08/10/2026
A great write up from Michael Noun
A new 1967 Firebird 400 sitting on the showroom floor of Union park Pontiac in Wilmington, Delaware. It's difficult to see, but across the top of the showroom window is a neon sign that reads, "FIREBIRD HERE NOW". The 1967 Firebird was introduced in late February 1967, and despite just a half year of production, 82,560 units were sold, 18,698 of which were Firebird 400s. The Firebird 400 used a beautifully sclulpted hood with twin scoops, a variation of which would be used on the 1968 GTO. GM had a corporate policy at the time that rated their high performance engines at a maximum of 1 hp per 10 lbs of vehicle weight (this policy would be broken several times by Chevrolet). This was to portray an image of safety. Insurance companies were also targeting high horsepower cars as being a greater risk, so a lower hp rating allowed younger buyers to afford insurance. The 1967 Firebird 400 was rated at 325 hp (3,186 shipping weight), but when GM executives reviewed the Firebird 400 option they wanted an explanation as to how a 335 hp GTO engine could be rated at 325 hp in the Firebird. Knowing that DeLorean had a tendency to bend GM policies, they requested that the Firebird 400 be detuned to meet the 325 hp rating. Without changing the camshaft or cylinder heads, the engineers came up with a novel idea; simply limit full throttle. On the Firebird 400's Quadrajet carb a different tang was used on the secondary lever to prevent the secondaries from fully opening. It was a minor change, but it convinced GM that the horsepower was reduced. Of course when performance enthusiasts found out about the limiter, it was a simple matter to using a pair of pliers to bend the tang and voila, full throttle. - MCN
