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HomeFirebird

Firebird

1968 Pontiac Firebird green convertible
Literature

1967-72 Pontiac Firebird shows limits of ad illustrations

July 7, 2026 Steve 10

(UPDATED FROM 78/2024/ Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman’s artwork in Pontiac’s advertising played an important role in the brand’s  popularity during the 1960s. Others have done a thorough job of showcasing the team’s most iconic […]

1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Ad Nauseam

DeBest ad for the 1981 Pontiac Trans Am that was never printed

June 17, 2026 Steve 2

(UPDATED FROM 7/17/2023) Pete DeBest thought he had it made. He followed his dad into the car business by landing a gig at Pontiac’s ad agency as a copy writer. Things went great at first. […]

1974 Chevrolet Camaro
Links

What predictions Jim Dunne got wrong in the first half of 1972

November 19, 2025 Steve 9

(UPDATED FROM 10/30/2023) Popular Science had a mixed record in making predictions about the auto industry during the postwar period. We have already discussed the magazine’s misfires in 1967 and 1970. Now let’s take a […]

Parody ads about the auto industry and media
Our Sponsors

Trending Books: The inside story of The Studly One

October 16, 2025 Steve 0
1999 Pontiac Firebird 30th Anniversary Trans Am
Design Notes

Obesity won even when it lost with pony cars

July 16, 2025 Steve 3

(EXPANDED FROM 9/16/2021) The failure of the fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaro and Firebird wasn’t supposed to happen. General Motors’ F-body siblings had a much more modern — and arguably more stylish — design than their sole competitor, […]

1972 Chevrolet Camaro front quarter
Satire

Declassified 1970s documents spark debate among auto historians

April 1, 2025 Steve 4

(UPDATED FROM 3/30/2023) Newly declassified intelligence documents show how a crash program by American automakers to switch to eggcrate grilles for their 1972-73 models thwarted a space alien invasion. The strategy worked so well that […]

1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1
Data Dive

Which high-performance pony cars sold best in the early-1970s?

October 25, 2024 Steve 5

(EXPANDED FROM 5/2/2023) When car enthusiasts talk about high-end pony cars, they tend to focus on which ones were the fastest or won the most races. I would like to focus on a nerdier question: […]

1970 Pontiac Firebirds
Letters to the Editor

Reader ‘doesn’t know what the author is talking about’

October 29, 2023 Steve 3

LS stopped by to respond to our article, “1970 Pontiac Firebird: Time to go on a diet.” I don’t know what the author is talking about. The 1970 Firebirds were lauded as a groundbreaking design. […]

1970 Pontiac Firebird needed to go on a diet
Fake Design

1970 Pontiac Firebird: Time to go on a diet

August 18, 2023 Steve 15

(EXPANDED FROM 11/26/2021) The 1971-73 Ford Mustang has been criticized for growing too big and fat (e.g., Mueller, 2010). However, Ford didn’t act in isolation. All of the pony cars bloated out when they were […]

1965 Ford Mustang rear quarter
History

What is the right size for a Ford Mustang?

January 14, 2022 Steve 4

(UPDATED FROM 10/9/2020) Did Ford deviate too much from the original Ford Mustang’s size before finally getting it right once again in 2005? That year was pivotal because it was the first time in a quarter […]

Posts pagination

1 2 »
  • 1972 Lincoln Continental Mark IV
    Is David Kiley right that Ford should replace Lincoln with a new brand?
    September 2, 2026 16
  • 1972 Buick Skylark Custom grille
    1972 Buick Skylark Custom represented the end of an era
    September 1, 2026 5
  • 1959 Ford Thunderbird
    1959 Ford Thunderbird was a gimmicky but hugely important car
    August 26, 2026 11
  • Compact cars became the neglected stepchildren of U.S. automakers
    August 21, 2026 21
  • 1980 AMC brochure cover with picture of American Center building
    AMC’s Roy D. Chapin Jr. succumbed to the illusion of bigness
    August 19, 2026 2
  • 1980 Ford Thunderbird and 1956 model
    Ford’s design talent in the 1970s wasn’t enough to halt a dramatic slide in sales
    August 14, 2026 13
  • 1973 Buick Riviera
    Why wasn’t the 1971 ‘boat-tail’ Buick Riviera shrunk to compact size?
    August 14, 2026 24
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
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