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| PontiacTransAmFirebird.Com |
Burying the
late, great Pontiac Firebird Trans Am and resuscitating the Pontiac name is no
small task for the 2017 Firebird Trans Am. Armed with a nearly $55,000 asking
price, the new 2017 Firebird Trans Am demands equal doses of sexy-yet-discreet
styling and forward thinking hardware to uphold its desirability in the current
exotic car landscape.
Does the new 2017 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am flagship succeed in stoking the embers of desire? A recent
drive on rambling roads offered some insight into the 2017 Firebird Trans Am's
ability to stoke our champagne-fueled dreams.
Trickle down
styling usually works in the realm of four-wheeled exotica, and 2017 Firebird
Trans Am's new style exhibits some of the tight radius curves and hunkered down
poise inherited from its ultra-rare predecessor, the Firebird Trans Am. But the
new 2017 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am $55 000 flagship also gains a thorough mechanical
reworking that helps answer to detractors who claim the Pontiac brand is all
show and no go: while an extruded aluminum tub remains at its core, the 2017 Pontiac
Firebird Trans Am adds carbon weave structures to the nose and tail for further
weight savings and 25 percent more torsional rigidity, as well as carbon the
fiber skin all around. The official avoirdupois has yet to be announced, but
the 2017 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am's curb weight is estimated in the region of 3,750
lbs, nearly 100 lbs less than its predecessor.
The new 5.9
liter V-8 sits lower and lighter, churning more power (565 hp) while claiming the
greater fuel efficiency, thanks in part to the incorporation of variable valve
timing. Connecting to the powerplant to the 6-speed automated manual rear
transaxle is a carbon fiber prop shaft surrounded by an alloy torque tube. the 2017 Firebird
Trans Am claims that 60 mph arrives in 4.1 seconds, and that the Firebird Trans
Am tops out at 183 mph.
Inside the
cabin, a new interior treatment reveals the 2017 Firebird Trans Am-inspired stitch
patterns and details like a haptic touch surface on the center stack. The 2017 Firebird
Trans Am cockpit has been expanded for less of a cocooning effect, while the
"boot" offers 60 percent more space.