I was looking for e-Bay Pontiacs and saw this 1978 Firebird that simply took my breath away. A non Trans Am, non Formula, simple base level Firebird. The paint is an unusual colour, Ember Mist, and it is original. No spoilers, but it has a factory 305 2-barrel Chevy V8 & MM4 Saginaw 4-speed. The large Fisher Body T-roof panels (expensive when new) were new for 1978 and were better than the previous smaller Hurst Hatch panels that tended to leak. Factory snowflake wheels, Formula wheel, full instrumentation, and only 31,000 original miles.

Currently bid to $11,800USD but the reserve is not met.

 

Todd, I bet you'd like it, especially after your 1975 Esprit!

We had one very similar except a Pontiac 350. It was stout and a real nice cruiser with that Pontiac torque.

timbuk wrote:

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a 305? how very odd for that year

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Well, people wanted to get better fuel economy yet liked the idea of V8 power in their Firebirds. For 1977 Pontiac had both the new 301 thinwall V8 and the last of the 350 Pontiacs. In some places like California & high altitude places like Colorado they used Oldsmobile 350s. Pontiac couldnt build enough 301s, and Pontiac dropped 350 production for 1978 so they used both the 305 & 350 Chevrolet V8s in the Firebirds for 1978. For 1979 I think they reverted back to the 301 in place of the 305. Who know, they were making substitutions and exceptions back then. So long as it was a compliant engine, GM stuck other GM division engines into whatever. There was a reason they switched everything from Chevrolet Orange, Oldsmobile Gold, Buick Red and Pontiac Blue, to GM Corporate Blue during the late 1970s. It was all part of the plan to rationalize engine production. In a class-action lawsuit Oldsmobile was on the defensive in the late 1970s for using Chevrolet 350s in Olds Delta 88s.

Beautiful car........too bad it doesn't have Pontiac motor in it..................