1968 was the second year for the Firebird, which was Pontiac's entry in the pony car wars. It could be told apart from the preceding year largely by the presence of the now-federally-mandated side marker lights and the absence of vent windows.
There was the base Firebird, which came standard with the Pontiac Overhead Cam Six, which was a 250 cube SOHC motor based on Chevy's pushrod six. It had a one-barrel carb and was rated at 175 gross horsepower. Next up the hierarchy was the Firebird 350 which, as you may guess, featured a 265hp 350 two-barrel V-8 as the standard motor.
The top performance Firebirds were the H.O., which featured a high-performance four-barrel version of the 350 making 320 ponies, and the Firebird 400, which came in three different levels of potency including an optional Ram Air version.
The Solar Red one in the photo is a Firebird Sprint, which was intended to be a euro-flavored sport tourer. It featured a four-barrel performance version of the 250 Overhead Cam Six that had a 10.5:1 compression ratio, requiring premium fuel and putting out 215 horsepower. While the base Firebird had a three-on-the-tree, the Spring came with a floor-shifted three-speed manual as standard equipment.
This one was photographed in New Hampshire in June of 2021 using a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.
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