1972 was a very dark year for the Firebird. General Motors considered dropping the Firebird line all together. Sky high insurance rates for high performance cars and the government's crackdown on such vehicles gave GM even more reason to consider such an option. Because of GM's uncertainty on the Firebird, there were very few technical or visual changes.
On the Outside there were only a few changes. Most noticeable was the new stretched honeycomb grill, which matched the Honeycomb wheels. Gone was the front fender gills as well. There were ten new colors for the firebird, but then there were also ten colors that were discontinued.
Interiors were given a new look with new "morokide" vinyl being available in either standard of custom trims. The Potomic cloth and vinyl morokide combination was available, but as in the cloth/vinyl trim of previous years, it was limited to black or beige. The seat cover styles between the standard and custom interiors was the horizontal pleats had a nice finished border about them.
The net horsepower was a minimal 110 from the Chevy in-line six-cylinder powerplant; the figure listed exclusively in net horsepower, as would be the case from that year forward. The engine was basically identical to the 1971 version. Also available again was the optional 2bbl 350 V8 powerplant now down to 160nhp. The compression ratio continued to decline as well, dropping to 8:1. With dual exhausts, the horsepower numbers for the optional 350 picked up fifteen additional ponies.
The Esprit, featured script moldings on the roof pillars, as well as a custom steering wheel, wheel trim rings, concealed wipers, wheel opening moldings, and rocker panel accent strips. The sport floor-mounted three-speed was also standard equipment. The Esprit 400 carried the L65 400cid powerplant hooked to the M40 Turbo Hydra-matic transmission. With duals, the package was worth an impressive 175nhp.
The Formula was again the top dog (with the exception, of course, of the Trans Am), and it no longer carried the Firebird imprint on its sheet metal. Depending on the engine choice, a Formula was identified as the Formula 350, Formula 400, or Formula 455. And even though the performance trend was in a downward direction, the horsepower figures for these models were deceptively low, again because of the "net" ratings. Remember that net figures were actually some 20 percent lower than the equivalent brake horsepower numbers numerically. Formulas could be ordered with two different 350 engines rated at 160 and 175nhp or with the 400 V8 4bbl powerplant. The 400 was rated at 250nhp and could certainly stand on its own in the street wars of the time. The 455 was again the top engine available for the Formula. Known as the LS5, its net horsepower figures were at 300, The 1972 Formula was a real looker. At a cost of only $100 over that of an Esprit, the model was definitely worth the price. The sweeping fiberglass hood set it off with the familiar twin air scoops traversing its length. There was also suspension to handle the performance, with a brawny I- 1/8in front stabilizer bar, heavy-duty shocks, and the F70xl4in rubber.
There were practically no changes made to the 1972 Trans Am. By hanging onto its performance image even after the muscle began to atrophy in other muscle cars, the Trans Am was already different from much of the competition. Again, there was only a single powerplant available: 455HO. On paper, it didn't appear to be quite the performer of a year earlier, with a rating of 300hp and 415 lbs-ft of torque. But remember those figures were net values, making them roughly equivalent to the values of the previous year. Both a Hurst-controlled four-speed and the M-40 Turbo 400 automatic were available. A vast array of equipment came standard on the Trans Am, but an even larger quantity of options was available. The 1972 Trans Am had the same standard features as the Formula, plus the Formula steering wheel, a custom aluminum dash, front air dam, wheel flares, rear spoiler, shaker hood with cold air induction system, Rally II wheels, front disc brakes, power-flex cooling fan, and the Safety-T-Track rearend. The standard suspension system again featured a 1.25in front stabilizer bar and a 7/8in diameter rear unit.
1972 saw the UAW on strike, and GM was the target, Firebird and Trans Am production was devastated. With this strike, some 2,100+ Firebird and Camaro models sat on the production line, and when it was over had to be scraped because they could no longer meet the federal safety standards for 1973. The 1972 Trans Am production would hold the distinction of being the second lowest in history only next to the first year, 1969.

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This Home Page was created Tuesday, April 22, 1997
Most recent revision Friday, January, 31th, 2003