One car that stood out back in it’s early years was the second generation Pontiac Firebird. It was sleeker than the first gen, and brought new life to the car that would become so popular for decades to come. The second gen Trans Am was a beautiful car, even today it’s still better looking than so many other muscle cars on the road.

Where are the hood scoops that epitomize the Formula name?

But one model that also stood out was the Formula, just the name itself lent a certain feeling of power to a car that was the little brother to the Trans Am. Distinctive features on the Formula were the two long hood scoops allowing air to get to the 400 ci engine, and the Formula nameplate. The Formula was every bit as mean looking as the Trans Am, sans all the spoilers and the shaker hood.

So when we came across this 1970 Firebird Formula “Pro tour” on Craigslist for nearly $27,000, we just had to take a look and see what was so special about it. The sad thing about this listing is that the car started life as a Formula, but now it’s far less than that. Why lessen a great car by removing the 400 ci Pontiac engine and replacing it with a Chevy 350 small block crate engine? The 18 inch wheels are nice but don’t come close to making up for the parts removed.

If that’s not bad enough, the Trans Am fender spoilers have been added, but the shaker hood isn’t replacing the distinctive Formula hood that is also missing, so now it looks more like a regular Firebird. Added to the car is a two-color paint job that makes it almost look like a Trans Am, which seems to be the owners intention, but then there’s “Formula” decals all over it. It’s a nice looking car, but this used-to-be Formula slash wannabe Trans Am misses the mark on so many levels. The owner says one of a kind, and there’s a reason for that. You be the judge – is it worth the asking price?