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The American muscle car scene of the late 80s was a smoldering landscape, choked by emissions regulations and gasping for a shot of adrenaline. Ford's Mustang held court, a swaggering bully fueled by 5.0liter v8. But from the ashes of conformity, a phoenix would rise – the Pontiac Firehawk, a creature forged from Detroit iron and Italian finesse, a collaboration that breathed fire into the soul of American performance.
This wasn't a mere badge swap or a cosmetic makeover. The Firehawk was a rebellion. It was born from the unlikely union of General Motors, desperate to reclaim the pony car throne, and Street Legal Performance (SLP), a New Jersey tuning house with a reputation for turning pony cars into firebreathing monsters. In their hands, the humble Pontiac Firebird Trans Am wasn't just a car; it was a canvas for automotive alchemy. Now this was an option available on the Firebird Formulas, a nonTrans Am V8 bird, during the last year of the 3rd generation. And it wasn’t cheap, the base firehawks came with a price tag of 40k usd, with an extra optional competition R package that added 10k to the price.
So they weren’t exactly cheap, but they where worth the money. SLP delved deep, ripping out the L98 smallblock's restrictive intake and replacing it with a symphony of freeflowing air. This wasn't just about adding horses; it was about unleashing the beast within. Three hundred and fifty prancing ponies emerged, their snort echoing through a custom exhaust, while a sixspeed T56 manual transmission, a foreshadowing of the future, tamed their wild spirit. Inside, the Firehawk whispered its intentions with a subtle console upgrade, a hint of the power lurking beneath the leather. They didn’t stop there though, they even upgraded the brakes to a set of Ferrari F40 brakes.
Now with this first generation of the firehawk only 25 units where produced. And as you can see they did more than just upgrade the engine. On the outside you had an awesome customized body that looked like something from a film, and on the inside you got optional rollbars, and a 6 point harness. You could even opt for a fuelcell, which just shows how serious they where when building these.
But it was with The fourth generation firebird where the partnership really started to blossom. Firehawks like the R6V became weapons of the asphalt. The LT1 engine, nestled under a bespoke ramair hood, sang its throaty aria, while upgraded suspension danced a delicate tango with wide Firestone Firehawk tires – a name that embodied the car's very essence. These Firehawks didn't just compete with the upcoming LS1 Fbodies; they laughed in their faces, leaving smoking tire tracks as proof of their superiority.
But the Firehawk wasn't just about straightline bragging rights. Its handling was a legend, whispered in hushed tones on canyon roads. SLP's alchemy wasn't limited to horsepower; they understood the delicate dance of suspension, the interplay of springs and sway bars, the language of tires whispering against asphalt. They didn't just throw on bigger brakes and wider rubber; the cars also got an optional torsen lsd, and upgraded bilsten suspension, transforming the Firehawk into a scalpel on the tarmac, carving corners with the precision of a surgeon. Well sort of, it was still a big power front engine rwd muscle car, so lets rather say a surgeon with a bit of a hangover, more precise then most, but still not perfect.
Now with these amazing cars Even Pontiac, was captivated by the Firehawk's magic, and couldn't resist joining the dance. The WS6 package borrowed heavily from SLP's playbook, offering its own dose of muscle and agility. Was it imitation or flattery? Let history decide. Now im not bashing the WS6 firebirds, I actually like them quite a bit, im just saying we know where they got the idea.
Tragically, the Formula Firehawk remained a super limited dream, never reaching full production. But its legacy soars on the wind, echoing across canyon walls and reverberating in gearhead garages.
It's a story that deserves to be told, a story that reminds us that the fire of the Firehawk still burns bright, waiting to be unleashed on the asphalt once more.
Now I will say at the end the first version of the firehawk is the best one. It looks the best and performed better than the last one, no jokes. The OG SLP firehawk had a 060 of 4.6 seconds while the last one did the same sprint in 5.2 seconds. It just shows newer isn’t always better. But at the end of the video let me know what you thought of the video and what you think of this awesome super rare SLP Pontiac.

#v8 #Musclecar #Firehawk