The Pontiac Firebird Comanche...
The Pontiac Firebird Comanche was advertised as "A True North American Grand Touring Car," and was offered only by three Canadian dealerships. This is one of an estimated (by the owner) 50 or less that were built in '68/'69 and one of the most highly-optioned '69 Firebirds we have ever seen. It's got 33 options in total, including the 400 H.O./Ram Air-III engine (code 348), four-speed close-ratio transmission (code 358), Safe-T-Track (code 361), special order axle (code 362) leather/Morrokide interior (code 293), and dozens more.
Like the Indian tribe from which it took its name, the Firebird Comanche was destined to be as pure as the wisest chief, as fierce as the strongest warrior, and as swift as the fastest brave. But have you ever heard of one? If not, don't feel alone. We hadn't either (or seen one) until an Expresso Brown Firebird 400 convertible with Comanche emblems and unique, chromed hood and fender inserts arrived at the Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals in August 2008. It was such a head-turner that Tom DeMauro, HPP's editor, chose it for his Editor's Choice Award.
It didn't take long before we had located its owner, Steve Johns, a 50-year-old sales-territory manager with Syngenta Crop Protection in Seaforth in Ontario, Canada. "I found this Firebird Comanche sitting at a small garage near my hometown," he tells HPP. "It was there for some service work and not for sale at the time. When I first saw it, I was very intrigued by its Comanche emblems; I had never heard of the name on a Firebird before."
Did you think sidepipes and...
Did you think sidepipes and Cragars were only an American phenomenon? This is how the Comanche looked in 1988.
Just as Pontiac owners in the U.S. contact Jim Mattison of PHS Automotive Services (www.phs-online.com) to find their cars' build histories, Steve contacted George Zapora of GM Canada and learned that his Pontiac was one of an estimated 87 Firebird convertibles (and four Trans Am convertibles) produced with the L74 400 H.O./RA-III engine and a manual transmission. No information on the Comanche limited-edition existed at GM Canada, however.
Researching further, Steve contacted Early Birds, a Firebird restoration-parts supplier in Toronto. It was familiar with the Firebird Comanches and had parted out a '69 400/335hp automatic Comanche coupe many years before. It also knew the location of a second surviving example, a convertible, and passed the data on to Steve. "I went to see this other Comanche, and it was virtually identical to the one I had found, with the exception of the drivetrain, which, like the parted-out car, was also a 400/335hp automatic" he says.
All Firebird Comanches came...
All Firebird Comanches came with Marchal foglamps as part of the conversion process. This NOS example was sourced from Italy.
"Its owner had an original Comanche sales brochure," Steve continues. "It told me what I had not known: The Firebird Comanche was 'An American GT with Special American Virtues,' and was sold exclusively at three Canadian Pontiac dealers only, in Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa."
Going back to the first Comanche he had found, Steve was ready to make a deal, but it still wasn't for sale. "I've owned a '73 Firebird Formula 400 since I was a teenager, but I've always loved the idea of someday owning a '69 Firebird convertible four-speed car. It took me months of negotiations, but finally, in August 1994, I purchased it."
History
Steve decided to learn as much as he could about the Comanche Firebirds. One of the most informative pieces he found was a two-page article, "Road Impressions," in Track & Traffic (Mar. '69). "Through it, I learned that Grant Hamilton was the president of a Montreal dealership, which bore his name. He was an avid racer and liked what Carroll Shelby was doing for the Mustang. He wanted to do something similar for Pontiac, and that's why he created the Firebird Comanche," he says.
The Marchal foglamps were...
The Marchal foglamps were activated by this relay mounted on the inner fenderwell.
According to Steve's research, Hamilton ordered his Firebirds highly optioned from the factory. All had 400ci V-8s, leather/Morrokide seats, variable-ratio power steering, power disc brakes, power trunk release, power top (if convertible) or Cordova top (if coupe), tilt wheel, console, Rally gauges, radio, door-edge guards, vanity mirrors, remote-control driver-side outside rearview mirror, deluxe custom seatbelts, Rally IIs, floor mats, Instant-Aire pump, heavy-duty air cleaner, and a heavy-duty radiator.
To convert each of these special-ordered, specific-optioned Firebirds into a Comanche took approximately one week. Grant Hamilton Pontiac's bodyshop painted the tail panel off-white, which the staff dubbed the "Kamm tail," and added white stripes coming out of the front fender louvers. Other dealer modifications included a "twin-snorkel" air cleaner, high-speed driving lights, Marchal 653 foglamps, hoodpins, chromed hood inserts, chrome-diecast Comanche emblems, front/rear Koni shocks, special suspension (specs unknown), and Pirelli Cinturato radial tires. In the interior, they added a Sun SuperTach 8,000-rpm tachometer, which the techs mounted below the dash.