Which American car company made the Firebird and Phoenix models?
"engines came from specialty engine builders, and contained parts that did not meet factory specifications engines. In The Episode S02E01 - Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, The full name of Trans Am is given as ""Trans American Sedan Racing Series"". This is incorrect. The actual name of Trans Am is the ""Trans American Sedan Championship"". American Muscle Car American Muscle Car is a weekly television show on Speed (TV channel), produced by Restoration Productions LLC., about muscle cars. Each episode provides a timeline of each vehicle's history beginning with its first year of production to its most recent year of production."
"of were claimed. The original General Motors Firebird was a series of concept cars developed for the 1953, 1956 and 1959 Motorama auto shows, powered by gas turbines. As a result of the U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970, research was funded to developing automotive gas turbine technology. Design concepts and vehicles were conducted by Chrysler, General Motors, Ford (in collaboration with AiResearch), and American Motors (in conjunction with Williams Research). Long-term tests were conducted evaluate comparable cost efficiency. Several AMC Hornets were powered by a small Williams regenerative gas turbines weighing and producing at 4450 rpm. Toyota demonstrated"
"Pontiac Sunbird The Pontiac Sunbird is a small car manufactured and marketed by Pontiac over two generations. The first generation was marketed as a subcompact hatchback, wagon and coupe (1976-1980) — as a badge engineered variant of the Chevrolet Monza, which was based on the Chevrolet Vega. The second generation (1982-1994) was marketed as notchback coupé, sedan, hatchback, station wagon, and convertible as a rebadged variant of General Motors' J-cars and was manufactured alongside the Cadillac Cimarron, Buick Skyhawk, Oldsmobile Firenza, and Chevrolet Cavalier at GM's South Gate Assembly and Janesville Assembly plants. The Sunbird nameplate ran for 18 years"
"Camaro. Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear ""slit"" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO. Both a two-door hardtop and a convertible were offered through the 1969 model year. Originally, the car was a ""consolation prize"" for Pontiac, which had desired to produce a two-seat sports car based on its original Banshee concept car. However, GM feared this would cut into Chevrolet Corvette sales, and gave Pontiac a piece of the ""pony car"" market through sharing"
"the similar F-body Camaro) were nearly dropped. Again the 455HO was the only engine available for the Trans Am. Starting in 1972, and continuing until 1977, the Firebird was only produced at the Norwood, Ohio, facility. Actual production cars yielded 1/4 mile results in the high 14 to 15.0 second/98 MPH range (sources: ""Motor Trend Magazine"", July '73 and Roger Huntington's book, ""American Supercar"") – results that are consistent with a 3,850 pound car (plus driver) and the engine equipped with a 4-barrel Rochester Quadrajet carburetor rated at a maximum power of at 4000 rpm and a maximum torque of"
"only big Pontiac, further reducing sales as buyers went for more plushness. The remainder of the 1970s and the early 1980s saw the continued rise of luxury, safety and economy as the key selling points in Pontiac products. Wire-spoked wheel covers returned for the first time since the 1930s. More station wagons than ever were being offered. Padded vinyl roofs were options on almost every model. Rear-wheel drive began its slow demise with the introduction of the first front-wheel drive Pontiac, the 1980 Phoenix (a version of the Chevrolet Citation). The Firebird continued to fly high on the success of"
"came to fruition, although the three Firebirds did ultimately become the namesake of the Pontiac Firebird pony cars that debuted in 1967. In 1954, Fiat introduced its own experimental turbine-engined prototype, the Turbina. The car was powered by a two-stage turbine that powered the wheels through a geared reduction unit, while its body was streamlined based on the results of wind tunnel testing. The Turbina's engine enabled it to achieve a top speed of as well as to produce at 22,000 rpm. Introduced to the public in 1963, the Chrysler Turbine Car was powered by a turbine that produced and"
"design philosophy rested in part due to the aging Ford Pinto and Ford Maverick, and two oil embargoes which led to a rise in more fuel-efficient import vehicle sales. Taking note of this, Ford set out to revolutionize the automotive industry, and would later lay the groundwork for three revolutionary vehicles: The 1983 Thunderbird (and its Mercury counterpart, the Cougar), the 1984 Tempo (and its Mercury counterpart, the Topaz), and the yet-to be released Taurus (and its Mercury counterpart, the Sable). The Tempo and Topaz would be based on a stretched version of the front-wheel-drive platform used on the Ford"
"the Pontiac Firebird that included additional features and options. In 1969, the upscale Continental Mark III was introduced, using the Ford Thunderbird (fifth generation) chassis, and was the first American-made vehicle with the technically superior radial tire as standard equipment. By one account, the 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100 defined ""personal luxury"" by using a shortened wheelbase and body (compared to the full-sized Mercury), but still weighing with a V8 producing with of torque while riding on bias-ply whitewall tires on five-spoke aluminum wheels. Imported vehicles were a small segment of the US market until the late 1960s, requiring specialist repair"
"(with a hiatus during the 1981 and 1982 model years, as the 1982 model was marketed as the J2000) and was replaced in 1995 by the Pontiac Sunfire. The Pontiac Sunbird is a subcompact, four-passenger automobile introduced in September 1975, and produced for the 1976 through 1980 model years. The first-generation Sunbird is a badge engineered version of the Chevrolet Monza which was derived from the Chevrolet Vega. Built on the H-body platform, its intended competitors were other small sporty two-door vehicles including the Toyota Celica, Datsun 200SX, Ford Capri, and the Ford Mustang II. It did not share any"
"Ford Fairmont, Ford Galaxie, Ford Granada, Ford LTD, Ford Thunderbird, Lincoln Capri, Lincoln Premiere, Lincoln Versailles, Mercury Colony Park, Mercury Meteor, Mercury Monarch, Mercury Montclair, Mercury Monterey, and Mercury Turnpike Cruiser. Bruce Springsteen's 1982 song, ""Johnny 99"", is about an auto worker who gets laid off from the Mahwah plant and shoots and kills a night clerk while drunk and distraught. Mahwah Assembly Mahwah Assembly was a Ford Motor Company manufacturing plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, 30 miles (48 km) from New York City. It occupied over 172 acres. The factory began operations in 1955, and was closed in 1980."
"and not a RPO, to the buying public in the spring of 1977 as a ""1977½"" in response to dramatically increasing sales of Pontiac's Trans Am, which sold over 46,000 units in 1976 and accounted for half of all Firebird sales that year. Like the Trans Am, the revived Camaro Z28 was an instant hit and was powered by a 350 cubic-inch V8 with four-barrel carburetor and 185 horsepower (175 horses with California emissions equipment), with most cars sold equipped with air conditioning and an automatic transmission for a comfort-oriented public. The engine no longer came with the 4-bolt main"
"GM's concern that his design would take away sales from the Corvette, their flagship performance vehicle, so instead they forced him to work with the existing Camaro design. He could only make changes to the front and rear of the car and even had to use the same fenders. Suspension was a whole different story, as the Firebird has different front and rear suspensions than the Camaro. The vehicle, the Pontiac Firebird, introduced for the 1967 model year, became even more popular throughout the 1970s. Shortly after the Firebird's introduction, DeLorean turned his attention to development of an all-new Grand"
"GM F platform The F platform, or F-body, was General Motors' small rear-wheel drive automobile platform from 1967 until 2002. It was based partially on the GM X platform, which was used for compact applications instead of the sporting intent of the F-Body. The only two vehicles to have been built using the F-Body platform are the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird. The fourth character in the Vehicle Identification Number for an F-body car is ""F"", on Fourth Generation vehicles. Earlier Camaros and Firebirds had differing VIN codes, but are now commonly referred to as F-bodies. The first F-body"
"of fuel vapor lock (boiling) problems. Some sources indicate the 305 TPI engine output was decreased from 210 hp to 190 hp, while others maintain it stayed at 210 hp. Paint RPO's were changed to reflect the new base-coat/clear-coat paint process. American Sunroof (ASC), licensed by Chevrolet to build the 1987 Camaro convertible, also built three 1986 Trans Am convertibles as a ""design exercise"". In spite of rumors, there were no 350 TPI L98 cars made in 1986 according to Pontiac. The Firebird body remained basically unchanged. All center, high-mounted stop lamps were relocated to a new position between the"
"of tire failure on first generation Mercury Mountaineers, first and second generation Ford Explorers, and Mazda Navajo 3-doors fitted with Firestone tires. Ford investigated and found that several models of 15-inch (381 mm) Firestone tires (""ATX"", ""ATX II"", and ""Wilderness AT"") had very high failure rates, especially those made at Firestone's Decatur, Illinois plant. To this day the Ford Motor Company refuses to equip any vehicle they sell with Firestones. Individuals can still opt to purchase tires aftermarket though. Mercury Mountaineer The Mercury Mountaineer is a mid-size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was sold by Mercury from 1996 until"
"Phoenix Firebirds The Phoenix Firebirds, formerly the Phoenix Giants, were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Phoenix, Arizona, USA from 1958–1959, and 1966 until 1997. The franchise was a member of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL), and were the top minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The Firebirds were forced to leave Phoenix following the 1997 season, as the new National League expansion team, the Arizona Diamondbacks would begin play in Phoenix the following year. In a complicated series of events, the owners of the Firebirds moved their team to Tucson, Arizona, and became the"
"1956. In addition to its regenerative gas turbine, the car featured a titanium body, fully independent suspension, power disc brakes, electric gear selection, and air conditioning that could be individually controlled. The last of GM's Firebirds, Firebird III, was built in 1958. It was the only Firebird to influence any GM production cars; both the 1959 and 1961 Cadillac lineups took styling cues from it. Noted for its extravagant tailfins, Firebird III also broke a number of Earl's styling rules with its very reserved use of chrome and lack of parallel lines. While GM planned a Firebird IV, it never"
"Ford Maverick (Americas) The Ford Maverick is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Ford for model years 1969-1977 in the United States, originally as a two-door sedan employing a rear-wheel drive platform original to the 1960 Falcon — and subsequently as a four-door sedan on the same platform. The Maverick was also manufactured in Venezuela, Canada, Mexico, and, from 1973 to 1979, in Brazil. The name ""maverick"" was derived from the word for unbranded range animals, and the car's nameplate was stylized to resemble a longhorned cow head. The Maverick was originally conceived and marketed as a subcompact ""import"
"Banshee series. From 1967 to 2002, the Pontiac division of General Motors also used the name ""Firebird"" for the line of pony cars that was a corporate cousin of the Chevrolet Camaro, which has no direct relation to the concept cars. General Motors had done research on the feasibility of gas turbine engines in cars as early as the 1940s. It wasn't until the early 1950s that the company began building an actual engine, with Emmett Conklin leading the project. The fanciful and top speed of all four concept cars is ""200 MPH."" By 1953, the research team had produced"
"end of its lifespan, since it was originally meant to be replaced in 1975 by the Granada and Monarch. However, Ford decided to keep selling both lines until the 1978 model year introduction of the Fairmont. Ford Maverick (Americas) The Ford Maverick is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Ford for model years 1969-1977 in the United States, originally as a two-door sedan employing a rear-wheel drive platform original to the 1960 Falcon — and subsequently as a four-door sedan on the same platform. The Maverick was also manufactured in Venezuela, Canada, Mexico, and, from 1973 to 1979, in"
"became the first car powered by a gas turbine engine to be built in the United States. Never intended for production, the car was purely a design exercise to determine the feasibility of turbine-powered road cars. The car's body, which was made of plastic reinforced by fiberglass, was designed by Harley J. Earl, while its Whirlfire Turbo-Power engine was developed by Charles L. McCuen and the GM Research Laboratories Division. Driving the rear wheels of the car via a conventional transmission, the engine was able to produce at 13,000 rpm. Its successor, Firebird II, debuted at General Motors Motorama in"
"Dodge Phoenix The Dodge Phoenix is an automobile which was produced by Chrysler Australia from 1960 to 1972. The Phoenix was introduced in May 1960 as an Australian assembled version of the American Dodge Dart, positioned above the locally developed Chrysler Royal as Chrysler Australia’s luxury model. It borrowed its name from the top Dart, the Dodge Dart Phoenix, but unlike its American namesake it was offered only as a four-door sedan and only with a 318 cubic inch V8 engine. The Phoenix was subsequently restyled in line with the 1961 and 1962 Dodge Dart. For 1963 the new TD2"
"Firebird was introduced in 1993. It was powered by either a 3.4 L V6 with , or in Trans Am guise a LT-1, a 5.7 L (350c.i.) V8, and could be backed by a T-56 six-speed manual.The Sunbird was replaced with the (still J-body) Sunfire in 1995. While a V6 engine was no longer available in the J-car, sedan, coupe, and convertible body styles did survive. For 1996 the Bonneville received updated front and rear fascias along with several other enhancements. The 3800 Series II V6 had become standard in 1995, featuring 200 hp. The updated supercharged 3800 Series II"
"Gibson Firebird The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Gibson from 1963 to the present. The Gibson Guitar Corporation released several new styles during the 1950s to compete with Fender's solid-body instruments, such as the Telecaster and Stratocaster. After success with the Les Paul in the 1950s, Gibson's popularity began to wane in the 1960s. Fender's colors, shapes and multiple pickups were endorsed by notable guitarists. Gibson's guitars, most of which were hollow or semi-hollow designs, seemed old-fashioned. Coupled with higher prices, this contributed to a decline in sales. Gibson had made forays into radical body shapes"
"XM-800 was one of many concept cars created by Ford. It was introduced at the 1954 Detroit Auto Show, and featured forward-canted headlights, rear tailfins (a first for Ford at that time), and power seats, brakes, steering and other advancements. Like many similar cars of the time it was not operational, except for the electrical components such as the motorized trunk and front hood, although some of its innovations appeared later in the Lincoln Premiere. Harley Earl helped develop the General Motors Firebird, a series of three concept cars shown at Motorama auto shows in the 1950s. The Firebird I,"
"1958 Ford Thunderbird (second generation) was arguably the first personal luxury car, which became a large market segment. Pony cars were introduced with the Ford Mustang in 1964. This car combined sporty looks with a long hood, small rear deck, and a small rear seat. The car proved highly successful and imitators soon arose, including the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, Plymouth Barracuda (actually introduced two weeks prior to the Mustang), AMC Javelin, and the two-seat AMX, as well as the ""luxury"" version of the Mustang, the Mercury Cougar. Muscle cars were also introduced in 1964 with the Pontiac GTO. These"
"provided the body style for the mechanically identical racing cars used in the International Race of Champions (IROC). During the 1995, 1996, and 1997 NHRA seasons, 14-time funny car champion John Force used a Firebird body to replace the obsolete Oldsmobile Cutlass and Chevrolet Lumina bodies he had used since 1988. He used it for three seasons, winning the championship in all three years. The Firebird was also used by drivers such as Del Worsham, Tim Wilkerson, Frank Pedregon, and Jerry Toliver. The Firebird body also replaced the Oldsmobile Cutlass in the pro stock class in 1995, forcing drivers Warren"
"LT-1. The Pontiac Firebird went into production contemporaneously and on the same platform as the Camaro. Pontiac entered the Trans-Am Series in 1968, and a year later introduced the Trans-Am Firebird for public purchase. This option came with Pontiac's 400 cubic inch engine, which did not qualify for homologation. The Ford Mustang was the first ""pony car,"" introduced mid-year in 1964. Ford had participated in Trans-Am since its first season in 1966. In 1969 and 1970 Ford produced the Boss 302, a replica of their Trans-Am race cars. This car featured Ford's Boss 302, which was a standard 302 Ford"
"However, declining sales and the growing popularity of rear-wheel drive light trucks and sport utility vehicles ultimately led to the demise of the Firebird and short lived demise of the Camaro after the 2002 model year. The dilemma facing automakers in offering pony cars (or their equivalent) going forward is developing a suitable platform that is affordable and capable enough to be viable. Unlike the mid-1960s, the large majority of modern compact cars are front-wheel drive, with four- and six-cylinder engines, and the widespread use of unibody construction makes engineering a specialized body an expensive proposition. In 2005, Ford introduced"
"the NHRA Grandnational, U.S. Nationals, Fall Nationals, World Finals and Beech Bend WCS. Glidden won his third national championship title with the car. The Futura was retired at the end of the 1978 season. Ford Fairmont The Ford Fairmont is a compact car produced by Ford for the US and Canada markets for the 1978 to 1983 model years. The debut of the Fairmont and its Mercury Zephyr counterpart marked the launch of the long-running Ford Fox platform that would underpin twelve additional models and stay in production until 1993. Offered in a variety of body styles, the Fairmont succeeded"
"Ford Fairmont The Ford Fairmont is a compact car produced by Ford for the US and Canada markets for the 1978 to 1983 model years. The debut of the Fairmont and its Mercury Zephyr counterpart marked the launch of the long-running Ford Fox platform that would underpin twelve additional models and stay in production until 1993. Offered in a variety of body styles, the Fairmont succeeded the Ford Maverick, and was replaced by the front-wheel drive Ford Tempo for the 1984 model year. In April 1973 the American EPA released its comprehensive list of fuel economy results. In October of"
"buyers were moving away from the pony cars, either toward smaller compact cars (domestic or imported) or toward larger, more luxurious models. Insurance company pressures combined to assault the pony car market with ever-increasing insurance policy premiums. By 1972, the domestic pony cars were not ""selling well at all — neither the current Mustang nor the Camaro, Javelin, Barracuda, Challenger, Firebird, nor Cougar"" with the market segment so depressed that industry observers ""believed GM would discontinue the Camaro and Firebird after 1972"" or perhaps 1973. Performance of the hottest versions of pony cars began to erode as a result of"