Make: | Pontiac |
Model: | Firebird |
Type: | Coupe |
Year: | 1968 |
Mileage: | 23,500 |
VIN: | 223378U164672 |
Color: | Autumn Bronze |
Engine: | 350 c.i. V8 |
Cylinders: | 8 |
Fuel: | Gasoline |
Transmission: | Automatic |
Drive type: | RWD |
Interior color: | Black |
Drive side: | Left-hand drive |
Vehicle Title: | Clear |
Item location: | Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States |
NO RESERVE! Price drop of more than $4K since listing 3 weeks ago. My loss will be someone’s gain. Let’s do this, people.
What’s so special about this all-original 1968 Firebird, you might ask? This well-preserved survivor came off the line with Autumn Bronze paint—the rarest standard color option of any Firebird in any year. This color was only offered in 1968, and out of more than 107,000 Firebirds produced in that year, only 1,003 came in Autumn Bronze. You won’t come across another one like it on the road for a long, long time.
The full Pontiac Historic Services (PHS) documentation you’ll receive with the car shows that all numbers match here. Original 350-V8 engine, auto trans, power steering, Rally II wheels, black vinyl top and interior—plus dealer-added console-mounted air conditioning! This beauty is almost exactly as she was when she rolled off the lot 50 years ago, with one exception: brand-new, custom ceramic-coated Hedman headers and Flowmaster exhaust system that bring out a beastly rumble from that stock V8 (you’ll also get the original exhaust manifolds for when you want to return her to day-one condition).
She looks great, she sounds amazing, and she runs like a champ. Not show-car perfect but a just short hop away from being in excellent condition inside and out. The vinyl top is like new, as is the headliner inside and all window glass. All the interior and exterior lights are fully functioning. Brand-new halogen headlamps, starter, solenoid, gas tank, and fuel sending unit. Transmission recently rebuilt. I'm including with the carover $850 worth of brand-new parts and accessories such as a sweet matching black vinyl center console adapter with cupholders, a custom-fit car cover, the original Pontiac Firebird 1968 sales brochure, and a few other goodies.
To the best of my knowledge, I am the third owner (I bought her in summer 2017). The previous owner moved from NJ in 1986, when he titled the car in Florida, so he owned it for at least 31 years and clearly took great care of the car. I wish I could keep her, but I’ll be moving to London soon and I’m not in a position to hold on to this one.
ABOUT THE ODOMETER READING: When the previous owner re-titled the car in 1986, the odometer read 13,507 miles (see photo). When he sold it to me last summer, he used a consignment shop in Clearwater, FL. The consignment shop, acting as the seller's agent, completed an Odometer Disclosure Statement in which it certified, under penalty of perjury,that the actual miles on the car in August 2017 were 23,015 (see photo). Based on this, and in the absence of any information to the contrary, I believe that the odometer is true and accurate as it currently reads (a bit less than 23,500 in June 2018).
UPDATE: I recently received a question regarding the difference between the VIN and one of the codes on the cowl tag. The cowl code (68-22437) is correct even though it differs from the VIN’s first five digits of 22337. In this case, the “224” is the division series and the “37” is the body type. The general answer for this discrepancy is set forth here https://firstgenfirebird.org/1968-info/1968-technical-information/1968-body-tag-information/ as follows:
“DIVISION SERIES: Located to the right of the Model Year digits. Indicates the division, model, series, and body style. This number matches the first five digits of the V.I.N. on all 1967-71 models. (22367 = Pontiac (2), Firebird (23), Convertible (67))
Note: The Firebird designation (23) on the body tag could be 24 (Std. Interior) or 26 (Cus. Interior) on the 1967-68 which indicated "Custom Trim Option #554". Then, this body tag designation will not match the VIN which will still be 23.”
For this particular Firebird, which does not have the 554 option, the further explanation can be found at the FAQ for “Custom Trim Option” on this page: https://firstgenfirebird.org/f-a-q/category/codes/. In this case, although the car does not have that full trim package, it does have at least three options from that group:
This car has the standard interior, except for those individual options. As the FAQ answer explains, “The Custom Trim Option with custom seats for the 1968 Firebird was identified on the Firewall Trim Tag as Style 22667 (conv) -or- 22637 (coupe). (22467 and 22437 were Std. Interiors).”
The answer goes on to state that “All items in the Custom Trim Option could have been ordered individually on a 22467 (or 22437) car…” Therefore, because this Firebird has the Standard Interior PLUS several options from the Custom Trim package, the cowl tag code correctly reads 22437 even though the first five digits of the VIN are correct at 22337.
The VIN is the VIN, not much else to say, and it is consistent across all title documents, the badge on the dash, and the PHS documentation.
VIDEO: I recently discovered that the video that was done last summer by the consignment shop in Florida is still posted on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Ok0p9A9YWmM. This is how she looked when I took delivery. Everything is still in the same condition, except for the new exhaust and gas tank. The taillight bulb had somehow worked its way out of the slot on the right side, so it has always been working. First thing I did was pop it back in! And of course I flipped the whitewalls inside. Haha
If you are searching for a one-of-a-kind survivor that will turn heads with both her looks and her sound as your daily driver, until you are ready to take this rare find back to “10” quality, look no further.