I've been telling you guys right along; DO NOT count the Firebird as dead yet.

I firmly believe that if the Camaro comes back, then the Firebird will be right there with it.

I'm not giving up hope on a proper Firebird and Trans Am.

 

I love Firebirds.

IMO the WS6 was the best and most definitive 4th gen F-car. Any 2nd gen Trans Am gives me goosebumps. Whenever I see a nice 1st gen Firebird convertible....I need afew minutes just to soak it in.
Sometimes I'll watch re-runs of The Rockford Files just to watch James Garner drive around in his gold '77 Firebird.

With all that said, there is no denying that in the past 5 or 10 years Firebird has literally sucked resources away from Camaro. Money for new wheels, interiors, cosmetic freshenings...weren't there for Camaro. Much of that budget was earmarked for Firebird. Sometimes, I wonder, if there were no Firebird, would the 4th gen Camaro have been better. Maybe....maybe not...a good argument could be made on either side. There has been more than one instance in the past where Firebird has pushed Camaro to be better however.

If Solstice becomes Firebird ...will that be ALL bad? Firebird has been little more than a mechanical clone of Camaro for 20 years. Gone are the days when Camaro and Firebird were two distinct cars.....rivals....., appealing to completely different people. There are no more 455 Super Duty's or T/A 6.6 or even Red/Blue/YellowBird models to differentiate them. Frankly, a Firebird that is nothing more than a Camaro clone...bores me. Today the only thing seperating them is afew body panels and some trim.

If Solstice becomes Firebird.....maybe that would be a good thing. Maybe Firebird could have it's own identity again. Maybe it might once again become something more than a "Camaro with the Pontiac styling package". Maybe a new Firebird could once again be a Firebird .

 

If the Solstice ends up with the name Firebird, I really wouldn't mind that much. I think the Solstice is a beautiful car in convertible as well was in coupe form - very worthy of carying on the traditions of the Firebird name. As far as what a Firebird "should" be, personally, I think the first couple years of the third gen Firebirds were a much weaker example of what a Firebird "should" be than the Solstice Concept. I think the 4 seat argument is a joke - Does anybody even use the back seats in our cars? Get real. I took my back seats and belts out! LOL

V8s are nice, and I would prefer a Firebird to always have a V8 option, but turbo fours can make pretty good power too, so I could adapt to modding a higher tech turbo four

Really I'm just happy the Solstice is being produced. If it ends up being the "next" Firebird, I can live with that too.

-B

 

What I don't understand is, why would GM/Pontiac change the name from Solstice to Firebird? Like noted above, the Solstice name is already recognized as that vehicle so why not stick with it? I think Solstice is actually a good name for the car, they shouldn't just drop it. Just my .02 cents.

 

First - I agree with Darth... the language is new-ish. It might be to build excitement for the GTO though. I really HOPE it's not to prepare us for the disgusting rape of a good brand by sticking it on the wimpy Solstice. In fact I'll be brutally honest, I just wish the Solstice would get canceled and Pontiac would sink all the $$ into other cars. Of course I'm not the market for a Solstice, with my two kids... so call me selfish.

Whatever's happening, it's good to see the tribute made to the old Birds. I sure miss mine...

 

The Solstice doesnt fit the Firebird identity. I didnt realize that people were clamoring for the return of the "classic" early 80's 4 cylinder Firebird. I think GM needs to give the marketing people the final say on issues such as these. A 4 cyl firebird would be the next New Coke.

To those firebird/ta owners here, what if GM brought the name back on a mid-engine v6/v8 2 seater. Would you sign on the dotted line?

 

A question to those who say Solstice would make an "acceptable Firebird", etc...

If the roles were reversed, and Solstice was a Chevy concept... how would you feel about the Solstice being named Camaro when it came to production????

See... it doesn't always look like such a good idea when you put your own feet in those shoes!

 

AMEN. *shudder* I do NOT want a teensy-tinsy cutie-pie 5gen Camaro. I want it to look and run like it's ready to rip the head right off any Mustang nearby.

 

Hell no!

The Firebird/ T/A is supposed to be a front engine, RWD, 2+2 car with available stick and V-8 power.

Yes, the Firebird that DeLorean wanted in the mid-60s was a 2 place sports car, but the Firebird as we know it was always the same configuration. To me, that set-up is set in stone.

I'm tired of hearing how the Firebird should be some technological wonder.

How would you guys feel if GM wanted to turn your Camaro into the same thing you think the Firebird should be?

 

Amen again, Darth!!

 

I wouldn't go for that.

But for me personally, Firebird lost alot of it's allure when it stopped being a Pontiac...and became a GM Corporate Pony Car. I don't think a "Camaro clone" would spark any interest in me anymore. I'd rather go for the real thing.

A smaller RWD, 250 horse, turbo Firebird would take some adjusting for me.....but not as much as when Pontiac stopped making it's own pony car in 1982. Every bit of Firebird-ness has already been squeezed out of the old 'Bird....maybe it would be a good thing if it could have it's own unique personality back.

 

Just my opinion I think that GM needs to make a Camaro straight to compete with the Mustang, and a different firebird, not the same kind of car as a Camaro

 

What people forget is Pontiac originally wants a 4 cylinder roadster instead of the Firebird in the 60's....and Pontiac has always had a rep for chasing European performance....so calling the Solstice a Firebird is a little more acceptable than a Camaro.

One other thought...the last generation Firebird was highly desireable by pretty much anyone under 25, howver few in this age groupe could afford. Therfore the name already has a desired status among younger buyers. Now if Pontiac bought back a two seat Firebird that cost say $25,000 in top form and could destroy a S2000 on any track...I think they will have a bona fide hit. You may **** a few owners off.....bot there are alot less Firebirds out there than Camaros

This coming from a Firebird guy...

 

That's the first excuse that everyone uses when the possibility of a Firebird-badged Solstice comes up. I know the history. Because I know history I know that whatever Pontiac wanted to do almost 40 years ago didn't happen. Pretty convenient for the Pontiac people to erase 35 years of history and replace it with behind-the-scenes plans that they had nothing to do with back in 1965. If you aren't bringing back a real Firebird then let sleeping dogs lie. It's a new car, different attitude. Call it something different.