Artscars

   The 1981 Pontiac Firebird (or 2nd generation 'F' Body) was the last of its' body style, and truly the end of an era. 

    Because of the enormous popularity of the movie  "Smokey and the Bandit", in which Burt Reynolds drove one of these, movie tickets turned into showroom sales like never before. Pontiac even had Burt Reynolds in the brochure and offered a "Bandit" edition from your friendly dealer.

     Most '81 Firebirds were ordered as Trans Am's or Formulas, but this one is my tribute to the best of all the 'Birds.

     First I started with a one owner 81 "Secretaries special", with 51,000 original miles. It was showroom fresh with a custom ordered Carmine Red Leather interior, and I knew it would be perfect for my plans.

    I grafted the "Shaker" Hood & Scoop setup from a 1977 Turbo T/A, and then had the Turbo Style "NASCAR" wheels and headlight rims powder coated in "Frigidaire White" 

    Next, using the original fenders, I installed the extractor vents, Following that, the spoilers, wheel flares, steering wheel & exhaust splitters,were added  to make this Firebird stand out in the crowd.

    Finally,  the entire car was taken apart, including  the doors, trunk, hood as well as all seals and spoilers were removed  and repainted in "Sikkens Base White".

       One reason I chose it was the fact that it has the highest reflectance value of any non-metallic paint available, and it is whiter than WHITE. Actually it's the white that's added to all other colors to help with shine and reflectance.

    After I purchased this car, I found a newspaper, "The Pottstown Mercury" from August 11,1981 stuffed in the trunk, between the springs of the seat. 

     I also found the original build sheet and bill of sale for this car, dated Aug 11 1981. 

    It looks, feels and sounds like a real Trans Am, but it has the original small block 265 cu.in V-8 motor that runs on regular, It still has the smog equipment installed and gets about 21 miles to the gallon. 

    This "White Bird", however, gives about a thousand smiles an hour.