The upcoming demise of Pontiac might favour ASC (American Specialty Cars) and it's retro-inspired Firebird Trans Am, that's obviously based off of the hot new Chevy Camaro.
Yes, we knew someone was going to exhume the top-tier Firebird from the grave, but no one could have predicted that news about the special ASC car would come out during the same two-week period that General Motors announced an end to the Pontiac division on the whole.
Camaro sales are spiking, however, with the Oshawa assembly plant scheduled to work overtime in order to meet demand, and likely some of those buyers would have purchased a Trans Am if GM had made it available like many had figured they would when the Camaro was first announced. After all, it seemed like a no-brainer to bring back the car that starred alongside Burt Reynolds (nor should we forget the late Jackie Gleason) in the classic Smokey and the Bandit and sequels Smokey and the Bandit 2 and 3, Smokey and the Bandit Ride Again.
ASC chose not to paint the revised Trans Am in Smokey's classic gold on black colour scheme, and there's no screaming chicken (er... eagle) on the hood either, but the reverse hood-scoop fits nicely into the modified hood cutout and the bisected grille looks particularly attractive in the artist's rendering, mirroring the squarish headlight housings that bookend both sides.
From profile its unique rear quarter vents are inspired by early Firebirds, while the ducktail spoiler and triple-horizontal-lens taillights flanking a discreet winged bird logo cap off the rear end. The colour scheme is similar to an early ‘70s T/A (fortunately not the powder blue of the limited edition Lady Bird), and looks particularly classy on the new ‘Bird. Other unique details include rectangular tailpipes and radical body cladding, both popular Firebird features in the ‘90s, before the model was cancelled in '99, and on other Pontiacs in the early oughts.
If you're concerned at all with the quality of ASC's work when considering one of their customized T/As, factor in that they're the people behind two OEM convertible offerings, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder and Toyota Camry Solara Convertible. They're also responsible for other OEM mods, including Chevy's SSR, GMC's Syclone/Typhoon and the now very collectible Buick GNX. Yes, you've got to be pretty good to get manufacturer work, especially when those carmakers put their own names on the revisions without ASC's anywhere in sight.
The new Firebird Trans Am modification is in its early stages so its possible changes will come before anything goes on sale, and with Pontiac on its way out it's also possible this ‘Bird will never fly. Either way, it's fun to contemplate what GM might have conjured up on its own had the automaker pushed forward with a Trans Am when planning the new Camaro.
source: autos.canada
