1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am VS Mustang Camaro & Cuda Dealership Film Bill Hickman ( Restored )

This 1973 Pontiac promotional film, titled " Pontiac Firebird Trans Am VS Mustang Camaro & Cuda ", was sent to the Pontiac dealerships to be used as an in-house Sales and customer training film. This film highlights technical aspects and features of the new model year. This film compares the Firebird to the Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, and Plymouth Barracuda. It includes test track footage and to top it off its narrated and stars the legendary stunt car driver Bill Hickman.
If you look up a different film I posted, titled "1974 Chevy Selling Monte Carlo ", you can see a rare glimpse of the film cartridge viewer that was used at the dealership where the customers and personnel were to view these films. The machine was made by Technicolor and called the " Chevrolet Mini Theater System "
This film came from my personal collection. This film was not downloaded from any website and is not reused content. This restoration is my work. The restoration process started with removing the super8 film from the Technicolor Cartridge. After removal the film was cleaned, repaired, and spooled onto a standard film reel. This film had many scratches and dust marks along with a fair amount of color fade. The scanning to digital process and basic color correction was performed on the Lasergraphics Scanstation motion picture film scanner system in 2k resolution. Excess film grain noise was removed, and extensive color restoration performed using 3 separate processes in DaVinci Resolve software. An additional processing for dust and scratch removal was performed utilizing NeatVideo. Then the film was upscaled into 4K resolution utilizing Topaz AI software. In 4K, the images were sharpened, and additional detail correction was performed. Then a final color restoration and image stabilization was performed in DaVinci Resolve. Finally, the film was downscaled back to 2k for uploading to KZbin. As I work on these films, I try to improve the process as I go along. Thanks for watching.

[@cpellercpeller5463]

This video with Bill Hickman is priceless.

[@Z06RFan]

So cool to see Bill Hickman. Thanks for sharing it.

[@stirlinglowery2417]

So glad Jim Garner ( "Rockford" ) took your advice Bill - and he actually drove his Esprit in the show !

[@stephenpowell5912]

Thanks Bill Hickman for the Memories from Bullitt ,The French Connection and The Seven Ups ,Great movies ,Great stunts and Pure action to Beautiful American Muscle Cars ,R I P 🙏🌹

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

Muscle cars from that era lived hard lives... so few are left.

[@johnwebb167]

I have mine 73 Brewster Green Formula! I’ll never let go!

[@MrPomdownunder]

Respect - He drove in French Connection and both of the cars in Bullitt, top driver !

[@wheelman1235]

This stunt driver was so awesome !! Thanks for the video.

[@landyachtfan79]

Ah, the days when GM competed against themselves!!!!!

[@pl5624]

At one time i think pontiac had enough street cred to go it alone or at least without GM corporate intervention.

[@railbart]

Carey Lofin and Bill Hickman did all the best car movies 60 and 70s 😅

[@pl5624]

The firebird looked so much leaner than camaro...

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

All those great things together...Bill Hickman, Pontiac Firebird & good old Road Atlanta near where I grew up in the ''60s & '70s ✌💖☮

[@OfficeofImageArchaeology]

I had a 75 Trans Am. Had T-Tops, custom paint with the reapplied Firebird decal,rec cam and radial TAs. This was in 1984. It was stolen and wrecked. I have owned some very cool cars over he years but of the American cars, none drove as well as this one.

[@user-rv3cm7hv3l]

T tops were first available in 76.

[@christopherrichardson5352]

The 1973 SD-455 Trans Am is the mightiest of them all.

[@charlesthompson5431]

Love Pontiac's/Love the 70's/ Miss my 76 Trans Am

[@briank.8925]

Dude looks like the inspiration for James Garner in Rockford Files. Even a Firebird!

[@dave1986R]

Let’s not forget Bill Hickman also drove the black ’68 Dodge Charger in Bullitt, 3 years before The French Connection.

[@1983jblack]

Yep....Steve McQueen did some of his own driving in that chase. Keep an eye on the rear view mirror in his car to tell when he was behind the wheel

[@sergiojacquez2277]

Awesome movie I seen it about 100 times

[@markeystephen3074]

Apparently as well as bill Hickman, Bud Atkins, Steve McQueen I heard that another stunt car driver also played a part in the car chase for bullit, Cary Lofton, who did some of the tricky stunt driving in the bullit film, though I don’t know if that was true? But one thing is certain, it really did result in the most iconic car chase in movie history, that still stands out today. Along with the seven ups, French connection, to live and die in LA, to name a few. It’s sad that these guys are no longer here, R.I.P to them all, 🙏🏾but their legacy in stunt car driving will always be remembered and respected 👍🏾👏🏾👌🏾.

[@tommyboy8524]

I love these videos.

[@360escapades]

I'll take the cuda..very under rated

[@georgepetrillo7316]

Toe to toe that 340 Barracuda in the commericial could easily out run that red Firebird.

[@PhenomProductions23]

Except the Cuda couldn't turn a corner if it's life depended on it and the Firebird Trans Am could corner like it's on rails, Stock!

[@360escapades]

@@PhenomProductions23 depends what year cuda and engine? Are you talking about ?

[@user-gq4hz7rh6k]

​@@georgepetrillo7316But it could not outrun the Trans Am or Formula.

[@sergiojacquez2277]

@@georgepetrillo7316Yeah, only if the Firebird has a 350 two barrel carburetor. Try one with a 400 or SD-455 won’t even be close

[@dogdollaz1971]

Nice

[@petestaint8312]

👍

[@toddkornfeld9444]

Who was the stunt driver in the film 🎥 Vanishing Point ?

[@mikestuckinthe70s]

Look at our Georgia red clay

[@SquirminHermanthe1eyedGerman]

Been diggin in it since the '60s around where Road Atlanta is

[@8LLRoadranger]

I adore Mustangs; although, when it comes to the 1973 models, the Firebird/Trans Am is superior.

[@mcarlkv53]

That camaro is sweet

[@sergiojacquez2277]

Their all sweet American made beautiful cars

[@psa10hunter94]

I’d still rather have the barracuda!

[@sergiojacquez2277]

Codas are nice man. Specially if you have one with a Hemi. But a SD-455 will eat it. Trust me I lucky to own SD- 455 T/A 4sp and it’s a beast…

[@jayelbee1111]

Why would Pontiac wanted to compare the Firebird to the similar GM F-Body Chevrolet Camaro? It makes no sense here. They said the Firebird had more selection of engines than the Camaro. Even though each GM car division built their own engines, a lot of Pontiacs were equipped with engines produced by Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Buick. Then they compared the interior design and body between the two cars. The F-Body was designed, engineered and built by Fisher Body Division-silly comparison!

[@grand73am]

Not in 73. This video is about 1973 Firebirds, and in 73, they only used Pontiac V8 engines. The only non-Pontiac engine available in 73 Firebird was the Chevy 250 cid 6 cylinder. The Firebird had 5 Pontiac V8 choices. The Camaro had 4 Chevy V8 choices. And both had the same Chevy 6 cylinder available for the lesser models. It wasn't until 1977 that Pontiac replaced the Chevy inline 6 cylinder engine with the Buick V6 engine, and started using Olds and Chevy V8's, mainly for California that year, but with Pontiac 301, 350, and 400's available for the other 49 states.

[@toml665]

The divisions were truly their own entities back then which actually led to sucess,as the 70's progressed GM became a cookie cutter car maker and truly lost its way in the early 80"s where all cars looked alike. Pontiac engineers saw Chevy as competition not cousins. Wished it would have stayed that way as Pontiacs were always better looking than Chevy's

[@darrellsaunders4267]

That didn't happen until 1977.

[@jayelbee1111]

@toml665 Agreed. Pontiac was also known to be a car brand that was a companion to Chevrolet

[@toml665]

but its own entitiy the engineers and dealers were in competitiion@@jayelbee1111

[@ManiaMusicChannel]

Then Cudas sell for half a million dollars

[@cryptodwayne5174]

Yea it's funny how their bragging about a Six Cylinder 🤔

[@merc-ni7hy]

the interior of the pontiac looks the cheapest of them all

[@toml665]

no way that interior is iconic.

[@PhenomProductions23]

And the seats are comfortable as heck! You could take a 5 hour nap if they reclined!

[@drcornelius8275]

Nah, you've obviously never sat in a Mopar in those years..... they screamed plain and cheap looking