Pontiac Firebird: 50 Years chronicles the Firebird's rich history, from its inception in 1960 to its continued popularity today.

The detailed story of Pontiac's F-body coupe & convertible throughout three decades--from the height of the personal car/sporty car era of the late sixties, through the fuel crisis/safety first seventies, eighties renaissance and nineties indifference.

David Newhardt. The Pontiac Firebird was originally overshadowed by the popular Chevrolet Camaro, but the Firebird developed a loyal following and a reputation for true high-performance to earn a high-profile spot in muscle car history. It also had a role in pop culture as Burt Reynolds drove a Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit and young David Hasselhoff took direction from his talking Trans Am in Knight Rider. While 1970s environmental and insurance interests emasculated most muscle cars, the Trans Am made a defiant last stand. In 1973, Pontiac introduced the mighty Trans Am Super Duty 455, one of the fastest muscle cars ever. The high-performance, high-profile history of the Firebird Trans Am is presented here along with stunning color photos of choice models.

Following Ford and Chevrolet, Pontiac entered the pony car market in 1967 and came up with one of the best and most successful muscle cars ever produced. Though based on the Camaro chassis, the Firebird offered unique features and high performance, and over its nearly 40 years of production it continued to wow drivers--as it does today. This book details the Firebird’s long and illustrious career. With high-quality, detailed color photographs of some of the finer models--both originals and faithful restorations--the book is at once a unique history and a restoration guide to all four generations of the Firebird. Pictures and text profile the correct parts, finishes, options, and trim pieces for various models. The book also covers the vehicle’s wide variety of engine options, along with all special editions and model variations from the Firebird’s introduction in 1967 to the final model in 2002.

Describes the history, production, and design of various models of the Pontiac Firebird since its origin in the late 1960s.

Take an in-depth look into the second-generation Firebird and Trans Am with the ultimate guidebook that includes production figures, option codes, running changes, model-year changes and variances, rarity, collectability, interviews with engineers, and more. Pontiac expert and historian Rocky Rotella examines each production year of the second generation of Firebirds. Complementing the data and year-by-year analysis is a combination of archival photography from the development of these cars as well as beautiful color photos of original and restored examples today. After the extremely successful debut of the first-generation Firebirds and Camaros, General Motors had a tall task ahead: create an equally popular yet radically different version of the groundbreaking pony car it was replacing. Enthusiasts picked up on the radically different part as soon as they saw these cars. Over time, we have come to appreciate how successful these second-generation cars were. They include the early models that had an emphasis on performance along with the continued development of the Trans Am, the 455 Super Duty cars of 1973 and 1974, and the lightning-in-a-bottle popularity of the Smokey and the Bandit editions. During their production run, these Firebirds and Trans Ams were truly the only real performance cars out of Detroit, and for many of the model years, they eclipsed even the mighty Corvette. This book tells the entire story of these immensely popular cars, whether you are into the second generation of F-Body regular models, Formula 400 performance models, the Super Duty Trans Ams, or the cars of Smokey and the Bandit fame. It is an excellent addition to any pony car, muscle car, or any enthusiast's library.