1967 Firebird X

1967 Firebird SM

1967 Firebird X

It was 1967 when GM forced Pontiac to drop DeLorean’s sports car—the Banshee. His bosses at GM felt that the Banshee would be a threat to Chevrolet’s Corvette. Pontiac leadership felt that  they had a winner with their new Firebird, which was designed using cues—and parts, from the Camaro’s body, and the GTO’s drivetrain.

According to a note by engineer Ben Harrison, by the end of March, 1967, over 33,000 Firebirds were sold, 77.8 percent had V-8 engines, 70.4 percent had automatic transmissions, 15.3 percent had four-speed manual transmissions, and 13.8 percent came with a limited-slip differential. The production year ended in September ’67.

As the saying goes, when the top goes down, the price goes up. That means that this beauty is definably an up-sell. What intrigues us about this car is the badging on the front fenders. For all intents and purposes, it’s a normal looking Firebird. So, what is the GM-X all about? Have any ideas? Let us know.

3 Comments on 1967 Firebird X

  1. Probably preproduction/experimental(similar to the Mustang1 two seater). The serial # should tell the story, if it has one.

  2. This photo was taken around September 1966 at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. The Firebird program (a Pontiac version of the Chevy Camaro) was John Z. DeLorean’s baby, after his Banshee project was shelved by his superiors in early 1966. The Firebird, named after the three GM Firebird concept cars of the 1950s, was approved by GM top execs in June 1966, and the first production 1967 Firebirds rolled off the assembly line in late December, and were shipped to Pontiac dealers in January 1967, three months after the ’67 Chevy Camaro was introduced. The “GM-X” badge was a place holder for the Firebird badge which was still a talking point when the photo was taken. This was Firebird prototype # 001, and # 002 was the sport coupe version.

    I have been a member of POCI (Pontiac-Oakland Club International) since 1978, and I still love Pontiacs. I have a 2002 Firebird (last of the line) now, and would not own another car. I’d rather own classic Pontiacs than brand new cars.

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