With Corvette heart
The last generation of the Pontiac Firebird was never a very popular model, especially not in the Netherlands. It is all the more fun that we encountered one with a Dutch license plate. A Trans Am even, so one with the LT1-V8 from the Corvette C4!
The General Motors brand Pontiac once built four generations of its Firebird, a model name that will ring a bell with many. Exactly that model – and then one of the second generation – stole the show in film classic Smokey and the Bandit. And it didn’t stop there, because years later it was again Pontiac that was allowed to deliver a car for the canvas, but this time for Knight Rider. Yes, KITT the talking car from Michael Knight was also a Pontiac Firebird.
Where KITT was a third-generation copy, we suddenly spotted a fourth-generation Firebird yesterday. One that was screwed together by General Motors in 1995 and set foot (or wheel) on Dutch soil for the first time in 2014. Since the car was imported, it always remained with the same owner, who apparently had few problems with the car: no defects were reported during any of the MOT inspections since 2015.
The Pontiac Firebird, even as a Trans Am with a V8, was therefore not exactly a model of progressive, complex technology – and that can make a difference in the long run. Under the hood is a 5.7-liter LT1 V8, a block that we know from the C4 generation of the Chevrolet Corvette and produces about 270 hp in this iteration. In this case, that power finds the rear axle via a four-speed automatic transmission, where this generation of Firebird in the United States could also be equipped with a six-speed manual transmission.
Pontiac Firebird
In the test
Just under 22 years ago, we tested a V6 version of the Pontiac Firebird, which ultimately remained on the market until 2002. At the time, the editor on duty noted that despite its sporty appearance, it was only a moderately sporty driving car, which, on the other hand, was very suitable for long distances. The Firebird still looks sporty, although the age of the spotted copy can also be seen, while its rear spoiler that rises from the bottom of the B-pillar in particular still stands out in a positive way. They don’t design them that way anymore. The sound that the LT1 produces will also perfectly match the sporty pretensions of the Firebird; we therefore hope that the first Dutch owner can enjoy it for a long time to come.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl