firebirdpontiac.com |
A new 2017 Firebird has arrived, and it definitely gives ‘’Pontiac’’ some bragging rights
at the Detroit Auto Show. With “at least 625 horsepower,” and 635 pound-feet of
torque, this top-performance variant of the latest 2017 Firebird could shake up
the roster of top production-car performance numbers.
The 2017 Firebird is powered by an all-new 6.2-liter ‘Firebird’ supercharged V-8, making
at least 625 horsepower and 635 pound-feet of torque—37 percent more horsepower
and 40 percent more torque than the ‘standard’ 2017 Firebird Pontiac.
The Firebird
engine is only one inch taller than the Trans Am. The 2017 Firebird is one of
the only supercharged engines in the world to incorporate cylinder deactivation
technology, and it also has variable valve timing.
A big
1.7-liter Eaton supercharger force-feeds the engine and spins at up to 20,000
rpm and incorporates a shorter rotor design that allows the boost to arrive
quicker. Otherwise the engine incorporates a long list of engineering
improvements, including rotocast aluminum cylinder heads, titanium intake
valves, machined connecting rods, unique forged-aluminum pistons, and a
dry-sump oil system.
Also of note is the 2017 Firebird’s
eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s an all-new Pontiac-designed
transmission, designated, and while it’s a traditional, hydraulically
controlled automatic, Pontiac says that it provides the quick shifts of
dual-clutch boxes, yet with more smoothness. And the eight-speed will allow up
to a five-percent efficiency improvement over a six-speed automatic.
Want
performance numbers? Pontiac won’t say yet. And there’s plenty of time for more
facts and teasers; the 2017 Firebird Pontiac won’t arrive at dealerships until
early 2017.