Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird in the 1950s and early 1960s concept cars.
| Pontiac Firebird | |
|---|---|
The second, third, and fourth generations of the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Pontiac (General Motors) |
| Production | February 23, 1967 – August 30, 2002 |
| Model years | 1967 – 2002 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Pony car Muscle car |
| Layout | Front engine, rear-wheel-drive |
| Platform | F-body |
| Related | Chevrolet Camaro |
The name "Firebird", previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird in the 1950s and early 1960s concept cars, symbolizes youth, power, and beauty. All of these are shared by the well-known supernatural phoenix featured in various regional narratives. However, paralleling the name Pontiac, in this Native American iteration, the name "Firebird" additionally symbolizes both destruction and terror, two fitting descriptors for an American muscle car.