1990 Pontiac Firebird Photos, engines & full specs

Pontiac faced a difficult situation: on one hand, it knew that it had to replace the model, and on the other hand, the new generation wasn't ready.

Thus, in the late '80s and the beginning of the '90s, it tried to keep the car fresh on the market with different versions or addition. In addition, it tried to lower the car's costs, even though that meant decreasing the quality of some non-essential parts, such as the door cards.

Pontiac had experimented with a few variations for the Firebird's bodywork. Strangely, even a notchback design was offered as an option for the Firebird. Nevertheless, that was not very attractive to customers, who preferred the elegant sloped-down liftgate behind the cabin. Another unusual option for the Firebird was the restyled nose that extended the car's front with an aerodynamically profiled bumper, making the car look sharper. That idea was carried over to its successor, which was launched in 1993.

Inside, the Firebird still sported the same high-bolstered bucket seats at the front, meant to provide enough side support for their occupants during high-speed cornering maneuvers. The overall interior design was showing its age, and only the optional CD player looked appropriate for those times. The AC was standard for the V8 model and optional for the V6 version.

Apart from the thrilling Trans Am GTA model, the rest of the range was not very special. Still, its engine lineup was strong enough. The 5.0-liter V8 powerplant was good enough to deliver over 200 ponies.