The 1969 303 Firebird was a bit of a myth. Like the 400 based RAV cars, the RAV 303 Firebird was never released to the public, but several 303's were sold back door to SCCA racers. Those that thoight they were getting a Pontiac version of the Chevy or Ford 302 were sadly mistaken.
Old Cars Price Guide still lists the 303 engine as an option on the 69 Firebird, which is totally inaccurate. I believe that's why there's always been a myth of sorts about the RAV 303 Firebird. Old Cars Price Guide is, unfortunately, somewhat of a bible for collectors and insurance companies because it's produced monthly, but there are several errors within its pages. Just until recently, they listed a 421 as a rare option on the 65 GTO.
There was a very short, one-page test conducted of a 69 Trans Am 303. The car was a complete dog, barely managing 16 second 1/4 mile times, and having to resort to an "estimated top speed" calculation, perhaps because they didn't want the road testers to actually run the car at a race track. Pontiac allowed this car to be road tested in order to generate some interest in their soon-to-be-killed 303 tunnel port campaign. They were hoping that this was a Pontiac alternative to the popular 302 based Z/28 and Mustangs, but the RAV heads didn't belong on a 303, and the overall package was an embarrassment. For racing purposes, the RAV heads were replaced with RAIV heads to make the 303 competitive.
There are a couple original photos of a RAV 303 installed in a 69 Firebird, and those can be seen in the excellent book "Firebird! America's Premier Ponycar". With the giant Ram Air baseplate covering most of the engine, the RAV appears like a RAIV at first glance. Without popping the hood, you can tell a RAV 303 from a RAIV 400. Simply drive one. The one that scares you is the RAIV.
