The 1967 Pontiac Fitchbird is an extremely rare, post-production Firebird creation. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a “pre-Trans Am” prototype that didn’t get much traction. This is kind of an ‘odd-bird’, but it may be the only time we get a chance to see one like it for sale, so check it out.
John Fitch, who passed away in 2012, was a total legend and an interesting guy — he lived his life as an American racing driver, and inventor. While in college, he built his first car. After he put together the tube chassis, DeSoto flathead-equipped car, he served in WWII as a P51 fighter pilot where his plane was shot down and he become a P.O.W.
When the war was over, John Fitch jumped right back into his passion for cars. He started by selling modified Corvairs, then went on to dabbling in the creation of a special performance package based on the then newly-released Firebird. This special performance package would include a 400 cu. in. engine, 4-speed transmission, heavy-duty suspension and brakes, and those standout buttresses C-pillar sail panels. They were all also painted white and gold, and had gold interiors. They were head-turners, we’ll give them that, but they look maybe a little too ‘unique’ for our taste.
This is one of the survivors that came out of that project. There was (according to the seller’s ad) a total of seven built overall like this, and no word on what happened to the other six cars. As far as this car’s exact journey, it was said to be sold to the first owner for a dollar, and sold to the current owner in 1988. The seller also claims to have talked to John Fitch himself the year he bought the car. Regardless of the validity of any of that, this car seems to be the real deal.
Now it’s a matter of what a new buyer thinks it’s worth. There’s nothing to really compare it to, this car was almost the Trans Am (by most accounts), only beaten out by the real deal T/A. The seller seems to think it’s worth a starting bid of $250,000 as it sits, but no bidders have come forward and there’s very little time left on the auction. We’ll be watching this one closely, stay tuned for updates. If you’re interested in the car, you can bid for it here, good luck!
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
