Just thought I’d put a few paragraphs together to tell you about me, my car and my long term love of Firebirds.
It all started when I was about 10 years old (1977’ish) and I saw a Trans Am parked up near where we lived in Slough, it was the prettiest thing I had ever seen, everything just looked right and in the right proportion. I used to see that car most days doing my paperound, then one day the owner started it up! That was it I was hooked, that lazy rumble was the coolest sound ever! I had to have one…
My brother and I used to get my Dad to drive us to Kingston to the American Car Centre there and just stare at the cars, all the time dreaming of one day owning one, I used to read the custom car mags and drool over those cars for years.
Well I dreamt and dreamt but I never quite took the plunge, my teen years passed, even though I (sometimes) had the money I never did it, terrible regrets there! And then I got married at 21, had a kid, got divorced, rolled through my 30’s, got married again and then in my mid 30’s got into custom motorbikes… big time. I had loads of cool bikes and used to ride all over the UK & Europe partying! Seen some great things and been to some places I’ll never go again! I still have a bike and use it to commute on a few times a week.
Then at 40 I got divorced again! D’oh! I then started to think of all the things I still had to do in my life. No.1 of course being… owning my own Pontiac Firebird.
Anyway a year later and I met the girl of my dreams (Sue) and moved in with her (near Kingston ironically) while renting out my house in Bracknell. Parking on a busy main road with no garage meant my little sports car was getting knocked about so I decided to sell it and get myself a cheaper car. But what car? Well I suddenly thought it’s now or never Dave and searched the web for the Pontiac Owners Club. I got chatting with a few members online and everyone said get a V8… At the same time Outlaw (Neil) had a 3rd Gen V6 for sale, I went to see it, loved the look of it and went away to think… The 3rd Gen was a good compromise not quite as cool as the early ‘birds but a lot better then the 4th Gen’s I had seen which just didn’t do it for me.
What I really wanted was a Black 2nd Gen 1977 6.6 TA however it was to be parked on a busy road and I commute 64 miles a day, the 8mpg figures I was getting quoted put me off and I turned to Neil’s V6 as a good “first yank” a “daily driver” and an introduction to the whole scene.
Well I beat Neil down on price (sorry mate) and got the keys to my first Firebird a Black 1991 3.1 V6 in very good condition with 65,000 miles showing… I was in love! I shall always remember that first drive of a left hooker and the sheer size of the car! Wicked! I sold my sports car soon after which gave me some cash to spend. So I fitted a Cobra Cat 1 alarm to replace the old Piranha one and then took the car to Pipecraft over in Essex and had a new exhaust put on with a Flowmaster rear box and twin stainless outlets, it sounds pretty awesome.
Now I know you can’t beat a V8 for, well, being a V8 but I drive the Firebird most days and boy do I enjoy it, those 64 commuter miles a day are over almost to quick now! Touch wood the car is running great, it’s a bit quirky at times but that’s half the appeal of a 16 year old car.
Wherever I go people of all ages are interested in it and I fly the flag for Pontiac Firebirds, I’m proud of the fact that I’m out there driving it in all weathers, something I wouldn’t have done with the 2nd Gen.
Future plans are a Hood bird decal, yes I know they don’t belong on 3rd Gens but I like ‘em and then I may tidy up the engine bay a bit, oh and a service! I’m lucky in that the car is one of the cleanest I have seen, it all works so I intend to just enjoy it for what it is.
Long term I’m planning on moving house in the next 18 months so when I do (and have safe parking and a garage again) I may sell the 3rd Gen for a 2nd Gen, I have the money waiting for it, but I can’t bear to think of my absolute dream car sitting on a main road open to the elements! But for now I cannot even contemplate not having a Firebird in my life, nothing rings my bell like the look of those cars!
