1994 Pontiac SLP Firehawk | Retro Review
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- Опубліковано 12 гру 2020
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I liked this F-body styling more than the Camaro’s of the time.
they were both hideous pre facelift
I agree but I prefer the 1993-1997 Camaro z28 headlights, that iconic quad headlights are timeless
@@J.Gainez bruh they were hideous after facelift
Totally. I am not a GM guy by any means but I always appreciated these years of Firebirds. The WS6 is awesome. The interior is just garbage, even then.
Like others have said, yea, especially the ws6. That thing is still gnarly looking.
I would still drive the heck out of this sweet ride in 2020 👌🏾🔥🔥🔥
Right there with ya
Still a cool ride. Working on them sucks though. Had a 96 Convertible Z28 for a while, fun cars until you have to change a water pump. lol
Same here man.
@@candycabngfl or the optispark 😂.
1994 Firebird Firehawk
Losing Pontiac brand still hurts 😂
Agreed. Still want a low mileage G8 GXP.
I feel bad for the Australians down under
They lost holden, the company that gave us the commodore aka g8 and ss, and the monaro aka the gto
Why? They were all basically rebranded Chevys.
I know they could've went head to head with Dodge. They could've had vehicles to rival the Chargers and Challengers and possibly retooled the Pontiac brand identity to make them less like rebadged Chevys to really make them stand out so GM could've have another money maker instead of always whining about anything outdoing the Corvette.
@@basshead. Pontiac was known as the excitement brand. Yes the bones may have been similar buy in general their cars were more sporty.
Not just cars like G8, Trans Am, Fire Bird, but even their versions of normal cars like Grand Am and Bonnevilles were sporty.
And don't forget Fiero.
That Firehawk is one mean looking car, nice mix of subtle and agressiveness. RIP Pontiac! The 1990s were really GM's last big hey-day. 4th gen F-Bodies that ran circles around Mustangs, the awesome GMT400 trucks, and the bulletproof 3800 V6 engines
Dude rows those gears like he's trying to bend shift forks with his damn driver gloves!
Haha
Yeah he needs to relax with that
I wanted one of these so bad when I was a kid
I want it now after watching this! 🙂❤️
I still want one
Same! Had a model of one on my speaker. 😃
I did as well.. Still wouldn't mind one today
I really, really understand this sentiment. So much so that I went out and bought a 4th gen Trans Am 😂Literally my favorite car of all time
The 4th gens looked exotic at a working man's budget. I have a black 97 SLP SS and it turns heads like crazy even in a city with exotics
I love the 80s irocs and other f body stuff , the next gen is a refinement and worked a heck of alot better.
That has the lt4 right w/310 ponies.
@@bmacster1985 lt1 with the slp optional exhaust came in at 310 lt4 with 330 i believe
I have a 1994 formula 6 speed LT1 hard top manual windows no track control. Its not a firehawk. But it still runs like a champ! Love these early 4th gens. Owned a few WS6 LS1 cars. And I still love my formula LT1! Long live the 4th generation
"these tires help keep the firehawk glued to the racetrack" car almost eats it
They didn't say anything about the drivers. Who were having wayyyy too much fun to care about the shots in the review.
I thought the same thing, then I observed that the additional 7k buys you the exact same wheels as they stuck on an Impala SS
😂😂😂
They also said they were testing under abnormally cold conditions and were fighting traction issues
Tires back then probably didn’t have the same technology either. Our expectations have gotten a lot better in the last 25 years
So this is what the Stig was up to in the 90s...
Thank you Motorweek for making the pandemic that much easier to endure! Merry Christmas to you 🥂
One of my favorite cars ever. Not that fast now but, always made an entrance.
6 speed 4 wheel abs fuel injected 350: That was a serious machine in 1994.
They would go 13.5@104 so it’s still faster than say a 5.7 hemi or a hell of a run for a LS3 gen 5 camaro and looks much better than either.
The wheels are amazing
At that time the only American car that was faster was the much more expensive Dodge Viper
@@LeoM-zt3pl Yeah. Its still decent today.
I had a formula v8 firebird back in 90s , I regret selling it !!
I had one of these in the U.K. until a few years ago,fantastic car.
Wow I bet you were popular. Tearing up the sedate British countryside in this Yank nightmare machine! Good on you!
@@marcmayhem0412 it was a ton of fun,just about the right size for U.K. roads,I had a 3rd Gen Firebird before that and I've got a C6 Z06 now,I don't swap and change,I have them years,12 years the Firehawk!✌👍
@@grahamsmith2022 sweet, how do ppl see you driving American cars?? Do ppl ask questions or comment on your car, like i am?? lol..
@@P71ScrewHead yes,you get interest from people that know cars,petrol heads,young children believe it or not,particularly the 3rd Gen Pontiac which some recognised as the "Kitt" Knight Rider car,which is pretty amazing when you consider that it was 30 years before they were born!,most interest is positive but you do get some negative snobbery from some "car fans" that assume even a late model Corvette handles like a '59 Cadillac.The favourite one,even from car fanatics is the assumption that any V8 American car does 8 miles per gallon,maybe true in the late '60s muscle car era but as we know,not true of later cars!
@@grahamsmith2022 i noticed you said you now drive a C6 Z06, that one has the LS7 with 505hp n gets 25mpg hwy, correct?? That's my favorite LS engine n Corvette, besides the new 2020 Stingray that came out.. i can't believe i didn't realize it when i read it..lol Good taste sir, good taste.. I'm a Ford guy but that's my favorite Chevy.. n yes, this nation encourages gas thirsty engines especially in trucks since they sale like toilet paper..lol n gas prices are kinda low in many states, like my Texas for example.. The thing about the world is many tax V8s like in Japan for instance to encourage v6 n 4cy sales n discouraging buying of V8s commonly seen in American vehicles.. But that's why this nation fights wars around the world for the oil n other natural resources to fatten Americans up to keep them complacent about what the gov is doing n they're in not good but ok condition..
3:16 Love the shot of the Hawk in the tree as the Beast passed underneath. nice touch.
I own a 94 6-speed Firehawk and I absolutely love it!! It's #186 of the 500 made for that year. I bought it from the original owner and I even have the original window sticker for it!! ❤️😇🔥🦅
How many did they make year to year? I've never seen a Firehawk on the road - or even at various dealers when I was looking for a WS6 in the very early 2000s.
@@rodmunch69 in 94, only 500. Later years they made more of them but usually they had to be special ordered so it was rare to see them at dealers unless they were being delivered to customers..
A proper car,sexy,with a super design,looks amazing and nowdays is very rare and a super nice presence on the roads.Well done Pontiac
Just bought a 98 formula last week, my first real F body and ls1 car. It’s an animal!
That 2nd gear scratch was loooooong
Fun fact, you had to go to Home Depot to buy replacement engine air filters. They were with the other furnace filters 🤣
Why does that seem plausible?
@@blairbrown4812 You saw the air filter in the video, right? it could be seen when the hood was popped. It's MASSIVE. Looks big enough to fit in my furnace. Haha
🤣🤣🤣
The test times always bewilder me. These cars ran 13's at over 105 all day long , stock.
Oh my God! I screamed like a little girl when I saw this new video that i fell out of my bed!! Such a bad ass car!! Thank you for uploading this bad ass video! A great way to start my day!
4th gens were so badass looking.. To me they looked like dragons with the nostril hood scoops and big wing on the later models 😍
Only ever seen 2 of these in person! Truly awesome car and I still want one in 2020!
Damn, that thing is as fast as the 1998 Corvette I had back then. I never actually saw any Firehawks for sale, but that performance is super impressive for 1993, when the car would have been made.
Back in 1997 I was at a dealer’s auction looking for a toy and test drove a 93 Firewhawk and a 92 Stealth twin turbo. Both were a riot. I ended up with the Stealth as it went up for bid first and stayed within my budget. But I kind of regret not holding out for the Firehawk.
Firebird and 3000GTO - i truly love them both!!!
Hard to beat that low rpm torque and v8 rumble. Plus these like to rev as well with the LT1 up to 5800. Very impressive in their day even with the LS1 being released shortly afterward
Hated my 3000gt and that nightmare fit of an engine to work on. Firehawk would have been a better choice
Psone Need for speed 3 hot pursuit , good times playing with Pontiac firebird
I grew up playing that game.
This is my favorite F-body of all time, other that the 89 turbo T/A...
One of my favourite cars as well Too bad that GM dropped the brand
Doesn't matter bro'...can you imagine today an electric Firebird with a Tesla car appearance?? Disgusting, like 99% of cars today.....
@@aaroncurtis6194Hi Aaron I'm Peter from Hamilton Ontario Canada sir 48 years old and a stroke and cardiac arrest survivor and haven't been able to drive since I had the stroke in April of '06, but yes I couldn't imagine a trans-am now like a testla.
HI Peter, I'm Steve from Toronto, Ontario ( born, raised and still live here) and I agree with you. I couldn't imagine an electric FIREBIRD or Even a CAMARO or a CORVETTE, it will just be dumb.
@@steveespinola7652 nice to meet you Steve I was a fan of the late 70's and early eighties firebird trans AM never had one but I'm 48 years old now and a stroke and cardiac arrest survivor and can't drive anymore
HI again first sorry to hear about what happened to you but at least you did survive it so thats a good thing and second I was a fan too of the old Firebirds and Camaros as well. ( had a couple of pictures of them in my locker when I was in grade school and High school)
0-60 in 5 seconds, quarter mile in 14 seconds flat...that’s faster than some Ferrari’s were at that time.
That speaks volumes, and shows you don't have to pay over 80K to have something quick.
MORE PONTIAC RETRO REVIEWS!!
I still have my 2001 formula firebird . just turned 70k love that car!
Those were some tough cars for back in the day. I had a '94 formula firebird myself and loved that car. I wish I could've gotten a firehawk.
The SLP numbers weren’t outrageous compared to today’s cars but I can tell you the car would over power the tires at any speed under 80mph
Maybe if you had horrible tires… after first gear they were fine
The Pontiac Firebird was always my favorite of the ponycars. Every model year was in a class of it's own compared to the competition. Sure the Mustang and Camaro always sold more but the Firebird was something special. RIP Pontiac.
Timeless design. Still looks great in 2020.
Ikr? The 4th gen (esp. the LS1 cars) Trans Ams have always been my favorite cars, but when I started shopping for new cars a few months ago I almost didn't look at them. I just thought they would look dated. But I took one look at em and realized the styling is timeless. I now own a 4th gen T/A
Brings back a lot of memories...a time when 4th gen F-bodies where the center my universe haha 😂
This was such a dreamcar for me as a kid! Great memories watching these shows and read C&D reviews, pouring over them for hours!
In recent years these have really gone up in value! Cool cars!
I'm a Mustang guy but I LOVE this car!
Absolutely awesome cars, even today.
In reality these cars did 0-60 in under 5 seconds and the quarter-mile in the mid 13's @ ~105.
John said twice that the track was cold.
Not under 5 seconds 😂🤣
@@flight2k5 GMHTP got 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. I had that article new as a teenager in 1995. These cars were essentially the same as the SLP Camaro SS produced in '96/'97 (albeit different style ram air box) and they did 0-60 in under 5-seconds as well. Not sure why you'd be laughing, you must not come from the 90's muscle era like I did.
@@cali2468 so one single test barely made it. Got it
@@flight2k5 Correct, 0-60 in 4.9. Quarter-mile came around in the mid 13's.
I had a 97 trans am ws6. I loved that car so much. Never should have sold it
I used to drive an ‘85 Trans-Am (Blue with the silver graphics) in ‘94 as a senior in High School. There was no other car I wanted to have but this one, except my $4.25/hr. wage at Burger King was never enough. 😂😂😂
Man I miss these things
My neighbor had one back in the day
0-60 in 5.0 in 1994 is very impressive considering my 2003 BMW m3 is rated for 0-60 around the 5 sec mark. Pontiac was way ahead and I’d love to get my hands on one for sale.
Yeah but an M3 is still an inline 6 versus a v8. I believe the M3 is still NA as well.
@@thefuzzypickle8277 Agreed. Correct, my M3 is NA 3.2 liter inline 6 and puts out more than a 100 hp per liter, which is quite remarkable. I was just highlighting the fact that there weren't many others with those performance figures during the early 90s, including BMWs.
There's no replacement for displacement.
@Steven Mark Tobin I know it's an old joke😆
@Steven Mark Tobin you're an idiot. The SBCs are physically smaller than Coyotes.
The car of my dreams in high school , still a looker
I had this as a toy model car in red. My favorite one
Bring back Pontiac!
2:02 "Glued....", sweet camera work here, very artistic! 3:18, and this V8 sounds tuff the whole video 2:30!! *LOVE* the Retro Reviews!!
I love motorweek retro reviews outro music
Them wheels look almost identical to the Chevrolet impala SS of them days
Made by ROH. Offset was different on the Impala.
Those 90s F-Body cars are so fun to drive. Maybe not the fastest cars on the road but so fun to romp on
Limiting factor for many of these old cars was the tire's.
I’ve always liked the old school 5 spoke wheels SLP used for the Firebirds. Those look like deep dish Impala SS wheels.
Always loved the power, hated the fit and finish of these things. That era of GM quality hasn't aged well.
When the 4th generation Firebird came out I thought it looked so futuristic looking.
Them cars were monsters for their time
Still are. With a few mods and some boost, you can have this car burning modern muscle cars without breaking your bank.
@@Lrules364 yea I know but I’m talking about out the factory. I mean you can mod anything to our run anything lol
@@thevanillagorilla71 Not a Prius though lol
@@jsciarri facts🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lol, luv the shot of the car rounding corner, it’s all over the track but it’s so planted lol! Man times have changed! #luvmyws6!
The filters behind that ram air need to be changed so badly lol.
I have one of these that I autocross on the weekends and it still rocks!
Impressive. I am not a GM fan. But I have always liked the fire bird over the camero
Mid to high 4 second 0-60 on a warmer day. That's good!
people are going to hate on the driver in this video because the rear end keeps swinging out but I know from experience that's what those F-Body's loved to do. I used to swing into my parking spot at work all the time because well one punch of the throttle and you were halfway there!
It goes side by side with a Supra 2JZ turbo, ZX300 biturbo, 3000 GTVR4, RX7 of the same year.
@Glasspack40 Good point. Maybe because it's especial series? They could also bring a NSX to the taste.
I have had four F-bodys, one red 95 firebird formula, a red 95 camaro z28, a black 97 Trans am 6-speed and a red 2000 Trans am ws6, all convertibles. Liked them all 🙂
I just love Pontiac.
I have the 03 Montana with Flowmaster muffler on it, with Magnaflow exhaust tip on it, and it sounds great, also got almost new slotted and 2 cross drilled rotors from a Chevy Venture, and the Brembo brake pads from it, also MSD ignition coils and the high performance ignition cables from the Chevy Impala, picked up a good condition universal cone air filter AEM branded, from a Chevy Impala.
It's also got the Grand Prix GTP side skirts on it, and took out the chrome mesh grill inserts from Cadillac, and put it on the Montana grill frame, and cannot forget the Grand Am GT wing, chrome rims, GT badges from the Grand Prix GT.
Took off good clean headlights, taillight, fog light, assemblies and bulbs too, from 2 Chevy Venture vans.
The battery has 4 posts on it, 2 on the side and 2 on the top, got that from the Chevy Astro, got 4 Pioneer speakers, 2 from the front doors and 2 from the trunk, off Cobalt SS.
It runs great, sounds great and look great too, and for worthwhile prices since I got it all from the junk yard.
Currently searching for the Montana Thunder hood with the cowls on it, original GM hood, also searching for all leather seats, as well as the DVD / VHS and monitor, etc. to equip entertainment center in the van, worst case scenario, I can put in Pioneer DVD / CD player / Radio / unit into dash.
I am currently thinking to repaint it with different colors, and can do it, in the summer.
Will be adding transmission cooler from the Chevy C/K pick up, maybe 2 of them put together.
It has a good looking of it’s styling of this Firehawk, it a pure muscle car.
I remember drooling over one of these in my town as a teenager lol
Nice Nineties look. The side view does seem really strange with that looong body and shot wheelbase.
0-60 in 5 is F.A.S.T. for the nineties! It's still quick.
These actually did 0-60 in under 5-seconds. Several mags proved this.
@@cali2468 Yeah, they were never going to get those tires to hook properly on a cold track. Given that, 5 seconds is very impressive. I bet they couldn't get WOT until 3rd gear at least.
That's on 90s rubber too. Knock a few tenths off that time for today's rubber. This car is fast for any decade.
That's Accord performance these days.
@@bandwagon240 Right, but what was an Accord running back in 1993 when this car came out? 🤔
Y'all going to do the Retro Motorweek marathon over Xmas? Please? It's so much fun watching all the old episode. Thanks!
One of the best lookin cars ever made
Yes they were no matter if it was the base model like I currently own all the way to the TA!
I own one & it has both Performance Exhaust & Level 2 suspension,. Mine is "Dark Yellow Green Metallic"- I just posted a "Exhaust Clip" today.
Dark yellow green? is it yellow or green?
It is "Dark green "AKA" Hunter green. My 1971 LeMans was this color or close. . .Reminds me of the classic Goat colors. Ill be posting some walk around clips of it very soon.
Bring back the Firehawk.
Bring back Pontiac!
I Was Today Years Old When I Found Out The Pontiac Fire Hawk & The Chevy Impala SS Had The Same Wheels!🤯
The best looking wheels ever made or one of the best ever designed. Unfortunately a lot of peopled modded these cars and made them look uglier, especially when it came to the wheels.
This car was a bargain, because they used the Formula as the base car instead of the TA.
One of my favorite cars of all time i would love to do a video review on one of those bad boyz!
Super fun cars to drive. I prefer them with the t-tops. Crazy on how much horse power muscle cars are putting out now compared to back then.
I prefer the styling of the 93-97 Camaro versus the 93-97 Firebird, but I definitely prefer the updated look of the 98-02 Firebird vs the one on the 98-02 Camaro.
In 1997 I worked at a Pontiac dealership, had a customer who bought one of these trying to claim Lemmon law on it. As he had brought in numerous times, claiming that it would turn off intermittently. Well on the 6 time he brought it in, we had parked out back as we were pretty busy. Had a tow truck bring in a car to the back , as I was back there getting my next vehicles to work on. I see the tow truck completely cut this turn to tight and take the whole front end of the fire hawk off. Well long story short, the guy who owned the fire hawk got what he really wanted, and out of the fire hawk, compliments of the towing company. And my co worker got 1994 fire hawk for cheap.
This makes me miss my 99 Firebird Formula even more!
Lots of tire spin in 1st and 2nd...easily a low 13 second car. Very quick for the early 90s.
I find it hilarious that Pontiac went away leaving only the camaro when the firebird was always a better ride
That’s a lot of car for the money back then. A decent set of tires would do so much to improve handling and straight line performance. I drove a friends 94 z28 and that engine was a real torque monster
As somebody who drove both a 6 spd and auto in these LT1 cars, the auto were quicker in the 1/4 but the 6 spd would have the better MPH. My '94 GT with a auto ran a 14.0 the 1st time at the track in Georgia July heat. I had somebody run in front of me a couple months later totaling the car and never had the chance to take it back in cooler weather.
it must have been very cold that day, as a stock formula runs what this did, seen tests in the 13's for the Firehawk. 40 years of motor week, nothing like it.
GM bring back the hatch open trunk!!!
FYI: with a good launch on a better track ,most reviews got 60 in 4.8 and 13.5 1/4 mile times w 105 mph or better . . When I sold them in the 90s, customers would put even wider rear tires ,and drag slicks , and run high 12s, low 13s . Mostly stock. It would beat a 94 Corvette by atleast a car length .
Hey motorweek! You have a video for a Pontiac GTP or maybe even a 4.3 equipped first gen S-10??
friend of mine had a ‘95 convertible 6spd with bluish greenish paint. man it was so clean and totaled it 2yrs after he got it💔 man, those Firehawks were mean.
Love it looks awesome.
For me, this is more appealing than the Trans Am of this era, as it is much cleaner looking without all the added body kit on the TA.
Thanks, interestingly my 1977 TRANS AM/400ci/6.6 L/ automatic/SE ,HURST HATCH( SMOKEY & BANDIT), was a superlatives Driving and Stopping: the HORSEPOWER APPALLING, LOW; & heard about FIREHAWKS....,!, Anyways, thank goodness for HO PRODUCTS, SEMA, AND FIREHAWK.... etc
Friend of mine had (and might still have) a Firebird of this era. If you see this, what up Pesci?!
I miss Pontiac so much!!!!!!!!
Love at car looks badass. The driver looked like a younger version of chip foose
Its crazy how nowadays you can get a V-6 with this kind of hp.
Exactly. Nowadays V6s will catch up to these Firebirds, but the best thing about the Pontiacs is nothing else on the road will be as cool looking as these F-body cars.
I'm a ford guy but I have to be honest, it was/is a beautiful car
I love these and the Camaro had hot wheels Firebird Formula black with tan interior actually two of them with T-tops. They are rare now where I live last time saw one of these my neighbors across the street used to play bingo they would have a lot of people at their house so many cars most would be park over by my yard one night it was a red Firebird with 22"s backed in my driveway when was coming home they were get ready leave at the time though, think last time saw Firebird that has been 10 years ago.