Barely Street Legal: 1991 Pontiac Firebird Firehawk
Come to find out, it seems like the old adage “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it” is true for the amazing 1991 Pontiac Firebird Firehawk found here on eBay with a Buy It Now price just shy of $90k. So let’s just pretend I knew everything about this very rare car and didn’t spend half the night researching this truly unique car and its history.
As the world embraced the early 1990’s – it was no secret that the third generation Pontiac Firebird line was getting aged (this model was nearly 10 years old), and Pontiac was frantically preparing the world for the 1993 introduction that would be a 90% new design. So, when legendary mod-house SLP (Street Legal Performance) decided to create their first complete modification using the Firebird base – it was welcome news for Pontiac.
SLP named their beefed up, barely street legal race rod the “Firehawk”, with the goal to produce 250 beasts between 1991 and 1992. They threw everything at the effort: a 350 HP 350 CI, six-speed manual transmission, a Dana rear axle, and a drag-race worthy wheel package made the base Firehawk one of the best performing F body packages of all time – with 0 to 60 in 4.6 seconds and speed topping out at 160 mph.
The Competition Option added a Recaro driver seat and five-point racing harness, Brembo front brakes, a roll-bar – and more – just in case you wanted to show up at your local drag race and compete. Because you could. Sadly, only 25 Firehawks were built ultimately – with this car being the 6th one ever created. It’s a pricey collectible – but these 25 command real money from the devoted collector. If #6 is bound to be yours, you’ll own a very fast, very rare footnote in American muscle history!
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Comments
I wonder if this car has ever been through one of the auctions.
That would seem to be the place to sell this.
I am sure it has some value, but the later version with the WS6 option is a much better car and much cheaper.
Don’t apply logic to collector car sales or pricing – it doesn’t work.
I would be so embarrassed if I spent $90,000 on that and had it in my collection.
Me too.
That seems excessive dollars for performance ratio.
I am sure it rocks, and at the time it was a rare car.
The world is full of rare cars..Some are collectible, some are not.
And what barn was this found in?
Does it matter? Just because the title says Barn Finds doesn’t make it so. Car and driver shows Trucks and minivans, do you not go to Car and Driver?
Forget the car, where can I find the barn?
The barn has got to be more useful….
That is a lot of cash …
I have original sales tape and a picture of the only blue one for sale
At best on its best day when no other firehawks were for sale 35.000 Max. For $90,000 I would much rather have the quality of a Mercedes-Benz rather than a General Motors product that was sent out to an after-market company for accessories
No offense intended here Andrew but if you compare having and MB over a GM product, especially any GM product that is classic or a muscle car, you just don’t get it. I am an industry expert in many areas, 52 years old and trust me I would take a Classic GM muscle car, including this firehawk , over any MB under 100K.
2 different worlds. If you like imports and tuners that’s great but please don’t bash domestics when you simply don’t prefer them.
I do not like new American vehicles because I can not get into them. The last vehicle I looked for, took 4 ½ years to find. I had no luck finding an American vehicle that I could get into.
Whenever I see someone who is 6’7″, I ask them what they drive?
Typically they say 2008 Subaru or a M-B (ML. GLE, S but no other models), Porsche (Cayenne, Panamera but no other models). However some do drive American cars, such as a ’76 Cadillac, ’70 Olds 442, Hudson, mid ’60s Catalina, late 80’s Beretta or some other large American car.
The Firehawk is a great car. But for 90k there are many more above it worth buying at that price. 45k is a more realistic price.
I love these things but I don’t $90,000 love them. Not even close.
A fun car but not 90k worth of fun. I can think of better things to do w/ that kind of scratch.
I can think of several other cars I’d rather buy for less than half!! Meachum PA auction had a red 69 pro-street Camaro 2 years ago sold for $22k . It was built to Run or cruise. This just looks like another red Firebird with red painted wheels.
90k?! Maybe some Russian mobster buys it for his kid.
Nice car, but no way am i buying this for $90,000 when i could buy a used Z06, GTO 6.0, BMW M5, Impala SS, Chrysler 300 SRT8, Porsche 911 Turbo, or any AMG Benz that will eat this car and have money left over for what this car commands. Nice car, but not worth $90,000, no matter how many they made
SLP where are they today ?
Right here.
http://www.slponline.com/
I’m sure it’s pretty fast and being such a rare bird certainly makes it cool, but seeing the absurd asking price followed by the picture of the typically-saggy GM headliner of this era made me actually laugh out loud. Really brings you back down to earth and reminds you what the underpinnings of this car are.
Again, this is weird and cool in it’s own way and I love a good ol mullet machine, but NINETY-THOUSAND dollars for one? I mean, WHAT IS HAPPENING
Man can i relate to the saggy headliner. I have a 1997 Camaro z28 30th anniversary edition with only 4950.0 miles on it. Got it out the other day to run it and kept feeling something brushing my head, looked up and the whole headliner is sagging.
Anyone have any ideas? Not looking forward to dropping the headliner.
$90,000 is a lot, but I have a 92 Trans Am WS6 convertible and I hope whoever’s selling this Firehawk gets every penny. It makes mine worth that much more.
The only thing that will make your car “worth that much more ” is a genuine buyer with funds available and a willingness to spend. Don’t try to apply logic to the sale of a collector car, it’s an emotional process, not logic.
90k?
SAGGING-HEADLINER?
SPIDER CRACK PAINT ON FRONT BUMPER?
C’MON!!!!
My dad worked at Van Nuys Assembly when they were making these. The SLP cars got pulled off the assembly line well before final assembly was complete and sent over to a secondary workshop within the factory. It’s the same secondary workshop where Japanese market Camaros and Firebirds were quality checked and reworked.
Although these SLP cars aren’t usually referred to as “hand built”, they essentially were built by hand, paint notwithstanding.
All the work was done at SLP GM didn’t do the work.
Here is a quiz- Somebody hands you a clean sheet of paper and a pen. They ask you to write a list of cars you would purchase for $90,000. Would a Firehawk even cross your mind before today? There are two chances a 1991 Firehawk would make it on the list- “slim” and “none”
Pa Tina, if you were a Pontiac fan, liked the FIrebird from this era, ever saw, heard and/or drove a Firehawk …..pretty sure it would cross your mind and maybe make your list. These cars were VERY cool. I have experienced the Firehawk in person and honestly I don’t know that I will forget it and that was 27 years ago. Of the many cars I have owned and restored, I have restored and owned 2 69 Firebirds, a 67 Firebird 400 Convertible, a 67 Camaro RS SS, a 70 Camaro, an 89 IROC Convertible and a 99 Camaro SS SLP Car….I can tell most of you have no freaking clue what this car is by your comments. Again, I am not saying the car is worth 90K or not….BUT Firehawks are bad ass cars and they only built 25. Pretty sure the car will sell for more than 90K to the person who understands what this car is.
I too would buy other cars before this one if I had 90K to spend but your slim to none comment is out of line.
OK. My turn- I have owned a 1969 Z-28 Camaro, 1970 Boss 302 Mustang and a 1975 Pontiac Trans Am along with 1976, 1979 and 1984 Corvettes. I stand by the “slim to none” comment as the point is someone IS asking $90K for it and my point was very few people would ever consider this car in the first place and certainly not at that price. Not out of line at all, but you are certainly entitled to your opinion, especially as a member of this august group and your insinuation that I have “no clue” as to what this car is about strikes me as “out of line”
And slim just left the county.
Only 90K ? I’ll take two.
Wow, lots of tough words for this car. I am not saying it is or is not worth 90K BUT when these cars were new, they were just flat out bad ass for the time, early 90’s. Most cars coming out at that time were nothing to talk about but the FIrebirds of this era were pretty cool, but the Firehawk……
I remember the first time I saw one….well I heard it first….very very cool. I had a 99 Camaro SLP car…..for those of you bad mouthing them…. SLP had a nice conversion for these cars.
I am really surprised to hear that there were only 25 produced. I have seen 3 in person in my lifetime, and for only 25 built that is extraordinary.
Again, for those of you who know personally what this car was all about and with only 25 built they are collectable and valuable.
A car is only original once and typically more valuable/collectable that way even if flawed. The factory enduro noses from GTO’s in the late 60’s to the 73 and up Corvette and other examples like that ….the enduro or plastic bumpers all cracked….it IS the nature of the beast…..stop whining.
For those of you crying about the headliner falling down….again, a product of how it was manufactured now combined with age…..give me a break. obviously you don’t understand this car, cars and the aging process in general or much about restorations. Find a good interior/convertible top shop and they can fix it correctly with little difficulty and not a bank breaking charge….I can fix it too.
Wow….a few months back there was a really nice Firehawk for sale on my local CL here in Jersey for $30k. Guess I really missed a bargain
the first 25 are built differently than everything after that first year or two, then they were making 500 or more. also remember these cars were 45k back then
Nah theGashole, it’s still in Jersey and down to $9699, better start running if you want it, ‘cos there could be a flipper rush on very shortly.
They were a cool ride and quick…..but it ain’t gonna happen….I think it’s 35g
just saw this today https://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/cto/d/1994-pontiac-slp-firebird/6523114897.html
Not the same thing, apples and oranges
Better snag it Bill, money maker.
Rare ✔️ Great performance ✔️ Resale Red ✔️ Worth 90 large? Well, that’s a matter of perspective.
I’ve had the pleasure of driving one of these, & they are not your typical gen 3 Firebird. These cars run & handle better than 90% of the current crop of cars being produced. And I’m not at all a fan of gen 3 F bodies.
I wouldn’t spend $90k on this car either, but I was also too stupid to spend $6500 in 1990 on a nice solid original 69 Boss 302 to bookend my 69 Z/28. A couple years later I sold both the Z/28 & a 67 Chevy II Nova for less than rusted hulks are bringing today.
In 20 more years will people be lamenting that they missed the chance to buy one of these for less than 6 figures? Only time will tell.
Very fast ride for the times, could hold its own still, but being that rare makes this a collector piece to be traded for big bucks, driving days are over for this one. That’s the trouble with rare valuable machines like this one, to drive it would be money behind.
Pretty sure for $90K you could buy two Porsche 996 turbos and build a barn….
The only Firehawks that are collectible are this one. Only 25 made and a true performance upgrade unlike the warmed over 4th gen versions. But, my God, $90K is steep.
90 grand!?!? Maybe if it was the top of the line “race” version. But this one is not that one. 30 to 35 tops IMO.
Would you pay $90,000 , for a cow from that barn ?