There’s Nothing Redneck About Jay Leno’s Rare OHC Pontiac Firebird Sprint

There are tons of reasons to love Pontiac’s Firebird, but for some people, the redneck image of the 1970s Trans Am versions can make the entire model line hard to love, even if some other Firebirds were nothing like as brash or crude.

Jay Leno’s 1968 Firebird Sprint is one such car. Here was a Pontiac pony car that had a closer kinship to fancy European sports car like the Jaguar E-type than machines like its F-body sister, the Chevrolet Camaro.

And the major reason for that was the surprisingly sophisticated engine under the hood. A 265 cu-in. (4.1-liter) straight-six with its valves driven by an overhead cam connected to the crankshaft by a toothed rubber belt, it was a world away from the pushrod V8s and sixes that powered most American cars of the time.

The OHC-6 was intended to be the star of Pontiac’s two-seat Banshee sports car, and although GM brass killed that project for fear that it might cannibalize Corvette sales, the six did find its way into the Tempest, Le Mans and, later, the Firebird.

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In base form for 1968, it displaced 4.1-liters, sucked through a puny one-barrel carb and made 175 hp. But stepping up to the Sprint-6 added free-flow exhausts, a high-lift cam, a higher compression ratio and a four-barrel carb, lifting power to 215 hp.

Unfortunately it also added a load of extra cost, making a Sprint-6 a Firebird that cost as much as an entry level V8 model, but still didn’t make as much power. You had to really want the more refined engine, and most people didn’t, or at least not enough.

And many Sprints have lost their engines in the years since, though fortunately these days they’re rather more appreciated. Leno added this one to his collection in 2019 after a long search, gave it a light restoration, and added some modern upgrades, including a five-speed transmission, to make it more enjoyable to drive in modern traffic.

The first generation Firebirds don’t get anywhere near as much exposure as their later brothers, and while the ’69’s pug nose is hard to love, the ’67-68 cars with their full width chrome grille surrounds are great looking cars.