5. 1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400
The year 1970 market the second generation of the Pontiac Firebird. It debuted as a mid-year introduction with a couple of new versions and only one body style, the coupe. That was because Pontiac decided to drop the convertible model. In fact, it didn’t return for over a decade. The company realized that traditional muscle cars like the GTO were slowly going out of style.
People were turning towards the smaller. more agile pony cars like the Firebird, so they decided to invest heavily into that lineup. The first true muscle model was the Formula 400 Pontiac introduced in 1970. The Formula 400 was a sort of middle version between the base Firebird V8 and fire-breathing Trans Am. The Formula had a 400 V8 engine delivering 330 HP.
Also, it had a cool-looking twin-scoop hood that could be functional if the buyer bought the optional Ram Air induction. The Firebird Formula 400 was fast, but it wasn’t all that affordable, so Pontiac only made around 7,700 for the 1970 model year.