Side-marker lamps
Larger front turn signals that wrap around the corners, and a Pontiac arrowhead on each rear quarter. The 1967 has neither.2one source
Class of '68 · Pontiac Firebird · 1968 body · first generation
1968Pontiac Firebird
Little changed outside, much underneath: a 250 six, the 350 V8, side-marker lamps, no vent windows, and 107,112 built.
The year in brief
The 1968 Firebird looked much like the 1967, but the engines changed. The overhead-cam six grew to 250 cubic inches, the 326 V8 became a 350 in two versions, the 400 gained five horsepower, and a 400 H.O. joined the list.3one source
New federal rules brought side-marker lamps: wraparound front turn signals and a Pontiac arrowhead on each rear quarter. The vent windows gave way to a single pane and Astro Ventilation.2one source
On 1 March 1968 the Ram Air 400 made way for the Ram Air II, rated at 340 hp by Wikipedia and at 335 by Consumer Guide.23sources disagree
Production rose to 107,112: 90,152 hardtops and 16,960 convertibles.123
The story of the year
Rear springs that did not last
The 1967 Firebird and Camaro rode on single-leaf «Monoleaf» rear springs. They lost their tension and were too soft, and for 1968 they gave way to multi-leaf springs, by Over-Drive's account.5one source
Over-Drive adds that the rear shock absorbers were now mounted at an angle against axle hop under hard acceleration.5one source
How to spot a 1968
What tells it apart from a 1967.
No vent windows
A single pane of glass in each door and Astro Ventilation. The 1967 has front vent windows.2one source
250 six and 350 V8
The six is a 250 and the smaller V8 a 350; the 1967 has the 230 and the 326.34
Production123
107,112 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | Firebird (all engines) | 90,152 |
| All hardtops | 90,152 | |
| Convertible | Firebird (all engines) | 16,960 |
| All convertibles | 16,960 | |
| Total | 107,112 | |
Wikipedia and Consumer Guide have the same rows; Over-Drive's table repeats Consumer Guide's.
Engines234
8 engines. Pontiac's option codes, from Wikipedia's engine table, which cites Sessler's Firebird Red Book. Over-Drive gives L30, L76, L74 and L67 for 1969; for the 400 it prints W-S6, not W66. «Std.» is the standard engine. Pontiac's AMA sheets name the engines by model, not by code.
Advertised (gross-era) ratings from Pontiac's AMA sheet of August 1967, which lists the Ram Air at 335 hp and no Ram Air II; the codes and the mid-year Ram Air II are Wikipedia's. Wikipedia rates the Ram Air II at 340 hp, Consumer Guide at 335; see the ruling.
Price when new1one source
Base retail prices in 1968 dollars, before options.
Over-Drive's table only; no other source we have prices the 1968 Firebird.
Colors5one source
16 factory colors. The color names come from one source5one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Starlight BlackA
Cameo IvoryC
Alpine BlueD
Aegena BlueE
Nordic BlueF
April GoldG
Autumn BronzeI
Meridian TurquoiseK
Aleutian BlueL
Flambeau BurgundyN
Springmist GreenP
Verdoro GreenQ
Solar RedR
Primavera BeigeT
Nightshade GreenV
Mayfair MaizeY
Over-Drive's list of 16 colors for the 1968 Firebird, with Pontiac's letter codes. No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are left empty.
Reading the VIN2467
A 1968 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
224378U10000167 · An example built from our reading of the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: a Firebird V8 hardtop, 1968, Lordstown, Ohio, unit 100001.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 2 | Division: Pontiac |
| 23 · 24 | Series: Firebird with a six · with a V8 |
| 37 · 67 | Body: hardtop · convertible |
| 8 | Model year (1968) |
| U · L | Assembly plant (codes: Rubber The Right Way; years: Wikipedia; our combination) |
| 100001 → (V8) · 600001 → (six) | Sequential unit number (six digits), by Tin Indian's account for the GTO |
Where to find it: On a plate on top of the instrument panel, driver's side, visible through the windshield, by Tin Indian's account for the GTO of 1968–71; no Firebird-specific source we have gives the location.7one source
Questions about the 1968
How many 1968 Pontiac Firebirds were made?
Pontiac built 107,112 for the 1968 model year: 90,152 hardtops, 16,960 convertibles.123
How can you tell a 1968 Firebird from a 1967?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: side-marker lamps; no vent windows; 250 six and 350 V8.234
What engines did the 1968 Pontiac Firebird have?
Eight engines, from the 250 cu in overhead-cam six to the 400 cu in Ram Air II V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.234
How much did a 1968 Pontiac Firebird cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Firebird hardtop $2,781; Firebird convertible $2,996.1one source
What colors did the 1968 Pontiac Firebird come in?
Over-Drive Magazine lists 16 factory colors.5one source
Where is the VIN on a 1968 Pontiac Firebird?
On a plate on top of the instrument panel, driver's side, visible through the windshield, by Tin Indian's account for the GTO of 1968–71; no Firebird-specific source we have gives the location.7one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1968, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
The 1968 Ram Air II's rating
Our ruling: Unresolved. Wikipedia, citing Sessler's Firebird Red Book, and Over-Drive's engine list give the Ram Air II 340 hp; Consumer Guide gives 335, «25 below the comparable GTO unit», which would put the GTO's Ram Air II at 360 hp (our arithmetic); the GTO's own Ram Air II rating is an open ruling on the GTO pages. Pontiac's AMA sheet of August 1967 predates the engine and lists the Ram Air at 335 hp.
What each source says (2)
- 340 hp25one source
- 335 hp, «25 below the comparable GTO unit»3one source
Sources
- 1968 Pontiac production (one-page table) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Pontiac Firebird Wikipedia · read 2026-10-12
- 1967, 1968, 1969 Pontiac Firebird HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-12
- 1968 Pontiac Firebird AMA Specifications Pontiac Motor Division, General Motors · read 2026-10-12
- 1968 Pontiac Firebird Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-12
- Pontiac VIN Decoder 1965-2002 Rubber The Right Way · read 2026-10-11
- Pontiac GTO VIN Decoding Tin Indian Performance · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1967Pontiac FirebirdThe first Firebird: Pontiac's version of the new Camaro, on sale from 23 February 1967 as five models named for their engines, and 82,560 built.82,560 built (disputed)
1969Pontiac FirebirdA new front with the headlamps in body-color Endura bezels, the key on the column, the Ram Air IV, and from March 1969 the Trans Am.87,708 built (disputed)See the whole first generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1967–1969.