1968 Pontiac Firebird

400 Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

223378U153858

Clear

Gasoline

1968 L67 Ram Air I Firebird Starlight Black (Special Order Color!) Coupe One of only 92 made! Bare Bones Street/Strip Mauler! Matching Numbers! - NO RESERVE - The term “Rare!” has got to be the most overused term on ebay. We’ve all seen those (seemingly endless) “once in a lifetime, super-rare, one-of-one, better act now !!” classic car ads on ebay. No such nonsense here. This car is without question one of the rarest muscle Pontiacs you will ever find for sale. It is one of only 92 Ram Air I Automatic Firebirds that were built in 1968. And yes, finding a REAL factory First Generation L67 Ram Air Firebird (i.e. Ram Air I Ram Air II or Ram Air IV) for sale in a public setting such as ebay is a much rarer occurrence than finding a 1969-70 Ram Air IV GTO or RA IV Judge up for auction. If that weren’t enough, this particular RA ‘Bird is a super-desirable (special order! - see link below) Starlight Black on Black Turbo Hydra-Matic car that still retains its original numbers matching “XN” Ram air I 4-bolt main block, “31” Ram Air I cylinder heads, RA-specific longbranch exhaust manifolds, upper ram air pan, Safety-Track 3.90 rear axle, factory-issue 1111270 distributor, upper ram air pan, original 14 x 6 steel wheels, its original sheetmetal and body panels as well as such of its original interior. The car also retains both of its original heater hoses, original riveted upper ball joints, and original black rubber splash guards on the inner fenders. Besides its obvious rarity, this is also a very complete car. Visit the webpage below for additional pictures, PHS papers and other documentation 1968 Starlight Black Ram Air 1 Firebird - pictures and documentation. Below, I've included a brief description of this rare ‘Bird - 1968 L67 Ram Air I Firebird - Starlight Black Coupe This matching numbers L67 RA I Firebird is fully documented (including PHS paperwork and most of the original Body Broadcast (aka “build” sheet). While the car will obviously need a full restoration to bring it back to its former glory, it is rare indeed to still have much of the original guts (especially on a race-ready ram air car) from the get go. The only significant factory-issued items not with the car now are the original TH400 (it has a correct for 1967 Pontiac TH400), the original 7028276 carburetor and original cast iron intake. While it would likely be impossible to find the original VIN coded TH400 at this point, I do have a correct 140 intake that is date coded Dec 1, 1967, and I have access to a service dated 7028276 carburetor. These items can be made available to the winning bidder at additional cost. This auction presents a very rare opportunity for the Pontiac collector/enthusiast to purchase a piece of Pontiac race history at a relatively low entry point. While I cannot guarantee mileage (37K showing) it does appear to be a low mile car. It still retains many of the original tower clamps, the brake pedal appears to have very little wear and the undercarriage does appear to be quite clean (shock towers and frame rails in very good shape). Yes, the car will require panel replacement (e.g. 1/4s, fenders, floor pans) and an owner who has patience to do the job right. That said, the next owner will be starting with a car that still has its born-with ram air motor, ram air heads, ram air exhaust manifolds, upper ram air pan, 3.90 rear end, “HG” factory-issue 14 x 6 steel wheels, original distributor and much of the original interior and most if not all body panels. The car also appears to retain its factory issue starlight black paint in some areas. How often can you say an opportunity like this comes by? One thing is for certain, when this project is completed the next owner will own an incredibly rare, fast and visually stunning automobile. A real, black-on-black 1968 Ram Air Firebird with redline tires and dog dish hubcaps! No Power robbing options here. Forget power steering, brakes or a/c! See the factory option list below (and on the PHS images shown via the link above.) Here are the factory options as verified by PHS - Factory Options: L67 Ram Air 400 (Special Order) Starlight Black Turbo Hydra-Matic Transmission 3.90:1 Safety-Track Differential Console Rally Gauge Cluster AM Manual Antenna Door Edge Guards Redline Wide Ovals (with dog dish hubcaps) Vehicle Condition: Even though this Ram Air Firebird is incredibly rare and one of the fastest muscle cars to ever roll out of Michigan it nevertheless will require a full-on restoration. Keep in mind that the car does not have brakes and it currently does not run. I did however remove the spark plugs and turned the engine over with a socket on the crank bolt. It spun very easily, so I do not think there is any rust at all in the cylinders. It also appears that his car has been stored outside for an extended period of time and it has a good amount of rust. Please note that quite a bit of metal work will be required to restore this car correctly, and therefore this is not a project for everyone. On the positive side, you know exactly what you're starting with from the get-go. As the documents and verifying images show, this is a very rare and complete car that has a lot going for it from an originality standpoint. In any event, bidders should ask questions prior to bidding and are encouraged to examine the car in person. Well, there you have it. As you have probably realized by now, this is not a run of the mill Firebird that you will find everyday (or every decade for that matter). If you are seriously interested in taking on this unique project and have additional questions (or want to come out and see it here in Virginia) feel free to contact me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to answer any questions you might still have Happy bidding and good luck to all! Terms: Please remember that this is a binding contract so please only bid if you have the means to pay in full and in a timely manner. Since the car is also listed for sale outside eBay, I reserve the right to end the auction early. Payment: Once the auction has ended, the winning bidder must send 25% of the final auction price within 3 days. The full amount is due 7 days after completion of the auction. Shipping: I will gladly help with transportation logistics. However, the winning bidder is responsible for all shipping expenses. For those who would like a bit more information and background here is a (not-so) brief write-up on Pontiac’s L67 Ram Air Firebird. I hope you find it informative and helpful. Pontiac’s L67 Ram Air Firebird Ok, I hope you will indulge my pending lack of brevity here but I thought it might be a good idea to have a little “L67 RA 101” session since honest-to-goodness L67 RA ‘67-69 Firebird sightings are so uncommon. During my Pontiac travels over the years I have found that many classic car enthusiasts (including some well seasoned Pontiac collectors) have been somewhat unfamiliar with the specific details associated with the ‘67-69 Ram Air Firebirds. The fact that very few were ever made is a likely reason why. Production totals between 1967-69 show Pontiac built 276,673 Firebirds ranging from the base 6 cylinder to the ultra-high performance, L67 option-coded Ram Air I, II and IV models (see: Firebird production numbers) Even though over a quarter million ‘67-69 firebirds were built, only 745 First Generation L67 Ram Air Firebirds and Trans Ams were made (37 L67 convertibles) over that three-year span. This paltry amount accounts for only 0.3% of total Firebird production! According to several reliable Pontiac sources, it is estimated that about 50-60 of the 745 L67 Firebirds have surfaced so far, and of those very few, less than half still retain their original drivetrains. With production and survival rates that low its no wonder why these extremely rare cars have remained so mysterious today. An important factor linked to today’s incredibly low recovery rate is likely tied to the fact that Pontiac did not put any external badging or special appearance package on the L67 models in 1967-68. In fact, except for the ‘69 RA IV Trans Am (and the ‘69 RA IV Firebirds which had RA IV hood decals), all other L67 Ram Air 400 Firebirds were identical in external appearance to “standard 400” cars. Back in the late ‘60's and early ‘70's this type of “stealth” marketing approach paid huge dividends to L67 Ram Air owners since it gave them a decisive tactical advantage over their “unassuming prey” on the street and at the strip. Unfortunately, yesterday’s stealth advantage has turned into today’s discovery disadvantage and is a major reason why so few L67 1967-69 Firebirds have re-emerged to date. Another factor that likely impacted L67 Ram Air Firebird production was price. Make no mistake, these cars were not cheap. After all Ram-Air-mandatory items were included, the L67 package cost between $600-874, which represented a 22-32% premium over the base sticker price! However, as far as “bang-for-your-racing-buck” went, Pontiac came through in a big way. Besides the functional Ram Air induction (which added horsepower by allowing much cooler/denser outside air (~-50F) to comprise the intake charge), these unique ‘Birds were also fitted with a heavy duty 4-bolt main cap cylinder block, lightweight forged pistons, high flow capacity oil pump, larger pushrods, stouter valve springs with swirl-polished valves, better flowing Ram Air-specific cylinder heads, arma-steel crankshaft (RA II/IV), a much more radical camshaft design, free flowing longbranch “factory header” exhaust manifolds, specially-tuned carburetion with a modified advance curve, either a 3.90:1 or a 4.33:1 Safe-T-Track heavy duty differential and choice of a RA-specific TH400 or 4speed close-ratio transmission. All in all, these Ram Air-specific upgrades resulted in a “bulletproof” Pontiac engineering high performance masterpiece capable of turning 6000 RPM without any trouble at all. (Try doing that on a regular basis with a standard 400 Pontiac mill!) And while I’m unaware of any documented musclecar-era L67 dynotests, there have been several 1/4 mile times published in the 12-13s range for these special cars over the years (see: Motor Trend 8/67;Cars Magazine 9/67; Hot Rod 3/68; Popular Hot Rodding 4/68; Car Craft 12/88; Muscle Car Review Super Stock Drags ë99-01). Using race weights and trap speeds from some of these documented 1/4 mile events, it can be shown that ‘67-69 L67 Firebirds were pumping out somewhere between 75 and 125 more horsepower when compared to their already quick, “standard 400” 325-330hp Firebird brethren. Racing legend, Jim Mino, and others more recently have repeatedly run 12s 1/4 mile times in (internally unmodified) 1968 1/2 RA II Firebirds. These motors were torn down more than once and each time the engines were found to be well within stock OEM specifications. The bottom line on these cars is that L67 RA ‘Birds are one of the fastest regular production vehicles ever built by Pontiac Motor Division. To be sure, the L67 Ram Air First Generation Firebird had a mission. It was to be a factory-built racer that could compete and beat other top musclecars of the time. It is worth noting that very few cars were able to run low 13/high 12 second 1/4 mile times without internal modifications. Documented drag events show that these very special ‘Birds were up to the task and then some. With their lightweight design, superior high performance capability, superb styling, and availability to the general public, I believe that these unique Pontiacs are one of the all-time great Supercars of the musclecar era. And here is your chance to own one! On Mar-02-12 at 20:00:54 PST, seller added the following information: Update: I'm getting quite a few inquiries and requests to call potential bidders about this car. I'll try my best to answer questions in the closing days of the auction, but it may be more expedient for serious buyers to call me with any questions they may have. I can be reached at home at (703)726-6369, and my cell number is (703)909-8236. Call me if you need to, but please respect my families time and only call if you are serious about the car. On Mar-03-12 at 11:49:53 PST, seller added the following information: Update:I have had several people ask about the engine condition and why the car was parked. I have not owned the car for long, and I don’t know why it was parked. I did remove all of the spark plugs and I was able to turn the engine over pretty easily with a socket on the crank pulley bolt. All of the spark plugs appeared normal with a slight brown residue on the electrode. I also checked the anti-freeze and there is no oil in it, and I checked the oil and it has no water or anti-freeze in it. The car looks like it could run, but the gas in the tank has turned to varnish so I haven’t spent the time to try to start it. I think at this point it might be wise just to rebuild it rather than trying to get it to run in it’s present state. Based on all of the clues I have about the engine condition, it looks like a solid rebuildable core, but of course I can’t guarantee it.