[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by 68Stepbed

When I was 18, I had an 83 ElCamino at the time, and didn't need another car. But, a local body shop was also selling used cars. They had a 79 Firebird "Formula" It had a 455 and TH400 trans. and T-tops. It was white with navy blue on bottom with "FORMULA" written inside the blue. They were asking $1800 for it, but I could have picked it up for $1500-1600. I talked to my dad about it, who advised me that it probably wasn't anything very special and not to get it unless it was a Trans Am. I took his advice and didn't buy it, but never stopped thinking about it. A couple years later I was telling someone about it, who told me it was actually more valuable than a T/A because they only made the Formula versions for a couple years, and that they were the only versions of the Firebird with the 455 option.

Just a few clarifications to your Firebird story. In 1979 the biggest engine in a Firebird was a 403 Olds. You got a 403 Olds with an automatic transmission. If you got a 4-speed you got a 400 Pontiac. The 455 was last available in 1976 and 1979 was the last year for a real Pontiac engine (purists mostly discount the 301 available in 1980-81 which looked like a Pontiac but was not the same block dimensions as the 350-455). The Formula was indeed a rare beast in 1979. But if it had a 455 and TH400 it did not come that way factory.