Pontiac almost called the Firebird the Banshee, but after product planner Ben Harrison discovered that a Banshee was a mythical figure from Irish folklore that predicted impending death, the name was wisely changed. In a TV commercial for the 1967 Firebird, Pontiac took direct aim at the Mustang and Plymouth Barracuda. “Horses are nice. Fish are fun, sometimes,” the narrator read over images of a horse languishing in a stall and a dead barracuda on a beach. “But for a road machine that really flies, get a Firebird.”
The ’67 Firebird 400 could fly from 0 to 60 mph in six seconds and cover a quarter mile in 14.7. That was more than a second faster from 0-60 and a half second quicker over the quarter mile than that year’s Mustang. The Firebird 400 also came with a heavy-duty suspension, radiator, and starter; the option list included power steering, brakes, and windows. Buyers could also get an electric top on convertibles, Rally gauges and wheels, and a remote trunk release for those rare moments when the Firebird wasn’t in motion. It was offered in 15 colors: three shades of blue, two hues of turquoise, red, burgundy, plum, green, gold, ivory, silver, champagne, black, and cream.
