

Pontiac's general manager, John DeLorean, gave the Firebird a strong sendoff. On January 27, 1967 he noted “the personal sports car field is probably the most rapidly growing in the industry. With the introduction of the Firebird we hope to attract new buyers who want to step up to something extra in styling as well's performance in this segment of the market” The most potent of the five new Pontiacs the Firebird 400 boasted a 400 CID engine with a single four barrel carburetor and 10.75 to 1 compression ratio. A heavy-duty three speed transmission was standard with four speed or automatic trans mission optional the Firebird 400 model had twin traction bars that help minimize the negative impact of the single leaf spring suspension the Firebird 400 and GTO engines had identical specs.