"Car-crazy Californians tend to get a little blasé about new cars on the road. After all, in an area where exotics are a common sight, and 60s-era musclecars are still considered to be daily transportation and not museum pieces, the appearance of a new model can get lost in the crowd.
Not so with the 1991 Pontiac Firebird.
The reaction to the new styling was emphatic and explicit: Those that saw it loved it… or they hated it.
And our reaction? Well, the new nose and tail are certainly distinctive, echoing both production and concept car styling. For instance, the drooping nose evokes Pontiac’s time-honored twin, inset grille design as well as the front end of the Banshee show car. And the rear, with its wedged wing, is reminiscent of the Fiero’s tail. The car in these photos, a GTA model, also sports a “ground effects” sill treatment and new tail lamp design not found on the base and Formula Firebirds.
Pontiac calls this a ’91 model, and it’s expected that little will change between now and ’93, when the current GM F-body platform gets its redesign (it may be as early as 1992 for the Camaro and not long thereafter for the Firebird). So the ’91 really can be considered as the last emanation of a body style that made its debut in 1982.
Underneath the new clothes is a familiar automobile, available in Base, Formula, Trans Am, and GTA models. In base trim with a 3.1-liter V6, the ’91 Firebird retails for a paltry $14,610. Throw in the optional 5.0-liter V8 and some power amenities, and the price still stays under $16,000. Those wanting a full-boat GTA with 5.7-liter V8 and all the extras can expect to see at least $23,000 on the factory invoice. Optioned out, this most expensive Firebird can run almost $25,000.
For that money, however, you get a real road burner. The muscular 350 will run the quarter in the low 14s right out of the box, and the WS6 performance package delivers prodigious amounts of road grip. All tolled, during most driving conditions, the Firebird exhibits many strengths and exposes few faults.
The standard engine in the high-line GTA is the 5.7-liter V8, which produces 235 hp and 340 lb./ft. of torque, and it’s mated to a four-speed automatic. (Will this big engine ever see a manual gearbox? We know of at least one test mule running around L.A equipped with the 5.7 and the Corvette’s six-speed manual transmission. What a sweet piece that would be!
A 5.0-liter V8 is optional in the GTA, though it’s only available with a five-speed manual. It’s by no means a slouch, producing 225 hp and 300 foot-pounds of torque.
Both versions, however, receive the excellent WS6 rally-tuned suspension, which does an excellent job keeping the 3300-lb. car stuck to the road. Big Goodyear radials, size P245/50ZR-16s, mounted on 16x8 cross-lace aluminum wheels, deliver an excellence only dreamed of for a street tire a few years ago. Though the grip is outstanding. They also deliver a predictable breakaway response for those sporty moments when you want to hang the rear end out. Huge stabilizer bars – 36 mm in front and 24 mm at the rear – reduce body lean to almost non-existent levels, and the deflected-disc valving of the gas-filled shocks supplies a good level of ride comfort along with the sporty qualities of the rather stiff springs.
Inside the Firebird are a couple minor secondary revisions, designed to enhance the car’s already superb ergonomics. One very handy addition is the dash-located PRNDL indicator; in previous Firebirds, the driver had to look down at the shift gate to see which gear was selected.
GTA sports a long list of standard equipment, including articulating custom bucket seats with inflatable lateral and lumbar supports, air conditioning, tinted glass, rear defogger, cargo screen, and Delco ETR AM/FM cassette with equalizer and power antenna, power side mirrors, power windows and power door locks.
So despite its rather hefty price tag, the level of performance and creature comfort makes the GTA competitive with certain imported “sport” models costing thousands more.
But, we still haven’t answered the question: do we like the exterior? Let’s just say that the staff was divided. One writer hoped that GM Design hurries up with the current F-Body successor, while another observed, “Hey, it’s a great car to drive; who care what it looks like?"
Base Price:.......... $23,475
Engine Type:.......... V-8, OHV, two valves/cylinder
Displacement:.......... 350 cu in.
Bore x Stroke:.......... 4.00 x 3.48
Compression ratio:.......... 9.3:1
Induction system:.......... Tuned-Port Injection
Horsepower (SAE net):.......... 235 hp @ 4400 rpm
Torque (SAE net):.......... 340 lb-ft @ 3200 rpm
Transmission:.......... 4-speed automatic
Suspension, Front:.......... MacPherson strut, coil springs, gas-pressure hydraulic shocks, stabilizer bar
Suspension, Rear:.......... Live axle, lower control arm, torque arms, Panhard rod, coil springs, stabilizer bar
Steering:.......... Recirculating ball, power assist
Ratio:.......... 12.7:1
Turns (lock to lock):.......... 2.26
Brakes:.......... Four-wheel power discs
Wheels:.......... 16 x 8 inch cast aluminum alloy
Tires:.......... P245/50ZR16, Goodyear unidirectional
"Gatorbacks"
Wheelbase, inches:.......... 101
Track, f/r:.......... 60.7/81.6
Overall length:.......... 190.3
Overall height:.......... 49.8
Curb weight, pounds:.......... 3510
Fuel capacity, gallons:.......... 15.5
