1982 Pontiac Firebird

For 1982, one of the biggest changes to occur on the Pontiac Firebird was to its trim levels, where it now consisted of three variations instead of the previous year's four. The trim levels included the base, S/E, and Trans Am. All three had unique tire and suspension setups. The base level came with a fuel-injected, overhead cam 151 cubic-inch four-cylinder offering 90 horsepower and mated to a four-speed manual gearbox. The standard equipment on the Firebird included glass-belted blackwall tires, hubcaps, front air dam, power steering, power brakes, front stabilizer bar, black-finished grille, side window defoggers, and black-finished instrument panel. The base price was nearly $8,000 and a total of 41,683 examples were produced.

The S/E had a standard 173 CID two-barrel V6 with a four-speed. Other changes included full-width black taillamps, lower accent paint with striping, body-color bodyside moldings, rear stabilizer bar, P205/70R14 steel-belted blackwall tires, and turbo cast-aluminum wheels. The base price for the S/E was $9,625, and a total of 21,719 examples were produced.

The Trans Am models had a 305 CID four-barrel V8 or - if the buyer requested - a dual throttle-body crossfire fuel injection V8 with fresh-air hood induction was available. The Trans Am had the bird decals on the hood and side panel, wheel opening flares, aero wing decklid spoiler, and front fender air extractors. The base price for the Trans Am was $9,660, and a total of 52,960 examples were produced.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2017