Lots of things happened that year: ’73 Pontiac Firebird SD 455
In the scheme of things, the decline of the muscle car shouldn’t make history so its demise isn’t on any list of important happenings of 1973. Here’s why. The Vietnam War ended, Watergate, Oil Embargo, Roe vs. Wade, World Trade Center completed, and the Yom Kippur War to name of few events that got in the way. One event did impact the muscle car’s extinction – the Arab oil embargo. Gas prices skyrocketed to .60 cents a gallon (a dozen eggs cost .45 cents) – if you could find gas. So ground pounders like today’s find had little chance for survival. The Pontiac Firebird is one of America’s favorite muscle cars. A bit more nimble than a GTO of the era. Smokey made it famous in the movies but the Trans-Am name came from racing. Jerry Titus’s Trans-Am Firebird was probably the best prepared in the series. Did you know GM had to pay the SCCA $5 for every Trans-Am sold in a settlement over the rights to the name? Nice deal. The SD-455 debuted in1973 as an option on the Formula and Trans Am versions of the Firebird. The engine likely made 310-hp easily besting the 245-hp output of its stablemate the Camaro. This featured car is one of 33 produced that year. It has all of the options and is cloaked in a subdued yet attractive color. SCM has these cars approaching $60 grand. It is offered as a Buy It Now for $68,900. Not GTO Judge convertible territory but clearly one of the most collectible modern Pontiacs. Read more on the eBay listing by clicking here.