3/19/2024 0 Comments Fantomworks 1969 pontiac firebird![]() Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Van Nuys, California, United States (1968–1969) Lordstown, Ohio, United States (1967–1969) However, paralleling the name Pontiac, in this Native American iteration, the name "Firebird" additionally symbolizes both destruction and terror, two fitting descriptors for an American muscle car. All of these are shared by the well-known supernatural phoenix featured in various regional narratives. The name "Firebird", previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird in the 1950s and early 1960s concept cars, symbolizes youth, power, and beauty. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird in the 1950s and early 1960s concept cars. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro. The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. The pony cars were riding high in 1968 and would continue to do so for a couple of years, though the 1970s would soon bring rising insurance rates, more government regulation and less consumer interest in the class.The second, third, and fourth generations of Though the latter had been around since 1964, it was never able to escape the shadow of Mustang’s great sales numbers. Bringing up the rear in terms of sales numbers were the Javelin and the Plymouth Barracuda. The Firebird almost caught up to the Cougar in production numbers for 1968, and both were behind the Mustang and Camaro. In 1968, the Mustang was still selling well and leading the pony car pack in the sales, but its sales were already in decline as a result of the new competition. The pony car class was hitting what would become its best years, and all cars were now introduced except the Dodge Challenger, which would come in 1970. Pony Car CompetitionĪfter Firebird, Camaro and the Mercury Cougar entered the pony car class in 1967, AMC got in on the action in ’68 by introducing the Javelin. While sales of the convertible models grew (by 9.22 percent), they were not growing nearly as fast as those of the hardtop. The base convertible started at $2,996, and 16,960 were built. Other options, of course, came on top of those prices.įor the 1968 model year, 107,112 Firebirds were produced, and that number represented a 29.74 percent improvement from the year before. The base model had an MSRP of $2,781, while various engines added anywhere between $116 to $351 to that price. To top it off, Firebird buyers could pick from a multitude of options to “customize” their car, including air conditioning, tinted glass, tilt steering wheel, power steering, power breaks, a vinyl roof and an AM/FM stereo. After the base model, various versions with larger engines added features like a heavy-duty suspension, wide-oval tires, floor mounted shifters and dual exhaust. The base models came with standard features like all-vinyl bucket seats, a wood grain dash and 2-speed windshield wipers. produced 335 horsepower and the Ram Air had a recalibrated the carburetor that increase fuel flow and produced 345 horsepower. All, of course, were 400 CID V8s, and the first produced 330 horsepower, while the 400 H.O. ![]() Finally, the Firebird 400 actually had a choice of engines. was a 4-barrel version of the same engine that produced 325 horsepower. Up next were the V8s, starting with the Firebird 350 that, appropriately, included a 2-barrel, 350 CID V8 rated at 255 horsepower. The Firebird Sprint used a 4-barrel 250 CID engine that upped horsepower to 230. This was an improvement over already respectable, for a six-cylinder at the time, 165 horsepower produced by the base model last year. The base model was known as the Firebird OHC, and included a 250 CID overhead cam six-cylinder engine and produced 175 horsepower. Interior and exterior trim was modified slightly for all models.Įven though Pontiac marketed five Firebirds, only two official models existed, the hardtop and the convertible, though each version had a specific name that corresponded to its engine. ![]() Advertisements and sales brochures still touted the aforementioned “magnificent five,” which represented the five engine options available and their respective trims. And Pontiac’s “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” strategy apparently worked, as production was up 29.74 percent over the previous year. After a successful, and relatively short, debut year, changes to the 1968 Firebird were very slight.
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