Throughout my youth, Pontiac’s Firebird was amongst America’s hottest cars. And growing up in a Pontiac family, I couldn’t help but love them even more.
The early ‘80s proved a tough time for Pontiac. Its own V8 had been replaced by a “corporate” engine, which was nothing more than the identical 305-inch small-block Chevy V8 available in the Camaro. To maintain the momentum of late ‘70s, Pontiac was forced to find other ways of injecting excitement into its Firebird line, and they certainly succeeded!
This Pontiac press photo captures the aggressiveness of its new Firebird Formula. I fell in love with the car as soon as I saw it. (Photo courtesy of General Motors)
As a devout second-generation Firebird fan, my interest during the early-to-mid ‘80s was focused more toward the ‘70s Trans Am that were so prevalent at that time. As such, I was intimately familiar with the Firebird Formula and Trans Am and the model differences. I recall becoming disinterested in anything but the new-for-’82 Trans Am because Pontiac had moved away from names like Esprit and Formula. After all, “Firebird SE” meant nothing to me.
I remember my dad telling me about a new Firebird for 1987. Pontiac resurrected the “Formula” name and although I probably couldn’t understand all the technical aspects of the package at the time, the “Firebird Formula” resonated with me and that piqued my interest! I can still recall the day in the late ‘80s when he and I saw our first ’87 Firebird Formula parked in a nearby driveway. I wasn’t totally sure of its significance, but my dad made pointed reference to the “Formula 350” designation.
My dad was driving this '86 Buick Regal T-Type at the time when third-generation Firebirds were in Pontiac dealer showrooms.
I was graduating high school in May 1995. My ’76 Trans Am was retired as my daily driver and the ’83 Grand Prix my grandfather purchased new became my new primary vehicle. It was powered by a 305 4-barrel and ran well, but it wasn’t fast, especially when compared to the 455 4-speed Trans Am I’d driven daily just before that.
During the summer of 1995, my dad was also in need of a new daily driver. The ’86 Buick Regal T-Type he’d been driving showed more than 130,000 miles on its odometer and while very well cared for, the finicky turbocharged 3.8L V6 began needing more major repairs and some body rust was forming. While out driving around one day he saw a Light Metallic Blue ’90 Firebird Formula 350 setting on lot of a small used car dealership. Unbeknownst to me, he stopped for a closer look. It had about 29,000 miles on it and was very clean. He took it for a quick test drive and was impressed by its performance and handling.
My dad found this '90 Formula 350 on the lot of a small used car dealer during the mid-90s. It was the perfect replacement to his aging Buick.
That night he told me of his find. It was afterhours but we took a ride to the dealership so he could show me the car. I remember him telling me how torquey the Tuned Port Injected 350 was. Having been around Pontiac 455’s and knowing how the 305 4-barrel in my Grand Prix ran, I didn’t doubt his assessment, but really needed to experience it myself to really appreciate it.
The next day I was driving toward the dealership to take a better look at the car when I saw it driving toward me. I remember the immediate concern that someone else was looking at it. As I got closer I realized it was my dad behind the wheel. He was taking it for one more test drive before making the purchase. I met him at the dealership as he proceeded to sign the purchase papers.
A transverse-mounted Flowmaster muffler (number 42583) replaced the aftermarket muffler the previous owner had installed.
Later that day I had the chance to slide behind the steering wheel. I remember starting it up and hearing the exhaust cackle. The original muffler had been replaced by a raspy aftermarket unit with custom-bent tail pipes and chrome tips. Subsequently, his first move was replacing that with a stock-replacement Flowmaster muffler, which gave it a tamed rumble, and added correct-appearing tailpipes. I vividly remember my first driving experience. I couldn’t believe the throttle response and low-end torque the big 350 had. And it handled like it was on rails. I was impressed!
During the late '90s our stable of Firebirds included my dad's '72 Trans Am, my '76 Trans Am, and his '90 Formula 350.
One year for Christmas we gifted my dad one of SLP's Performance Econo-Packs, which consisted of a recalibrated PROM chip for the computer, a 160-degree thermostat, and a K&N air filter. Because we never measured performance or output in any way, I can’t say that the chip actually improved performance, and we ultimately replaced the 160-degree thermostat with a 180-degree unit simply because the car wouldn’t warm up in the winter, but the Formula 350 always ran well overall.
Do you remember the performance packages that SLP offered through Summit Racing? We surprised my dad one Christmas with a Stage 1 kit for the Formula 350.
Beyond routine maintenance, the Formula was otherwise kept completely stock. It rode rougher than we anticipated but provided decent fuel economy around town and on the highway, and it proved a pleasurable road car for highway trips that didn’t include the entire family. My dad drove the Formula through the Nebraska winters by installing snow tires and adding sand bags over the rear tires in the hatch area. Despite the fact that the wide front tires would plow going around corners in heavy snow, it always got around remarkably well.
The aerodynamic wedge shape gave the third-generation Firebird a very aggressive profile.
The Formula 350 remained my dad’s daily driver through August 2000. It was 10 years old and had more than 120,000 miles at that point, so it made sense to move into something newer. He decided upon a ‘01 Grand Prix GTP. I was still driving my ’83 Grand Prix daily and it had more than 130,000 miles on it. I was just taking delivery of my ‘01 Trans Am WS6 at the same time and planned to keep the ‘83 Grand Prix as a spare car, particularly for winter driving. I worked out deal with my dad and the Pontiac dealer to purchase the ’90 Formula 350 for use as my spare car and then sold my Grand Prix.
As the talk of Pontiac dropping the Firebird after the 2002 model year began circulating, I decided to begin driving the ’90 Formula 350 daily to keep miles off my ’01 WS6. By 2003 the ’90 Formula had more than 135,000 miles on it, and repairs became costlier and some body rust began to form. I traded the Formula 350 in for a late-model S10 Blazer. I saw the Formula 350 once or twice shortly after trading it, but I’ve never seen it again.
When I took delivery of my '01 Trans Am, I still had my '83 Grand Prix and had purchased the '90 Formula 350 from my dad, which then became my spare car. You can see them in the background.
Because of my experience with that ’90 Formula 350, I’ve always held a soft spot in my heart for Pontiac’s third-generation Firebirds. I’ve contemplated purchasing a few different cars but haven’t yet pulled the trigger. While they’re yet to be heavily appreciated by collectors, I sincerely believe that those of the tuned-port era with low-mileage and/or rare packages will be as sought after as the late-70s Pontiacs that collectors once overlooked but are now as hot as any other.
What experiences do you have with Pontiac’s third-generation Firebirds?