Photo: Bring a Trailer
American car culture is dominated by the muscle and pony car. Names like the Mustang, Charger, or Corvette are a staple when it comes to bald-eagle performance. With that said, there are some understated, forgotten models in their history. Let’s take a look at one of them.
Pontiac might be one of the hardest-hitting names when it comes to old-school muscle. They started building things with wheels in the late-late 1800s and were acquired by GM in 1909.
Their pre-war line-up was doing fine, really hitting the nail on the head in terms of their target audience: low-end customers who were looking for style over performance. Models like the Chieftain and Star Chief had handsome styling and enough engine options to please every buyer’s pockets.
After the war, Pontiac kept their head above water, but not much more. They had models like the Bonneville that, on a scale from 1-to-Cool, were Very Cool. It was a widebody and low-slung model, and it looked amazing. With that said, they were still losing ground to the more appealing offerings from Chevrolet - but they were ready for the muscle car era, and boy, oh boy, did they deliver.
During the ‘60s and the ‘70s, Pontiac hit their peak. Their midlife crisis was filled with innovative designs that embedded them as one of the top American car manufacturers, and that title doesn't come easily.
In 1964, Pontiac released the GTO to the world, and that single model right there gave birth to the segment we all know and love: the muscle car. The release of the GTO hit everyone like a freight train. It was beautifully sculpted and featured a monstrous V8 under the hood. But they didn’t stop there.
While the GTO was the foundation of the muscle car, Pontiac’s history doesn't end there. I could spend the rest of this article talking about cool models from Pontiac and I still wouldn’t be able to talk about all of them, so I’ll stick to the popular kids.
The Grand Am, the Grand Prix, and the one and only GTO, all marked a legendary era for the American car industry. Among these names, we find one that stood the test of time a little better than the others - the Firebird.
From the get-go, with a name like that, you can expect a noisy, fast, tire-smoking machine, and you’d be right. The Firebird was born as a competitor to the Mustang. It was a little late to the party, starting in 1967, but it came in style. With the classic coke-bottle shape and a plethora of engine options under the hood. You could get a lot of civilized engines with the Firebird, but I’ll stick with the monstrous 6.6 liters (400 ci) V8 that produced 325 hp (330 ps).
The next generation Firebird arrived in 1970, with redesigned body and new power units offered. The design changed to a more muscly look - bigger arches and more pronounced and exaggerated lines to complement the power train changes. The new engines ranged from 4.1 liters (250 ci) to a giant 7.5 liter (457 ci) V8.
The third generation Firebird arrived in the early ‘80s, and that growly V8 with enough torque to restart a dead planet was gone due to pollution regulations. But even in these grim circumstances, it still was a cool car, and a sought-after one. With sleek body lines and pop-up headlights, it quickly gained popularity, but let’s not forget about the main promoter - the movie industry, with a starring role in KITT, which made it a worldwide hit.
The next iteration of the Firebird was more of a facelift, with not much changing. The design got some tweaks and the engine options were narrowed down to only two - a 3.1 liter (189 ci) V6 or a 5.0 liter (305 ci) V8 with 140 hp (142 ps) and 209 hp (212 ps), respectively.
The last generation of the Pontiac Firebird returned to its muscle roots, but it had one big problem - the design. It wasn’t perceived as beautiful, it had some weird angles and design elements that were questionable to a lot of customers. With that said, nowadays it grew back in popularity, and if you are among the ones who fancy this model, I have a pretty cool example for you, up at auction in Grantsville, Utah.
It’s a 1997 model, with the WS6 Performance and Handling Package. Under the hood, you will find a 5.7 liter (347 ci) LT1 V8 paired with a 4-speed automatic gearbox. It’s painted bright white, and it comes with a few tasteful modifications, like 17’’ alloy wheels, tuned suspension components, and a RamAir intake.
It’s not a perfect example, with a few paint chips here and there, and most notably, an accident in 2007 that resulted in front-end damage. With that said, I still think this is a great example, as it still has low miles and it’s the perfect tire-smoking machine - while they’re still affordable.
Today, Pontiac has died, and that’s sad, even more so watching their slow decline over the years. But we have to remember the great impact it had on the automotive world, and this Firebird is a great way to own a little piece of that history.
Their pre-war line-up was doing fine, really hitting the nail on the head in terms of their target audience: low-end customers who were looking for style over performance. Models like the Chieftain and Star Chief had handsome styling and enough engine options to please every buyer’s pockets.
After the war, Pontiac kept their head above water, but not much more. They had models like the Bonneville that, on a scale from 1-to-Cool, were Very Cool. It was a widebody and low-slung model, and it looked amazing. With that said, they were still losing ground to the more appealing offerings from Chevrolet - but they were ready for the muscle car era, and boy, oh boy, did they deliver.
During the ‘60s and the ‘70s, Pontiac hit their peak. Their midlife crisis was filled with innovative designs that embedded them as one of the top American car manufacturers, and that title doesn't come easily.
In 1964, Pontiac released the GTO to the world, and that single model right there gave birth to the segment we all know and love: the muscle car. The release of the GTO hit everyone like a freight train. It was beautifully sculpted and featured a monstrous V8 under the hood. But they didn’t stop there.
While the GTO was the foundation of the muscle car, Pontiac’s history doesn't end there. I could spend the rest of this article talking about cool models from Pontiac and I still wouldn’t be able to talk about all of them, so I’ll stick to the popular kids.
The Grand Am, the Grand Prix, and the one and only GTO, all marked a legendary era for the American car industry. Among these names, we find one that stood the test of time a little better than the others - the Firebird.
From the get-go, with a name like that, you can expect a noisy, fast, tire-smoking machine, and you’d be right. The Firebird was born as a competitor to the Mustang. It was a little late to the party, starting in 1967, but it came in style. With the classic coke-bottle shape and a plethora of engine options under the hood. You could get a lot of civilized engines with the Firebird, but I’ll stick with the monstrous 6.6 liters (400 ci) V8 that produced 325 hp (330 ps).
The next generation Firebird arrived in 1970, with redesigned body and new power units offered. The design changed to a more muscly look - bigger arches and more pronounced and exaggerated lines to complement the power train changes. The new engines ranged from 4.1 liters (250 ci) to a giant 7.5 liter (457 ci) V8.
The third generation Firebird arrived in the early ‘80s, and that growly V8 with enough torque to restart a dead planet was gone due to pollution regulations. But even in these grim circumstances, it still was a cool car, and a sought-after one. With sleek body lines and pop-up headlights, it quickly gained popularity, but let’s not forget about the main promoter - the movie industry, with a starring role in KITT, which made it a worldwide hit.
The next iteration of the Firebird was more of a facelift, with not much changing. The design got some tweaks and the engine options were narrowed down to only two - a 3.1 liter (189 ci) V6 or a 5.0 liter (305 ci) V8 with 140 hp (142 ps) and 209 hp (212 ps), respectively.
The last generation of the Pontiac Firebird returned to its muscle roots, but it had one big problem - the design. It wasn’t perceived as beautiful, it had some weird angles and design elements that were questionable to a lot of customers. With that said, nowadays it grew back in popularity, and if you are among the ones who fancy this model, I have a pretty cool example for you, up at auction in Grantsville, Utah.
It’s a 1997 model, with the WS6 Performance and Handling Package. Under the hood, you will find a 5.7 liter (347 ci) LT1 V8 paired with a 4-speed automatic gearbox. It’s painted bright white, and it comes with a few tasteful modifications, like 17’’ alloy wheels, tuned suspension components, and a RamAir intake.
It’s not a perfect example, with a few paint chips here and there, and most notably, an accident in 2007 that resulted in front-end damage. With that said, I still think this is a great example, as it still has low miles and it’s the perfect tire-smoking machine - while they’re still affordable.
Today, Pontiac has died, and that’s sad, even more so watching their slow decline over the years. But we have to remember the great impact it had on the automotive world, and this Firebird is a great way to own a little piece of that history.
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