I have always held the Pontiac Firebird in high esteem. Many of us in our forties were born into an automotive landscape that had always included a Firebird in various forms throughout the years: affordable base coupe, vaunted Trans Am, formidable Formula, limited-run GTA, and posh Esprit (replaced by the S/E with the third-generation models). The newly restyled ’79s had set an all-time sales record for the model, with over 211,000 sold, the bulk (over half) of which were top-spec Trans Ams. The Firebird was, at one point, a very popular car.
It was also something of a cultural touchstone, with TV shows like “The Rockford Files” and movies like “Smokey & The Bandit” vaulting the Firebird even morseso into our collective, American consciousness. Even the fictional Rocky Balboa had owned a ’79 Trans Am in “Rocky II”. One thing I just couldn’t understand while watching this movie as a kid was the scene during the period when Rocky was down on his luck, and he tossed the keys to a friend who admired his car and told him something like, “If you take over the payments, it’s yours.” In my head, I’m sure I was saying something like, What? Nooooo!! That feeling of just giving up such a fine ride would have been like the direct opposite of warm, “Yay, it’s Christmas!” feelings to the young me.
I remember the Firebird being popular also well into the beginning of my teenage years at the end of the ’80s. The other kids in my classes at Flint Central High School who also liked cars seemed to be firmly divided into two camps on Pontiac’s pony: those who really dug it, and those who thought it was a sports car for “poseurs” who placed looks as a priority over performance. Many in the latter camp seemed to be the ones who thought their clapped-out Colonnades that their dads who worked in the GM shops had helped them build were the greatest thing on wheels, but I had respect for the skill with which they turned otherwise-lackluster, decidedly unpretty cars into performance beasts.
My seventh and eight grade science teacher during middle school, one Mrs. Gloria Lewis (the same one who had put the C+ “stain” on the only otherwise-all-A report card I ever earned), had once told us during a discussion in class what terrible cars these then-current, third-generation Camaros and Firebirds were. I don’t remember exactly why we were discussing GM F-Bodies in science class (but then, again, I didn’t understand why part of our curriculum included learning how to juggle three tennis balls… the world may never know), but I do remember thinking at the time that her words sounded like heresy in our little GM city.
I already hadn’t liked Mrs. Lewis by that point (I grew to, later) before she dissed two of my favorite cars, but her comments about the Camaro and Firebird had only solidified my opinion that she was just a sour lady who couldn’t be pleased. (She later earned my respect on the basketball court by participating in a charity game among teachers as a fundraiser for a young cancer patient.)
Later, though, I came to understand about those Firebirds and Camaros of the ’80s. The third-generation F-Bodies were notoriously lacking in assembly quality, reliability, body integrity, etc. I remember reading a then-current Consumer Reports Auto Guide (the one with the circles that would be red to signify “good”, black to signify “bad”, empty for “neutral”, and with five different ratings on the continuum), and the Firebird’s scores across everything but perhaps powertrain (which I remember being a “clear” circle, at best) looked like the automatic ball return at one of Flint’s many bowling alleys – almost a solid row of round, black things.
This didn’t matter. I’ve always been an aesthetics guy, and even back then as a teenager, I likely would have chosen to purchase a trendy pair of Bugle Boy trousers of hit-or-miss quality than a solid, plain pair of tried-and-true Levis. I didn’t need to be the biggest or the baddest (which I knew I was never going to be, anyway), I just wanted to look good doing what I do in my own quiet way. The Firebird continued to speak to me… until the ’93 redesign.
I was a college freshman when the fourth-generation Camaro/Firebird twins made their debut for model year ’93 in the fall of ’92. I was immediately taken with the Camaro – a wide, sleek, low knockout that looked, literally, like a show car come to life as a production vehicle. The Firebird, by comparison, looked lumpy and just a little weird at its debut. I’m really not a fan of this current trend of leggings being worn out and about (by both women and some men) as sometimes, I really don’t need or want to “see” what everything looks like underneath a thin layer of tightly-stretched lycra/spandex/whatever, even if the wearer is hot. (No, thank you.)
The ’93 Firebird, at the time, looked a bit like this leggings thing I’ve described, where the outer skin was stretched just a little too tightly for what was underneath. I apologize for the visual, but this is perhaps the best metaphor I can use to describe my initial impression of the gen-four ‘Bird. However, something about the ’98 refresh tweaked the Firebird’s looks just enough to make me do a complete One-Eighty. (Okay, perhaps a One-Seventy.) The new, more aggressive hood (with nostrils flared) and front fascia butched up its face a little, and I liked the new taillamps with the honeycomb pattern. There were other changes, too, but the overall effect was just enough to make the Firebird no longer look like it was molded out of Plasticine.
I can’t vouch for the model year of this example, but if it is a ’98 from the first year of the mid-cycle refresh of the final Firebirds, it sold a decent 33,300 units over two bodystyles (hatchback and convertible) and three trim levels (base, Formula, and Trans Am). The base coupe was the most popular variant, with about 15,900 sold. Standard power came from a 3.8L V6 with 200 horsepower, teamed with a five-speed manual transmission with overdrive. Base curb weight was around 3,300 pounds. I couldn’t find a reliable source for 0-60 times for the base models, but I did discover one fact that made me a bit salty: so equipped, the EPA rated the base-V6 equipped Firebird at 19/30 mpg. My terminally slow, 90-horse, 2.3L-equipped ’88 Mustang was rated at the very same 30 mpg highway, and would probably take twice as long to get to 60 (on a good day).
The Firebird would have two more decent sales years for ’99 and 2000, with 36,200 and 31,900 units sold, respectively. These were not shabby figures for a car that had been in production for eight model years by the turn of the Millennium. Sales slid by a third for ’01, with only 21,400 units sold. For final-year 2002, sales ticked upward slightly to about 23,300 units, most of which were V8-equipped coupes. I found it a bit sad that the final-year Firebird had sold in numbers roughly a tenth of those of its watermark sales year in ’79.
I did eventually have a chance to ride in the front passenger’s seat in one of these fourth-generation F-bodies (a Camaro, if I recall correctly). Regardless of the fact that popularity of coupes of all types had begun its downward trajectory, I found this ride to be a really unpleasant experience. I don’t remember the car having excessive rattles (like a third-gen car), or that it seemed like a low-buck rush job, or anything like that.
For me, it boiled down to one thing: a giant hump on the floor of the passenger’s side footwell, under which was said to be the catalytic converter. I’m exactly six feet tall, and even a short ride in the front of that Camaro, where my knees seemed to be inches from my face, and with my long legs positioned at an uncomfortable angle even with my feet flat on the floor, completely killed the fantasy of owning one. Part of the reason for buying a car that seats four (or in this case, two-plus-two) is the ability to carry at least one other adult. These F-Bodies are, essentially, one-seaters, though some of the most beautifully styled go-karts I remember coming out of GM studios in that era.
I spotted and photographed this beautiful, silver base coupe while on the way to work, not far from where I had previously seen a black, late second-generation model just a couple of years ago. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to complete that “BINGO” card, by also spotting a first and third generation model on this city block. In the meantime, I still lament that there is no more Firebird, or Pontiac. With rumors in automotive news lately that the current generation of Camaro may not have a successor, I’m now even more nostalgic for a time when young guys (and gals) like me pined for the beauty of one of these all-American sports cars called “Firebird”.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019.
I have always really liked the way the final Firebird looks, and still do. However, I worked at a carwash through part of high school and college from 2000-2003. It didn’t take long to notice that just about every F-Body that I got into, regardless of age, deserved an F for interior trim wear or just plain falling off. Hopefully there are some well preserved examples out there, because it is a really good looking car.
Have a 81 trans am owned since 83 handles great fun to drive. Came with a H/O 305 dog of a motor replaced it with a 383 striker.also its a factory 4 speed
I still have and enjoy my 81 Nascar edition replica with original 301T and T-tops that has but 29K original miles. Taking off the T-tops and going for a nice long drive on a nice Sunny day is an experience nothing made today can quite match.
Brett, I’m with you – I really hope some folks have preserved some of these. They seem so thin on the ground these days. When I think about it, 30,000 units/ annual is not a spectacular number, and the fact that the last of these are between 15 and 20 years old, I don’t think the odds are that great. I really hope I’m wrong.
I too am a product of the 80’s, being into cars and motorcycles, I’m still just a kid at heart. Just like many of us back in high school, the cool kids had Trans Ams, Camaros or Monte Carlos. I had a bus pass for the city bus and later on my fathers car on the weekend if he didn’t need it. It doesn’t surprise me that the build quality of the F bodies were poor and that they were not rated well by Consumer Reports, but that didn’t matter to the cool kids, they looked good while driving past the bus stop, and isn’t that all that really matters?
Peter, what you say is the gist of my article, distilled perfectly! (Thank you.)
I was also a city kid, but I didn’t ride any buses until years after I had moved to Chicago. Some people dog the CTA buses, but I think they’re underrated. So easy to use, and they go pretty much everywhere.
Joseph, you and I are the same age. If a generation ever had an official car, ours was the Trans Am, for all the reasons you mentioned.
When Sammy Hagar writes a song about a car, then you know its a legend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQzn8lGUY0s
For me, the Gen 2s are The Ones To Have, and they were actually pretty well-built cars. I dont hate them but I never really warmed up to the Gen 3s as much, even long before I knew of their terrible reputations for build quality. I sure wouldnt mind having an ’87-88 Formula 350.
When the Gen 4s came out, I was over them. They are just not good looking cars, plus while the LT1s made decent power for the time, the Optispark was a horrible system. Same as you, a buddy of mine had a ’94 Z28 and my 6’2″ frame could literally not fit in the passenger seat unless he took the T-Tops off because of the hump.
The Firehawks were kind of cool though and I had a chance to buy one in around 1999 or 2000. I think it was a ’95 and with only 50K on it, it already needed a new transmission. Pass.
Dan, I love the Hagar reference (great tune – have never heard this before!), and I also like the idea of the Trans Am being something of a mascot for people our age.
I had also forgotten about the Firehawk. I remember it being kind of a big deal when it first came out.
What I also thought was interesting was from the ’80s on, there was a trickle of hi-performance Firebirds slotted *above* the Trans Am: the GTA, Firehawk, and I’m sure there are at least one or two more. For when just a T/A isn’t enough. LOL
Don’t forget the ’89 Indy Pace Car Trans Am with the Grand National drivetrain
The Camaro and Firebird were sizzling hot in the 70s, and being the contrarian that I always have been, I couldn’t stand them. In hindsight I have warmed to the 2nd gen versions a lot, and even to the 3rd gen with I find attractively styled.
These? They had ceased to be relevant to me by the time they came out. I (of course) did not desire one and I knew nobody who owned one. And many years later, I am still “meh” on these as cars, and find the Pontiac a little goofy looking besides.
I do, however, enjoy listening to your teenaged perspective so that I can experience a bit of the love for these that I never had.
JP, yours is generationally interesting perspective on the gen-2 cars. I think there are many among your general age demographic who looked on the ’70s-era F-bodies with disdain.
About 20 years ago (!!), Madonna (roughly your age?) had released a video for a song off of “Music” (“What It Feels Like For A Girl”), where both a late-’70s Camaro and Firebird were thoroughly destroyed. I wonder if she hated those cars because of some of the rude jocks who drove them at Rochester High School.
It’s interesting, with the associations we can form between cars and a demographic that tends to gravitate toward them. Avoiding pure generalizations, though, I really love the gen-2 cars. I would love pretty much any nice example, as long as it was not a high-performance version. (I couldn’t stand the tension of always wondering if it was about to get stolen.)
I always called these cars “bimbo” cars because they were all about looks but were completely impractical and poorly made. My mom drove Camaros – (she now drives Focus STX cars), and her sister drove Trans Ams. I took care of them, gassing them up, washing and waxing them and cleaning them.
I always got a lot of attention in them, but being over six feet tall meant that they were too small for me. They were horrible on slick roads, leaked all over our driveway, and had build quality that was downright stone age. But there was no denying that young men were crazy about these bimbos.
H’mm. The problem is, is when you post like that, you force (force!) me to comment like this:
Hilarious! What a shame. 🙂
These were great-looking cars except for the wheelbase. The wheels looked tucked-in, giving it a wimpy stance, probably due to some ancient GM regulation for protecting the paint from rock chips (something apparently rectified by Bob Lutz). Not to mention the impossibly-long overhangs. However, these cars are so deep in my consciousness that it’s hard to imagine them looking any other way.
IIRC it was determined here that this Firebird has the largest ratio of OAL to WB of any American car.
Rocky drives a ’79 Trans Am in Rocky II despite the fact the movie takes place in 1976.
You just ruined Rocky II for me!
Nonsense. He was in the hospital for three years.
God what a total turd. I owned a 1999 Firebird in gold for 2 years. It was bought with 88,981 miles on it and when i dumped it, it had 92,871 miles on it. It was miserable to drive(as long and wide as that car was on the outside, the interior had no room). Any little engine repair became a chore as half of the engine was under the firewall.
The headlights opening and closing literately made the sound as if it were a machine ripping apart metal (my probe had a quiet opening and closing)
The biggest annoyance was the fact that GM decided to make the coolant reservoir also be the battery hold down. This tended to crack under high heat and cause the battery to be loose. twice I had to replace this.
But the thing that caused me to be rid of it was that uncomfortable seatbelt. No matter what attachment(sheepskin etc) I used, the belt still rubbed my collar bone raw. I took the car on a hour’s drive to an event and on my way back the dang belt was so painful that I drove the rest of the way without the seatbelt on. I got rid of the car the following week as if I was willing to drive seatbeltless and risk going through the windshield rather deal with the seatbelt.
As a young college grad I test drove one of these when purchasing my first car. Like grocery shopping when you haven’t eaten in a while, letting someone loose at a dealership when they have a decent job and can actually afford a car note, when until then they couldn’t afford an old shitbox, is a bad idea.
It was such a crushing disappointment. I’m only 5’11” but the sun visor was half in my vision no matter how I adjusted the seat. The interior was Trabant-grade plastic. And the performance wasn’t really much to talk about because when the entire chassis always feels like it’s going in seven different directions, it doesn’t inspire one to hammer on the admittedly great engine.
I was so sure I was going to walk out that day with a Trans Am. Probably a good thing I didn’t, as 40s me would still be laughing about my purchase decision now.
Like your crossing LaSalle Street pics!
The Firebird brings back lots of memories, but other than the ‘67-‘68 Camaro & minimalist ‘82 Firebird, I was never a big F-body fan. I was in High School when the “screaming chicken” was at it’s height of popularity. Thought the Firebird’s ‘79 refresh was somewhat odd & will never forget a fellow classmate who lived down the street got a pale yellow ‘79 Esprit when she got her driver’s license (I think she was the only classmate out of a class of 425 to get a new car at 16).
Rode in a 3rd & 4th gen Firebird, fortunately both trips were each less than 5 miles. I remember sitting unusually low and being 6’ tall it seemed cramped. I wanted to ask both drivers why they bought such a ‘sensible’ car, but thought it best not to. I do know the driver of the 3rd gen traded in his Firebird for a new big-rig look ‘94 Dodge Ram pickup.
Such beautiful images of the car! I’m enjoying reading the intense debate this car is generating!!
Thank you, Pikesta. Re-reading some of the comments, it surely seems like this generation of Firebird has two camps of “love it” or “hate it”!
good morning Mr. Dennis ☕
FWIW… personally, i love your work. your photos and writing as well. top notch.
i still hope that one day, you shall encounter my ’79 Cadillac rollin’ by or parked about (although i’m not up in the Andersonville/Edgewater/RP area as often these days).
but, this generation of an Icon… the list is long. no. just no.
Thank you so much, Mark. I am one who can appreciate a different perspective than my own. Truth be told, I neither have any ownership experience with one of these Firebirds, nor do I know of anyone who does, I write from the perspective of liking the way they look and their image.
And I’m always on the lookout for cool, classic cars when out and about. Hopefully this July 4th weekend will bring about more sightings.
1967 – 1992 RIP
sacrilege. in more ways than one… awful.
My buddy bought a 1999 dark blue Formula brand new with T-tops and still has it to this day with about 60K on the clock. Yes the passenger floor is a little annoying and these are hardly roomy road cars but I continue to be impressed by how smooth and rattle free it still is all these years later. And with the stick and LS1 it is always a thrill to open her up at any speed! Surprise! It has also been dead reliable for him and other than service, tires, brakes and one weak driver’s window regulator never needed anything else.