If you find a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with its “screaming chicken” hood decoration to be so overdone that the sight of one makes you want to vomit, in this instance that instinct could be a beneficial one. “In the fall & winter your birds are cold & hungry!” says the sign in this Firebird’s beak, which is open like that of a hungry chick in a nest, begging its mother to feed it by regurgitation. Being a 1977-78 that is 37-38 years old, this Firebird is no spring chicken, but it is in excellent, apparently original condition, with slightly dull paint that suggests what a well cared for example would have looked like in the early 1980s. I see it on a regular basis parked near this store for bird watchers, so it may belong to the store owner, who appears to have a liking for elaborate automotive puns. For me a late 1970s Trans Am inspires good memories of the 1980s rather than nausea, even though I have never driven one, and this example (plus T-tops) is exactly the sort that I want to take on a cruise one of these days.
Cool sighting. Never sure if I like the screaming bird or not. I guess it depends on the car. That one looks to be in great shape!
I remember these well. A friend of mine purchased one brand new. Spent many miles riding shotgun. He finally sold it a little while after he got married. Seems like either marriage or kids have separated many a man from his prized toy.
I’ve always liked the “screaming chicken” logo on the Firebird.
My brother bought one new in 1978, minus the screaming chicken. The build quality could best be described as “slapped together”. Gaps in the body panels were all over the place, the T-tops leaked from the first day (the dealer gave him a complementary towel as a remedy), and the engine was very weak for a 400. I am surprised these cars are still around considering the condition they were in when they came off of the assembly line.
That’s a 1976 TA, or at least a 76 front facia with the round lights.
I love the stripe and sticker cars of the 70s. They may not perform but they did look good!
I know these are supposed to be pretty good cars, if for no other reason than their handling prowess…..but.
I’ve never driven or even ridden in one but have ridden in 1 or 2 Camaros of this vintage and drove a late 70s Z28 that belonged to my boss. I was never able to get past the (overly) long hood that was apparently responsible for making the passenger compartment and trunk so small. And at 5 or 6 years old, my boss’s Z was in pretty sad shape.
I owned a 77 Nova and even though it is more sensibly packaged than a Camaro of the same year, it still has a smallish back seat with little legroom considering how large it is.
I’ve driven and ridden in any number of variations of these cars. My recollections are dominated by their faults. Their doors are too heavy for their hinges and structures, their hoods too high, seats too low, and controls were mostly dead to the touch. That being said, I saw a Camaro from this generation lead a race at Zandvoort in 1984 against Carrera RS Porsches and BMW batmobiles. I don’t recall if it held on until the end, but it was fastest with fresh tires and brakes.
I think you have to look at these cars in the spirit they were made. my best friend bought a 81 trans am when we were both in our early 20’s. it had every gimmick going, from T-tops to the screaming chicken to 2-tone velour interior to the honeycomb wheels. he loved that car for what it was and I loved mile after mile of riding shotgun.
it was loud, brash and tacky as hell just like the two 20somethings riding in it.
it got beat on, was cheap to fix when it broke and when it was retired it was the high side of 350,000km and was replaced by the 90’s go to vehicle, a pickup.
would I want one today…no! but when I see one at show it fits perfect with the memories of my 20’s and I bet most guys my age would agree.
Vomit? I love the screaming chicken!
I like the sport wheels without trim rings…
Never rode in a TA but had a friend with a Camaro from that era…tiny cabin, ugly plaid seats, column shifter with no center console and if 2 people were in the back seat, something underneath rubbed the transmission tunnel…not sure what, probably don’t want to know what.
Most of my experience in a 2nd gen was in a ’77 Camaro LT (think ‘Camaro Brougham’) owned by a friend in high school. It was in remarkable condition for a 10-year old F-body. Completely stock, 350 4bbl/THM350, red with a red velour interior and just about every option except the rear spoiler and power windows. It was a real standout among the beaters in our high school parking lot.
I believe this species is known as Turdus cincinnatus, named for its native habitat in the Ohio River Valley. It is frequently mistaken for its close relative the Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) due to its most common coloring variation, particularly as they age.
As hatchlings they were fed a steady diet of regurgitated Skyline Chili and Hudepohl beer, the favorites of the mating pairs that thrived until they were declared extinct in August of 1987.
Hahaha, the pride of Norwood GM assembly.
Hudepohl is back, at least in some fashion…I ordered one at The Cabana recently, and it had absolutely no smell at all as I poured it in the glass…like yellowish water. Very strange, but at $1.75 for a tallboy can, who can complain?!?
Man, you’d think today’s golf cart proportioned crossovers would elicit admiration for a car like this, but from some of the comments featuring “too long of a hood” and “panel gaps” maybe statistical superiority and obsessive compulsive disorder are the defining traits of this generation.
I’m sorry, I love these cars, It has 100% nothing to do with “nostalgia”, I grew up in the 90s/00s, explain that. The hood decal was the first and best execution of the concept since it’s “long hood” (it’s a freaking ponycar!!!) has plenty of real estate for it and the wings compliment the shaker perfectly. In execution it’s actually more subtle than the 70-72s, with their giant thick contrasting stripe going bumper to bumper, since the wings of the bird are mostly just pinstripe thick outlines, on the rest of the car you just have the Trans Am. script to identify it
I never really cared for these cars. I do, however, like the earlier plainer versions. They look good with the small back window and no spoilers or air dams or air vents or scoops.
I had two F-bodies of this era, a ’79 Trans Am for about 5 years. Recently, it’s back on the road after a long period where it sat in the owner’s yard on blocks. I regretted selling it as soon as I made the deal. I had ’78 Z-28 for a day. I changed the intake gaskets and sold it for a nice profit.
Stupidly, I sold the T/A to buy my ’86 Iroc, which I liked, but not nearly as much as the T/A, which, when I sold it, was a low 13 second car. The Iroc with it’s 305 was annoyingly slow until the warranty expired and I modded it. One thing about these cars, if you’re dopey enough to buy a T-top car, you deserve all the agony you’re going to get.
These old ‘birds strike me as a car that I shouldn’t like, and yet somehow I do. They were around in my childhood but mostly in beater condition, growing up in the 80’s. So over the top they transcent tacky and come back down on the side of cool. Don’t know why it works but it does.
This one does have the look of a hungry chick with the hood open and the other bird messages in the store window…