When I think of a restomod, I look for a modern engine, modern suspension and other upgrades. The seller lists this car as a restomod and it does have some upgrades, like a Ford rear end, but not to the level that many would consider a restomod. The car is located in Charles Town, West Virginia and is being sold by a private collector who has their own website. The 1973 Formula is listed here on eBay with 21 days remaining in the listing. The seller is asking $27,000 which seems reasonable for the condition the car.
Pontiac offered the Firebird in 4 models in 1973 – the base Firebird, Esprit, Formula and Trans Am. The Formula had three variations – the Formula 350, Formula 400 and Formula 455 – based on what engine the car was built with. Interestingly, there were two 455 cubic inch engines offered in 1973. This car has the Y code 455 cubic inch V8 engine rated at 250 horsepower from the factory. Pontiac only made 730 Formula 455 Y code engine cars in 1973. The optional engine was the famous SD-455 engine rated at 290 horsepower. Pontiac only made 43 Formulas with the Super Duty 455 engine in 1973. Looking at the VIN tells us that the car is actually a Formula but left the factory with a 350 cubic inch V8 engine not a 455 cubic inch V8 engine.
The interior of the car looks nice and shows that the car was optioned with remote mirrors, air conditioning (not working) and a Formula wheel. On all Formula models, the 3 spoke Formula wheel was an option. The 7.4 liter engine is backed by a GM turbo 350 automatic transmission per the seller. From the factory, the car should have the stronger GM turbo 400 automatic transmission. The interior shows that the car is nicely optioned with a black deluxe interior which included more supportive seats and upgraded door panels.
The undercarriage of the Formula looks clean and the car rides on aftermarket wheels and tires. The seller lists a number of upgrades including 4 wheel disc brakes, frame stiffeners, but lists the engine as a 445 cubic inch V8 engine which must be a typo. Overall, Pontiac produced 46,313 Firebirds and, of those, 10,166 were Formulas. While not original, the car looks nice and seems priced fairly.
Like this a lot. One of the sharpest looking Firebirds or the era, and with the 455 lots of scoot besides.
Nevada… the Formula was a great model, right up until the General dissolved the Pontiac division.
Agreed.
Pontiac for the most part should have stayed in place and Buick dissolved if there was a chance IMHO.
What’s with the ill-fitted headliner.
Missing the period correct dual snorkel air cleaner, along with the hard rubber/foam rings needed to make the ram air feature functional…as designed.
Great looking Formula. One of Pontiac’s best. I too wish they would have survived but a line up of azteks, montanas and vibes makes me urp a little.
Interesting car, maybe not $27,000 worth of interesting, but kind of a neat car, nonetheless. I would think that with the engine upgrades this thing would be quite a screamer. Probably going to make someone pretty happy if it can be bought right.
Yeah… that COWLIK tickler gets me too. Gotta have that edelsnoozer cleaner too; makes it go faster. The killer for me is the half assed white zip tie on the frame. Thats a raw statement of the finished product; sorry. Also NEVER use white ones in the sunlight. Theyll fail. Black are UV resistant. Ford 9″ is interesting tho…even with 335 gears and a T350 trans kinda overkill. I’d have invested some $$ for the AC to work. No matter where yer at, an AC car minus the AC is just that. Take off another $5K plus off the top.
I have always wondered if the stylists really and truly liked the spoiler on the back? Or was it the marketplace demanding this totally non-functional distraction? As I look at this terrific looking car, my mind’s eye eliminates what SPOILS the design line for me. I have made this remark in conversations where others vehemently disagree.
Rear spoilers rarely, if ever came on the early-70’s Formula’s from the factory, I’ve owned several in the early to mid-1980’s none came equipped with one, neither did the Formula’s my friends had. Most early-70’s Formula’s that have them now were added at a later date. They look cleaner without it, but all it takes is one owner over the last 50+ years that thinks otherwise, it’s a lot of trouble to remove one, involving welding up all of the studs on the trunk lid and rear quarter panels, plus paint work.
Steve R
The seller says the engine is a “445” several times, so probably not a typo.
What kind of engine would you start with to end up with a 445?
It has a 455 emblem on the grill so I’m pretty sure he knows what it is.
Also, on his engine spec sheet he points out that it is a 30 over 455. Like I said earlier, given what’s been done to this motor, I would imagine that this thing gets after it pretty good.
Well, technically, a 455 bored .30 over would be a 461.
Still doesn’t explain why a seller would refer to the engine as a 445 several times in the same ad.
It could just be a typo, but it has my spidey senses tingling.
The mistake may have looked right to him and he just kept going with it. Our teachers were right to want us to check our work.
Since this Formula doesn’t have the 455 option along with the non working AC the ask may be a little too high for this car.
I had a 73 Bird, with the front dual spoiler hood. I took off the rear spoiler, and loved it. Totally agree, that rear spoiler is ugly. The Camaro spoiler for those years is way better.
The seller is asking for top money for this Firebird, but is too lazy to wash it before he takes photos. I can never understand that.
Well, in the sellers defense, it’s pretty apparent from the e-bay photos that he or she live in a rural area surrounded by fields. I live in a desert environment and we have 3 black cars that will get dusty in short order, like 15 or 20 minutes. So maybe running a California duster over it would have been a good ideao, I don’t think that the dust is hiding anything.
Well, in the sellers defense, it’s pretty apparent from the e-bay photos that he or she live in a rural area surrounded by fields. I live in a desert environment and we have 3 black cars that will get dusty in short order, like 15 or 20 minutes. So while maybe running a California duster over it would have been a good idea, I don’t think that the dust is hiding anything.
Does not have optional hidden wipers. Std only on t/a, but not on z28.
I might be cringe, but I’d like this, I would get the flares, etc… maybe even add the shacker to the ram air hood from the trans-am. Like the bad guys trans-am in Corvette Summer.