1980 Pontiac Firebird Esprit Yellowbird

Here's a nice, lightly restomodded late 2nd Generation F-body. Specifically, it looks to be a 1980 Pontiac Firebird Esprit, which featured trim and equipment a notch above the base model, and RPO W73: the Yellowbird appearance package. The Yellowbird package came with the two-tone pale yellow paint, pinstriping, and some interior appearance enhancements. It originally had color-matched Pontiac "snowflake" alloy wheels, too. Not a performance-oriented model like the Formula or Trans Am, the Esprit was more like the later Berlinetta package on Camaros.

The last few model years of the 2nd Generation marked an odd era for the F-bodies.

When the 2nd Gen was launched in 1970, the midsize cars from Chevy and Pontiac were the Chevelle and the LeMans, both of which were noticeably larger than the compact-derived Camaro and Firebird. A 1970 Pontiac LeMans rode on a 112" wheelbase and was 207" long overall, which is a four inch longer wheelbase and almost a foot more distance between the bumpers than a 1970 Firebird.

Since the Firebird in the photo is a 1980 model, it would have been sold on a lot next to mid-size LeMans sedans that had undergone a radical round of downsizing in the late Seventies and which now rode on a 108" wheelbase the same length as that of the sporty coupe. In fact, in 1982 that platform would be re-badged as the Bonneville and would be the new "full-size" Pontiac sedan, and the "mid-size" Pontiac banner would be handed off to an even smaller FWD car. When the 3rd Gen Firebirds launched in 1982, whey whacked a full seven inches off the wheelbase of their predecessor.

It wasn't that the '79-'81 Firebirds had gotten big and bloated, so much as it is that Detroit shrank around them. It didn't help that a bunch of heavy safety and emissions equipment had been added since 1970, while the motors in the engine compartment shrank in response to the '73 and '79 Oil Crises.

The Yellowbird was just an appearance package, so the base motor in this Esprit still would have been a Buick-sourced 231 cubic inch V-6 rated at 115 SAE net horsepower. Buyers could also pay extra for the LS5 265cid V-8 or L37 301cid V-8. Both were derived from the small-journal Pontiac block. The 265 had a 2-bbl carb and was rated at 120hp while the 301 had a 4bbl and put out 140 net horsepower.

Judging from the wheels and tires and general stance of the car, though, as well as the healthy exhaust burble it gave off, I doubt this thing's rolling with the stock 140 horses.

This one was snapped in August of 2021 using a Nikon D3 and 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens.