The owner of this 1976 Firebird Formula claims that it is original and untouched and that the Firethorn Red paint was only offered for one year on the Firebird, although checking a number of paint charts from different sources indicate that it was also offered on the ’77 model as well. Regardless of that, the car seems to be a fairly honest one that could be a good project car. You will find it listed for sale here on eBay. The Firebird is located in London, Kentucky, and is being offered with a clear title. It appears that this particular car has sparked some interest from the buying public. After bidding opened at $100, there have been 18 separate bidders who have now submitted a total of 52 bids. That has seen the bidding rise to $1,725, and it appears that there is No Reserve on this one.

There is definitely rust to be addressed in this Firebird, but it looks like it is mainly in the panels. The floors and trunk are all solid, although the lower frame rails will need capping. The rust that you can see in this shot is a mirror image of what is present on the passenger side of the car. The passenger side may even be slightly worse, but this shot gives you a better overview of it. There is also rust in the tail panel, which is a pretty typical thing with Firebirds. There are also a couple of minor dings, but they aren’t going to add a lot of extra time to this project.

In 1976 the Firebird underwent some interior upgrades, making the interior appear quite different from previous models. Compared to the ’71 to ’75 models, the seats received thicker padding, The ribbing on the seats was also changed from horizontal to vertical, and if you wanted to specify red interior trim, Burgundy had been replaced with Firethorn. This car features Firethorn, and the interior trim has held up reasonably well. The dash and pad look good, although an aftermarket radio/cassette player has been fitted. The vinyl on the seats is a bit stretched in a couple of spots, but it appears to be intact and free of rips. Some of the plastic trim has discolored, but this is pretty common on cars of this age. The interior could undergo a restoration, but it is quite serviceable as it is.

The engine in this Firebird is the 350ci V8 which is backed by an automatic transmission. The car is also fitted with air conditioning, but that doesn’t appear to be functioning. The seller states that the engine and transmission are original and that the car runs and drives. He does mention that the car is so original mechanically that it still sports the original catalytic converter.

I have always liked Firebirds, and I have always been a fan of the ones of this era. That frontal treatment with the grille is one that I have loved since I was a boy. This one looks like a solid project car, and the fact that the floors are free of rust is a bonus on a Firebird of this age. As I said at the start, this car seems to have sparked a bit of interest, so it will be interesting to see what it finally sells for.