I always thought James Garner looked cool driving around in his 1974 Pontiac Firebird. Of course, Rockford’s car was gold but the clean lines of the 2nd Generation of the Pontiac Firebird carried through all the way to 1981. This 1979 Pontiac Firebird Esprit is said to be original but the comments also state that it was restored 20 years ago and then stored in a garage. A few glimpses of the interior indicate that this car was restored at one time and the odometer hints that the car has exceeded its mechanical limits. Listed here on eBay, this 1979 Firebird Esprit has 4 days remaining in the auction. Currently, the car is bid to $8,000 after 5 bids. The Firebird is located in Irving, Texas which is in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
The interior looks nice but it is quickly evident that the seats both the front buckets and rear seats have been recovered. Twenty years ago, the factory hobnail interior was not reproduced and this car was restored with an aftermarket alternative. Also, the door panels are not correct. The car is fairly heavily optioned with AM/FM Stereo, power windows, power locks, air conditioning, cruise control and tilt steering. The dash on these cars typically cracked when exposed to the sun and this one looks mint.
The engine in this 1979 Firebird Esprit is Pontiac’s economy designed 301 cubic inch V8 engine that was rated at only 155 horsepower from the factory. The engine compartment is dirty but appears to be in factory condition. One exception is that the fender braces are installed upside down. The engine is backed by a Turbo 350 automatic transmission that has been massaged to include a shift kit.
The car appears to have been repainted because there are no Pontiac, Firebird or Esprit badges on the exterior. The Firebird is equipped with factory 15×7 aluminum snowflake wheels and the Cooper Cobra tires are said to still have 90% of the tread remaining. The car has had two owners and comes with a lot of paperwork and the owner’s manual. The driver’s door handle is broken and will need replacement. All in all, it is a nice car that would be a fun cruiser.
Didn’t the Rockford Files camaro not have a spoiler on the back?
My friends and I always hated car models that we thought should have a spoiler but didn’t.
We always called them Rockfords :)
The Rockford FIREBIRD did Not have a rear spoiler, correct.
Rockford did not drive a Camaro, he drove a 1974 to 1978 Pontiac Firebird. After 1978 he kept the same car.
& I believe, ironically, Clint Eastwood took possession of the ’73 t/a that co-actor Jeff Bridges drove in “Thunderbolt & Lightfoot”.
Paul Michael Glazer would not want the “striped tomato” Torino as his personal car if the studio or Ford paid him to drive it after “Starsky & Hutch” was over. lol
Adam West was not a fan at all on how the bulky Batmobile drove, either.
Is that missing/broken trim above the gas filler all 1 piece that goes halfway or all the way around the rear tailpanel? Hard to find/expensive?
Maybe would not look bad if it all was just removed.
No such trim on rear end of ’74-78s.
I remember the Ford Granada gas filler cover was very fragile – not sure if the same on ’79-81 birds.
Is it possible the factory installed the fender to radiator support connectors upside down like here?
I learned how to do a “Rockford” (spin from reverse to forward in one motion in an auto floor shift before i was 16 thanks to James Garner and his show.
He was a good actor and from all interviews and books about him. I remember him on the Carson show as a young kid..
This car looks like a fun car for someone to drive!
Good luck on sale..
Sure, if you don’t mind zero to sixty in 7.6 minutes and a top speed of about 83 mph with a good tailwind, lol!!!
Sure, if you don’t mind zero to sixty in 7.6 minutes and a top speed of about 83 mph with a good tailwind, lol!!!
Garner didn’t like the ’79-81 front end, so he stuck with his ’78 Birds until the end of the show, in 1980.
Too bad Paul Glaser(Starsky) couldn’t insist on a ’72 “striped tomato” Torino, instead of the later ugly one with the big bumpers ABC used. I’m sure Ford insisted they use a new one – for sales.
Tho why did Pontiac allow Garner & NBC to keep using the ’78?
Because Jim Garner had, “The Cool” and Paul Whomever didn’t?
ADM–you beat me to posting the “fun fact” I was going to use, so here’s another: The TV cars were actually Trans Ams (for the extra power), but that higher-end model didn’t fit with Jim Rockford’s always-broke backstory, so they removed the Trans Am trim and added Esprit badging.
They were actually Formulas, for the beefier suspensions. The Esprit’s couldn’t take the beating. They removed the Formula hoods, and put on one from a standard Firebird. Then they used Esprit badging. Finally, they came up with their own proprietary Gold, knowing that every year, a Gold Pontiac would look a little different. Every car was sprayed this color, so there’d be “color continuity,” from year to year.
Now I gotta get a trailer on the beach, then I’ll be set. Hmmmm…..
I bet that turd 301 would not get that car up to sixty in 7.6 seconds,maybe about 9 or 10 ,these 79-81 birds were just ugly after they changed the nose,just my 2 cents!
back in the day 155 hp from a 4.9 liter engine was a lot of hp.
yeah this is not a 8 grand car. A pic on ebay show the left side front parking lights missing…just a hole in the fender where the lights should be. Too many red flags on this one. At least he is honest about the mileage and not claiming it’s a 9,000 mile vehicle