History & Heritage: Firebird

A Pontiac Firebird Trans Am stole the show from its human co-stars in the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit." An '82 Firebird Trans Am starred as KITT, the talking car in the "Knight Rider" TV series of the early 1980s. Jim Rockford of "The Rockford Files" drove a tan Firebird. And a T-top Trans Am version makes a cameo appearance in the movie "Kill Bill, Vol. 2." But most Firebird fans remember Pontiac's pony car as the (mostly) powerful sports car that had a hood on the Trans Am version with a large (and what some people called) "screaming chicken" graphic stenciled on it.

If Firebird joins the returning Chevy Camaro in 2009, which some industry folks speculate, those fans may soon be creating fresh Firebird memories.

Sharing the F-body platform, Firebird and Camaro both debuted in 1967. With a split grille, integrated bumpers and "slit" taillights, Firebird came as a two-door hardtop or convertible through the 1969 models. The base models had a six-cylinder, but most motorists wanted Pontiac V-8s, which were the primary powerplants for Firebirds until Pontiac engines were discontinued completely after the 1981 models.

The reason behind choosing a V-8 was simple: horsepower. Early V-8s, some with functional Ram Air hood scoops, got between 250 and 345 hp. Some people suspect that GM understated some power ratings so buyers wouldn't have to pay higher insurance rates and so Chevy's more expensive Corvette wouldn't lose any sales.

The "Trans Am Performance and Appearance Package" for the 1969 model was the start of Firebird's popular Trans Am. Designed for the Sports Car Club of America's racing series (Pontiac paid the SCCA a royalty for each car sold), the Trans Am featured a dual-intake scooped hood, fender vents and a spoiler.

The second generation Firebird (1970-81), with a recessed grille and a rear window line just above the trunk lid, was strictly a coupe, though T-tops (starting in 1976) and aftermarket convertibles could be had.

GM almost dropped Firebird, but two 1973 developments changed its mind: the full-hood graphic art and a 455 cubic-inch engine rated at 290 hp (because GM policy prohibited stating that any engine's rating exceeded 300 hp). The engine actually got somewhere around 440 gross hp and came out as other muscle-car engines were disappearing. It certainly was the most powerful engine Pontiac ever made.

The 1970s' oil crisis and emissions mandates meant steep power drops for all cars. All of Firebird's large V-8s were gone after 1979. Despite the power decline, Firebird enjoyed its best sales year in 1978 (187,285 cars), the year after the Smokey movie.

The shorter, lighter third generation (1982-92) brought sleeker styling, full unibody construction and a rear hatchback. The new pop-up headlights became a Firebird staple for the next 20 years. A makeover of the '85 `Bird introduced front "nostrils" and front and rear wraparound "bumperettes."

In 1987, the large hood emblem disappeared for good. But engines started coming with fuel injection and power kept rising with improving technology. The '91 received a pronounced rounded nose and Pontiac offered a special limited-edition Firehawk model in '92, but most buyers waited for the '93 on an all-new platform, the fourth and last generation of Firebirds - so far.

The round-nose styling continued on the '93, which brought the first factory-made convertible in 23 years, and a few Firebirds were rated at 300 hp again. When a '98 restyle with four pop-up headlights on a very different-looking front end didn't boost sales, it wasn't long (2002) before the last Firebirds (and Camaros, too) rolled off a Quebec assembly line.

Firebird's demise occurred even though the 1998-2002 models used the 5.7-liter V-8 that powered C5 Corvettes. But has the nameplate marched into oblivion - or is it just on hiatus? We should know fairly soon.