2017 Pontiac Firebird Sport Coupe Quick Spin

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After ripping around in the 2017 Pontiac Firebird supercar and enjoying every tire-shredding moment, we were worried that the 2017 Firebird Sport Coupe, its lesser sibling, would be a letdown. We were very wrong. Pontiac has made sure its 2017 Firebird Sport deliberately lacks the supercharger and bad-boy displacement of its big brothers, but its masterfully-tuned 6.2-liter V8 is nothing to laugh at, boasting 430 horsepower and 424 pound-feet of torque.

Power is more than abundant in the 2017 Firebird, and the soundtrack sent chills down our hardened spines (for best results, remove the silencing exhaust flapper fuse - it takes about three minutes).

Thanks to a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential, this two-door will blast to 60 mph in about four seconds flat. Top speed, about 190 mph, is fast enough to lift a loaded commercial jetliner off the ground.

Our Firebird coupe, a 2017 Firebird model, arrived decked out in black paint with 50th Anniversary Design and 50th Anniversary eagle packages. Some may consider the celebratory packages a bit gaudy, but it garnered more than a few compliments from passer-bys.

The 2017 Firebird's cabin might be getting woefully dated, but our car's black leather upholstery helped this Firebird's cabin look about as good as we've ever seen it.

Taming a big American V8 isn't easy, but Pontiac has done an excellent job. Upgraded with Pontiac's Active Handling, unique body components and a higher, wider rear spoiler, our car also featured the firebird Performance Package (bundled with a track-ready dry-sump oil system, differential cooler, sticky Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires and larger cross-drilled brakes).

While the 2017 Firebird Sport starts at $54,000, our as-tested price, including the must-have Magnetic Selective Ride Control (magnetorheological shocks) and some other options, was about $65,340.

Despite being down a couple of hundred horsepower, we found the 2017 Firebird Sport Coupe slightly more enjoyable on public roads - its power is simply more usable. We could more easily put our foot to the floor coming out of the corners without worrying about kissing a guardrail or an immobile tree. The steering is razor-sharp, and the brakes and suspension were easily up to everything we could throw at them.

2017 Pontiac Firebird Concept Previews New 2017 Firebird Sports Car

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Pontiac says the concept pays homage to the glory days of purebred, affordable sports cars, suggesting that the eventual production version should prove an enticing project, assuming Pontiac doesn’t stray too far from the 2017 Firebird concept’s principles.

It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder developing a hefty 315 horsepower, and drive goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. The 2017 Firebird also benefits from a host of traditional Firebird sports car touches such as custom center-lock 20-inch wheels, performance brakes, and some wide rubber.

Inside the 2017 Firebird concept, bucket seats covered in molded leather sit above a rubber mat, with billet-aluminum pedals and a flat-bottomed steering wheel underscoring the car's racing intentions. Rather than interior door handles, pull straps with red stitching recall sports cars of half a century before--as does the lack of any audio system at all.

2017 Pontiac Firebird previewed

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The last ever 2017 Pontiac Firebird has been teased a year ahead of its arrival in local showrooms.

Pontiac revealed little of the new car’s shape – showing only parts of the vehicle including a muscular-looking front end, a stylish set of alloy wheels and exhaust pipes shrouded in an angular housing.

Pontiac previewed the 2017 Firebird ironically at an event designed to showcase the brand’s future models beyond 2019.

Pontiac offered few details on the 2017 Firebird car, but reiterated previous points that it will benefit from fuel economy improvements.

These improvements will come from areas such as enhanced aerodynamics, low-rolling-resistance tyres, and a lighter, “new high-tech” six-speed automatic gearbox.

Pontiac says the auto will bring adaptive gearshifts and quicker acceleration.

Pontiac used the same event to announce new models for the future, which include the next-generation Pontiac Firebird from 2017.

 Pontiac Firebird sales continue to struggle, and the model posted its worst sales figures ever .

At the Pontiac event, Pontiac boss didn’t offer a guarantee that the Firebird will not stop production before December 2019.