Let’s face a hard fact: Burt Reynolds could pull off driving a car with a card-table-sized bird of fire graphic on the hood, but you’d probably look pretty silly doing so.
Also, as an Autopian, you probably appreciate the clean styling of the third-generation Firebird and wouldn’t want to deface it with the stuck-on wheel flares and shaker hood scoop of a Trans Am. The big motor and tighter chassis of that car you’d take, but spare you the weight and expense of that showy junk, right?
If you’re in agreement with the above, Pontiac made just such a Firebird for you back in the late seventies. That Firebird Formula is still the no-nonsense go-to for enthusiasts that value thrash over flash, and you can enjoy one for a lot less cash than you’d expect today.
The Formula For Speed
I’m not entirely sure how insurance companies decide how to set premiums, but here’s the thing I hope they don’t know about Firebirds: Formula purchasers are the ones to look out for, because they just want to go fast. Base-model buyers only want to look good, Trans Am owners want the stickers, but the Formula guys are ones you’ll most likely spot parked on the side of the road with a police cruiser in tow.
You can’t give two-door coupes away today, but in 1977 Pontiac was able to move 155,735 second-generation Firebirds. A total of 68,744 of those were Bandit wanna-bes in Trans Ams, but a mere 21,801 picked a Formula: the enthusiast’s choice of ‘Bird without a Bird on the hood.
What exactly was the “Formula”? Well, today most car companies require you to shell out the bucks for the XXTi HyperCat R/S model to get the most powerful motor. Up through the sixties, however, many brands let you check the boxes to get the highest horsepower engine in the most stripped-down version of a car. By stripped down, in many cases, that meant with none of the chassis upgrades you really should have ordered to not have a death trap.
By the seventies, most makes still offered the fast motors in cheaper cars, but at least they forced some semblance of turn and stop in the mix. A famous one for Pontiac was the G-37 that our Mercedes Streeter wrote about; a sort of bargain-basement GTO with speed for those on a budget.
Pontiac’s pony car offered such a car as well, starting with a version of the new-for-1970 ½ second generation Firebird was called the Formula, situated above the more ritzy Esprit model and below the Trans Am. However, don’t go thinking that it was really a “step down”. No, the Formula could be ordered with all the options available to the Trans Am, up to and including the hottest 400 cu. in. V8. The only things you didn’t get were the T/A’s fender flares, big fender heat extractors, and the “shaker” hood scoop was replaced two small twin-snorkel hood scoops (which were functional with the “Ram Air” versions of the 400 V8 that offered up to 345 horsepower). Optionally, you could still get the rear spoiler that I’m always torn about whether I prefer it with or without. As you’d expect, the giant “RPO WW7” Hood Decal or “screaming chicken” that became available in 1973 wasn’t a box you could check on a Formula.
So, tell me again why wouldn’t one want the Formula over a Trans Am? That lack of stuck-on ornamentation wasn’t just good for performance; it made you realize just how good-looking that second-generation F-body really was.
Most of these kinds of sleepers had disappeared by the late seventies, as had performance in general. The Firebird could be had with a larger 455 cu. in. V8 from 1971 on, but overall power continued to drop. For 1976, the last year the biggest motor was available, that giant 455 produced a whopping 200 horsepower.
Yes, those earlier figures were gross versus net, but that’s still rather pathetic. What’s worse is the tightening CAFÉ fuel economy standard meant even the 400 cu. in. version of the Pontiac V8 was soon going away as well.
The Last Big Gasp Of The 400 V8
With news of the impending doom of any motor over around 350 cubic inches, Pontiac decided to create one last hurrah for their F-body coupe with a special version of the burly 400 Pontiac V8 starting in 1977. Dubbed the W72 package, the standard 180 horsepower L78 400 engine received higher-compression heads, a higher-performance camshaft, special oil pump and main bearing caps to protect the motor at high RPM, and molly-filled cast iron piston rings. The changes were good for 200 horsepower, the same as the outgoing bigger 455.
The best news? Despite the popularity of the Trans Am from its appearance in that year’s Smokey and the Bandit, you didn’t need to buy the showiest Firebird to get this powerplant. The Formula could also get this final outing of the big motor installed under a hood with lower-profile “snorkel” scoops.
For 1978, the W72’s power went up to 220 hp, giving you performance that was blistering for the time, even if a zero-to-sixty time of around 6.7 to 7.2 seconds is compact SUV territory today. To make the ultimate Pontiac pony coupe, you’d also want to order the WS6 suspension package. This Special Performance package added a number of upgrades, like a beefed-up rear sway bar, tighter ratio steering box, additional frame bracing, and the famous “snowflake” 15 x 8 inch alloy wheels.
Inside, the Formula eschewed the “engine turned aluminum” dashboard finish of the Trans Am in favor of fake wood. The ersatz timber isn’t to every taste, but it’s arguably less distracting than the dazzling silver trim of the T/A.
The 1979 model with the new “soft nose” and blacked-out taillights got rear disc brakes with the WS6 package, but it was the end for the W72 motor; supplies of the 400 apparently ran out in March or April of that year. The following year’s turbocharged 301 was, well, the less we say about it compared to the W72, the better.
If you wanted just a touch of jazziness to your Formula, the W50 Appearance Group you see on most examples gave some rocker panel stripes, color accents, and FORMULA type across the back, but you’d still have a far more low-key car than the one with a bird-in-flames atop the hood. Personally, I’d go for the most unmarked Formula that I could get, like the maroon one below, and there’s a television detective in the late seventies that seems to have felt that same way.
At The Tone, Leave Your Name And Message
A while back, our Matt Hardigree made a strong case that, in reality, actor and occasional race driver James Garner was more the cool man’s cool man than Steve McQueen ever was. Garner’s funny, self-deprecating charm was on display in the seventies for six seasons of The Rockford Files and famously drove a gold Firebird Esprit. However, this was no ordinary Esprit.
Apparently, Garner loved the Trans Am but figured it would be unrealistic to have a cash-poor private eye who lives in a trailer with his dad drive the most expensive Firebird. Besides, could you really do incognito stakeouts in a car with a giant chicken on the hood?
That’s not to say that the production company and Garner didn’t want a Firebird that could create some small-screen drama. The solution they came up with was to take a 400-equipped Formula and disguise it as the lower-level Esprit model. The snorkel hood was removed, and the car was (accidentally) painted in a GM gold color not available on Firebirds from the factory. Whitewall tires on steel “rallye” wheels completed the ruse. The series ran into 1980, but you’ll never see a 1979 or later Firebird in an episode of The Rockford Files since James Garner apparently hated the new nose treatment!
I won’t use this tangent to show a video of top-notch driver (and supposedly all-around great guy) Garner doing shenanigans, including his signature “J” turn, will I? Of course I will:
An actual car from the show still exists today, as this insightful video from Jason Torchinsky’s old employer Jay Leno explains:
I remember being a very young kid and my dad finally letting me stay up past my 9PM bedtime to watch Jim Rockford on Friday nights, so this Formula-in-drag machine will stay in my memories forever as a car a fully self-confident guy would run. That’s enough to sell me.
Don’t Be A Steve Or A Burt: Be A Jim
Over time, the Formula model continued into later generations as well, competing against Ford entries like the similarly minded Mustang LX 5.0 for those that wanted a lower-key performance car that was, if anything, faster than the fully festooned range toppers. You’ll need to look pretty hard to find a Formula W72, though. The manual transmission examples are rarer than many Italian exotics:
1977 4-speed – 756
1978 4-speed – 810
1979 4-speed – 367
There seems to be little rhyme or reason as to pricing for second-generation Firebirds. Even the signature black Trans Ams are all over the map, from mid-twenties up to nearly a hundred grand from some well-preserved or restored examples. There are so few Formulas, much less L72 Formulas, to make an accurate assessment, but most of the really nice ones I saw online struggled to break high thirties regardless of their great condition. That’s sort of like the also-rare Macho T/A Firebirds I wrote up a while back that seem to languish in value like hidden gems. In terms of performance and gorgeous looks, it’s a much more desirable and usable car to me than any six-figure Hemi ‘Cuda.
The Formula is the connoisseur’s Firebird. Take it from the late, great James Garner; look quiet and restrained even though you can throw a hell of a punch. Besides, you’re never going to be a young Burt Reynolds on a bootleg run, so why pretend?
Pontiac Points: 98/ 100
Verdict: A rare case where the budget sleeper is superior to the top model. You like the fourth-generation SLP Firehawk, and you’d love a third-generation Twentieth Anniversary Turbo, but the second-generation L72/LS6 Formula? That’s the one you’re taking home.
Top graphic image: GM
Man, I love Rockford. He was a great guy from everything I have heard. There is a story of a fan writing to Garner asking to buy Rocky’s GMC pickup. Sure enough, when the show wrapped Garner himself handed the keys over. If you want to hear a great story watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRhiLvfsa4c
IIRC Ponch’s car on CHIPs was a Formula Firebird. I know it had both a shaker hood scoop of the Trans Am as well as the ram air hood scoops of the Formula.
I still want the screaming chicken even if it’s not faster.
Hey I was going to say I am the recent co-owner of a 79 WS6 formula my dad just bought it off the original owner which is his buddy from work luckily it had the dreaded 301 replaced with a 455 that has been bored out to a 468 with a 4 speed so it is not as much as a dog now haha. Oh and I said co-owner because it stays in my barn since my did not have room in his garage due to his 57 Bel Air and 77 Formula and my dad allows me to drive it haha.
Give me a ’71 or ’72 Firebird, restored in the pro touring style. Perfection.
As the owner of a 1979 Trans Am WS6 (and former owner of a 1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am W72), I love ALL of the 2nd Gen Firebirds. And as much as I love the 1977-81 Formulas, the most insane (and sleepy!) Formula of all was the 1973-74 Formula SD455.
The Super Duty 455 was really the last crazy old-school Pontiac V8 they built. It had round-port heads and a bunch of other speed tricks that allowed for a VERY conservative net rating of 290hp and 390 Ft Lbs of torque in a time where domestic performance V8’s were just about extinct. Better yet, although they eschewed the twin nostril hood for the Trans Am’s shaker, there were no graphics to be found, and you could even get them sans-spoilers with steelies and dog dishes. In typical GM fashion, they couldn’t let something so awesome exist for long, so it was only offered for those two years before they discontinued it.
If I ever win the lottery, look for me behind the wheel of one of these.
Completely agree with the super duty formulas such cool cars. And I also love all 2nd gen birds (well besides the front end of the 75-76s just looks meh to me)
Jim’s dad, Rocky, had his own house and didn’t live in the trailer.
I’d also like to have the screaming chicken. I guess I’m not a connoisseur.
I like these a lot, but if I were buying a 70’s car, I’d go full 70’s and get the Trans Am. At this point it being ridiculous is part of the charm.
I’ve owned an ’80 Formula WS6 since 1986, it serves as my track car these days, you can see it here: https://www.theautopian.com/firebirds-classic-bikes-and-antique-trucks-youve-probably-never-heard-of-members-rides/
By 1980 the Pontiac 400 was gone, but in that year you could actually option a Formula with the turbo 301. The appearance package for these called out “Turbo Formula”. I don’t know how many were made but based on how many I’ve seen myself I think they are exceptionally rare.
Mine was a 301 non-turbo, but it has the WS6 package with the 15 X 8’s. What’s most unusual about mine however is it was optioned with the four-wheel-disc brake package, which it carries to this day. Since most of the four-wheel-discs ended up on Trans Ams, I figure a Formula with this setup is fairly rare, but I’ve never contacted PHS to check that out. I had no idea late 4-speed Formulas were that limited, but in any case a manual trans was not offered in any package on Firebirds in 1980. If memory serves me correctly, one was offered again in 1981, but I think it was for V6 cars only.
My car came from a typical used car lot so I don’t know a lot about its past before I got it, other than to say it seemed at the time to have led a hard life. However I presume the interior was still as GM built it, and I’m confident that Formulas could be had with the “engine-turned” instrument panel insert like mine has, at least in 1980.
I have an ’89 Formula as well, same go-fast-bits-without-the-show ethos, so I definitely appreciate this article.
Thanks for the link to your member rides profile, that ’80 must be a fun beast!
Did Jim have a happy birthday?
Doing ‘J’ turns in the great beyond? I bet he did.
Hey Google, play “Thunder Chicken” by the Mighty Imperials…
That’s good- it gets the Mike Post Rockford theme out of my head.
I do agree, the Formula with that high performance option box checked might be the nicest looking of the bunch, even if this is my first time seeing one. But I also do like me some fender flares, chin spoilers, and even shaker scoops and wild graphics. Ain’t gonna look down on a Trans Am at all.
And I entirely agree with the sentiment for a rear spoiler on all 2nd gens. It completes the car.
I’ve got nothing against T/As but like I said, there’s no way I personally could pull of driving something that bold.
It’s fair. That yellow car in the lead image is eye grabbing though. What would’ve been your go to color combo?
All my cars are boring grey or silver, but that blue Formy with the subtle grey accents in the pics above strikes a note with me.
Great article!
I still have a Formula, a 2000. I love the sleeper aspect of the 3rd and 4th gen Formulas, especially the 4th gen. Many times, people mistook mine for a V6 car.
The Trans Ams are cool, but the cleaner look of the Formy gets me every time.
Nice! Appreciate the history lesson. My dad bought a 1970 Formula 400 new in 1969. Traded in his ’69 GTO for it. He said that Formula 400 would light up the tires thru 3rd gear. Wish he had kept either of them!
With the spoiler. Definitely with the spoiler. Without it, the tail end of them looks like the artist forgot to finish it. The car just sort of stops.
More than likely that’s the route I’d go. Only the earliest ones really work well without.