Pontiac built just 93 Ram Air I/400 Turbo equipped Firebirds in 1968, and this multiple award-winning example from the Rob Lozins Collection of classic Pontiac muscle cars may be the rarest of them all: a right-hand drive version built at the Lordstown, Ohio, assembly plant in December 1967 and exported to a Sydney, Australia, General Motors Holden dealership named Stack’s through GM Overseas Operations. Stack’s expertly converted the car to right-hand drive in compliance with Australian motor vehicle regulations, an exercise that included installing right-hand drive-specific headlights and Amber reverse lights that also served as turn signals. Once the conversion was complete, it was sold new to a Sydney woman who, initially intending to buy a new Jaguar E-Type, was attracted by the car’s unique Primavera beige paint and many luxury options. In addition to its Ram Air 400 powerplant, 400 Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission and 3.90:1 Saf-T-Track rear end, its host of features included power steering, power front disc brakes, a black Custom interior, power windows and a dealer-installed hood-mounted tachometer. Another 22 options brought the total MSRP to a hefty U.S. $4,588.17, an astronomical figure given the base coupe’s price of $2,781. According to a feature story in the December 1996 issue of Australia Classic Car Magazine by its second owner, Larry McGrath, the original buyer pampered the car through 25 years of careful ownership, accumulating just 38,000 miles before selling it to McGrath, who began showing the car around the country. In 1996, it won 1st Place in the 1967-69 Authentic Firebird Class at the Camaro-Firebird Winter Nationals, followed by the Jim Mattison’s Choice Award at the 2001 Australian Pontiac Nationals in Gundgai, New South Wales. It was also featured on the cover of Pontiac Torque, the official magazine of the Pontiac Car Club of Australia, as well as in a feature in the May/June 1998 issue of the American publication Pontiac Enthusiast while it was still based in Australia. In Lozins’ possession, it was also featured in the April 2011 issue of POCI’s Smoke Signals magazine as a cover feature and is also featured in Don Keefe’s new book “1960-1974 Pontiac Performance: The Era of Super Duty. H.O., & Ram Air Drag & Muscle Cars.” After approximately three decades Down Under, the car was imported to the United States; in 2017, it was one of 13 of the rarest and most significant First Generation Pontiac Firebirds in the MCACN 50th Anniversary “F” Body Invitational, adding to this unique Ram Air ‘Bird’s impressive provenance. One of the most unique of its breed, this 1968 Firebird Ram Air I automatic coupe remains in exceptional condition, its odometer showing just 52,300 miles. Its ample documentation includes Pontiac Historical Services paperwork and photos of the car in Australia prior to being brought back to the United States in the early 2000s.
