Idea for firebirds return

[Xicer]

I was just thinking. I may have a decent idea for the firebird's return.

-everyone envisions the 'bird and camaro as big cars, this is because of the definate shift to smaller cars from the sixties. few remember though that at the time, they were both the SMALL sporty cars in their respective lineups.

-I believe that the firebird, in this respect, would be ideal on a kappa. I (a firebird owner myself) would love to see a hardtop kappa reworked and badged a firebird. I dont have a problem with two seats since the original back seats were near useless anyway, but to please the purists it might be possible to wait for the NG kappa when gm can work in the extra row of seats

*anyone else agree?

Edited July 4, 2006 by Xicer

[ToniCipriani]

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...?showtopic=5880

I've made this a while ago, and somewhat had an idea to call the coupe a Solstice Firebird.

After all the Boxster and Cayman are the same cars... so I don't see why this can't be done.

[Xicer]

i was thinking instead of a strait up solstice coupe they could switch the sheetmetal around a bit, maybe not totally, but enough to warrant a name change. (think instead of firebird/camaro, solstice/camaro) also if the stingray ever shows up, the firebird could be a pontiac version with a v6 or larger engine

yes, ive been mulling this over for a while

Edited July 6, 2006 by Xicer

[trinacriabob]

I would love to see the Firebird return. It always has been my favorite pony car...more so than the Camaro...and I owned a Camaro with a 5.0 L V8 for a brief while. I think it was a little more provocative and I've always liked Pontiac's edge. Things got out of hand when it became "Smokey and the Banditized." Then, it was corraled back into shape. The only thing is if the F-bird comes back, it really needs to be sophisticated. It can't be like a T-bird or Mustang rehash, IMHO.

Edited July 6, 2006 by trinacriabob

[Sixty8panther]

I would love to see a hardtop kappa reworked and badged a firebird. I dont have a problem with two seats since the original back seats were near useless anyway, but to  please the purists it might be possible to wait for the NG kappa when gm can work in the extra row of seats

If by "hardtop" you mean a pillarless 2 dr. where all four windows dissapear

into the body & the B-pillar is nothing more than a piece of rubber insulation

then you have my support 100%. It must have an optional V8 & a 3rd pedal.

Yes indeed... the original Firebird was originally supposed to be a 2 seater anyway.

[Xicer]

well, its been proven the kappa can swallow a v8

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Well, for those who don't know, the Firebird was a result of the Banshee project of 1964. (The latter mentioned car, if GM decided to give it the greenlight instead of putting it on the backburner, would've been something along the lines of a C3 Corvette. The '64 Banshee project also borrowed cues from the C3.) Since John Z. DeLorian couldn't get the Banshee into the ream of production reality, GM top brass handed him the Camaro basically as a consolation prize. The DeLorian version of the Camaro was also slated to be named Banshee (like the Camaro's original name was Panther). Also, a few mock-ups wore GM-X badges as well.

At first, DeLorian didn't want to bother with a re-styled Chevy Camaro. He kept pushing for the original Banshee project instead, but GM didn't budge. GM didn't want to erode Corvette marketshare. So, with one option left, DeLorian gave up and took the Camaro route instead. But by then it was too late to significantly redesign the Camaro -- it was already well under developement and the Pontiac Crew only had 12 months to turn it into a sports car for the brand.

The Firebird didn't satisfy John Z. and the Pontiac Crew. Two years after the debut of the Pontiac Firebird, in '69, DeLorian brewed up another Pontiac sports car dubbed "X-4" in his strange little mind. That idea, X-4, was basically the spawn of the Banshee project and eventually would become Pontiac's first two-seater car: the Fiero.

***

I really don't want to see the Firebird make a return. In all, it was a pointless car. The Solstice could grow a little larger for the next-generation so a V-8 could be shoehorned in for the GX/P.

[Xicer]

_Though it may have started as what you call a "pointless car" im sure many people will disagree with you. though its beginning was as a plan-B car, over the years many people now recognize it as a pony car that brings a little bit more class and power to the more mainstream camaro.

_With all the people begging for the return of the firebird, i believe i may have proposed a decent solution , that is still true to its heritage. the original firebird was spawned basically as the more mainstream alternative to the banshee. while the solstice shares much with the banshee, it also shares some of its pseudo-exotic idiosyncracies (i.e. small production run) I suggest the firebird fill its original place. The new firebird could be run as a hardtop, 4-seat alternative to the solstice with some hot engine options, this way it does not detract from any other models (camaro, gto) yet still remains in the lineup and continues to reap the profits of the giant community of firebird fans. <jk

Edited July 8, 2006 by Xicer