When Pontiac released its Firebird for the 1967 model year, it followed what has become regarded as the traditional path that made the pony cars from this era such a resounding success. Buyers could spend the bare minimum on their purchase, driving away in a car that offered a fairly basic motoring experience, wrapped in a body that was drop-dead gorgeous. Alternatively, they could wield their pen with abandon on the Order Form, creating a vehicle that perfectly combined comfort and performance. This 1967 Firebird 400 perfectly encapsulates the second approach, and while it is begging for a total restoration, all the vital components are intact to return it to its former glory. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Mitchell G. for spotting a classic that has generated considerable interest since the seller listed it here on eBay in Gray Court, South Carolina. Frantic action has pushed the bidding to $2,192, although it remains below the reserve.
I have long admitted a weakness for classic Fords, having seen a range of desirable blue-oval examples pass through our garage in my youth. However, I have always harbored a soft spot for the First Generation Firebird. I know that it shares much of its design with the Chevrolet Camaro, but there is some indefinable styling characteristic that wins my heart. The seller states that this 1967 Firebird 400 has been parked since 1997, and its faded Regimental Red paint and missing Black vinyl top are the least of its problems. The widespread surface corrosion is the first sign of trouble, because digging deeper reveals the type of rust that is commonly found in these classics. The winning bidder faces a long shopping list of replacement steel to return the body to a rust-free state. It will include floors, a trunk pan, lower quarter panels, and a rear window channel. The doors open and shut perfectly, suggesting there are no structural issues to make life difficult. The seller states that any removed parts are present and included, although I doubt that the collection will include the correct wheels.
As the model designation suggests, lifting this Firebird’s hood reveals a 400ci V8. The company’s Sales Brochure confirms that it would have sent 325hp and 410 ft/lbs of torque to the 3.08 Posi rear end via a three-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission when this Pontiac was shiny and new. The first owner continued the effortless driving experience by ticking the boxes beside power steering and power brakes when ordering this classic. This would have been a seriously fast car in its prime, and since it retains its numbers-matching drivetrain, it could well be once again. The seller says that although the car has been stored since 1997, they have coaxed the engine back to life. That is good news for potential buyers, because they may not face the expense of a rebuild before this Firebird assumes its rightful place on our roads.
The potent mechanical specifications form only part of the puzzle with this Firebird, because the first owner loaded it with desirable factory options. The seller speculates whether this may have been an Executive Order, so loaded is this classic. They equipped the car with air conditioning, power windows, a fold-down back seat, Rally gauges, a hood tach, a console with a clock, a tilt wheel, and an AM/FM radio. With those components in place and Parchment interior trim, every journey would have felt like a special occasion. The seller indicates that any interior components that aren’t visible in the supplied photos are present, although this is another aspect of this classic needing nothing less than a complete restoration. However, with trim kits readily available and surprisingly affordable, returning the interior to factory-fresh is an achievable goal.
Returning this 1967 Firebird 400 to a pristine state will involve far more than a few weekends of tinkering in a home workshop, and dismantling the car to the last nut and bolt will be the only alternative if the new owner plans a high-end result. However, with forty-two bids submitted and Listing View and Watch List tallies of 471 and 58, respectively, it seems that plenty of people want to give it a red-hot go. It will be fascinating to discover whether we have readers who share that sentiment and are willing to join what is fast becoming a bidding war. I hope that one of our readers is successful, because I would love to see this Firebird once it returns to its rightful place on our roads.
Those wheels are worth $400-600 depending on condition and desperation of buyer. That should buy a couple replacement panels.
A friend of mine did a lot of repair work and minor restoration work on first generation Camaros in the SF Bay Area during the early to mid-1980’s. This was when early Camaros were plentiful and cheap, there was no real rust on cars from that area and there was a lot of car culture throughout the area, multiple drag strips and road courses, lots of cruising and street racing. At the time “restorations” primarily consisted of new paint or interior and adding as many factory options as possible. He parted out many Camaros in good enough condition just for the options, that few years later these would have received a full restorations. One of his favorite cars to part out were early Firebirds, many came with multiple options that were that were nearly unheard of in Camaros. There was a lack of foresight, none of us had ever been to the rust belt , the market in the area at that point in time didn’t value cars with even minor rust, nobody would touch them, even something with only small rust holes behind the front tires where leaves would gather was a hard sell, the slightest amount of rust behind the rear wheel wells was the kiss of death. The Firebird featured here was lucky to survive that era and is now too expensive to meet that fate.
Steve R
Most prominent options: rust and mold
Never saw one of these with those options, must’ve been really nice and fast as hell before it was left outside to rot away. I hope it is salvageable.
IMO it is a good candidate for rebuilding and restoring. Will it be profitable? Maybe, maybe not.
This must have been one very nice Firebird when it was new. I can imagine the red paint and vinyl top and that parchment interior. I’m sure it was really quick too with the 400. It’s sad to see it like this but mqube someone will restore it to its former glory.
Yes it’s looks like something I would try 40 years ago not wise enough to walk away from lol. Who knows some brilliant youngster after 10 years hard labor might make a go of it.Too many decent ones left to be fooling with this in my book
Interesting car. It’s bid up to $3,325 now and if it can be acquired for about that price it might be worth restoring. One thing that is curious is in the underside pic the car appears to be a single exhaust car.
This car should be restored just because of the rarity of finding a car with that many options.
I briefly had a nearly identically equipped (but much better condition) 67 400 car several years ago. I rescued it from the tarp jail it was stored in in the owner’s driveway. Original paint White car, red guts, and exact same option list as this car except no tach/gauges, and it was … a floor shifted 3-speed manual !!
Story was the guy who ordered the car asked for the “floor shifted 3-speed”, and he meant the Turbo 400 automatic but the salesman marked the “3 Speed Manual – Floor shift” box. When the car arrived he would not take it and made them order another car. Then this one sat on the lot for 6+ months before finally being sold (as confirmed by the lapse of time between the trim tag date versus the sale date on the Protect-o-plate), because it was a pretty expensive car with all the options, but totally unappealing to a typical high-option buyer because of the 3-speed manual.
Passed the car along to a big Pontiac guy so it could be restored right by someone knowledgeable about Firebirds. I need to find him and see if he ever got the car done!
Thanks for sharing your interesting story. Pontiac made some nice cars many pretty well equipped cars. Hopefully it got the restoration it deserved.
Steve R
I went from a 1955 Red Firechief Pontiac convertible to a 1967 Pontiac Firebird, it had 326 on the hood, I would love to tackle this baby., but Father Time has other plans trying to restore me, Love these cars, Good luck to the high bidder, it’s just one of those cars We dream of.
Sold on 5/6/2025 with a high bid of $6,000.
Steve R
What a “roach”!