Motor Vehicle Tips

The Pontiac Firebird is perhaps one of the most classic cars ever made, thanks to various popular culture references hooked up to it.  It was first made in 1967 by Yank automaker General Motors, through their Pontiac division.  The firebird was introduced along with its cousin in the GM family, the Chevrolet Camaro, with which it shared a platform.  As with its rivals, it was introduced head-on with the Mercury Cougar of Ford.  The engines powering the Firebird from the start and for almost all of its existence until its last year in 2002 were V8 engines.  First, Pontiac engines powered it up to 1982 when GM engines were used.  Since its last appearance in 2002, no efforts have been made to revive the line.  The possibility of a Firebird revival has further been made very unlikely by the discontinuation of the Pontiac brand after 2010.  This is despite the news that the Chevrolet Camaro will make a comeback for the 2010 model year.  

The 1st generation of Firebirds was available from 1967 until 1969 and was assembled in Pontiac facilities in Van Nuys, California and Norwood, Ohio.  It was available in 2-door coupes and convertibles.  In 1969, a Trans-Am package for the Firebird was introduced, which only furthered the popularity of the ar.  A Trans-Am package featured upgraded suspension, handling, and hp.  Cultured differences with the Trans-Am package include mist lights, wheels, hoods, and spoilers.  The second generation of Firebirds and Trans-Ams from 1970 to 1981 was in charge of cementing the brand in American popular culture.  The 2-door convertible was dropped.  The second generation car was seen in the films Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper and Smokey and the Bandit II.  The third generation, which was available from 1982 until 1992, was featured in the movies Alphabet City and Smokey and the Bandit Part three.  The television show Knight Rider featured a talking automobile, KITT, which was actually a changed Trans-am of the 3rd generation.  Unfortunately, declining sales made General Motors abandon the brand, with the Pontiac GTO replacing it.

For more reviews about sports cars, visit thesupercars.org and while you are at it, you might also want to have a look at ball joint for Pontiac Firebird.

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Those among us lucky enough to be around in the 70s when this fantastic automobile came out drool whenever we consider it.  Imagine getting a vehicle from the factory with a 455 cubic inch engine in it!This car kicked butt!  Then if you probably did some work, like we did to ours, as in having the engine blue outlined, balanced and a ton more, it did even better.  Let’s just say it was doing much better then one hp per cubic inch!

This was the era of Smokey and the Bandit movies.  Good ole boy Burt Reynolds drove a black Trans Am in the film and everybody and his uncle all of a sudden wanted one.  Naturally, by that time the ones they were selling were watered down versions with no where close to the power of the first ones. 

Since we’re not sure of the statute of restrictions, let’s just say that any stories are thought to start’Once upon A Time’. 

One of our fave stories is when we were getting onto sunrise road late one evening and a Camaro rolled up next to us and started revving his engine, well you can imagine the rest.Here was a poor soul who had not a clue of what was in store.  Since we don’t believe in street racing, it definitely was a good thing we were both going onto the entrance ramp.  Once we were satisfied that no one was on the parkway at that point of night, we let the Beast Out To Play.  We never did see any more then his fading headlights.

One of the funniest moments was when we lived in upstate NY and my husband went to the store to pick something up and this man in a Mustang 2 pulled up next to him and my man had a good time ( hey, we are all titled sometimes ).  As Chuck tells it : You see at that point a local car dealer was running a television spot featuring a Mustang 2 just destroying a Trans Am.  So this gentleman pulls up next to me, gunning his engine for all he’s's worth.  The light changes, he chirps his tires and flashes me an enormous grin as he’s taking off.  Well, I idle away from the light,give it sufficient gas in first to tug even with him, then drop the hammer, lighting up both tires, throw second, light them up again and then ease off.  Drive down the line to the store.

When I come out of the store this man has finally got there and is waiting for me and says,’but the commercial claims Mustangs will beat the pants off the Trans Am.’ I extraordinarily blithely responded,’Not this Trans Am!’

They don’t make them like this anymore.  It’s downcast when you concentrate on it!  Those of us who lived and grew up in the age of the muscle cars, street rods, Sat. night cruise nights were very,very lucky.  I feel sorry for the youth of today that they missed out on all of this. 

So what has happened to that great 455 Trans Am, sadly the oppressive upstate NY winters are not kind to automobiles and rust took the Trans Am from us.  However, we probably did replace it – with a customised 1973 Vette, which we drove cross country to California, but that is a full nother story!

Do you know which cars are super fast and are among the fastest cars in the world? Visit thesupercars.org to view all the fast and exotic cars. Also take a look at Pontiac Trans Am auctions.

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The requirements from the government loans to General Motors are brutal, forcing General Motors to rid itself of the poor performing brands of Saturn, Hummer, Saab, and Pontiac. Among the classic Pontiac cars made famous are the great muscle cars, the GTO and Trans Am, made famous in many movies.  Who can ever forget the movies Smokey and the Bandit or Two Lane Blacktop with a raging GTO?  Also on the block is the big selling Pontiac Solstice. Even though the Solstice is a clear winner, it can’t carry the dead weight of the Pontiac line by itself. The elimination of this car would effect now only the entire assembly line upon it and its parts suppliers, but those business which also sell after market parts (such as the Pontiac Solstice windscreen / windblocker / wind deflector).

Convertible owners are enthusiast about their car, and sharing their love for it. The Pontiac Solstice had a great premiere with positive editorial words and buyers ready to purchase. No quicker than Pontiac’s end came about, did its fan base answer to save the Solstice (see SaveTheKappa). The website quickly sprang into action, calling Solstice owners into action to help save their beloved car.  Although brand new, fans are already flocking to this website, and activity will certainly pick up as the Solstice’s demise becomes near.

Unfortunately, it’s simply too early to tell what might happen. There are still a lot of gyrations left to play out in this complex business drama.  The eventual fate of the Pontiac Solstice itself is still to be written. Even though General Motors is pulling the plug on Pontiac, perhaps profitable lines could continue their lives. This would be an enormous relief for the fans, the workers, and the businesses (such as the Pontiac Solstice windscreen / windblocker / wind deflector) that support this wildly popular car. While this car’s fate is up in the air and it’s too soon to predict its death, no matter what, the Pontiac Solstice will always have a supported fan base.

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