It's been a century since Pontiac was founded, and while the brand was discontinued 16 years ago, the Firebird Trans Am still stands out as its most recognizable and iconic model โ aside from the turbocharged Trans Am that is. Built over four generations and 35 years, the Firebird is a legendary pony car much like the Ford Mustang. One of its most unique elements was the optional bird graphic across the hood, often referred to as the 'screaming chicken.' The story of how this graphic came to be is fascinating.
๐ The Core Development
When the original Firebird launched in 1967, it sported an emblem of a bird with its wings down and beak closed, much like Hopi Native American jewelry. The famed phoenix graphic later featured on the Firebird Trans Am built on this emblem, with Pontiac head of design Bill Porter adding dramatic wings and gold feathers. These elements were inspired by colorful Tiffany vases that he collected.
๐ Background & Sector Context
Porter was so eager to see his design added to the Firebird that while the 1970 model was being developed, he printed and stuck the graphic onto a full-sized clay model. Speaking with Original MotorCar in 2024, Porter revealed that then-GM design boss Bill Mitchell spotted the graphic and hated it. At the time, it seemed like that might have been the end of the bird and with it, any chance of epic future restomodded Trans Ams.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
It wasn't until a couple of years later that GM designer John Schinella discovered Porter's design, enhanced it, and re-pitched the idea to Mitchell. To give himself the best chance of having the design approved, he applied a gold graphic to the hood of a black Trans Am after noticing Mitchell owned a black motorcycle adorned with gold graphics. As fate would have it, his plan worked, and Mitchell approved it.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
In addition to being called the 'screaming chicken,' the graphic is also referred to by some as a 'rising phoenix,' but was actually just called the Trans Am Hood Decal by Pontiac. It debuted as an option on the 1973 Firebird Trans Am, costing $55, and proved extremely popular. The bird was originally 45.5 inches wide and 44.5 inches long, and in 1978, it grew in size to 47 inches wide by 55 inches tall. The bird's head was also repositioned and no longer pointed toward the driver, but instead faced the passenger side.
This enlarged version of the graphic became standard on all 1979 Trans Am models, except the 10 th Anniversary version. The pattern then grew slightly for 1980 Trans Ams โ which became an ideal Firebird restomod platform in 2022 โ and spawned a unique version for the Firebird's turbocharged models. At the height of its popularity in the late 1970s, the design was such a hit that even Ford copied it, placing a large golden snake graphic on the Mustang King Cobra hood. The third-generation Firebird, introduced in 1982, continued to offer the distinctive graphic, though it was smaller than previous iterations. Ultimately, the graphic's popularity waned, and Pontiac dropped it for the 1988 model.
