Photo: eBay seller classiccarworksllc
The Esprit was the most popular Firebird for the model year 1970, as Pontiac sold close to 19,000 units to customers in the States. The standard Firebird, however, wasn’t far either, whereas both the Formula and the Trans Am were much rarer configurations for this particular year.
Only a little over 3,100 Trans Ams got to see the daylight in 1970, for example.
The Esprit that we have here is a mix of good news and bad news, but at the end of the day, it still looks like a project that should return to the road sooner rather than later.
Let’s start with its history.
eBay seller classiccarworksllc claims the vehicle was originally purchased new by their uncle in Tucson, Arizona. The car was used for some 15 years, after which it ended up abandoned for the very first time. The current owner bought it back in 2006, but 6 years later, their nephew decided to make a series of questionable choices, such as replacing the 2-barrel carburetor with a 4-barrel unit and cutting the A/C compressor lines. All original parts are still in the trunk should someone want to restore them, the owner says.
Since then, the vehicle has been sitting under a cover in a tent, with the owner explaining their plan was to turn the Esprit into a Trans Am clone.
The project has never started, though, so now they’re looking for someone else to bring this car back to the road.
The 350 (5.7-liter) matching-numbers V8 is still under the hood, and while it starts and runs, it’s safer not to consider the vehicle road-worthy.
On the other hand, getting your hands on this Firebird won’t be as easy as it sounds. The auction has already attracted close to 30 bids, so plenty of people want to give it another chance. The bidding is now at $9,000, with 2 days remaining until the auction reaches the end.
The Esprit that we have here is a mix of good news and bad news, but at the end of the day, it still looks like a project that should return to the road sooner rather than later.
Let’s start with its history.
eBay seller classiccarworksllc claims the vehicle was originally purchased new by their uncle in Tucson, Arizona. The car was used for some 15 years, after which it ended up abandoned for the very first time. The current owner bought it back in 2006, but 6 years later, their nephew decided to make a series of questionable choices, such as replacing the 2-barrel carburetor with a 4-barrel unit and cutting the A/C compressor lines. All original parts are still in the trunk should someone want to restore them, the owner says.
Since then, the vehicle has been sitting under a cover in a tent, with the owner explaining their plan was to turn the Esprit into a Trans Am clone.
The project has never started, though, so now they’re looking for someone else to bring this car back to the road.
The 350 (5.7-liter) matching-numbers V8 is still under the hood, and while it starts and runs, it’s safer not to consider the vehicle road-worthy.
On the other hand, getting your hands on this Firebird won’t be as easy as it sounds. The auction has already attracted close to 30 bids, so plenty of people want to give it another chance. The bidding is now at $9,000, with 2 days remaining until the auction reaches the end.
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