If you check your calendar, you will find that we are now past the depths of Winter. That means that the warmer weather is just around the corner. That also means that it might be the right time to start considering buying a classic car to take advantage of the sunshine. This 1977 Pontiac Firebird Formula is worth considering because it is ready to be driven and enjoyed immediately. Its needs are few, and they could be tackled as time and circumstances dictate. This Firebird is located in Madison, Connecticut, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN is set at $19,600, but the owner is open to offers.
The Firebird is finished in Goldenrod Yellow, which is a color that carries a lot of punch. It appears to be in good condition, with the owner suggesting that most of the paint is original. He mentions some touch-up work on the front bumper, but nothing else. The panels are straight, with the gaps looking tight and consistent. The Firebird was ordered with the W50 Package. This brought some additional striping and decals. All of these items are still present and appear to be in good order. It’s not all good news because there is some rust for the buyer to tackle. The most common area for this to strike in Firebirds of this vintage is in the tail-pan, and this car is no exception. It isn’t extensive, and addressing this would be a straightforward task. Otherwise, the remainder of the car is rust-free, the tinted glass appears to be faultless, and the original wheels show no evidence of stains or damage.
The owner describes the Firebird’s interior as perfect, and he isn’t far off the mark with his assessment. The only issue that I can spot is what appears to be some fading on the carpet. This isn’t bad, and there isn’t any visible wear. If the buyer wanted to maintain originality, there is no reason to touch it. If a perfect interior is an appealing prospect, $220 will secure a new, high-quality carpet set. Otherwise, there is nothing that needs touching. The upholstery on the seats and door trims look perfect, while the same is true of the headliner. The dash and pad are flawless, and there have been no aftermarket additions. We’re not talking about an interior loaded with luxury items, but ice-cold air conditioning, a rear defogger, and a stereo radio are all worthwhile additions.
Under the hood, we find the Pontiac 350ci V8 engine. Bolted to the back of this is a 3-speed automatic transmission, while the car also comes equipped with power steering and power brakes. By 1977, the Firebird had lost the hard edge that had been one of the hallmarks of the badge in its earlier days. Performance levels had suffered accordingly. The 350 should be producing 170hp, which would be enough to send the Firebird through the ¼ mile in 18 seconds. That’s not fast, but it is indicative of the sort of performance available to buyers at that point in time. The owner says that the Firebird has a genuine 63,000 miles on the clock. However, he doesn’t indicate whether he holds evidence to verify. Everything remains untouched and original, and the Pontiac is said to run and drive well.
This 1977 Firebird Formula isn’t perfect, but addressing its few issues shouldn’t be difficult or expensive. If the buyer chose, they could drive the Firebird as it stands, and then tackle the rust issue when the weather turns cold once again. The BIN price is about in the ballpark for a car in this condition, so it will be interesting to see how quickly it sells.
The front bumper had a little more than a touch up or the rear bumper would match drivers front fender looks to have little green hue to it but a nice survivor
Driver seat has extensive rub through on the piping seams near the seat belt. Would require a complete new cover to fix. But these are very common seats used in the Camaro/Firebird lineup, and oddly enough the Vega too.
As much as I like Pontiac’s snowflake wheels, this one cries out for yellow Rally IIs in my eyes.
This is the exact model and color I always wanted as a teenager. I always thought that these looked better than the thousands of black Trans-Ams around at the time. Sadly my garages are full and my funding source is empty.
Great looking car with good options, but for that kind of money, I’d hold out for a Pontiac 400 or even the underrated Olds 403. The Poncho 350 of the 70s was a low compression, small-valve, workhorse but not at all designed for high performance. Usually being paired with an automatic and high rear axle ratio didn’t help it.
Generally not a fan of these – Sorry Smokey – But I have never seen one in this color, and with the period honeycombs and graphics, makes for a great presentation! The automatic is unfortunate. Still a nice find.
Same car as in “The Wraith?”
Yellow body and blue interior Seems strange to me. Beautiful car though.
My favorite 70’s designs were the 1975 to 1978 Firebird Formulas, Bluebirds, and base models. The Trans-Am had too many spoilers, and wings attached to the front end, and wheel wells. The designers could have dialed those back a little, or eliminated them altogether IMHO.
The ’74 formula is almost identical to the ’75 except for the curved rear window(which i actually prefer) & placement of the front blinkers.
This formula has an optional t/a wing anyway.
If u got the t/a w/o the optional hood bird, sure it has 4 wheel flares & a front spoiler, & fender air extractors – but they are all functional!
& the shaker on the ’74-76 can easily be opened up & made functional, but making non ram air formula hood scoops functional to the carb would be expensive.
The silver ’73 sd-455 listed elsehwhere here got the t/a’s shaker!
& believe me, that’s the formula u want! Or the ’74 – same shaker.
Oops – i meant NON curved rear window on the ’74(& earlier).