When you think of a second generation Pontiac Firebird, the image that probably comes to mind is a Trans Am. While that model certainly did become popular during the lengthy lifecycle for Pontiac’s seventies-era F-Body, it wasn’t always the best seller. In fact, for 1973, the most popular Firebird was a bit of a sleeper, though it did get some press back in the day.
Pontiac offered four varieties of Firebird during the second generation run: the base coupe, the comfort-oriented Esprit, the performance-oriented Formula and the top-of-the-line Trans Am. After nearly being cancelled during the ‘72 model year, the Firebird managed to hang on (along with the Camaro) and enjoyed something of a sales resurgence for 1973, with sales climbing 55% compared to the depressed 1972 levels. Leading the pack in ’73 sales was the cushy Esprit model.
Not that Pontiac wasn’t promoting performance: both the Formula and Trans Am models were halo cars for the whole division, flaunting hood scoops and go-fast imagery (even if the cars themselves were getting choked down with emissions plumbing). For 1973, the Trans Am even offered the gaudy super-sized hood graphic—affectionately known as the “screaming chicken”—an option that listed for $55 ($331 adjusted).
But let’s face it, in 1973 muscle cars were on the way out and buyers were gravitating to a variety of stylish cruisers, whether that was a mid-sized Personal Luxury Coupe or a “posher” version of a traditional Pony Car. And the Esprit fit that bill perfectly. Pontiac even saw fit to feature a Navajo Orange Esprit on the cover of the ’73 Firebird brochure, replete with the standard equipment Deluxe Wheel Covers!
In addition to the wheel covers, the Esprit also came standard with all sorts of cosmetic frippery like special badges and plenty of chrome trim compared to the basic ‘bird.
Inside was where the Esprit upgrades over the base Firebird were most apparent. The “Custom Interior” featured new, deeply contoured buckets seats (this seat design was also found in the newly redesigned ’73 Grand Prix and all-new Grand Am, although those models also received seatback recliners with the buckets, unlike the Firebird). Interestingly, the Custom Interior was optionally available for the Formula and Trans Am models, in addition to being standard on the Esprit. Thanks to the added standard features, Pontiac was able to charge 8% more for the Esprit compared to the base Firebird V8, a sweet premium for the GM bean counters.
So the Firebird Esprit was popular in 1973 and was nicely trimmed for a Pony Car. But what was it like to drive?
The car that Road Test Magazine reviewed in their June 1973 issue was a brand spanking new Esprit with the optional 400 V8 that was assigned to Pontiac Engineering. And it was finished in a color that wouldn’t necessarily inspire a Firebird enthusiast.
That’s right, the test unit was dark beige (or tan if you’re being charitable), though officially the color was called Desert Sand. The RT Esprit also sported a matching Chamois Cordova vinyl roof and a color-coordinated Saddle interior for that complete “Café au Lait” look. But hey, it was the 70’s and the Road Test editors liked it.
Apparently so did Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files. The title character (played by James Garner) drove a ’74 Esprit 400 in that year’s version of tan called Denver Gold with a color-matched Saddle interior. But I digress—back to the road test!
Given that the test car carried a very heavy option load, it’s surprising that air conditioning wasn’t included. Even though the car was in Michigan, the hot, humid Midwest summers would certainly have warranted that option.
Equipped with the 2-barrel 400 CID V8 and Turbo-Hydramatic, the Esprit was smooth and reasonably quick. With comfort-oriented suspension tuning, the Esprit 400 was well set-up for easy cruising—as long as you didn’t need to haul much cargo rather small trunk. Given the newness of the Road Test car, braking performance seemingly suffered because the car wasn’t fully broken-in, but RT’s editors still declared the Esprit’s stopping ability to be satisfactory.
Overall Road Test found the Esprit to be a good example of the evolving Pony Car. It was stylish, performed reasonably well and was fairly agile. The Pontiac was also a good buy: the editor’s recommended specs priced out at $4,078 ($24,544 adjusted). A quick check of Edmunds 1973 Domestic Car Prices indicates that the actual car Road Test drove would have priced out at $4,435 ($26,692 adjusted). The Cordova top was $87 ($524 adjusted)—pure margin for GM. A buyer would have done well, both aesthetically and financially, to skip that one and add the A/C instead. $397 ($2,389 adjusted) for that option might have seemed steep, but would have paid back at resale time.
Of course the editors at Consumer Guide were very focused on value as they evaluated cars across all the market segments for the ’73 Auto Test. Featured prominently on the cover is a Firebird….
….And sure enough it’s another Esprit (this time in Sunlight Yellow, which was better color on a Firebird than Desert Sand, at least for my tastes).
Like the Road Test editors, Consumer Guide also found the Esprit to be comfortable and well balanced, offering good performance and roadability. It was their second-highest ranked Pony Car for ’73, losing out to the AMC Javelin on practicality measures. However, a quick look at the specs proves that none of these cars were economical or practical. They were about style and responsiveness, and that is where GM really shined with the F-Bodies in the 1970s.
Luckily for GM, they stuck with the F-Body while all the other competitors in the segment either vanished (Javelin, Challenger, Barracuda) or were significantly transformed (subcompact Pinto-based Mustang II and midsized Montego-based Cougar). So the Camaro and Firebird were the last old-school Pony Cars left standing after 1974, and sales began to take off.
In the Firebird line, the primary beneficiary of the sales surge was the Trans Am, which became the best-selling Firebird model in 1975. Sales soared from there, and by 1979 the Trans Am sold more than the other three Firebird models combined. Little wonder we think of the Trans Am as defining this generation of Pontiac F-Body. But the Esprit certainly held its own over time, undoubtedly pleasing less flamboyant Firebird buyers—and certainly satisfying General Motors, given the added margin over the base car.
So the next time you see the abundant number of Trans Ams typically found on display at car shows or cruise nights (I look forward to the day when we can enjoy those once again!), don’t forget its little luxury brother, though you’re not likely to actually ever see one. But who knows, scrutinize that Trans Am closely: underneath all that plumage, the car could be a clone that started life as a Desert Sand Esprit.
Gah, these things and the Camaros look horrid without a rear spoiler. Reminds me of a dog dragging his butt on a carpet!
I actually quite like the 70-73 Firebird without them, as the taillights changed and bumpers protruded more due to the 1974 standards I begin to agree, but in the original purest form with these smaller taillights there’s a certain elegance to it. It heavily borrows from the beautiful Banshee concept
A friend of mine bought a very nicely equipped 70+1/2 Camaro in 1972, without the spoiler. He bought the car from his uncle who had ordered it specifically without the spoiler, as he hated it. Before he had the car home an hour, the spoiler he had ordered and had painted at a local dealership was going on. I think these cars look ridiculous without the spoiler almost like it’s not finished.
0-60 in 11.2 seconds whilst drinking fuel at 16mpg!. This is the big block. What were those figures for a small block?. Guess no one had a egg timer at the time. My 73 Truimph Dolomite 1850 did 60 in the same time but using half the fuel.
The 400 was a small block. The 455 was a small block.
Unlike Chevy, Olds, Buick, there was no Pontiac big block.
Chevy also had a 400 cid variant of their small block
Had a 72 Espirt in Sunlight Yellow with black vinyl top and Rally II’s – sharp car – bought it used in 74. Had the 350 2bbl.
Had it for a year and traded it for a used 74 Charger with a 318 – should have kept the Firebird.
I’m actually significantly more surprised by how much of the sales breakdown was for Formulas, Esprits don’t surprise me that they sold the best and few survivors would remain, its the way things tend to be for the regular models in this catagory, but I would have thought 1973 Trans Ams outsold Formulas at least 3 to 1 based on survivors!
The rating chart is great insight into these era ponycars, their strengths and weaknesses largely line up where I deduced they would(poor visibility on Mustang, Great handling on F bodies) except the Javelin was way more of a jack of all trades than I would have thought!
I never quite understood where the Formula was supposed to fit in the lineup. The base model was the cheap one, the Esprit the plush one, the Trans Am the high-performance sporty one, and the Formula… also high-performance sporty but a little less so than the Trans Am?
The Trans Am was a homologation package for the racing series, ala Z/28, Boss 302, Challenger TA etc. The Formula was effectively the successor to the first gen Firebird 400, and was actually called “Formula 400” for 1970 until the engine lineup expanded in 1971 to include the 350 and 455.
I always assumed the Trans Am immediately took the wind out of its sails like Ford’s Mach 1 did the Mustang GT in 1969, but with the Formula lingering around a lot longer.
In this generation of Firebirds I always thought the Formula had all the performance of a Trans Am without all the flash.
Also in the Rockford Files, the Esprit 400 was only used for the pilot episode. It handled terribly. For the series Formulas were purchased and made into Esprits.
“All Pontiac V8 engines now have spark advance controlled by the transmission (instead of intake manifold vacuum). ”
Say what? That’s an odd way to describe a centrifugal advance mechanism. 1973 was the first year for the excellent HEI electronic ignition but it, along with the previous points- distributor used both centrifugal and vacuum advance at the time. Electronic advance appeared shortly after in HEI systems.
Also I noticed the compact spare tire was extra cost and a full size spare was standard, a price strategy to be reversed in a few years.
The distributor was standard issue GM, but the emissions controls included a system that only allowed the vacuum advance canister to see vacuum at certain times, such as when the transmission was in high gear or when the engine was too hot in traffic. The text didn’t explain it that well, but that’s what they were getting at.
Got it, thank you. I’ve never seen a system including such features. I don’t suppose that exact configuration stayed on production very long?
That I do not know…I would imagine that it changed in 1975 due to the introduction of the catalytic converter, but I’d have to refer to a manual to be sure.
Road speed and high gear controlled vacuum advance was fairly common in the era before EGR valves. There are a number of different ways that it was implemented.
My 72 Scout is road speed controlled where there is a “box” connected in the middle of the speedo cables with two vacuum nipples that connect to the carb and advance can. My 73 got a little more sophisticated in that the box now had two wires, one that went to ground and the other to a 3 port vacuum solenoid. One port connected to the carb, another to the advance can and the 3rd with a small block of foam glued onto the top. When activated the solenoid blocked off the passage from the carb and connected the port to the can to the open one with the filter.
Some cars had the high gear switch that activated a similar solenoid system to control a similar solenoid.
Some got more sophisticated and included a temp swtich that disabled the system during warm up.
Here is a diagram of a Chrsyler system with a bit of a description.
https://books.google.com/books?id=PjjwDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT17&lpg=PT17&dq=high gear retard to control nox&source=bl&ots=bmrWWW5xX5&sig=ACfU3U0tFaBWgedsFcxAYEP5FDbBioz_FQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiMjaykosXpAhXUrJ4KHS6zCRAQ6AEwAnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=high gear retard to control nox&f=false
On my Travelall since it has AC there is another device in the vacuum advance circuit. It uses a 3 port temp controlled vacuum switch that connects the advance can to manifold vacuum when it senses an engine that is running hotter than intended. Doing so causes a bump in idle rpm that is supposed to help with cooling by increasing the fan speed.
The reason the compact spare with an extra cost option was that it was of the collapsible type that used a canister to expand it to normal size. That also required a special wheel with another valve that is used to apply a vacuum to collapse the tire. I still have one floating around here that was removed from my 73 Firebird.
Like Scoutdude said, these systems were very common in the early 1970s. Every manufacture had some convoluted system to limit the vacuum advance, most often by transmission gear, others by temperature. Ford used a system like this on their 351-CJ engines which actually used inputs from a temperature sensor and even a speed sensor to determine when vacuum advance could used. Ultimately, these systems are what caused a lot of the sluggish performance and poor drivability of the day. Many good tune-up guys would bypass these system.
Here is a simplified version of the system Ford used on the 351:
Getting more vacuum advance was easy on Chrysler V8s. If you pulled off the vacuum hose, you could insert an Allen key and slack off on the spring tension against which vacuum pulled to advance the spark. You would slack off the spring, put back the vacuum hose, and then test drive, repeat until you got detonation, then return to the prior setting. Later, Chrysler added a restrictor to the vacuum line to slow down application of vacuum advance. It was easily bypassed by removing the vacuum lines from it and using a short piece of straight-through tubing instead. Both “fixes” pepped up performance, perceptibly to anybody.
To add a little bit more on cars that were controlled by being in top gear for manual trans vehicles it was a switch similar to a back up light switch. On automatics they put a hydraulic switch that went into the high gear apply circuit test port.
Two years earlier in California, but before HEI ignition, vacuum advance was “controlled by the transmission”, in that it was allowed only in high gear. This was primarily for NOx control. My ’71 C10 with the 250ci six had this setup. In my case, there was a switch on the manual transmission that controlled a vacuum valve on the firewall. There was also a time delay valve that inhibited vacuum advance during warmup, ten minutes, as I recall. Centrifugal advance was still there at all times.
Thank you for the road tests! Some of you may be familiar with my Buccaneer Red ’74 Esprit, through which I can verify many of these road tests’ conclusions. Consumer Guide also rated the Esprit a “Best Buy” in 1974. To a 1973/4 buyer, most of its shortcomings are obvious (low height, poor rear seat and trunk space) and are necessary tradeoffs for a car that looks great. Others, such as poor fuel mileage, were shared with almost every V8-powered car on the road in the mid-’70s. Second-gen Firebirds are common enough that most people don’t notice that you rarely see an Esprit on the road, but that’s one of the reasons I like mine so much.
Trunk space? 5-6 cubic feet maybe–of loose sand or clothes. Perhaps the tiniest trunk ever….
And yet—I think these are great looking cars! The best-looking US car of the 1970s, perhaps the best looking car IN the US market, IMO.
The Ferrari prancing horse isn’t as slender as the Pontiac emblem, but this car could have passed as a new Ferrari.
I prefer these to the Trans Ams, with their spoilers and ‘add-on’ flares, or the Formulas, with their hood scoops.
This Ferrari-inspired body deserved a V-12 under that long hood….but, even with a 350-2bbl and automatic, and….full wheel covers, even with the base instruments, the car was so good looking, all was forgiven.
I had a chance to drive a friend’s 350-2bbl Firebird, when I was 18 or 19, and I liked it, so I would concur with the Consumer Guide rating of 10 for handling, even though it’s not Consumer Reports
Those 0-60 times are pretty sobering…those seem consistent with Consumer Reports numbers.
Still, this is a great CC, thank you GN
I find it easy to believe that most of the cars tested were pretty slow. Then there is the Challenger 340 automatic with 3.23 gears and a 3,331 lb test weight. Admittedly, the impetus for the Duster 340 was that the third generation Cuda and Challenger had grown too heavy for the 340 to keep them as overdogs in typical street races, but I find it hard to believe that a healthy 340 in a car with that weight and gearing would struggle to break 16 seconds in the quarter, which would mean 0-60 in 9 should have been achievable. What was it doing grouped with cars that had 70 fewer net horsepower and similar curb weights?
Consumer Guide must have used some very gentle launch techniques for their acceleration tests, because corresponding results from Car and Driver or Road & Track were much more favorable. Still, even if you got your launch right, these cars were pretty slow by today’s standards.
It’s the reason why the engines are the first things to go when people get their hands on a decent one. Why go through the effort to get 200 hp out of a Pontiac 400 when an LS out of a junked Silverado will give you 300-plus for starters?
Here’s mine for those who haven’t seen it (and care to).
Very nice – what year is yours?
I’ll second that – very nice!
Thanks! It’s a ’74.
Beautiful car! Love the color combo, plus the fact that it’s an Esprit makes it rare and interesting in the Firebird world today.
Gorgeous! Love seeing buccaneer red on a Esprit
It’s a stunner, Aaron. Love the flat-rear-window ’74s.
Between a neighbor who owned an early base model and hours and hours spent watching The Rockford Files, these always looked better to me than either the Formulas or T/As. Though I would have skipped the vinyl roof.
I got curious, I suspect that the “Desert Sand” test car with the vinyl roof was the combo of this Monte Carlo (a color Chevy called Chamois). I remember those non-metallic butterscotch shades were everywhere around 1973.
That was the colour of my Monte when I first bought it, but subsequent repaints have left it more of a “Banana” yellow.
On another note, it is just me or do those 0-60 times seem a couple of seconds too slow for most of the cars in the test? Most have strong drivelines with lower rear ends, and yet they are getting into the 12-14 second range. I would have thought closer to the 10 second range, even with 1973 engines. CG and CR always seemed slower than the equivalent fan magazines back then.
Shocking the drivetrain by abusing it for the best performance numbers wasn’t CG & CRs style. They had to buy the cars instead of getting the massaged and blueprinted ringers that the other mags were receiving. They also seemed to drive it more like the average driver instead of the Don Garlits and Mario Andretti wannabes at C/D and R&T.
Detroit didn’t mind getting back something that looked like the Bluesmobile at the end of that movie if they got a good review of it from the buff mags. They’d just sell it as a demo at their dealers, right?
Define the abuse? I don’t know what CR’s procedures were back then but I get the impression from these numbers that testers probably launched from idle, short shifted or let the automatic do the shifting, and feathered the throttle when the tires squealed. C/D and R/T testers probably built up engine speed at the torque converters stall speed, shifted at redline and put their foot fully to the floor throughout. Unless they were neutral dropping the transmissions they any wouldn’t be worse for wear.
Neutral drops, popping the clutch at 4,000 rpm, upshifting without touching the clutch pedal, mashing the throttle in Low while putting as much pressure on the brakes as possible…pretty much all the stuff I did as a teen! 🙂
I was surprised by those numbers, too. I realize ’73 wasn’t a ‘peak performance’ year, but I’d still think even a 2bbl 400 with highway gears would manage a bit better than 12 seconds to 60. Maybe 9 or 10ish? Years ago I had a ’77 Chrysler Newport with a Lean Burn 400-4bbl…and I’m fairly certain even that barge managed about the same acceleration times as this Firebird…despite weighing about 1,000lbs more. Different engine, different car…but still a bit of surprise at those performance stats. Thank goodness for 50 years of progress when it comes to power/performance!
These CG numbers are considerably lower than what other magazines got. I suspect their methodology for road tests was not very performance oriented. As a kid I used to memorize all these test stats, and even then I knew that CG results were not directly comparable to other publications. They certainly weren’t power-braking or launching the cars hard. I wouldn’t be surprise if tire spin also lowered their times for some cars. Most of the times posted are far slower than other contemporary tests, in particular the 340 – nearly 13 secs to 60 with a 340??
The RT results of the 400-2bbl does seem fairly close to accurate, maybe a tad slow (which could be due to production differences). Motor Trend tested a 1974 Firebird 400-2bbl which ran 0-60 in 10.35 seconds and the quarter mile in 17.05 @ 82.11 mph. Based on the trap speeds, RT might have lost some time due to poor launch and or tire spin.
Great write up on a mostly forgotten trim level, or one that got overshadowed later in the model run. I suppose a version of these became the blue bird, yellow bird, red bird…I wouldn’t have minded one then with a higher performance small block along with the suspension upgrades normally found on a Formula. I suppose that’s what Rockford drove to blend in.
Does it seem strange that the 350 upgrade with dual exhaust comes with a 2bbl with no 4bbl option?
By the way, did anyone notice the 0-60 times? Do they seem accurate to you? All the models seem much slower than I would have expected even in 1973. How does a 340 challenger manage that?
Forgotten trim level or one that wasn’t usually the enthusiast’s choice, like the Mustang Grande
A friend had a mid to late ’70s model Esprit, in that Desert Sand colour. He was trying to sell it but could not get any takers. I think people were looking for the screaming chicken on the hood and the 350 underneath it to buy that kind of car. His came across to me as a very clean example, and that was just the problem perhaps, it was too clean, Firebird buyers wanted a fire breathing car that would stand out above the Camaros and Mustangs of the day.
This is the best looking 4 passenger car to come from Detroit. The later ones with the bumper don’t measure up. It’s sleek, sexy and I’d have ordered one with the 400 4bbl and 4 speed.
Apparently they were fragile, as I never saw many of them when I became car savvy after 1980. Very few were out there, even at the buy-here, pay here lots.
“Car & Driver” consistently got better zero to sixty numbers than the other car magazines of the 1970’s.
I’ve read some…vivid…descriptions of what they put their test cars thru to generate those quicker numbers!
Car and Driver has admittedly very poor testing practices during the 1960s, but by the 1970s they had improved. There was an article the C/D did a few years ago about how many tests in the 1960s were done with a stop watch and were not very accurate. It wasn’t until the 1970s they started to use proper test equipment like a 5th wheel.
There’s a reason C&D always seemed to have the fastest times, and that was that they lived by the old racer’s adage, “Drive it like you were mad at it”. In effect, they did things that the other magazine testers might not do, i.e., stuff like power-shifting, only a driver with no passenger and recording equipment, power-braking off the line, riding the clutch, etc. Of course, this sort of thing would occasionally result in broken driveline parts, too.
Best looking car of any type, from Detroit—or anywhere , in the 1970s.
I concur, C/D usually had the quickest acceleration times of any magazine. I thought they must be better drivers than Motor Trend. Road & Track often matched C/D numbers, but also were often a tad slower.
Consumer Reports was slower. But, armed with my new digital watch, at 18, I couldn’t seem to match Consumer Reports 0-60 numbers on our Ford Fairmont, so I figured CR was more realistic for most drivers, and C/D must borderline abuse the cars. And they probably did, since they introduced 5-60 in the 1980s.
“C&D” recorded a zero to sixty time for my beloved ’71 Opel 1900 (Manta) of 10.5 seconds; other car magazines reordered 11.5 to 12.
My “seat of the pants” impression was closer to 11-ish.
But I paid for it with my own money and was not going to “stomp it and drop it” or “speed shift” it. I was there for the long haul.
Road & Track is also based in California, so may have encountered some cars with California emissions. Although all the mags got their test cars direct from the manufacturers and often those were photographed with Michigan plates. So that probably varied a bit. Importers were much more sketchy back then though.
R&T did use a fifth wheel since the beginning, though, as editor John R. Bond was an engineering type and would not have settled for less. They modernized their equipment in the late 1970’s and continued to update it to the present day. David E. Davis, Jr., the longtime editor of C/D, started out as an ad salesman at R&T, so there was likely an influence there. And, of course, many of C/D’s staff had engineering backgrounds as well, like Don Sherman, Patrick Bedard and Csaba Csere. Yet Davis eschewed formal testing when he founded Automobile.
Morrokide?!?! I love the descriptions on the brochure, especially the door handles and the nomenclature for the Espirt trim line. It smacks of desperation.
Interesting that the Javelin gets top points in the Consumer Guide. Didn’t help with sales?
I didn’t remember the second gen F Body being standard with three on the tree. Not to mention non-power brakes, even with front discs standard. And even in 1973, no optional radial tires. I did once drive a friend’s dad’s 1st gen Firebird with a bench seat and column shift Powerglide, which seemed totally wrong even for a low-performance configuration.
The sales rebound of 1973 was the result of UAW strike activity that cost half of 1972 model year production and almost caused the F-body to be canceled.
There were several half-finished 1972 F-bodies in the factory when the strike began. By the time the strike was resolved, federal regulatory standards for the 1973 model year were in effect.
Those 1972 F-bodies didn’t meet the new standards, and the federal government would not allow GM to complete them and re-serial them as 1973 models. They all had to be scrapped.
I think that the acceleration numbers are accurate. These engines, especially with the single exhaust and two barrel carb, were not that powerful. The compression ratios had been dropped from previous years. The engines listed above were all at 8.0 to 8.5, which made enabled them to run on low lead regular gas, leaded premium was on it’s way out. The gearing was pretty high (numerically low) for better fuel economy and quieter cruising. Old time Detroit muscle cars had much “deeper” gears, remember the legendary 4.11s? That is why if you check the specs many muscle cars have surprisingly low top speeds. Most were all in by 110-120 mph. I see a lot of modified muscle cars trundling along the freeway at 55-60 mph. because they have been re-geared for exclusive quarter mile performance. I used to blow by those things at 85 mph. in my Chrysler Town and Country minivan.
I just don’t buy 12.9 for the 340 Challenger, it had a 4 barrel carb, it had dual exhaust, really all it lost from its performance peak years was compression, but was was still rated at a healthy 240 net horsepower, which should be good for sub-10 second 0-60 runs without stump pulling final drive ratios. You can get there without abusing the car.
Having owned a ’73 Challenger 340 Rallye (Torqueflite) and a ’73 Dart Sport 340 (4 speed) i agree with XR7Matt’s comments.
Even today the small block Mopar 340 is an under-rated engine.
My 340 Challenger ran off and left my best friend’s ’75 Trans Am so often he had the engine upgraded, in order to be able to beat me, as soon as the factory warranty ran out.
Jame’s Garners car was a Formula repainted to look like an Esprit
Apparently, they used actual Esprits only during the first season, in ’74. After that, they decided they needed the Formula with its upgraded suspension and better engines, so they did just what you said.
If you look at the fenders in the second season, they actually left the Formula 400 badges on the car.
My brother’s 1971 Formula 350 had three on the floor. Weird, I know and I wonder how rare it was.
If you look at brochures of the time, it seems like everything was offered with three on the tree standard though few of those cars if any hit the road that way, especially by the early 1970’s. There might have some Darts so equipped, but I’d love to see if any second-gen Camaros or Firebirds ever made it out the door.
For the rising sales of the Trans-Am, especially the 1976-79 model years. I think the Trans-Am being the “car star” in the movie Smokey & the Bandit surely helped.
The elimination of performance Mustangs, Challenger and Cuda, and Javelin, as well as intermediates that emphasized PLC packaging created a vacuum that most certainly sent would-be buyers straight into the Trans Am’s arms, the steep climb on the graph starts in 1975 when the competition was virtually gone. Smokey and the Bandit most certainly had an impact but the rapid sales climb was well underway. My dad actually revealed to me he bought his blue 78 before he ever saw the movie
The luxury Firebird! I actually like this idea, as I’m also a fan of the ’79 Camaro Berlinetta. Before reading this, I never knew the Esprit had a brief moment in the sun as the most popular Firebird.
(I also like that the the AMC Javelin, another car I like, from underdog AMC, scored higher than its competition in that Consumer Guide test.)
Just like you always saw more regular Chevelles than SSs, most of the pony cars were small v8s or sixes, and often driven by women. Back when there were a lot of nice cars still around, no one really thought much about four doors or small engine cars..they were the Sentras of the day. It’s only now, when everything is a tiny engine CUV, that people get excited about virtually anything older..and most likely the large amount of restored big block cars make the little engine old cars more interesting again. It is good to remind people that for a while there, 17 second quarter miles were considered “sporty”…that’s slower than a stock 01 Crown Vic.
The Rockford Firebird was apparently a Trans Am made to look like an Esprit.
It was specially selected by James Garner (an avid car buff and race driver off screen) only after studying all the pony and muscle car options available at the time the show was being done.
The Bird was chosen owing to its dimensions, power to weight ratio and general chassis dynamics, according to Garner in an interview he did.
He also did the stunt driving (the most famous manoeuvre being the J turn, now named The Rockford in some circles) for the show.
Yep I heard the “Rockford Turn” being used when drug racers were still I dippers .
As an addition to Colin’s post, I recently read the Rockford FIrebirds were actually Firebird Formulas, de-spoilered and with the standard hood. The Gold was actually a unique color that all the cars were repainted upon conversion to Esprit clones. As the series progressed and the cars were updated they remained the same color. I always wondered why ol’ Jim kept up with the latest Bird’s up until 77-78 but never made the switch to the 79-80 model.
James Garner reportedly personally hated the 79 restyle
These early 70’s Firebirds, like late 60’s GTO’s, never looked right to me. The idea that the front was painted material and the rear had a conventional chrome bumper was just “off”…like one stylist had done the front and the other the back without talking to each other…it just made no sense to my 10 year old eyes.
So, opinion of one, this was one of the few cars (maybe the only one!) that actually looked better in 74 with the new fed bumpers…the front and back finally looked like they belonged together! One of my faves from that point on.
While I find this car attractive, I always had the idea that the luxury versions of these pony cars were intended for female buyers. I was kind of suprised when a macho guy like Jim Rockford showed up in one.
The Camaro had the Type-LT until it was replaced by the Berlinetta. The Ford Mustang hand the Grande and when the Mustang II came along it had Ghia. The Mercury Cougar had the XR-7. The AMC Javelin had the SST. The Plymouth Barracuda had the Gran and the Dodge Challenger had the S.E.
As the second generation evolved, the Esprit’s luxury options became available across the board and an even more opulent velour interior made the options list with the “Sky Bird” (blue) and “Red Bird” packages.
The Trans Am got the top interior by ’77 and a leather version of it in the ’79 10th Anniversary edition. You were more likely to find them with power accessories and other niceties that were rare in earlier models.
With the corresponding increase in price. The later T/A’s were certainly a little more upmarket than years before, as that 10th Anniversary car approached the Corvette on the sticker.
My feeling is that the Esprit didn’t just appeal to women, but to older men with more money to spend. Garner himself was in his mid-40’s when he started Rockford, so maybe a little mature for a Trans Am or a Formula. Also, as a private eye, Rockford the character might not want to draw too much attention to himself while still having something sporty to drive. A basic-looking Firebird in a dull color would be just the ticket.
Also, wouldn’t they have been able to custom-order Firebirds in any configuration they wanted? The Esprit may have been technically available with just the 400 2-barrel but it wouldn’t have taken much for GM to crank out a handful of Esprits with the 400 4-barrel or even the 455. And the suspension upgrades would have been a piece of cake.
And even then, all that stuff bolts in after the fact.
The Esprit could be optioned with the 400 through 1974 but after that the top engine became the 350. This is the reason they switched to converted formulas for The Rockford Files
I own a 70 Esprit in Yellow, with black interior and Rally 2 Wheels. It’s stock 350 engine has an 8.8 compression ratio, which is good for 0 to 60 in 10 seconds. Meaning a 70 Esprit could perform like a mid 70’s TransAm since it lacks all of the emission stuff and even the regular engines still had a somewhat “high” compression ratio.