C87 Vinyl Top: 1976 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400
Pat L. has brought us several great Pontiac Formulas over the years. He found this 1976 Pontiac Formula 400 that has some unique features. While the baby moon hub cabs are not stock, the rest of the car looks pretty well preserved including the C87 half vinyl roof. The Pontiac Formula is located just south of Denver, Colorado. It is listed for sale here on Craigslist. The seller is asking $30,000 and the car was listed about 3 days ago.The odometer on the car shows about 90,000 miles. This car originally came with Pontiac honeycomb wheels.
The interior is white and red to match the exterior. The Pontiac Formula offered several different paint colors that were not offered on the Trans Am, especially in the early years of the 2nd generation Firebird. This car is optioned with an automatic transmission, 8 track stereo, tilt steering and the gauge package but no power windows or locks.. An aftermarket steering wheel has been added that doesn’t really fit the style of the car and there is a cover over the dash to protect it from sunlight.
As the Formula 400 designates, the Firebird has a 400 cubic inch V8 engine. It has been modified with Pontiac Ram Air 3 heads and a competition cam. The seller states that it runs and drives great. Pontiac offered the Firebird in base, Esprit, Formula and Trans Am models. If a Formula was ordered from 1971 to 1975, it could be purchased in three sub-models designated by the engine size – Formula 350, Formula 400, and Formula 455. For 1976, Pontiac manufactured the Firebird Formula in two models based on the cubic inch of the engine: the Formula 350 and Formula 400. The Pontiac 455 which had been available in prior years was now only available in the Trans Am. The 350 cubic inch V8 engine was the low performer and was rated at 160 horsepower. This Formula is optioned with the 400 cubic inch engine which was designated as the L78 motor was rated at 185 horsepower.
There were 20,613 Formulas built in 1976 out of 110,775 Firebirds. The hood scoop vents have been painted white to match the roof and interior and aftermarket Formula decals were added to the nonfunctional scoops. For 1976, the Formula hood was unique compared to other years of the 2nd generation Firebird Formula. So what do you think of this car?
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Comments
I think we are having a contest for worst looking Formulas lately.
30K Good luck.
The added “custom” touches are just awful.
The white roof and hood intakes look awful, and the wheels aren’t helping either.
The white roof and hood intakes look awful, and the wheels aren’t helping.
Wow, two in the same week with the same great color combos. Prefer the first one which was in better condition, but man those interiors colors and the white roof look good. Mine has rather plain interior, wished it was white with the red dash.
Yeeeahhhhh … I’m not feelin the white vinyl roof. Fugly really.
It completely ruins the lines of the car
Just something about the undernose that say’s wrong. Probably because the color makes it stand out more. 30 g’s is out of the question with a crummy engine compartement like that. For about 25 bucks worth of degreaser, armor all, one or two can’s of spray paint and one good saturday morning would make it a winner. The rest is actually nice though
Much prefer the orange one. Definitely need to get the white paint off the hood, and original snowflakes would be a big improvement as well.
I would paint those air vents on day one
Wild Formula style here.
J C Whitney Formula. Those wheels got to go! It should have the originals to make it a $7,000 to $9,000 car
30k$ for that 🤣🤣😆 their NUTS! It’s bone stock worn out malise Era & GM made MILLIONS of them.
3k TOPS
Este Firebirb es no bueno!!! It might be ok for a daily driver. 😭🌧️😠😎✅🆗🌎💥💙
I agree with azz.wth? Fugly
Este Firebirb es no bueno!!! It might be ok for a daily driver. 😭🌧️😠😎✅🆗🌎💥💙 The red carpet looks nice and clean.👍👌😎
30k for this!? Please just stop, please quit feeding these sellers with your hard earned dollars. I love the old cars,would always be flipping through the “deals on wheels ” and auto trader since the 80’s when I was a teenager.but life got in the way and as years past the prices kept going up and got out of reach.now I’m 52 and thinking for 30 grand I can get something that will out perform and outlast this car easily.but I won’t get the lines of the car the feel of actually driving or nostalgia.i had my chance but I think it’s to late for me and out of reach “price” to drive something I’d really enjoy and always wanted.
I don’t see $30k worth of cool here,,
This one is easier on the eyes and has a better color scheme going on.Those wheels have got to go.would look great with cragars or weld wheels…
Asking $30k????
Someone clearly watches too much Barrett-Jackson…..
Yeah, good luck with that.
Asking $30K? Methinks someone has been watching way too much Barrett-Jackson shenanigans……
I have always been of the opinion that if I had nothing good to say, I would not say anything.
I am sticking to my credo.
The white roof and white hood intakes only accentuate how awful that red tint is, and the wheels add to the visual displeasure.
1976 was a bicentennial red white and blue year. AMC was on the color wheel. if this bird came with honeycombs like the one in the trunk id put those back on. this one does have the better paint. i like the other door cards with the accent carpet. anyone can clean the engine bay but the air cleaner has no proper lid. the woody steering wheel needs a chevy to put it on. as far as the RAIII heads can you say 10.5 :1 compression ratio 10.5:1 only if the heads were NOT SHAVED. keep the vinyl top. lose those white scoops…id be surprised if both do not sell for 25,000 these formulas are not being made any more. id say if they were 4 speeds they would already be sold for $32,500 plus authentic build sheets for both. something that was not happening in 1973 cause of wise akkers stuffing other build sheets in the wrong firebird cars with no chance of getting correct build sheets ever . disgruntled employees nough said …
Those look like Chevy wheels on it.
Lack of rust is a good thing on these cars.
Hidden wipers were optional on formula(std on t/a) – this car has standard non hidden wipers.
Earlier birds were available with a full vinyl roof – even on ’74-75 t/a’s, which might look worse than the one here.
Good lord that top,them scoops…hell no!!!!!