It’s hard to believe, but the first LT1-powered F-bodies are nearly 25-years old. When they were released, they were the most powerful pony cars that General Motors had released in a very long time. Top speeds of over 150 mph, quarter-mile times capable of the 13s, a 6-speed manual transmission and the ability to handle with a relatively affordable price made it must-have for GM enthusiasts everywhere.
Unfortunately, the hump in in the passenger side footwell, an awkward driving position, an unusually formatted trunk space and an engine that was located halfway behind the windshield turned off many potential buyers. Upon initial release, many have claimed that the then-futuristic styling was too radical for the time.
As a result, only the most loyal GM buyers chose the Chevy/Pontiac pony car over the Ford counterpart. Critics were happy to point this out, but on the flip side, that just made Camaros and Firebirds more rare in the wild. It’s also much more interesting when one shows up in the secondhand marketplace, particularly in the condition of this example.
So when we ran across this 1994 Pontiac/SLP Firehawk on Bring-A-Trailer, we got excited. As most of us are aware, it was built on the Pontiac assembly line like all other Firebirds, however, once it cleared Final Inspection, it was then sent to SLP for its conversion from Formula to Firehawk. This meant exclusive 17-inch wheels, upgraded suspension, a fiberglass and functional Ram Air hood, a low-restriction exhaust system and plenty of badging to tell the world that this wasn’t your typical F-body. The standard 275 hp mill was also bumped up to two available levels; 300 hp and 315 hp.
To makes things more interesting, this one’s all-original example, with only 6,000 miles. It’s also a solid-roof version, as opposed to T-top, which makes it a little more exclusive than most other Firehawks.
Powered by the 300 hp and 315 lb-ft. LT1, paired with the Tremec transmission and a limited-slip differential, and featuring the 17-inch Ronal wheels, this one-owner Firehawk is currently listed for $10,500 — which all things considered, is quite a fair price. If the market hadn’t treated the 4th-generation cars so badly over recent years, it would (and should) be going for much more than this price.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
