By the early 20th century, Ford had already revolutionized the automotive industry with the Model T, widely known as the first car built on an assembly line, which streamlined production and allowed Ford to build more units at once. After the Model T, Ford wasn't ready to stop with the revolution just yet. By the time the '60s rolled around, they were gearing up to revolutionize the performance car segment, and coin the term "cheap speed." The result of this project came along in 1964, with a little car that you may have heard of called the Mustang.
The original Mustang was quite literally an overnight success, prompting the other members of the Big Three to get to work on their own answers to the Mustang. The first to respond was Chevrolet, who introduced the original Camaro in 1966 for the 1967 model year. A few months later, sister company Pontiac introduced their own version of the Camaro, called the Firebird. Just like the Camaro, the Firebird was pretty successful, and it has become an iconic automobile in recent years. Unfortunately, in 2010, after some spotty decision-making, GM closed up shop on the Pontiac brand. Still, we can't help but wonder what a new Firebird would look like. With the help of digital artist Timothy Adry Emmanuel, HotCars has imagined a revival of the iconic Pontiac Firebird in a new car rendering.
What Would A New Firebird Look Like?
If General Motors ever decided to make a new Pontiac Firebird any time soon, it would come along at an interesting time. Sure, the Ford Mustang is still going strong, as it's gearing up for another generation. But, the Dodge Challenger is old and due for replacement soon, as well as a fully electric version, and Chevy has all but confirmed that the Camaro won't live past the current generation, with an electric sedan reportedly replacing it in the coming years. Since the Camaro name appears no longer profitable for Chevy, maybe a Firebird revival would give them a new edge in the muscle car segment. If it looks anything like this, they'd be on the right track.
Emmanuel has used what appears to be the C6 Chevy Corvette as a starting point, but has sufficiently modified the styling, not only to distinguish it from the Camaro, but also to christen it with some signature Firebird design touches. Even though the Firebird's front end went through many different changes throughout its life, Emmanuel has used the 1977 model's front end as inspiration. The headlights appear to come from the C8 Corvette's taillights, but that amalgamation definitely works here. The fenders are also significantly wider, and the front and rear fascias are very aggressive. Like the original, this one also has T-tops, even though that would be illegal in today's world. The rear features a recognizable ducktail spoiler, horizontal slats for taillights, and a quad exhaust setup very reminiscent of the C8 Corvette once more. The wheels are a mesh design, obviously drawing inspiration from the 1977 Firebird model, like the one that appeared in Smokey and The Bandit, which now has a new owner. Speaking of, this digital Firebird wears the iconic black and gold livery very proudly.
What Would Power A New Firebird?
There are two possible directions that GM could go when it comes to the powertrain in the new Firebird. The first and probably the most likely way is to mirror the same powertrains that are available on the Camaro, and possibly the C8 Corvette as well. As a refresher, the engine in the base C8 Corvette is a 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 developing 490 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. The Camaro SS, meanwhile, uses a 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 with 455 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque. This would also mean that the Firebird would get the Camaro ZL1's powertrain, and it would likely use the Formula nameplate. The rather special Camaro ZL1 uses a supercharged V8 of the same displacement, developing 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. While it probably wouldn't be GM's first choice to fit the new 5.5-liter flat-plane V8 from the new Z06, it could represent their own take on the Shelby GT350, which also uses a flat-plane V8.
The other option would be, of course, going fully electric. An electric Firebird would most likely ride on GM's new Ultium architecture, which is set to underpin a whole variety of upcoming EVs, including the worth-waiting-for Chevy Blazer EV, the Cadillac Lyriq, the Chevy Silverado EV, the GMC Hummer EV, and the Honda Prologue, which we're definitely looking forward to. The base model would likely be RWD, with either a single rear motor or two motors for each rear wheel, whereas the top of the line model could offer dual motors, three motors, or possibly even quad motors and AWD. As GM revived the Hummer nameplate for the new and surprisingly inefficient Hummer EV, in theory, it's a perfect opportunity to revive the Firebird name for a new EV muscle car.
Would A New Firebird Ever Happen?
It's difficult to pinpoint. There are a vocal few who are begging GM to bring back the Pontiac brand in one way or another, and the interest for muscle cars and EVs, and maybe even a combination of the two, is definitely there. GM hasn't expressed interest to revive Pontiac, but if they ever decide to do such a thing, a new Firebird, ICE or EV, would be a perfect return to form for the iconic nameplate. Truth be told, there were some pretty nasty models that ruined Pontiac.