Serial no. 001 – that’s what it says on this Pontiac Firebird that popped up for sale as part of the Mecum Kissimmee auction scheduled for January. It is the first car of the legendary family to have ever been made, one that had its share of screen time and fame a while back.
The story of this Firebird is quite the saga. Alongside serial no. 002 (it too for sale as part of the same auction, but that’s a story for another time) it somehow landed in possession of Chuck Aleksinas, a former basketball player who used to be employed by the Golden State Warriors for the 1984-1985 NBA season.
Both cars were discovered in 2014 by Gas Monkey Garage’s Richard Rawlings sitting inside the player’s garage. The entrepreneur immediately recognized the two cars as having immense value and got hold of them.
Serial no. 001 then went on to become a star in two episodes of Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud series. During its time under the spotlight, the car was subjected to a “nut and bolt concours rotisserie restoration” to get it back to its original shape.
It then entered Rawlings’ personal collection, from where it now sells during the Mecum event.
Coming as a convertible with a black top, the car sports the color it left the factory doors with, Regimental Red. A lot of things on it have been brought to their original shape, down to the 326-ci (5.3-liter) V8 under the hood, good for 250 hp and linked to an automatic transmission.
There is no estimate on how much the vehicle is expected to fetch, but given what it must represent for a lot of car collectors, it will probably cause a fight between bidders. To make it even more alluring, the seller also throws in documentation, driver side door frame VIN plate, and a copy of the factory build sheet.
Both cars were discovered in 2014 by Gas Monkey Garage’s Richard Rawlings sitting inside the player’s garage. The entrepreneur immediately recognized the two cars as having immense value and got hold of them.
Serial no. 001 then went on to become a star in two episodes of Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud series. During its time under the spotlight, the car was subjected to a “nut and bolt concours rotisserie restoration” to get it back to its original shape.
It then entered Rawlings’ personal collection, from where it now sells during the Mecum event.
Coming as a convertible with a black top, the car sports the color it left the factory doors with, Regimental Red. A lot of things on it have been brought to their original shape, down to the 326-ci (5.3-liter) V8 under the hood, good for 250 hp and linked to an automatic transmission.
There is no estimate on how much the vehicle is expected to fetch, but given what it must represent for a lot of car collectors, it will probably cause a fight between bidders. To make it even more alluring, the seller also throws in documentation, driver side door frame VIN plate, and a copy of the factory build sheet.