Coffee, tea, or did she say, "T-tops"? That's exactly what you can hear when flying on American Airlines as long as flight attendant Kim Hoover is onboard. Instead of asking if you want a soda or peanuts, this 42-year-old Pontiac hobbyist is known to ask unsuspecting passengers, "Want to see pictures of my Turbo Formula?" Though her flight plan in the air revolves around 737s and DC-9s, on the ground it's all about her Pontiac.
This Berrien Center, Michigan, resident got into Firebirds through her husband, Ron, who, in 1978, bought his first Trans Am-a demo off a dealer's lot-that he still owns. Not wanting to be left out of the excitement, Kim told the couple's friends to keep their eyes open for a well-optioned rare and beautiful Firebird she could call her own.
In 2004, a coworker of Ron's told Kim that he had found just such a Pontiac. Its owner had passed away, and his brother allowed the Bird to sit in a barn for three lonely years. Kim rushed out to look at the prospect, fell in love with it, put down a deposit, and called her husband. Ron then gave the Firebird a professional inspection (he has over 30 years in the auto-collision repair industry) and agreed it was time for his wife to enjoy what she had found-a rare, low-mile '80 Firebird Turbo Formula.
What Condition Its Condition Was In
This Pontiac had racked up only 62,000 miles in the 24 years from production to its sale to Kim in 2004. "It was like driving down the street, seeing a dilapidated house, and knowing in your mind exactly what it should look like when it was restored, but the car surprised me," she says. "It had a perfect interior-dusty but complete-requiring minimal detailing to return it to its like-new factory sparkle. The body needed only a buffing and detailing to bring out the original factory paint. I didn't want to do any kind of paint refinishing because I love that it's so old yet looks so good." Truth be told, the Tahoe Blue (Code 24) attention-getting color is what drew Kim to her car. "It's like looking at a cloudless sky on a sunny day," she says, describing perfectly both the color of her Firebird and the view she gets when the T-tops are tucked away and the roof hatches finally breathe the open air.
 A call-out on the door handle...  A call-out on the door handle reveals the presence of the RPO Code J65, four-wheel disc brakes, which were included with the WS6 package at no extra charge. |  The bulge in the hood reveals...  The bulge in the hood reveals its purpose. Three lights indicate Normal, Medium, and High turbo boost and are clearly seen by the driver. This is the only production hood gauge option to follow the hugely successful Pontiac hood tachometer of the late '60s and early '70s. |  The switch controls the brightness...  The switch controls the brightness of turbo boost lights on the hood. |
The only other work needed on the Firebird was a thorough cleaning and detailing of the engine compartment that Ron says took him about 50 hours.
The Drivetrain
To capitalize on the success of the '79 Trans Am's record-selling year and at the same time bow to pressure to raise the fuel economy of its flagship ponycar, Pontiac discontinued the use of its 400ci engine and the Olds 403 and introduced a high-performance version of its 4.9-liter V-8 (first used in 1977 with a two-barrel) with a turbocharger in its Firebird line for 1980. Pontiac advertisements boldly used the acronym for miles per gallon [MPG] but changed the message to "More Pontiac excitement for the Great ones."
Designated by Pontiac as RPO code LU8, this $350 option for T/As ($530 with the required dual resonators for the Formula) brought grand touring manners and decent fuel economy to buyers still longing for big-cube performance.
Pontiac proudly declared the 301 was "the World's Only Turbocharged V-8," proceeded to stuff them into 16,476 Trans Ams and 5,700 Indy pace cars, and even provided movie cars for Smokey and the Bandit II. However, only 1,245 Firebird Formulas were so optioned-a rarity indeed. In fact, it was just 1.15 percent of total Firebird-T/A-Formula production for 1980.
 The factory stock twin resonators...  The factory stock twin resonators were replaced with two-chamber Flowmaster mufflers mated to the factory tailpipes. Note, the selling dealer's name and city are still in place above the driver-side taillight. |  Featuring hobnail cloth upholstery...  Featuring hobnail cloth upholstery with Lombardy velour bolsters, the code for this Dark Blue Custom interior is 26B1. |  This Formula shares the turned-aluminum...  This Formula shares the turned-aluminum dash appliqu with the Trans Am. The odometer tells the story of the low miles on this Firebird. |
The 210-horse 4.9-liter turbo engine in Kim's Formula is stamped with engine-block code YL and with the last six digits of the VIN, which, of course, match the VIN on the body. The head casting is 01 and the Q-jet is stamped 17080274. A turbo 350 three-speed automatic trans (code MT) feeds the torque to a 3.08:1 (code 2PW with Safe-T-Track) rear.
The Options
A look at the window sticker shows the base price ($7,255.52) and an extensive group of factory extra-cost options ($3,225.00) that make this Firebird Formula Turbo a luxury/performance F-body. Options aside from the aforementioned turbo engine and limited-slip rear include the attractive W50 Appearance Package, A/C, I/P (instrument panel) tachometer, turbo boost gauge, Soft Ray glass, removable hatch roof, luggage compartment, glovebox and instrument panel courtesy-lamp group, roof-drip moldings, window-sill moldings, power door locks, power windows, radio accommodation package, WS6 Special Performance Package featuring 15x8 cast-aluminum wheels and special handling package, Formula steering wheel, tilt column, and custom trim group including custom velour seats.
This rare Turbo Formula was produced in June 1980 and shipped to Courtesy Pontiac in Memphis, Tennessee. The total cost-including its travel from the Van Nuys, California, factory to the dealer lot-was $10,836.52.