car, with maybe the most hopped-up engine I have seen in a street machine. Music to my ears….
Edit: Seems to have worked this time, after I switched browsers. If the other versions show up, the staff will please delete!
I would be interested in your car.
Hello,
I’ve been looking for a 71 455 HO formula 4spd, if it has orginal engine I’d be very interested. Thank you, contact info sent.
It’s impressive, wouldn’t mind it in my garage.
Amazing. That is all I have to say.
What a beautiful car. I love the second-gen F bodies. And the Formula had such European flair with American brute force, especially with the 400 and 4-speed.
I had a feeling when I saw the first picture I knew this car. If you look at some of the pictures with the street sign, Banbury Ranch Dr., that is in Eagle, Idaho. I am a licensed Realtor and I was checking on one of my listings 2-3 years ago and I tuned my head and saw this stunning car parked in the drive way. I had to turn onto his street and do a slow drive by. The owner noticed me and I said, “is that your car”? He said yes, and I had to see it in person. It is stunning and he had spent some money on the paint, and if memory serves me he had it completely restored. I asked him if he had a price if he were to sell it and he shot me the crazy number and I passed. He must have sold it to this Seller now in Parker, Colorado. The original owner was cool guy in his later years, retired, but played in a band. He told me of all the famous bands he met and played with way back in the day. Anyone that may be interested in this car I can tell you that it sounded great and looked amazing.
My all time favorite Firebird year. This is a Beauty! Back in the mid 70’s I bought a 1970 Esprit with a bad 350. I bought a 400 cu in out of a station wagon at a junk yard and installed it. No other changes. Talk about a sleeper. I drove it awhile, but with a family there was not to much room. I sold it to a young guy and a few months later discovered it in another junk yard. I guess he tried to move a very large power pole with it! the 400 was pushed way back into the firewall and a little more. He hit it right square in the nose!
Car’s vin on driver door does not match vin tag on cowl….22387 vs 22687
Please stop using the term original if the car has been painted
Just a sweet ride !
The very best of the 70’s
Although it stinks getting old,
I’am glad I grew up in the 70’s!!!
“You are looking at an all original car that has only had one repaint about 30 years ago.” Something about that sentence does not sound right, oh, its “original” and “repaint”
Thus, it is not original….Original and survivor cars, to me, should not have been repainted.
NICE car though. It’s a nice car that has been repainted.
Didn’t see this prior to the listing ending… This is a true Formula.. It was built in Norwood OH, “NOR” on the body tag shows the “W66” designation, which is the Formula. I have a 70 Formula as well, which was built in CA, those body tags do reflect the model 22687 reference.
Beautiful car and hopefully in the hands of a pleased new owner…