Diecast Car Forums - Welcome to the 1970's! 1970 - 1972 Pontiac Firebird (PICS)

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Posted By: Brian Laurance

Posted On: Thursday June 21, 2012 at 9:00 PM

Message:

Welcome to the 1970's! 1970 - 1972 Pontiac Firebird (PICS)

Forever eclipsed by the ubiquitous Camaros, the Firebirds -- at least during the early years -- always seemed a little special to me. During the waning years of the remarkable Wide Track era, the Pontiac mystique seemed to bathe everything that the Division produced.
I'll never forget my numerous rides in a college friend's beautiful '71 Firebird Esprit. Here's a very serious question: Did General Motors styling during the 1970's ever get any better than this?
The Firebird was beautifully shaped, with a clean, sophisticated look that struck me as a masterful blend of American and European design philosophy. I often thought how these early '70's Firebirds would have looked perfectly at home on the highways of the Alps or the Black Forest.
The Esprit's good looks relied on its form, which suffered a little when the graphics and boy racer "enhancements" of the Formulas and the Trans Ams were tacked on. And, even though the basic design of this car lingered into the early 1980's, the facelifts, grille and headlamp revisions, etc. failed to improve upon the original design. I lost interest as the decade progressed and the integrity of the original design was frittered away.
There was a fleeting period, though, from 1970 - 1972, when Pontiac's Firebird was among the most beautiful shapes on the American highway.
1971 Esprit, which would have looked even better without the vinyl roof:
1971 Firebird Formula:
1970 Formula:
1970 Trans Am:
1972 Trans Am:

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