[Half-Inch Stud]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

Few thoughts from Pontiac Dealership, Chevy Dealership, and Assy Plant in Norwood. On interiors..... All this was to make money and sell cars. NOT to build a legacy. We sold k-5 Blazers and Jimmy's WITHOUT a passenger seat, rubber mats, No back seat, and only a spare steel rim mounted out back.....

That read soo random, but i get it. Reminds me of a junkyard car; 1968 TEMPEST with factory vinyl floor instead of carpet. No dash woodgrain either. Column shift no console. Possibly a zero-option car. How rare was that?

[johnta1]

Read the Smoke Signals from a few months ago By Mr Toth.
Very interesting article on line workers (and others) doing all kinds of stuff.

[stuta]

This just might fall into the "rare" category, but in the mid 80's, I saw a 72 Formula 455 at the Atlantic City swap meet/auction in NJ. It was black, with all black interior, and a bunch of original paperwork.
It was in the cars for sale area, and the asking price was $9500. I'm pretty sure it was a 4 speed car as well.
Maybe one of our members owns this one that the factory "never built"
Or so my buddies at the time were telling me.

[SD455DJ]

Originally Posted by stuta

This just might fall into the "rare" category, but in the mid 80's, I saw a 72 Formula 455 at the Atlantic City swap meet/auction in NJ. It was black, with all black interior, and a bunch of original paperwork.
It was in the cars for sale area, and the asking price was $9500. I'm pretty sure it was a 4 speed car as well.
Maybe one of our members owns this one that the factory "never built"
Or so my buddies at the time were telling me.

It does exist and restored by PY member Bentwheel Bob, now since sold...455HO, M22 4-spd, AC, black on black as from the factory.

Dennis

[Elarson]

A friend of ours is the second owner of a '74 SD-455 Trans Am, auto with a column shift. The original buyer said that he ordered the car without a console and the only way they could build it that way was to do a column shift.

Eric

[grandam1979]

Originally Posted by Elarson

A friend of ours is the second owner of a '74 SD-455 Trans Am, auto with a column shift. The original buyer said that he ordered the car without a console and the only way they could build it that way was to do a column shift.

Eric

It’s amazing how many high horse power rare engine combos came with column shift from all auto manufacturers in the day.

[shermanator2]

Originally Posted by grandam1979

It’s amazing how many high horse power rare engine combos came with column shift from all auto manufacturers in the day.

20 or 25 years ago I saw a white '64 GTO advertised in the LA area with a three on the tree. There were no other red flags that I noticed indicating that it was a fake. I did not personally look at the car or do a PHS, but always wondered if it was real.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by grandam1979

It’s amazing how many high horse power rare engine combos came with column shift from all auto manufacturers in the day.

Absolutely. A good friend in college had a 69 Hemi Roadrunner, plain bench seat, auto on the column, no tach. Was very dressed down.

[bird72]

Originally Posted by Elarson

A friend of ours is the second owner of a '74 SD-455 Trans Am, auto with a column shift. The original buyer said that he ordered the car without a console and the only way they could build it that way was to do a column shift.

Eric

SD with granny shift is a contradiction. But that is the way it was on early 70's birds. No order console, get the column shift. I (as others) speculate some of them were ordered not aware of that fact, thinking a no console auto floor shift would be the end result. Not. FYI, I had a column shift 72 F400. People sometimes thought it was a fake Formy.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by bird72

SD with granny shift is a contradiction. But that is the way it was on early 70's birds. No order console, get the column shift. I (as others) speculate some of them were ordered not aware of that fact, thinking a no console auto floor shift would be the end result. Not. FYI, I had a column shift 72 F400. People sometimes thought it was a fake Formy.

Our '68 GTO was a column shifted automatic (bucket seats, no console).

I was always embarrassed by that column shifter.

K

[poncho-mike]

Originally Posted by Elarson

A friend of ours is the second owner of a '74 SD-455 Trans Am, auto with a column shift. The original buyer said that he ordered the car without a console and the only way they could build it that way was to do a column shift.
Eric

I have a 1970 T/A auto with a/c and column shift. If you ordered a tape deck or deluxe interior, you got the console automatically. But with standard interior, it was an option.

My 70 T/A is heavily documented, still have the paperwork where the deal was struck and the car ordered while the buyer was still driving the trade-in. The buyer was shocked when itthe car arrived with column shift, and tried to force the dealership to convert to floor shift at their expense. The dealership wouldn't do convert for free, but would convert at his expense. He owed the car for probably 12 years before finally selling it, but he wasn't a happy camper.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by SD455DJ

It does exist and restored by PY member Bentwheel Bob, now since sold...455HO, M22 4-spd, AC, black on black as from the factory.

Dennis

No trim rings?

[SD455DJ]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

No trim rings?

Chief, They were installed later before the judging and opening to the public...this picture was taken on move-in day at MCACN before the rails went up.

Dennis

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by SD455DJ

Chief, They were installed later before the judging and opening to the public...this picture was taken on move-in day at MCACN before the rails went up.

Dennis

Had me wondering.

I thought maybe they were like Rally II's where they were an option or something.

Thanks

[necdb3]

Originally Posted by SD455DJ

It does exist and restored by PY member Bentwheel Bob, now since sold...455HO, M22 4-spd, AC, black on black as from the factory.

Dennis

I don't think that's the same car. Steve bought that car out of Canada. Bob bought it from Steve. Unless the buyer shipped it to Canada. I owned a 72 F455 cardinal red/ black 4spd with air back then also.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by necdb3

I don't think that's the same car. Steve bought that car out of Canada. Bob bought it from Steve. Unless the buyer shipped it to Canada. I owned a 72 F455 cardinal red/ black 4spd with air back then also.

There are at least 2 Blk/Blk (special paint) 72 455HO 4spd Formula's known of via PY Members.
The other example was sold new in SilverSpring,Maryland with 25 options.
The Canadian example has 33 options.

[Tellyshavilli]

Originally Posted by necdb3

I don't think that's the same car. Steve bought that car out of Canada. Bob bought it from Steve. Unless the buyer shipped it to Canada. I owned a 72 F455 cardinal red/ black 4spd with air back then also.

You’re right it’s not the same car there was a different one in Jersey

[sdbob]

When I was specing and pricing my 74 SD in Nov 73 the one sales man priced the RAM Air hood on the Formula with the SD. Still have the sheet with the info. Also when I was bldg 73 SD the NHRA initially did not know which hood was on the 73 Formula. John Herslow had the fibreglas hood on his SD Formula car initially.

[stuta]

Originally Posted by SD455DJ

It does exist and restored by PY member Bentwheel Bob, now since sold...455HO, M22 4-spd, AC, black on black as from the factory.

Dennis

Thanks for that update Dennis !

That picture blows me away...that's exactly how I remember the Formula when it was sitting on the floor of the Convention center in AC all those years ago.
Loved that car then, love and kick myself now for not making a "crazy purchase" for her.

Stu

[GT182]

Dataway, as far as I know, and can remember, there was no Formula "500" Firebird. When when I ordered my 79 Formula in November of 78 I saw nothing pertaining to a Formula 500 in any literature for the 79 Firebirds. And I checked all options carefully.