Re: '73 Pontiac Firebird
Excellent info from njsteve! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/flag.gif[/img]
Another reason the 70-73 Trans Am's are so scarce is that they simply didn't make that many. Camaros were a priority on the assembly lines, and in fact the story goes that the plant manager requested that GM do something about the Trans Am (like discontinuing it) because the Trans Am's took so much extra time on the assembly line. 3-piece rear spoiler to line up, fender flares that were molded to the color of the car, special fenders, hood, stripe, shaker, decals, emblems, and that pesky front spoiler, which was easily damaged. All these parts came in from different suppliers, so coordinating a Trans Am build was a pain. The Trans Am didn't sell well anyway, it was causing production slowdowns, and so it wasn't too popular with the Pontiac General Manager at the time.
The 1972's are the rarest, only 1,286 made, due to a looong UAW strike. When they went on strike, there were over 2,100 Firebirds and Camaros in various stages of assembly. When the strike ended, the completed cars, and those in various stages of assembly, were to be updated and sold as 1973's. But they didn't meet the new 1973 federal bumper standards, so they were all scrapped.
The 1973's are special to a lot of Pontiac people. It was the first year the Trans Am was available as a solid color instead of either white/blue or blue/white (aside from the anomalies), the first year for the giant hood bird graphic, and the 1st year for the SD-455.
70-72's are visually identical, some minor changes. I like the 72's the best, with the one-year only honeycomb grilles, and they looked best with honeycomb wheels. Hey, I think there's one in this thread. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]
1974's are pretty strong in the collector market too, but usually only the SD-455 versions.
|