Showroom Showcase: 2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Firehawk

You don’t very often encounter a chance to buy a “new” car that’s over two decades old, but the Barrett-Jackson Collection Showroom currently features a millennium-era muscle car with only 2,119 total miles on the clock, so this is about as close as you may ever get.

Limited-production, low-mileage, unmodified, performance-tuned, and collector-grade are all descriptors that could be used to discuss this special F-body coupe. The Firebird model originally started life in 1967 alongside its Chevrolet Camaro sibling; both rode on the F-body platform, and they shared similar powerplants and engineering throughout life. By the 1980s and 1990s, Pontiac had established a reputation as General Motors’ performance-oriented brand with a “We Are Driving Excitement” tagline. (And for good reason)

This showroom-kept Firebird is from the final year of the fourth generation which came out in 1993 as a two-door liftback or convertible. Over the subsequent decade, engineers raised the bar continually from a performance and equipment perspective. Most importantly (at least as it relates to today’s feature car), the last model year of the Firebird was 2002, and the entire Pontiac brand was killed off in 2010. That makes this car a special find for a number of reasons; it caters to muscle car fans, Firebird enthusiasts, and Pontiac collectors all at the same time.

The nuts and bolts of the build are what set it apart from a contemporary Firebird. This one is a souped-up version called the Firehawk that was customized by SLP Engineering. SLP was established in the late 1980s in Michigan and was the first company in the performance aftermarket to develop and manufacture an emission-legal performance package. That is why the SLP (or “Street Legal Performance”) name was coined to begin with.

There were just 1,503 units like this Firehawk produced, and the upgraded equipment list spanned both mechanical and cosmetic upgrades: Included were a Ram Air cold-air induction hood, a cat-back exhaust system, a Bilstein suspension, front and rear stabilizers, a rear spoiler, model-specific 17-inch wheels, and of course, graphics. The exterior and interior are a sinister black color, and the car comes with removable T-tops if you want to feel the wind in your hair.

This could very well fall into a category of “too nice to drive.” However, if you fall into temptation and elect to enjoy this car on the road rather than store it away for safekeeping, you will be harnessing power from an LS1 5.7-liter V8 that was rated at 345 horsepower and 345 lb-ft of torque. Output is fed rearward through a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential.

For $49,900, this 2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Firehawk from the Barrett-Jackson Collection Showroom is a performance-packed muscle car with strong future collectability. The car will come with manuals, a brochure, and embroidered floor mats – all of which make this package deal even more appealing for the discerning Pontiac enthusiast.