(first posted 5/22/2014) I think it’s time for a bit of seventies F-body love. In fact, I’m betting that between the California sun and those classic F-body curves in front of you, the “Rockford Files” theme song pops right into your head. I know the color isn’t correct, but the picture includes all the correct visual cues for a TV detective car. A low profile trim level? (to help avoid detection during a tail). Check. Styled steel wheels? (stylish, yet inexpensive to replace should you need to cross a median). Check. Rakish lines? (To catch a ladies eye). Check.
BTW, we’ve touched on that famous gold Firebird before here at Curbside Classics. If you’d like to review them, here are the links: Rockford Firebird 1 and Rockford Firebird 2.
LA locals may point out that this Firebird is in San Pedro, rather than Malibu (home to Jim Rockford). A fair criticism, but San Pedro is within the city limits of Los Angeles, lending local color and grit.
For most of us in LA, Malibu is a fantasy locale. While we can drive there on any weekend, it’s located many miles from the working folk, and traffic sucks 24/7. Malibu is where they shot Baywatch, and Baywatch starred the Hoff, and the Hoff used to drive a glitzed-out Trans Am. To me, the Trans Am from 1977 represents Malibu today: Flashy, overblown, and impractical.
Now in contrast, San Pedro is home to working folk, who eke out a living working on the docks or over in the Long Beach industrial parks. You’ll find union men and immigrants in San Pedro and places like Slavko’s Harbor Poultry shop and the Croatian Cultural Center. San Pedro people drive nice, honest cars, like this Firebird.
Perhaps thanks to our California sun, these pictures do not do this car justice: This is no parade queen, with a recent repaint and a covered garage at home. This well may be our Firebird’s permanent parking space, since more than a few boat owners in the San Pedro Marina reside in their Catalina Sailboats and Boston Whaler Cabin Cruisers. Up close, the paint is falling off this car, and entropy has chewed up the trim around the side glass. Still, it’s a testament to the Firebird’s clean lines that it still looks good at twenty paces. In the fashion industry, they would say the F-body has “good bones.”
Based on the six digit blue plate, I’d say the car has been in California all it’s life, and its overall condition supports that thought. Corrosion is starting to cut through the panel between the trunk and the rear window, but repairs could easily prevent further damage. I’d like to see the owner brush on a little rust neutralizer. Easily found at a nearby marine supply store, this simple treatment would maintain body integrity, barring rain water from the bare metal inside the body cavities.
Keeping with our detective theme, I’m looking at that warehouse to the East, and wondering if maybe our TV detective headed over there to check up on some bad guys. Peeking around the corner of the building, or through a small opening in a painted over window, perhaps he’ll spot a hostage tied to a chair, or his current nemesis passing bribe money over to the local councilman.
If so, he’ll be happy to return to the Firebird, and slide back into this excellent cockpit. While the Camaro and Firebird share a common cowl, I’ve always preferred the Firebird’s classic dashboard with round gauges to the Camaro’s wraparound binnacle. This interior suffers from the typical 1970s “plasticky” construction, but includes several nice touches like a center console, three spoke steering wheel and remote control sport mirrors. Once again, no flash and glitz, just the good fundamental basics GM baked into this car upon its inception.
In addition to the nostalgic connection to one of my favorite 1970’s TV shows, this particular Firebird also comes equipped my way. I see no need to slather on spoilers and scoops, and given the clean lines of the F-body, I’d go for the base car. Underhood, I’d settle for a small displacement V-8 or even a straight six. Either engine can be massaged to provide the power I’m looking for, and in my town, big motors just equal big fuel bills. There’s just not enough open road to justify the horsepower. I’d probably prefer a five-speed manual, but give me the pink slip on this one, and I’ll work out my transmission issues on my own.
Despite my appreciation for this car, these pictures sat tucked away on my hard drive for a couple of months. Here in California, it’s easy to get jaded and start taking things for granted. Between the sunshine, beaches, and Curbside Classics on every corner, we’re always looking for the spectacular, rather than the good stuff right in front of us. But upon reflection, this car is the perfect thing to share on a Thursday morning. Enjoy, and see you soon, D/S.
The. Best. TV. Theme. Music. Ever. Here it is in its 3:34 45 rpm extended glory.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4tHUW_3FMkY
(Apologies, Jason. Hawaii Five-O a very close second. And apologies Henry Mancini, your version of Police Woman third by barely an eyelash)
Don, The Rockford Files is my #2 choice. I think we both have good taste.
Yeah, it’s a mystery then both the Rockford Files and Hawai Five-0 didn’t go higher in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Peter Gunn”, “S.W.A.T.” and the Miami Vice theme hit #1 on Billboard Hot 100 while Merle Haggard song “Movin’On” used for the tv series of the same name and Waylon Jennings “Good old boys” as the theme of The Dukes of Hazzard ” hit #1 on the country charts.
Yeah…Jimbo. Love that show, and the car, not that it’s a secret or anything
I have all 6 seasons on DVD…I remember watching them when I got home from middle school (on reruns) from 2-3 or so.
I’ve never had the nerve to pull a Rockford in one of my old cars though… 🙂
I used to do them in my dad’s leased 460 Elite when I was 16.
It was the reverse “bootleg 180” in the opening credits that inspired me to figure out how to do both forward and backward 180s in my Vega (out of ear and eye-shot of Dad, of course). Got pretty good at it, too.
This is the best looking of the 2nd generation Pontiac Firebird I’ve seen. This, and the Smoky and the Bandit car. 🙂
I saw a car in Rapid City, SD that claimed it was a firebird from smokey and the bandit. It was beautiful! they also claimed to have one of magnums Ferraris and an Aston Martin driven by Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights. The ski’s were deployed so maybe? They also had a Rockford car it was cool too because Rockford’s car allegedly wasn’t a factory color.
I saw a Jim Garner interview once when he said he chose the Firebird because it was the best handling car of that period – and that Rockford would have wanted to drive aTrans Am but couldn’t afford it…….
That’s a good reason for driving a Firebird. Although I prefer the first generation Firebird, I do like the later second gen Firebird, particularly if it can be requested with a handling package.
Definitely one of GM’s greatest efforts, be it in Chevrolet or Pontiac guise. Hurt only by every facelift just made the car a little less attractive than the previous version.
Just the same, I’ll take any year, either marque, any model – although I’d prefer to stay with a base model and manual transmission, and stay away from the show-off muscle car versions.
T-tops a plus, and it’d keep my fiancee overjoyed.
I agree. I’m not a big fan of big-block V8 engines and lots of horsepower. If you have a trailer to tow, that’s one thing, but for just cruising up and down the streets of any town, then you don’t need all that muscle. You’re wasting fuel anyway.
I wouldn’t say the Firebird was hurt by facelifts, I really do consider the 77/78 nose equal to or greater to the original 70-73 nose. The 79 not so much, though I still like it.
I read in at least 2 different sources that the Rockford cars were really Formulas, in order to get the best suspension pieces, and at least in the early years, the big engine. The studio had them de-spoilered, de-scooped, and repainted, and an Esprit emblem stuck on. As an inveterate Rockford buff who has seen every episode at least a dozen times, I believe it. Seven years of color continuity? I don’t think any manufacturer has ever offered one shade that long.
Roger,
I’ve read the same. The 74’s were Esprit’s however. It was the only year you could get the T/A suspension on the Esprit. After that they started using Formulas.
I think I read that they used a special Rockford color after the 74’s also. 74 was Denver Gold, and a 1 year only color, after that the color went more tan and a little lighter. Of course those were the days when you could special order a car in virtually any color you wanted for an extra $100.00 or so.
That would explain what appears to be a hastily and sloppily applied Esprit emblem that appears in one of the stills in the opening credits.
Hey cool, you got a photo of at least one of the Villager/Quest twins and with some body roll to boot. I wonder if that kind of rare F-150 in the background of the first photo has a stick shift?
Several years ago, I was heading from Santa Barbara to LAX using the coast highway. Imagine my surprise when I saw a street sign that said “Paradise Cove.” I made an immediate right turn and saw the Sandcastle restaurant and the Sandbox outhouse in the flesh. Didn’t see Jim’s trailer though.
I had lunch at the Sandcastle about year and a half ago, very expensive lunch. I could see Jimbo doing doughnuts in the carpark …. There’s a bunch of loos where I expected Jim’s house to be. It was great just being there.
KJ
I enjoyed watching Rockfish’s exploits and still do, especially when he took babealicious lawyer Beth along for rides. I even remember neophyte / wannabe investigator Richie Brockelman’s red and white Caddy convertible (Eldorado? Year?).
But my fave all-time ride still would have been Mannix’s Dart GT convertible as customized by George Barris.
Beth (Gretchen Corbett) drove a Porsche 914. I think the White/Red Eldo you are thinking of belonged to none other than Lance White (Tom Selleck) who appeared in two episodes.
Richie drove a kind of beater ’65 Mustang convertible.
Add red cloth, take away the floorpans (rust never sleeps), and the car in that promotional shot could have been our family grocery-getter from my preteen years.
FWIW, that’s the closest one I’ve seen in a long time… be it in real life or pictures.
I am starting to come around on these, and this one is attractively equipped. Very nice find.
My firebird (1968) was a major disappointment. Power train was 350/350 and it moved very well. When I babied it I still couldn’t get more than 10mpg. Later I owned a 26′ Chevy schoolbus that I RV’d and it was almost that good. I have had friends with six cyl camaros and mustangs that did pretty well. From 1986 on, I guess all the mustangs did pretty well. I didn’t buy it new so there was no option list but I bought the wrong car. The 326 or better yet, the OHC six would have been better. Plenty fast enough for normal use and not gas hogs. Not sure I remember correctly but think the OHC six was phased out by the time this car came down the line.
Looking back, I still see no real reason to buy a Firebird over a camaro or mustang.
Ahh! My favorite tv
AH! My favorite TV car from my all time favorite show. I grew up watching ’60’s detective shows and the hero always drove a convertible with the top down. Jim had a car that could blend in. I believe it was in the first episode he was being tailed by William Smith in a red Eldo convertible with the top down. Jim remarked something about how stupid it was to try and tail someone in such a flashy car.
In 1981 while in the area I found the Sand Castle and had lunch there. Of course I had to check out the site where the trailer had been and use the Sandbox. In 1996 I was again in the area and went to check it out. We couldn’t drive down the the beach this time because, to our surprise, they were filming one of the TV movies. I couldn’t make anyone out at that distance but did get to see my favorite TV car in person. It was nice to see it in it’s natural habitat and not at some World of Wheels and wonder if it was the real thing. I too have seen every episode numerous times and have some on DVD.
Although a fan of detective shows I saw very little of Rockford.Always liked 70s Firebirds and Camaros
You know it is odd but to me the 2nd gen Firebird always looked a bit naked without a rear spoiler(even the base v6 model) but the Camaro looked good without the rear spoiler and yet the Camaro and Firebird were basically the same car.
Go figure
There are Croatians in San Pedro? Maybe I can get a good chicken paprikash when I go out west… I’ve always thought all of the Hrvatskis ended up between Cleveland and Chicago…
Love the 2nd gen F bodies, either one. Watched the Rockford Files religiously as a pre-teen in the mid-70’s. More enamored with the Smokey and the Bandit T/A after seeing the movie, but fell in love with the 1979 update. Still, I’d take any of the 2nd gen F-bodies.
http://croatianamericanclub.com/
Thanks, Dave!
That Firebird is a ’77 (note the door panels) and I always thought the 77-78s were the cleanest looking of the Gen 2 Firebirds, S&B notwithstanding. That’s a nice survivor, it even has the OE radio.
To me, those cars just look odd without the rear deck spoiler. I guess it just comes from being a child of the late 70s and 80s and seeing Camaros and Firebirds decked out with every doodad available at Pep Boys. On the other hand, it is nice to see one not cloned into a Trans Am.
My favorite is the Formula. I like the big engines (Pontiac power only, please) coupled with the classic F-Body lines without the tacky add-ons (and I own a 78 Trans Am.)
Agree.
A Camaro looks tacky and “boy racer” with the factory spoiler.
But somehow a Firebird “just doesn’t look quite right” without the factory rear spoiler.
There is something about these cars that makes me not care for them without the factory spoiler. I’ve always thought that, even when I was a young child and they were new. It just seems to end, there’s no definition there.
The second generation F bodies (1970-81) are my favorites of the Camaro/Firebird series; the third generation F bodies (1982-92) are the least liked except for the ’89 Indy 500 T/A with the 3.8 Liter Buick Turbo; the (1967-69) series are nice looking; the fourth generation (1993-02) are an improvement over the angular ’82-’92’s.
the base trim level is without a doubt the right choice for this car. the Trans Am was horrible looking
Watching Rockfish now , think his bird had the 400 CI engine in it , they had plenty of power . Favourite detective /car show is Mannix with his GTS Dart . Both good shows with plenty of car chases . Wonder how many Birds they went through ?
ONE THING THAT bothers me is every time a Lincoln crashes in Rockford files they show a 1970’s model on the road and then they show a black 68 suicide doors Lincoln crashing through a guard rail going over the cliff , used it 2 times that I remember .
I HAVE A 78 FORMULA THAT HAS IS A FACTORY COLOR CLOSE TO ROCKFORDS. I BOUGHT THE CAR A LAST YEAR OFF EBAY. I LOVE DRIVING THIS CAR BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE OF MY GENERATION SEE THE CAR THEY CALL ME ROCKFORD. THE HANDLING IS GREAT BUT I AM PUTTING FACTORY GAS SHOCKS AND NEW WHITE LETTER TIRES ON THIS SPRING. LOVED WHATCHING ROCKFORD BOTH THE ORIGINAL SERIES AND LATER THE TV MOVIES. SAW THE CAR ON THE TV SERIES RENEGADE IN THE 90’S. I ALSO HAD A 75 ESPRIT IN THE EARLY 80’S WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER. I DROVE THAT CAR LIKE ROCKFORD. THANK GOD THAT CAR HANDLED THE ROAD LIKE IT WAS ON RAILS.
A lot of people over here love these Firebirds and Camaros there were actually Fibreglass replica bodies that fitted HQ series Holdens to grow you own clone for a while now of course its easier to find a good used one in the US and mail it over than find a non rust bucket Holden to build a clone
I’ve always seen a whiff of the 1953 Studebaker front end in the 1977 Pontiac Firebird.
Yup!
Also the curved, wrap around 1975-78 Firebird rear window; stolen from the 1953 Studebaker Starliner.
I’ve often wondered how many gold Firebirds James Garner “sold” for Pontiac?
As I said above, I am a big fan of Rockford. I had always wanted to learn the reverse 180. About a year ago I found a video showing how. I tried it and it worked but I only could get 170 or so degrees. Finally I decided to try it with my right hand as that side is stronger. It worked much better but the second time I tried I got going too fast ,my hand slipped off the wheel and I did a reverse 360 instead. It was before sunup in our church parking lot. I decided right then to leave since my headlights had painted all the surrounding houses. A hard thing to explain to the police.
I was driving my stick shift 2009 Mustang.