Everybody remembers the Vega and the Monza, Chevrolet’s H-body cars, but can you name another without thinking about it for a few seconds? It might take a few minutes, but sooner or later the names of the Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile variations might click. In fact, Pontiac was the only other division besides Chevrolet to get two different versions of the H-body: the 1973-77 Vega-like Astre, and the 1976-80 Monza-like Sunbird. Other than some minor trim changes and a division-unique nose treatment, the Sunbird was simply a carbon-copy of the Monza, a tradition that would haunt General Motors for decades to come, but it did make one thing quite easy: anything GM could be bolted into the engine bay with minimal fuss. These cars came with everything from a four-cylinder to a 350ci V8, and when motivated by a properly hot small-block, are wicked little machines.
But how about a blown 350 in a car this size? Oh, yeah, you can sign us right up for that ride. That’s an 8-71 blower sitting on top of an old-school 350, stuffed tightly into the Sunbird’s engine bay, backed by an automatic. This engine would make a Caprice scream nicely, but in the Sunbird, prepare to redefine what “Pontiac Excitement” really can be. We’d love to hear this little coupe sitting at idle, blower whirring away.
Inside it’s mostly stock, save for the shifter, a couple of extra gauges and a couple of extra switches, and it’s nice and clean inside. By today’s standards, the Sunbird is decently sized, but in 1970s terms, they were as small as you could get, a practice run for a compact car from General Motors. If the company hadn’t been so cheap about build quality with the Vega upon launch, the program might have had more success.
We love a car that’s been named. “Devil in Disguise”…there is no disguising the fact that this Pontiac is a beast. It looks right, it’s set up right, and it probably wakes up the whole county when it’s fired off. It’s no Trans Am in the looks department, but that’s part of the fun with these cars…when was the last time you saw one on the street, let alone in this kind of tune?
And apparently, Arnie “The Farmer” Beswick is a fan of the Sunbird. We’d consider that high praise, indeed.
eBay Link: 1976 Pontiac Sunbird Sport Coupe
Might look good from the top, but underneath….. A bit of a turd there. Small rear end, rusty cheap mufflers and tailpipes.
I\’m afraid what the devil is known for first-and-foremost is deception. Look under this cars\’ not-an-8-71 supercharger and past the pretty wheels and down deep into it\’s soul, where we find it\’s horrifically restrictive stock exhaust manifold set, the mentioned tiny original diff, and mufflers apparently done at a Midas in 1980. An evil core of wussiness, is what I see, beauty on the surface but underneath hiding malaise and sin. The heavenly dealer description is not enough to redeem it, I fear, and if the man should endeavor to appeal to our juvenile vanities with glowing comparisons to Hot Wheels toys and mislead about blower sizes can we trust it\’s even a 350?
Come forward into light oh Sunbird, you still may posses the innocence and beauty GM gave you with a pretty-decent interior and body. Shorn of that huge aluminum thing up front and the other huge aluminum thing underneath it, and given a price tag of a a few less earthly riches, you are still a find.
Yup – you can’t polish a turd……
how does a 2-3000 dollar car with a 2-3000 engine add up to $19,000 asking price, Is Arnies autograph worth $13,000?
No.
Also have to agree with Geordie, you can’t polish a turd.