That twin-scoop hood. The big chrome front bumper. The hood-mounted tachometer. This 1967 Pontiac Firebird looks bad to the bone, even before you read the magic script on the intakes and the trunk lid: “400,” it says, as in, this pony car packs a 400-CID punch. What’s that in liters? If you have to ask, please leave this car to become someone else’s baby. But if you’ve got more than mid-$25 grand to spend, and you appreciate the big-engine, small-car formula, then have at it (though the car is unlikely to go for anywhere near that, since there’s nearly a week to go in the auction). After you win, plan to turn up in Eagle, Idaho to claim your new ride.
This isn’t just any Firebird, but one ordered in a rare color, Coronado Gold, which appeared on fifty cars as used by General Motors to demo the model, which was introduced for the 1967 model year, to customers. The color is stunning, and seems to be sprayed anew, but that point is conveniently left out of the ad’s narrative. Two things you could inspect for (surely you wouldn’t spend a likely $30k without an inspection, would you?) would be the quality of the paint job, and what it covers, and whether the paint is too good to match the interior. I personally like the fact that the interior is original, despite some possible signs of wear when seen in-person, but a paint job obviously newer than the rest of the car always looks a little off. One thing that makes the reader of this ad pause is also that the exterior of the car is far better than the engine bay. Are these car shows the seller claims to have won closed-hood affairs?
Some people might see the automatic transmission in this Firebird as a drawback, but I’ve driven a similar car with a four-speed, and it was a bit of a job to shift. Plus, this slush box is said to be capable of smoking the tires “all the way down the street,” so get your tire budget pencilled out before you take this anywhere. If you’re concerned with road use, don’t be. You’ll have receipts going back to the 1970s to tell you what’s been changed, and a recent history of use that includes lengthy drives to car shows.
The odometer on this car apparently reads just past 25,000 miles. No word as to whether that’s rolled over, but it’s unlikely given the overall condition, as seen here on ebay. On the other hand, the seller just lets that number sit there. But look inside that trunk—the floor is nearly perfect, and the rest is claimed as having zero rust, so this Pontiac must have been garaged and used very little, and never in rain or snow. What more could you want than a car with such a spectacular color and perfect body styling, special provenance as a GM show car, and super condition all these years since this car and 49 like it were the stars of the Firebird’s debut?
I’m not certain, but my father bought a 1967 Firebird in the early 70s in this color and it was indeed striking. Did they adjust the formula for production cars that came later in the year? His was also a OHC-6 Sprint with gold vinyl interior.
“If it’s gold I’m sold”. Helluva nice color and this ticks all the right boxes. Trouble is, my banker won’t agree, so whomever gets this and if the cost isn’t stupid, will get a very nice ride.
One of my high school classmates had a 4-speed version of this car, in a pale green color. It was a beast.
Great memories of rides with a tape os Sgt. Pepper playing through the sound system.
As if we needed further proof that 1967 was the pinnacle of the automotive evolution.
Just beautiful. Liked these so much better than the Camaro. It’s strange though. The center of the dash where the radio and heater controls sit is the perfect size and shape for a touch screen. It’s like their stylist saw the future and it was haptic.