![]() ![]() First, the 455 was again limited to the 4-speed only, but that wasn’t too concerning. In my own mind, I settled in on a dark blue ‘76 Formula with the 455, automatic, a rear spoiler, and Rally II wheels.”Īs the 1976 model year played out, Pontiac forced my dad’s hand. I saw Stellar Blue ’75 Formulas and Trans Ams driving around Omaha and thought it was a beautiful color. The Formula was more subdued and there was talk that the 455 would be available in it for 1976, and with an automatic transmission, which I wanted so your mom could drive it if she had to (Note: she also had her own car). “At the time I felt the Trans Am was just too much and your mom felt the same. My dad wanted another Formula, and not necessarily a Trans Am. “I read about it in the new-car magazines and it got me enthused about buying another Firebird.” “The 455-HO package really pushed me over the edge,” my dad says. It included a 4-speed manual transmission, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio, and a special muffler that produced a more aggressive exhaust note. By midyear, however, the L75 455-HO package was introduced for those seeking added performance. Pontiac dropped the 455-ci from the Firebird lineup for 1975 leaving the 400 4-barrel as the Trans Am’s only engine. I missed it terribly and wanted to get back into a Firebird,” he says. I just couldn’t get the Formula out of my mind. It was also the first year for the catalytic converter, so the exhaust was very quiet. It was beautiful but didn’t perform or handle like the Formula. I went with the small-block 400 4-barrel for performance and a limited slip differential. ![]() It was silver with white half-vinyl top and white and black interior. “The car was delivered around January 1975-it only took about 3 weeks to arrive. My dad ordered a ‘75 Monte Carlo through Rosen-Novak Chevrolet in Omaha, Nebraska in December 1974. It also lacked a limited slip differential and didn’t get around in the snow at all,” he explained. “I loved that Formula, but I was getting married to your mother in August 1974 and figured that we’d have kids soon, so I traded it for a larger car that could accommodate a family and had more trunk space. Prompting my dad’s desire for a ’76 Trans Am was the ’73 Formula 400 he purchased in May 1974.
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