1987 was a huge year for performance cars at GM. Why? It was the year that the F-body got the 350 back and finally started to present a threat to the Fox-body Mustang that had been whooping up on it for years. While a difference of only 45ci may not seem like a whole lot, the 350 represented lots more than a decent bump in power. It represented the hope that the horrible 1970s and early 1980s could actually be forgotten and moved on from. It represented the idea that the companies actually did care more about performance than stickers on the hood and doors of their cars. It represented a time when things may actually turn out to be OK after all. Trust us, we lived it.

So in high school I had a 1988 IROC Camaro with the TPI 350 engine and while it was a solid 14-second runner when I got it, there was lots of performance potential to be had. Just being able to lean on the fender and tell people it was a 350 powered model instead of the 305 was about worth the price of admission. Granted the ca was 10 years old by the time I had gotten my hands on it but still, it carried some cache among my group of high school pals. Yes, the TPI induction system meant that the thing about be done pulling at about 5500 RPM and that if you really wanted to hot rod the car it was going to cost you some bucks, but boy would it do some burnouts! Those engines made good torque down low and it was a fun car to drive.

That’s why when I saw this 1987 Pontiac Formula 350, essentially the same car I had my eyes bugged out. 64,000 original miles and according to the seller only 1,500 produced, this car will eventually become one of the most collectible performance machines of the 1980s. There’s a little hole in the driver’s side floor mat where someone’s hell lived for years but other than that this car appears to be a real gem.

Is it super fast? No. Is it super advanced? No. Is it a car that let gearheads the world over know that the idea of American performance was not dead and it was starting to come out of its decade long coma? Hell yes. If for no other reason but pure nostalgia, I’d love to own this car.

1987 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350 – Stupid clean and stupid nice