My mom has a ’77 Trans Am and my dad (a long-time HPP subscriber) has a ’67 LeMans. Growing up, my parents always took my brother and me to car shows, so I learned a lot about classic cars.
In 2007, while on a trip with my boyfriend (at the time), we saw a yellow Firebird sitting on a corner in Crandon, Wisconsin. We stopped to look at it because I’ve always wanted a Trans Am. I hadn’t seen a yellow Firebird and was really curious about it, so we jotted down the seller’s phone number.
When I got home, I researched the vehicle and found out it was a ’80 Yellow Bird and the seller was its second owner. I had never heard of this Firebird Special Edition before and asked my dad what he thought. He had heard of them, but had never seen one in person either.
My then-boyfriend purchased the car, and a year later I bought it from him. The relationship was going nowhere, and I knew he had no intention of restoring the Pontiac.
I found the Yellow Bird’s buildsheet and am still trying to decode each of the numbered boxes. I already know that my Pontiac was assembled in Van Nuys, California, and came with the base 231ci V-6/two-barrel, as well as factory hatch roofs, Custom interior, hobnail cloth upholstery, AM/FM/8-track, and power trunk release.
My Bird’s interior is faded from sitting out in the summer sun, so I plan on replacing the carpet, seat coverings, and interior door panels, and repainting the car its original code-56 Yellow Bird Yellow primary color with code-37 Yellow accents. I also plan on applying GM-licensed reproduction decals and striping. I’ve already replaced the master cylinder and radiator, and put shocks in it.
I learned a lot about the Lady Birds on Hoghead’s Sky Bird, Red Bird, and Yellow Bird page (www.firebirdtransamparts.com/redsky/ladybirds.htm), including that these three Special Editions were marketed to women from ’77 to ’80. It just goes to show that women are interested in cars too—it’s not just a guy thing.
Now I go to as many car shows with my family as I can in the summer to show my appreciation for classic cars. This year, I took Second Place at the Pound, Wisconsin, Timeless Restorations car show in the Firebird class, which makes me even more proud to be an owner of a Yellow Bird, and motivates me to restore the car to as-new condition. I plan on keeping it since I am the third owner and from a family of Pontiac hobbyists.
I have not seen any stories about Yellow Birds in HPP. With a little luck, maybe my example of the breed will be the first.
In My Words spotlights reader experiences with their own Pontiacs in their own words. To be considered for publication, submit several high-quality color photos (if digital, each photo must be larger than 1 megabyte in JPG format—no other formats, please), your own Pontiac story (typed, approximately 500 words), your name, address, and telephone number to:
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