Tony Primo found this 1980 Pontiac Firebird Formula for sale in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The seller states that it is a one owner car that has been garage kept since new. It certainly looks the part. The odometer reads 33,902 miles. The car is painted Code 11 Cameo white with a red interior. Pontiac called its red interior Carmine (Code 74). It is interesting that the W50 graphics are Tahoe Blue and the interior is red. Most Formulas had a matching color for the accent and interior. The seller is asking $25,000.
The ad for the car on Craigslist does not have much information other than the Formula has no rust and is prestine condition for its age. The seller also notes that there are no mechanical issues. This Formula was optioned with the deluxe hobnail cloth interior which was available in 1979 and 1980. It does not have power windows or T-Tops but does have tilt steering, air conditioning and a GM Turbo 350 automatic transmission.
Under the hood is a 301 cubic inch V8 engine that was rated at either 140 horsepower or 155 horsepower from the factory. There were two 301 cubic inch V8 engines offered by Pontiac in 1980. Both engines were fed through a 4 barrel carburetor. The L37 was standard and was rated at 140 horsepower. The optional W72 designated 301 cubic inch V8 engine was rated 15 horsepower higher at 155 horsepower. The L37 engine came with an economy 2:41:1 rear gear ratio while the W72 engine came with a 3:08:1 rear gear ratio. A buyer could also opt for a turbocharged 301 engine (LU8) that delivered 210 horsepower.
The only aftermarket item that I see on the car is the 3 piece rear louvers. Since I live in South Texas, that is a big plus because the big wraparound rear windshield can have a greenhouse effect during the afternoon sun. It is sometimes had to keep the interior cool. This 1980 Pontiac Formula is listed for sale here on Craigslist. Of the 107,340 Firebirds built in 1980, 9,356 were optioned as Formulas.
No power windows and no t-tops are a plus on this car. Quieter, no leaks n squeaks, and manual windows rarely fail and close tighter. Low power but still some V8 torque to be had. A 4 speed would have been fun. Still a looker though, and w/the right exhaust youre all set for cruise night
On 2nd thought after looking closer…a red interior seems a strange combo with the blue lower molding paint
But then again, feeling patriotic when ordering.
Red, White, and Blue.
Nice looking cruiser. 👌 keep it stock and enjoy the V8 tones 🎶 smooth Hydramatic shifting, and if you’re lucky it has the nice addition of the W72, w the 3.08 gear ⚙️ and added ponies of that pkg.
The W72 301 is an interesting story. The specs have been lost to time but it had electronic spark control for sure (it was called the “E/C”). Some say it had the turbo block too. Most sources put it at 170 hp and 235 lb ft of torque. The standard L37 had 150 hp and 240 lb ft of torque. According to the 1980 Pontiac brochure, both of these had 3.42 gears in the Formula and T/A. The turbo had 3.08 gears. The W72 will have a Y as the engine code. The L37 will have a W code. So if the ad has the VIN, you’d be able to tell right away.
I just.checked the ad. It has a W engine code, so this one’s a base L37 car.
As to the odd color combination, you could mix and match non recommended colors via option code D60, and pretty much do anything you wanted with the stripe, wheel, and interior colors. So it’s possible that this car has that option, as normally a Formula with red interior would have the orange stripes.
Rare car made rarer by virtue of survival. Odd color combo is not bad. Red-white-blue has a certain thing going for it. Nice driver to enjoy for years to come.
I like the odd color combination! I like red interiors they’re kind of cool. This looks to have the 8 inch wide rims and I wonder if it has four-wheel disc brakes? I do wish it had t-tops though. We had a couple Tran Ams growing up and they both had t-tops and they never leaked. I like the open air feel.
Good God, that is slow.
25k. That’s 20k too much.
I went from a 1972 Pinto to a ’79 Formula 301. I thought it was a rocket compared to the pinto!