That’s not to say you can’t spend a lot of money buying a Mustang, Camaro or Firebird. Don’t expect to come away from the purchase of a Firebird GTA with a lot of change from your $20,000 bill. But you can also expect the performance of a Ferrari 412 in an almost identical layout wrapped up in a body that looks just as nice as the 412’s for about one-fifth the cost of the Italian exotic car.
GTAs make up only one-fourth of the Firebird lineup. Base is the normal Firebird, fitted with a 2.8-liter V6 or, as an option, a 5.0-liter V8 with throttle body injection. That latter engine is standard in the next-step-up Firebirds, the Formula and Trans Am, with extra-cost alternatives being the 5.0 with port injection or the big hummer, the 5.7-liter V8. There’s a variety of engine/transmission/axle ratio/tire combinations here, but it all leads to the king of the hill, the Firebird GTA, which is the object of our attention.
After all these years, front-engine/rear-drive feels just right for the Firebird. We could intellectualize about front drive or rear engines or, more logically these days, full-time 4-wheel drive, but these cars need to be as they are… simple and fast. Not only does this traditional layout put the engine sounds and the powered wheels in the right places, but being so conventional helps keep the Firebird price in the right category for the ponycar buyers.
One of the Firebird’s main opponents is, of course, its “corporate other,” the Camaro, and it’s hard to decide which is better looking. Right now, some would give the nod to the Firebird, mainly because of the colors the Pontiac studios have chosen. Put a red Firebird, particularly a GTA, in front of an enthusiast and even the snootiest has to admit it’s damn exciting.
And the snobs would have to admit that Pontiac has the interior design figured out. It knows enough to make digital instrumentation an option, the standard equipment being round analog gauges with white-on-black faces. It might be better to consolidate the gauges somewhat, because right now they are spread out over the dash a bit much. One nice option puts the radio buttons in the steering-wheel center. But a continuing pain is the lack of a proper glovebox, though we like the overhead panel’s pocket for sunglasses or a garage-door opener. Is it an accident that a Passport radar detector fits there perfectly?
GM finally has it corporate rear in gear, so to speak, on individual seats. Those in the current GTA feel quite supportive and are up to the performance potential of the car. They are movable in so many directions, the most usable - personal opinion – being the up-down adjustment in the front portion of the lower cushion.
If there can be any objection to the current package, its size. Right now, a Firebird feels 10-15 percent too large. The rear seat is already just an occasional place for even a teenager to sit… sideways. That tight seating may be appropriate because the trunk is strictly a place for a little soft luggage (for two people), but then few of these cars in this class do a decent job with carrying capacity. There’s a notchback Firebird in the works, and that seems like a good idea: it isn’t a big loss in styling and there is the added security of the steel cover. Regardless of body style, we like the added utility of the split rear seat in the GTA.
The added structure of a notchback might also improve one of the other areas we don’t like in the Firebird and Camaro. Even a new one feels loose.
Four-valve-per-cylinder heads and high revs may be the rage in some cars and rightfully so, but a Firebird without a V8? Forget it. We love it, complete with the overhead valves and rocker arms. Fuel injection is as right for the sound of the name as for the horsepower/fuel economy emissions reasons.
Though there is the V6 offered in the base model for marketing reasons, “real” Firebirds have V8s. The 5.0-liter version with throttle-body injection is okay, but it’s the multi-point injection engines that make the difference. For 1988, the big motor is the 5.7-liter, 225-bhp Vette engine – up 15 hp more from the 1987 version. Pontiac claims the GTA will get to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, compared to the 7.1-second time we recorded with the 210-bhp engine. Equally important is that the V8 has that power from the first touch of the throttle – and the power is accompanied by a nice, deep-throated exhaust note.
Though the 5.7 can only be had with the 4-speed automatic, while the 5.0 comes with that or the 5-speed manual, we like the current transmission choices. Many of us prefer the automatic, and with that much torque the manual would be redundant behind the 5.7. The pull of the tight torque converter when the car is stopped at a light, apparently anxious to get started again, fits the Firebird image. So, too, are the quick hard shifts of the automatic. After many enjoyable laps at Mid-Ohio during Pontiac’s recent introduction of its 1988 models, however, I’d prefer an automatic transmission shift gate more like the Mercedes-Benz crooked-trail type, so the driver can more easily slap the automatic’s lever from gear to gear.
There’s also a healthy selection of rear-axle ratios for the Firebird. This adds to the fun of “speaking” the car, though it must be a pain for Pontiac and Chevrolet when it comes to certifying all those differentials. One nice feature of the ponycars is that the basic nature of the cars is complemented by the owner’s chance to catalog-customize it. Building your Firebird (or Camaro or Corvette) has always been a great mind game for teenagers.
Though the intellectuals would argue for an independent suspension under sporty cars, the Firebird’s live axle does very nicely for most conditions. The GTA’s WS6 suspension – with its thick 36-mm front and 24-mm rear anti-roll bars, the gas-pressurized shocks and struts, the special springs, and the P245/50VR16 tires – felt terrific at Mid-Ohio. Same with the 12.7:1 power-assisted steering and the 4-wheel discs, though I’d love to see ABS under the GTA in the near future.
One of the nicest things about the Firebird GTA is the manner in which it has evolved. Granted, the car’s current success has been helped along by cheaper gasoline and a loosening of attitudes about sport and performance in automobiles. But also, Pontiac (and Chevrolet) continually have upgraded the F-cars in the correct direction.
Happily, the real enthusiast’s attitude and spirit weren’t lost at Pontiac, and it now has the most interesting model lineup in the corporation. And the most exciting of the lot is the GTA… no second-guessing on that score.
---- John Lamm
PRICE
List Price, FOB Detroit:.......... $13,259
Price as tested:.......... $18,549
Price as tested includes: GTA Package (5.7-liter V-8, 4-speed automatic trans, rear disc brakes, WS6 susp, 16-in wheels and tires, limited-slip diff, oil cooler, custom int and seats, leather trim) $2700, air cond ($775), AM/FM stereo casette ($489), elect window lifts ($210), cruise control ($175), central locking ($145), rear-window heat ($125), misc options ($526)
ENGINE
Type:.......... V-8, cast iron block and heads, water-cooled
Displacement:.......... 5736 cc (350 cu in.)
Compression ratio:.......... 9.3:1
Induction system:.......... Multi-port EFI
Valvetrain:.......... OHV, 2 Valves/cylinder
Max. power (SAE net):.......... 210 hp @ 4200 rpm
Max. torque (SAE net):.......... 315 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm
Emissions control:.......... Catalytic converter, EGR, air pump
Recommended fuel:.......... Unleaded premium, 91 octane
DRIVETRAIN
Transmission:.......... 4-sp. auto.. O/D
Transmission ratios:.......... (1st) 3.06:1
(2nd) 1.63:1
(3rd) 1.00:1
(4th) 0.70:1
Axle ratio:.......... 2.77:1
CHASSIS & BODY
Suspension, Front:.......... independent MacPherson struts, coil springs, hydraulic shocks, anti-roll bar
Suspension, Rear:.......... Solid axle, torque arm, hydraulic shocks, anti-roll bar
Steering Type:.......... Recirculating ball, power assist
Ratio:.......... 12.7:1
Turns (lock to lock):.......... 2.26
Turning circle:.......... 10 m (32.6 ft)
Brake System, Front:.......... 267 mm (10.5 in.), vented discs, power assist
Brake System, Rear:.......... 267 mm (10.5 in.), vented discs, power assist
Anti-lock:.......... Not available
Wheel Size:.......... 16 x 8.0 in.
Wheel type:.......... Cast alloy
Tire size & Construction:.......... P245/50VR16 steel-belted radial
Tire mfr. & model:.......... Goodyear Eagle VR50
GENERAL
Curb weight:.......... 3530 lb
Test Weight:.......... 3670 lb
Weight distribution, f/r:.......... 57/43%
Wheelbase:.......... 101 in.
Overall length:.......... 191.6 in.
Overall width:.......... 72.4 in.
Overall height:.......... 50 in.
Track, f/r:.......... 60.7/81.6 in.
Fuel tank:.......... 15.5 gal
Trunk space:.......... 5.8 (+ 9.1) cubic ft.
CALCULATED DATA
Lb/bhp (test weight):.......... 17.5 lb/hp
Bhp/liter:.......... 36.6
Engine revs at 60 mph in 4th gear:.......... 1850
R&T steering index:.......... 0.92
ACCELERATION
Time to distance:
0-100 ft:.......... 3.1 sec
0-500 ft:.......... 8.4 sec
0-1320 ft:......... 15.5 sec
Speed (1/4 mile):.......... 89.5 mph
Time to Speed:
0-30 mph:.......... 2.4 sec
0-40 mph:.......... 3.9 sec
0-50 mph:.......... 5.2 sec
0-60 mph:.......... 7.1 sec
0-70 mph:.......... 9.7 sec
0-80 mph:.......... 12.3 sec
0-90 mph:.......... 15.6 sec
FUEL ECONOMY
Normal driving, mpg:.......... 16.0
BRAKES
Minimum stopping distances, ft:
60-0:.......... 166 ft
80-0:.......... 281 ft
Control in panic stop:......... Good
Overall brake rating:.......... Good
HANDLING
Lateral acceleration, 100 ft. radius:.......... 0.87 g
Speed thru 700-ft slalom:......... 63.8 mph
INTERIOR NOISE
Idle in neutral, dBA:......... 57
Maximum, first gear:.......... 77
Constant, 70 mph:.......... 74
