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this thread is dedicated to those muscle cars that dont get the respect or the appreciation that they deserve. what sticks out above all in my mind:
1989-ish Firebird Formula 350's
third-gen F-bodies (1982-1992 Camaros and Firebirds) in general are way under-appreciated. until 1985, they were pretty ugly and pretty slow. in 1985 came the introduction of Tuned Port Injection and body restyling that made for faster, better looking cars. in 1987 the the 5.7 liter TPI motor (350) became available for the Camaro and Firebird - basically a slightly detuned corvette engine.
so, you have the 3rd gen F bodies which are overshadowed by the performance of the 4th gen F bodies (1993-2002), and are overshodowed by the popular cultural recognition of the 2nd gen F-bodies (1970-1981) however, the 3rd gens in comparison are very light (a few hundred pounds lighter) and hold their own when it comes to handling, especially WS6 equiped firebirds, i.e. formulas, and styling (1985-1992). then you have the Firebird Formula 350 which is overshadowed by the IROC Z and the Trans Am GTA, though it is as fast or faster than both.
fact is that you can get great performance out of a 5.7 liter TPI motor, and the Formula 350 already has excellent inherent handling. you get yourself a black one and it doesnt get much sleeker and sexier.
Is that the same body style that the turbo Firebirds ran? I forget. In any case, the turbo'd Firebird was very under appreciated, IMO.
no. the turbo Firebirds were the 1980 and 1981 model year (the end of the 2nd generation). they had a pontiac 301 cubic inch motor. they were/are unappreciated for a reason: the turbo-charged 301 just flat out under-performs. so with the 80-81 you get the same big, heavy car (slightly bulkier and less attractive than the 77-78) but with even less power. most people who hot-rod 80-81 Firebirds will yank the 301 and put in a 400 or 455. they just perform better. also, turbo + carburation isnt exactly a match made in heaven.
http://i23.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/0d/e1/4b38_1.JPG (broken link)
this is the car of which you speak - a 1980
here's a 1978
http://photos2.ebizautos.com/4810/3406249_1.jpg (broken link)
Last edited by Linson; 09-23-2008 at 03:47 PM..
Reason: insert pics
this thread is dedicated to those muscle cars that dont get the respect or the appreciation that they deserve. what sticks out above all in my mind:
1989-ish Firebird Formula 350's
fact is that you can get great performance out of a 5.7 liter TPI motor, and the Formula 350 already has excellent inherent handling. you get yourself a black one and it doesnt get much sleeker and sexier.
I had a 1988 Firebird Formula 350. It was black just like the one in your picture. When I bouhgt it it had 75,000 mile on it and it ran strong. I could breakthe tires loose in the first three gears no problem.
Damn I miss it. If I remember right, the only differences between it and a Vette was single exhaust and the automatic tranny.
The WS6 suspension and some sticky Z rated 16" tires made for some fun in the twistys. I used to drive it over to Montana (I lived n Spokane WA at the time) when they didn't have the daytime speed limit. I could go through the curves of Lookout Pass doing anywhere from 90-110 mph and it never lost traction. Even at those speeds, I would get 20+ MPG as well thanks to the overdrive automatic.
I loved pulling up next to those Japanese rice burner cars too. Those little kids thought they could take me every time. Every time I'd leave them in the dust.
My only complaint was trying to work on it. I never could get to the spark plugs at the back of the engine.
Yeah, the TPI Formula 350s don't get the respect they deserve.
Here's my '87 GTA. It looks rough right now. The previous owner let it sit under some oak trees for years and the paint is badly oxidized. Right now I'm working on the interior, once I get that finished I will start on the exterior. This car has the L98 350, and even with 164k miles it still has plenty of muscle.
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