The Pontiac Firebird was released five months after the Chevrolet Camaro. Pontiac was able to use that additional time to create a unique identity for the Firebird, despite having to use the Camaro chassis and some body panels. The Firebird's styled split front grille, beaked hood, and GTO-slitted taillights gave it a distinctly Pontiac
appearance. The Firebird offered a range of Pontiac engines. Initially, five different Firebirds were available.
230 cubic inch OHC six cylinder Engine with a single 1bbl carb, rated at 165 bhp.
230 I6 "Sprint" Version with a 4bbl carb rated at 215bhp.
326 V8 with a two barrel carb that was rated at 250 bhp.
326 V8 "H.O." (High Output) version fitted with a four barrel carb was rated at 285bhp.
400 V8 Engine was rated at 325 bhp, and was available with or without Ram Air
The Ram Air Engine included a hotter cam, stronger valve springs, and made use of the otherwise
decorative hood scoops. With no publicized power increase and a hefty $600 price tag, the Ram Air option was rarely ordered. All V8s came with a standard heavy-duty three speed manual transmission; a four speed manual and two and three speed automatic transmissions were optional. Performance axle ratios up to 4.33:1 were available as well as front disk brakes. Firebird prices were roughly $200 more than
comparable Camaros and the Camaro outsold it two to one. But Pontiac's pony car had arrived.
The 1967 Firebird was offered in a convertible and a hardtop coupe
with five magnificent versions:
Firebird OHC:
230 cubic inch six-cylinder one-barrel overhead-cam with 165
horsepower. Prices started at $2,666 for a coupe to $2,903 for a
convertible "economical fun car." The OHC's use of a toothed,
fiberglass-reinforced, rubber belt instead of the usual noisy
chain to drive both the cam and engine accessories was a world
first.
Firebird
Sprint:
230 cubic inch
six-cylinder four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor overhead-cam with
215 horsepower and 10.5:1 compression, heavy-duty clutch,
floor-mounted three-speed, larger valves, and low restriction
intake and exhaust system. This upgrade was available for an
additional $105.60.
Firebird 326:
V-8 326 cubic inch
two-barrel with 250 horsepower. This was available for an
additional $95.04.
Firebird H.O.:
V-8 326 H.O. (High
Output) four-barrel with 285 horsepower, premium fuel, stiffer
suspensions, dual exhausts, and side stripes with "H.O."
lettering. This was available for an additional $169.70.
Firebird 400:
High performance V-8
400 four-barrel Quadrajet with 325 horsepower at 4800 rpm, heavy
duty floor shift three-speed, twin (non-functional) scoops,
heavy duty springs, wide-oval red-line tires, chrome air
cleaners, dual exhaust, declutching engine fan, heavy duty
battery, heavy duty starter motor, heavy duty radiator, and
chrome rocker covers and oil filler cap. This was added for
$358.09. On top of this, an extra-cost four-speed or Turbo
Hydramatic was available for an additional $273.83.
The
"Ram Air" option which included a larger-overlap,
longer-duration cam, a beefed-up valvetrain for 6000 rpm
operation, and the Pontiac 428 V-8's huge, low-restriction cast
iron exhaust manifolds, reached 5200 rpm. The Quadrajet
carburetor was recalibrated to increase fuel flow, and twin hood
scoops were made functional and ducted air directly into the air
cleaner. This was added for another $263. Final base cost,
$3,287.09 for a coupe or $3,524.09 for a convertible.