Caged Bird

JUST A REMINDER THAT THE ROCKFORD FILES HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Few things are as dear as real estate in Brooklyn. However, if you head out far enough beyond the reach of the subway you can still find large abandoned lots with random vehicles scattered about.

This is a 1975 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am wearing the remnants of the factory color Graystone. 

All of the original decals and emblems are missing with the sole exception of this tiny Firebird on the schnoz. When the car was new it sported a full array of the graphics that made Firebirds famous including this iconic "Flaming Chicken" image large enough to cover the entire hood. Since this is a gray car the graphics would have been in blue and silver.

Aww yeah she's got patina to spare, not to mention some '80s Camaro Iroc-Z rims. The spoiler wrapping under the bumper from the front wheel well was included with the Trans-Am option.

This vent behind the front wheel is another component of the Trans-Am package as is that particular hood scoop (the Formula option package had dual hood scoops on the front of the hood above the grill openings). The fact that the hood scoop is sunken into the opening is troubling though. Is the engine not in the car? Is the engine in the car but resting on the ground due to a rotten cross member? Who knows but that engine was most likely the 400 V8. There was a 455 V8 as an option but unfortunately by this year it was no longer the same super high performance unit of the early '70s. If you opted for the 455 in 1974 you got the same engine as the Safari Station Wagon.

Looks like this beast hasn't been on the road for a solid 28 years! Those wheels were actually pretty new when this got parked so I'm guessing something big like the transmission or engine blew and the owner never got around to it.

The lower quarter panel looks solid so the salty winters never got to this ride. The overall rust looks more like a car from the southwest. Due to the lack of decals and a couple of old bondo filler spots I figure someone sanded this ride down to do some paint prep for a paint job that never came.

Check out these totally radical louvers for the rear window! You just don't see this sort of thing anymore. 

The downward sloping taillights with horizontal dividers were introduced in 1974 and continued on up through '78. That wing was a part of the Trans-Am look.

Of all the shows to binge watch on Netflix I recently started watching The Rockford Files. The lead character Jim Rockford (played by James Garner) drove a gold Firebird Esprit starting with the 1974 when the show was launched. For the next 5 seasons he bought a new Firebird in the same gold color. I love the show with it's obligatory car chases in every episode and the fact that it takes place in Los Angeles during the '70s so the cars are amazing throughout. This forlorn little bird with its clipped wings is the same year as the one I'm watching in season 2 right now. I've seen this car explode, crash, drive on the beach, and do countless stunts. To see it all caged up and forgotten is a little sad.