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Fans of the Discovery Channel’s Fast ‘N’ Loud have enjoyed the account of Gas Monkey Garage’s epic acquisition, restoration and sale of two very significant muscle cars: the first and second Firebirds ever built. These two of Pontiac’s “Magnificent Five” were bought from Chuck Alekinas, former UK and NBA basketball player.
Having acquired the pair of 1967 Pontiac Firebird models, Gas Monkey’s Richard Rawlings made a risky deal with their new buyer that came with a punishing rider: restore them to museum condition in just 60 days, or pay a $10,000-a-day penalty for every day over deadline.
The two Firebirds offer a tantalizing representation of what Pontiac designers and engineers were doing in the late 1960s. Both models are powered by a 326-cubic-inch (5.3-liter) V8 engine. The silver coupe has a black interior and a four-speed manual transmission. The red convertible has a matching red interior and is outfitted with a three-speed automatic transmission.
Both models rolled off the Pontiac Lordstown (Ohio) assembly line in early 1967 and immediately were placed on the auto show and advertising circuit. That original Firebird shares its platform with the Chevrolet Camaro, but offers numerous distinguishing features, including a lower stance, a split-nose grille and chrome bumper, horizontal headlights and taillights, wide oval tires and Rally-style side vents.
Pontiac’s entry into the hot pony car segment followed the Chevrolet Camaro by four months and the Ford Mustang by nearly three years. Chrysler already had its Plymouth Barracuda and American Motors was preparing its Javelin. Clearly, a winning model was needed if Pontiac was to gain a stake in the emerging segment.
John Z. DeLorean spearheaded the Firebird project, having launched the Pontiac GTO muscle car three years earlier as chief engineer for the brand. In early 1966, working as the freshly minted General Manager of the Pontiac Motor Division, DeLorean was told to prepare a Pontiac model, but it couldn’t simply be a rebadged Camaro.
Instead, his team had less than a year to design, engineer and build its own version of GM’s F-body pony car on a platform it also shared with the upcoming and next-generation Chevy II/Nova. The task was especially urgent as GM learned that the Mercury brand would get its own version of the wildly popular Ford Mustang that fall. Just as Chevrolet battled Ford, Pontiac had Mercury in its crosshairs.
The all-new Pontiac Firebird was introduced on February 23, 1967, as a midyear model. The 1967 Firebird had its own engines and was marketed as the “magnificent five,” denoting the fist full of trims available: Firebird, Firebird Sprint, Firebird 326, Firebird HO and Firebird 400.
Engine choices ranged from a 165-horsepower inline-six to a 325-horsepower V8. Upgrades brought in a four-barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, suspension enhancements and a dashboard-mounted gauge cluster.
Despite its late arrival, Pontiac managed to sell more than 82,000 units in 1967. Pontiac went on to build the Firebird for the next 35 years, covering four generations. The model was canceled in 2002 and the brand dissolved eight years later, about the same time Ford canceled Mercury.
Originally bought by Gas Monkey Garage for $70,000, the Firebirds were sold for $650,000, after each had been the subject of that ground-up restoration, led by Jason Aker, a concours restoration expert brought on board to oversee the project. Serial #’s 100001 and 100002 are both factory show cars, as evidenced by the trim tags which read “Show1” for the No. 1 car and “Show4” for the No. 2 car, significant when factory show cars do not usually survive. Pontiac’s first Firebird is this 326 Convertible, presented in its original Regimental Red with cruise control, deluxe interior package in red and a very rare floor-mounted clock. Car #2 is a four-speed HO Coupe in Silverglaze and is also the first High Output car built with a factory-mounted tachometer, Rally II wheels, tilt column and deluxe black interior.
