Images: : Pontiacs Online

The introduction of the second generation Firebird was delayed by production issues, but its reveal showed an entirely new styling direction to replace the blunt force approach of the earlier cars. Pontiac had gained more latitude in styling the new cars, but were still limited by the shared mechanical platform.

Long a priority at Pontiac Design, the Endura front bumper became standard on all models, from the most basic to the top of the line. The more sophisticated side profile emphasized the long hood, short rear deck proportion seen in all pony cars of the day.

Youth marketing at General Motors took a sudden turn before the introduction of the Firebird in February, 1970. An article in the February 9 issue of Time magazine attributes the following statement to Ed Cole.

The first hint of the new advertising policy came in an unusual speech several months ago by G.M. President Edward Cole. “Too much emphasis is being directed toward the youthful segment of our population,” he said. “I think that advertising has forgotten who the customer is—and how to reach him.”

While Jim Morrison and The Doors could be expected to ‘Light Your Fire,’ this television ad gets only as radical as showing the model in a pantsuit. The car’s driver, who might have been sporting John Lennon’s mutton chop sideburns and a Jimi Hendrix Afro hairstyle the before shows up here just as white-bread as Ed Cole himself.

The second generation Firebird would struggle to gain sales momentum through the 1973 model year, hitting a low of just under 30K the year before. Eventually, Pontiac Marekting would find the right message and 2G Firebird sales would climb to a peak of more than 211K in 1979, just in time for the car’s 10th Anniversary.