A North Carolina car builder has given Pontiac’s famous screaming chicken something to really cluck about, in the shape of eight rather more contemporary cylinders.
Yes friends, it’s another American icon restored with modern power, and the rest of this story is probably moot because you’re likely already sketching out your own Smokey and the Bandit-style interstate road trip.
This modified Firebird is the work of Concord tuner Retro Designs, who – correctly – wanted to leave the ‘groovy’ Seventies aesthetic intact and instead fill that aesthetic with much LS3 V8.
So, GM’s ubiquitous – and trustworthy – V8 now finds a home inside one of America’s most famous muscle cars, here tuned to develop a very healthy 430bhp that’ll exit rearwards via a six-speed ‘6L80’ gearbox... likely sending it very sideways.
It’s not a silhouette restomod, mind – the front suspension remains roughly as per 1979, only here it’s been replaced. The front features a 'hydroformed' subframe from Detroit Speed who specialise in producing bolt-in replacements for stuff like the classic Firebird, Nova and Camaro, each built to original spec. Only new, of course. Apparently these subframes offer better stiffness, handling and ride quality.
The rear is said to be formed of “modern rear suspension”, though. The brakes too, are massive contemporary stoppers from Wilwood doing a poor job of hiding behind new 18in wheels wrapped in Continentals. The exhaust comes via Magnaflow, a full custom stainless-steel unit said to “further boost performance and enhance driving response”.
Though no interior pics are available, we’re assured it keeps its ‘Seventies feel’. Mention is made of leather, an upgraded sound system and a Vintage Air heating and cooling system.
It took “months” to restore, naturally, and we’re told that each Retro Designs commission starts at $250,000, a fair chunk for a new-old car. “The Firebird is a completely unique, totally cool moment in time in the history of great cars from the Seventies,” said RD boss Daniel Valjevac.
“We felt it was really important to keep the car’s golden Seventies aesthetic intact, but that didn’t prevent us from integrating modern-day firepower under the hood. Upgrades such as a GM LS3 engine allowed us to give this Firebird plenty of punch,” he added.
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