Tuned 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Rocks Firethorn Red Exterior, Modded V8

From 1970 up until 1976, Pontiac kept making minor changes to the Firebird, culminating in that famous Trans Am “anniversary” package – that was also the year in which the carmaker dropped its 455 ci L75 V8 engine and introduced the W50 appearance package. Afterward, the facelifted models began to arrive, with their four rectangular headlights and droopy front fascias.

For the purpose of this story, we’ll be sticking with the 1976 model year, admiring this Firethorn Red Firebird Trans Am currently up for grabs to the highest bidder.

The vehicle was repainted under previous ownership, resulting in these reproduction gold vinyl accents found on the hood, roof, fenders and decklid. Other visual highlights include the body-color bumpers, rear spoiler, fender vents, sport mirrors, shaker hood scoop, quad exhaust outlets, plus a set of 15” Rally II-style wheels with 225/70 BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires.

You also get power-assisted steering and power front disc brakes (rear drums), which should make your ownership experience easier during day-to-day activities.

Inside, you get Firethorn Red front and rear vinyl bucket seats, matching door panels and dashboard, air conditioning, a Hurst Competition Plus shifter, power windows, heated rear window (nice), branded floor mats, a Kenwood stereo and a three-spoke steering wheel.

As for performance, we’re dealing with a 455 ci V8 engine allegedly overbored .030”, and featuring a high-flow oil pump, custom cylinder heads, custom camshaft, high-flow fuel pump, an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold and an RPM Q-Jet 850-cfm carburetor, among other mods.

Power is then sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed close-ratio manual gearbox with a Centerforce clutch disc. How much power, you ask? Back in 1976, this car would have put down 200 horsepower, whereas today, according to the seller, it’s packing approximately 400 hp.

That’s a pretty impressive number, and once you factor in the manual gearbox, it’s safe to say that you’ll be dealing with a genuinely fun-to-drive muscle car.

Alternatives

Full disclosure: if you’re in the market for an old Firebird and you want to kick some serious behind at the lights or the drag strip, you could always opt for something that’s even more “hardcore”. Just recently we showed you a supercharged 455-powered 1967 Firebird, which ended up selling for $62,500.

That car’s custom 455 ci V8 was said to be putting down 650-wheel horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque, via a Transzilla T56 six-speed manual gearbox. That’s like, a lot. That’s 750 horsepower at the crank, give or take.

That was probably one of the coolest Firebirds we’ve seen all year, and the fact that it was a first-generation model only made it more appealing.