SPIRIT OF’75
IT’S 1975. YOU’RE FINALLY IN A PLACE WHERE YOU can buy a new car, and you want something cool. But cool is relative: The tire-frying exploits of the world of muscle cars were only half a decade past their prime, and in 1975 you had gas lines for limited amounts of fuel that cost you north of a dollar of a gallon. What do you buy?
For young Dale Falk of Minnesota, that answer was a new Pontiac Firebird Esprit. “Dad got into Pontiacs after Studebaker stopped building cars,” Dale recalled, “and Hansord Pontiac was the closest dealer to the house. Plus, Firebirds were a whole lot rarer than Camaros in those days. There were always a million Camaros running around, and far fewer Firebirds. I like a car that everyone else doesn’t have.” Dale special-ordered his Esprit: Buccaneer Red with white-letter tires on
