Vehicle Description
1968 Pontiac Firebird Hardtop
A powerful rival for Ford Mustang, the Pontiac Firebird saw
daylight in 1967 when the US company rolled out both the 2 door
coupe and the 2 door convertible. Even if it was based on the same
platform as the Chevrolet Camaro, the Firebird had numerous
different parts, starting with the design and ending with the
engines. If the most significant appearance change is the body
integrated front bumpers, more differences could be found under the
hood as the first generation Firebird came with a choice of a few 6
cylinders and V8 options.
For consignment, a 1968 Pontiac Firebird hardtop with a title
verified 78,449 actual miles with some restorative efforts that
make it a "very nice driver" according to our consignor, but also
worthy of your local cruise night, cruise in, or any place car
people congregate. In 1968, the second year of the Firebird,
Pontiac upped production by more than 20,000 hardtop units, putting
the pony car on a trajectory that would expand exponentially
through the years. This car comes to you with a stack of build
receipts detailing exactly what went into it.
Exterior
Dressed in carefully applied Molten Red Metallic, the color
presents well and is contrasted in 1968 with a chrome nose and
surrounding trim and bumper. Side by side dual headlights hover
over a lower valence that houses the marker lights with the
arrowhead leading the way. Like a fire breathing dragon, the hood
is topped by two gaping nostrils that flank gentle sheet metal
bends, pointed like an arrowhead tapered to the nose. There's also
a hood tach up there, understandably breaking up the symmetry for
an ultra cool feature. The tail lights are mere slits, like Clint
Eastwood's eyes facing the sun and challenging a rival. You feeling
lucky, punk? That muscular tail end is augmented by a wing and rear
tires that are more than 2 inches wider and taller than the fronts.
15-inch Pontiac Rally II wheels provide the shoes and just right.
It's near one of those trim pieces that we find a few tiny bubbles,
the only imperfection we could find on an exterior with excellent
paint and near flawless brightwork.
Interior
Black vinyl covers the door panels, simple and smart and in nice
shape. Front bucket seats which are low back bomber style buckets
up front and for the rear a bench, all sporting some stitched
inserts and smooth bolsters in clean, black vinyl. The aftermarket
steering wheel is robust, chrome, and rimmed in grippy foam and
resting on a polished tilt column. This leads to the dual coved
instrument panel that houses a speedometer in one and a gas gauge
in the other. Beautiful chrome knobs live on the black dash and the
addition of the lighter with an EJECT insert is good for a laugh.
The center holds the vent control panel and a pair of aftermarket
gauges. This leads to the center console that houses a B&M
Quicksilver shifter in a chrome base ahead of a storage bin with
some patina on the lid. Nice black loop carpet covers the floor
while the headliner above is intact but shows some slight sagging
near the sides. We find the trunk barren, but painted and in very
clean condition.
Drivetrain
In Pontiac Light Blue metallic, we find a 400ci under the hood in a
spotless bay with casting number indicating its production sometime
between '71 and '74. Under the matching air filter element is a
4-barrel carburetor and the powerplant is tied to a TH400 3-speed
automatic transmission sending power to the 10 bolt rear axle.
Power brakes are supplied as front discs and rear drums. Power
steering is on board too.
Undercarriage
The underside is near spotless too with clean black undercoating
and clear knuckles, no surface rust, and only a drop of oil on the
flywheel cover. The dual exhaust matches the shine of the newer gas
tank, sharing an H-pipe on the way to a single FlowMaster muffler
that emits two short tips under the car just behind the chrome rear
differential cover. Suspension consists of coil springs up front
and leaf springs in the back and it's all dirt free and grease
free!
Drive-Ability
Classic Firebird? Yes, please! The car is a quick starter and the
clean interior is a nice place to be, the modern steering wheel and
power steering making the driving life easy! The 400 bellows out an
exhaust sound that is admirable, although we also detect an exhaust
leak. The automatic shifts its way around the track providing
decent acceleration, superb handling, and straight tracking and
without a lot of distractions on the dash you can focus on the fun
task at hand, driving. We note the reverse lights are not
illuminating but all other functions operate as intended. While
Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at
the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions
will be working at the time of your purchase.
What side of the aisle do you sit on? Camaro or Firebird? We've got
plenty of Camaros to choose from, 39 at the time of this writing.
But good Firebirds are a bit harder to come by and we're happy when
they grace our halls. No complaints about this one as it presents
nicely with great paint, a clean interior, and a fine running 400
to put a cherry on top. It's likely this bird won't be perched here
long, so answer the call of the wild and call us today! As they
say, the early bird catches the worm!
223378U608373
2-Pontiac
23-Firebird
37-2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe
8-1968
U-Lordstown, OH Assy Plant
608373-6 Cylinder Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
02C-3rd Week February
ST 68 22437-1968 Firebird, Standard Interior, 2 Door Hardtop Sport
Coupe
BDY LOR27199-Van Nuys Body #
TR 262-Parchment Standard Vinyl
PNT QQ-Verdoro Green
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
