Photo: John Rendering on Behance
Pontiac is one of the greatest American brands we sadly now have to refer to using the past tense. The nameplate that once put out iconic models such as the Firebird or GTO is no longer with us, and even though its demise coincided with (and was hurried by) the financial crisis in 2008, you can still put the blame on poor management.
Pointing fingers won't do us any good now, and it certainly won't bring Pontiac back, so maybe we should just focus on the brand's better times and the numerous great designs that have worn the badge. One of the very first to enter the unofficial hall of fame was the first-gen Firebird.
Essentially a restyled Chevrolet Camaro, the Firebird marked Pontiac's entrance into the "pony car" market, slotting under the larger and more powerful GTO. Its debut was arguably also its best attempt, with the 1967, 1968, and 1969 models launching that unmistakable look with the bumpers integrated into the front end's design.
Like all performance cars from that era, you will often see the Pontiac Firebird used as the starting point for some of the most spectacular restoration or resto-mod projects. However, with more and more things becoming digital these days, we're also seeing a growing number of virtual makeovers involving America's finest.
The one we have here belongs to John Rendering and features a fully-modded, blacked-out 1968 Firebird. The most remarkable thing about the project is its ride height. You will literally struggle to fit anything between the Firebird's custom bumpers and the piece of asphalt it sits on. A pebble on the road? Might as well be Mount Everest, it would be the same to you. You'll probably need to bring this car on a trailer wherever it is you're planning to drive it, except how are you supposed to get it on that trailer in the first place? Well, that's the beauty of digital custom cars: you don't need to worry about boring stuff such as the slightest ounce of practicality.
Other than that, the black really suits the model (what model doesn't it suit?) and the angle-eyes headlights provide the single warm touch to what is otherwise a very good replica of Darth Vader's helmet.
There's no word on what's sitting under this Firebird's hood, but assuming it kept its original engine, we're looking at a 400ci (6.5-liter) Ram Air II V8 with 340 hp stock. But when nothing else on the car is left stock, why would the engine be an exception? So, why don't you just let your imagination run free?
Essentially a restyled Chevrolet Camaro, the Firebird marked Pontiac's entrance into the "pony car" market, slotting under the larger and more powerful GTO. Its debut was arguably also its best attempt, with the 1967, 1968, and 1969 models launching that unmistakable look with the bumpers integrated into the front end's design.
Like all performance cars from that era, you will often see the Pontiac Firebird used as the starting point for some of the most spectacular restoration or resto-mod projects. However, with more and more things becoming digital these days, we're also seeing a growing number of virtual makeovers involving America's finest.
The one we have here belongs to John Rendering and features a fully-modded, blacked-out 1968 Firebird. The most remarkable thing about the project is its ride height. You will literally struggle to fit anything between the Firebird's custom bumpers and the piece of asphalt it sits on. A pebble on the road? Might as well be Mount Everest, it would be the same to you. You'll probably need to bring this car on a trailer wherever it is you're planning to drive it, except how are you supposed to get it on that trailer in the first place? Well, that's the beauty of digital custom cars: you don't need to worry about boring stuff such as the slightest ounce of practicality.
Other than that, the black really suits the model (what model doesn't it suit?) and the angle-eyes headlights provide the single warm touch to what is otherwise a very good replica of Darth Vader's helmet.
There's no word on what's sitting under this Firebird's hood, but assuming it kept its original engine, we're looking at a 400ci (6.5-liter) Ram Air II V8 with 340 hp stock. But when nothing else on the car is left stock, why would the engine be an exception? So, why don't you just let your imagination run free?
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