For Pontiac fans, his 1980 Firebird Formula Turbo is really a rare find. Loaded with options, owered by a freshly rebuilt turbocharged V8, nd wearing a clean, leek coat of paint instead of flashy decals, t might just be the best car Pontiac built in 1980.Wearing its original Montreux Maroon paint, his is one of the most sophisticated and elegant-looking F-bodies we've ever featured. Sure, he Trans Am with its big decals gets the attention, ut if you want a clean, porting car that lets the bodywork do the talking, hen this is the right choice. Now don't get me wrong, his isn't exactly a subtle car, ot with the gold pinstripes and two-tone lower bodywork, ut it certainly looks clean and sleek compared to some of its siblings. For original paint, he shine is quite good and while it's 35 years old, omeone has taken the time to keep it polished up and looking its best. The gold pinstripes are, f course, ecals, nd they look great against the burgundy paint, s does the "TURBO 4.9" lettering on the cool aero hood scoop. Pontiac made the most of their innovative turbo engine by advertising it everywhere they could, ncluding on the rear spoiler, here it also says "TURBO FORMULA." And for those of you in the know, his is one rare car because of it.The Camel cloth interior gets all the same great features as its sibling, he Trans Am, ncluding high-back bucket seats, three-spoke steering wheel wrapped in leather, nd the engine-turned dashboard. The grippy cloth upholstery is perhaps preferable to the sticky vinyl in most Trans Ams and it certainly has a look that belies the era in which it was built. The options list is long, ncluding power windows and locks, freshly-rebuilt A/C system with R12 refrigerant inside, tilt steering column, ear defroster, nd T-tops, hich make this car a joy to drive on sunny days. Remarkably, verything works, ncluding the AM/FM stereo radio and even the turbo boost lights on the hood! The carpets, ash pad, nd headliner are all in excellent condition and the back seat area looks barely used, ndicative of a car that's led an easy life. The trunk is upholstered in black carpet and includes a space-saver spare with jack assembly.Pontiac was leading the charge on forced-induction, utting a turbocharger on their 4.9 liter V8 engine. This one was just rebuilt to original specifications, o it runs superbly and doesn't have any of the issues you'd expect from an early experiment in boosted engines. It starts easily and makes good power and impressive torque when the boost comes up and throttle response is crisp thanks to a rebuilt carburetor. The TH350 3-speed automatic transmission is the best choice with the turbocharged engine, eeping boost up between shifts, nd with 3.08 gears on a Posi limited slip, t's a fine highway cruiser as well. The front suspension was rebuilt, here are new control arm bushings, nd a fresh steering box, o it tracks straight and handles as well as these cars could when they were new. The exhaust system uses a pair of stainless Magnaflow mufflers for a unique sound and it appears that there are new shocks all around. Those shiny silver "snowflake" alloy wheels aren't original but they do look amazing here, specially when wrapped in fat 225/70/15 BFG radials.Documented with its original build sheet, rotect-O-Plate, nd a reproduction window sticker, his is a rare Firebird with plenty of performance and a great pedigree, ll at a bargain price. Call now!