Oh...you're talking to me. I thought I saw IZ28. Hold on...let me go in my garage and pull the cover off of my IROC.


....................OK, I'm back.

3rd gens' lines start going outwardly starting at the base of the window and then start curving back in at the beltline, like this:

(looking from the front), < >...... and 4th gens look like this: ) (

 

Yeah...I put the worng name up there and went back and changed it....

Soooo....you're not going crazy! Congrats!

 

Originaly posted by Z284ever:

Glad you asked!

First of all, let me preface my post by saying that what I or anybody else believes makes Firebird a "FIREBIRD" (or a Camaro a "CAMARO") is strictly personal preference. There is no real "correct answer". It's motivating to exchange ideas with other people - if only to reconfirm one's own opinions on things.

Having said that, here's what I believe makes a Firebird a "Firebird":

First of all, to answer that question I must first ask myself which Model year(s) do I see when I picture a Firebird in my mind. For me (and this may be due to my age) the answer is the 1977 Firebird Trans Am (yes, Bandit's car), and the current (4th generation) Firebirds ( LT1/LS1 Trans Ams and Formulas). I do not picture the 1st gen Firebirds, which were hastily designed (and looked it), or the 3rd gen Firbirds, which to me lost a lot of the visual charisma that 2nd gens possessed. Yes, I LIKE the screaming chicken, and NO I am not a fan of KITT!!

So now that I have the two generation types of Firebirds that to me define the "breed", what is it that is similar between the two generations that I may categorize into a single listing of what makes a Firebird a "Firebird".

First let's start with the profiles of each car. Both examples have a longish hood with a fastback rear end. The fourth generation's hood may not appear as "long" as the 2nd gen hood in pure silhouette, but that is because the base of the windshield has been moved considerably forward, literally over the engine (!) and the curvature of the windshield has been dramatically enhanced. However, the position of the drivers seat in relation to the front wheels has not changed between generations. Primarily just the rake of the windshield has changed. Regardless, no one would term the 4th gen's proportions as "cab-forward". Resolved: a Firebird to me should have a fastback rear end (3 of 4 generations had this as a styling element)

Next, let's look at the stance of both generations. Pontiac has for decades touted its vehicles as having a "Wide Track" stance, and both generations live up to this premise. Kind of a "no-brainer" here.

Getting back to proportions, both the 2nd and the 4th gen Firebirds have relatively long rear overhangs and a pronounced spoiler or wing. The front overhang of the 4th gen Firebird (especially the 93-97 ones) is moderately longer than the 2nd gen 'birds, but some of that length is mitgated by the marked pointy-ness of the plan view of the 4th gen's design. Regardless, I do not believe the front overhang (long or short) necessarily defines a Firebird as a Firebird.

Styling cues that have been incorporated in both generations include quad headlights - in the 4th gen case, they are pop up, although the quad turn signal/driving light & foglight setup of the LS1 Formulas I find very appealing aesthetically. I prefer pop up headlights because they allow for a lower nose and front fender line. Another trait found on both the 2nd and 4th gen 'birds is the honeycomb pattern motif found on grilles and tail lights and even on wheel designs. I enjoy this motif and find it distinctively "Pontiac", if not necessarily a unique Firebird styling trait. Of course, the peaked nose and split grille (or in the 4th gen's case, split ports) is also a a distinctive Firebird/Pontiac styling que. Not to mention the twin Ram Air scoops offered as as an option in both 2nd and 4th generations.

I love the shaker scoop incorporated on the one-off Trans Am GM Design staff introduced last year at the Woodward dream Cruise - a wonderful adaptation of a 2nd gen styling cue(that helped defined Trans Ams of the 70's) integrated onto a slightly widened 4th generation body. Vented fenders are also design elements found in both 2nd and 4th generation T/A's, along with T-Tops (although I prefer hardtop models). Other (obvious) traits found on both generations is the long doors and wide B-pillars with no rear quarter windows. I do not believe a a hatchback (or lack thereof) defines a Firebird one way or another.

So in summation, if you take the similar design elements of the 2nd and 4th generation Firebirds, then that to me is what defines what a "Firebird" is. Hopefully, if GM decides to re-introduce the Firebird someday, it will incorporate at least a few of these styling elements and proportions that I outlined above.

That's my take on things,

-Bradster

P.S.: (Sorry for the long post - I hope I didn't bore anybody or **** off too many people)

 

Hey, good post. We must be about the same age....because, I too, am strongly influenced by the 2nd gen Trans Ams of the '70s.

The influence those T/As had on me, sort of ruined the 3rd and 4th gens for me. And nothing says Trans Am to me as strongly as a shaker scoop.

If Firebird ever comes back, I sure hope it's not another Camaro with the "Pontiac Styling Package" again. I'd like to see real differences in them....like powertrain for instance. Of course we'll never see a T/A 6.6 again ...but maybe the GM partsbin could supply a different motor.

How about a supercharged version of the 4.4 V8 going into the Bonnie GXP?

 

LOL Z28W, I wonder who you're talking about?!

Zeeee, the 4th Gen is very different, that is my opinion as is Z284s' and he's doing a good job of explaining so I'll leave it to him. The ONLY thing that looks slightly obvious Third Gen on a 4th is the 93-97 front, otherwise they look completly different.