First appearing in ’67, Pontiac’s Firebird has become a legendary driving machine. Now, 16 model years later, as the third generation of F-cars comes into being, the question arises, “Flow do you replace and improve upon a legend?” That’s not an easy task, but as cars get smaller and more efficient, maintaining the Firebird heritage and tradition turned into a real challenge. Pontiac’s expressed thrust for the ’80s is to “establish the division as a marketer of exciting, expressive, distinctive, youthful, sports-oriented, fun-to-drive, total performance automobiles.’’ What does Pontiac mean by “total performance”? They define it as making their cars outstanding in the categories of handling, braking, styling, driveability, and serviceability—not only in the United States, but in the international marketplace.
So how does all of this apply to the…
