1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula ‘The Rockford Files’

This is the 1978 Pontiac Firebird that was used on the television series The Rockford Files from 1978 until 1980. The show starred James Garner as Los Angeles–based private investigator Jim Rockford, a down on his luck character who lived in a rundown mobile home in a parking lot in Malibu.

As is typical with movie and TV show production, “The Rockford Files” crew kept a stable of Pontiacs on hand for filming. And one of them, a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400.

With a special Sierra Gold exterior and tan interior, the factory Formula 400 model was modified to look like an Esprit for the show. This car was the sound car, used for close-ups while driving, and still has the original mic box, holes drilled to run recording wiring, and a skid plate to protect the engine and transmission from damage during stunts.

The car was painted in Glacier Blue rather than gold and once it was acquired by Cinema Vehicle Services it needed a full repaint in its current color plus a new flat hood was fitted and the rear wing was deleted to match the previous Firebirds used by Garner in the series.

This car was used for closeup shots and sound recording. Microphone hookups have been left in place.

You can even use it for your own remake of the show, because it was the sound car and is still equipped with microphone inputs in the dashboard, although the rest of the recording equipment has been removed. It also has an automatic transmission and skid plates in case you get caught up in a wild chase.