Fresh life breathed into Pontiac Firebird

Pontiac's iconic Firebird was finally laid to rest in 2002 after a 35-year lifespan and, disappointingly for fans of the screaming eagle, the rebirth of the Chevy Camaro in 2006 didn't result in a new lease of life for the former.

Well, said individuals need despair no longer because Michigan-based customiser Classic Design Concepts has conjured up a modern-day Firebird and dubbed it "The FireBreather".

The Camaro-derived coupe was originally conceived as a prop for the film Jinn (perhaps inspired by the Bumblebee from the Transformers), but its creator is now offering 50 examples of the FireBreather to the public.

Splashing out $US85,000 gets you a 6.2-litre (Camaro SS-based) tarmac burner with Eibach suspension, a tuned exhaust and a beefier wheel/tyre package. Those on a lesser budget can opt for the V6 version, which costs $US60,000.

Going on the accompanying images, we'd say the body mods are well executed, drawing inspiration from 1960s/'70s Firebirds, rather than the third-generation car that starred in the popular Knight Rider TV series.

The pronounced beak is there, along with partially hooded headlights and a TransAm-esque power bulge in the bonnet. Its creators have also emblazoned FireBreather logos on the steering wheel, seats and wheel centres.

Collectable status seems assured as each car will be individually numbered, and the not-unreasonable pricetag suggests it mightn't be a bad investment.

The idea for the car came from the director (AJ Ahmad) of the film in which it stars, and his goal was to link the developing Michigan film industry to the state's history.

We applaud the initiative, and we'd go so far as to suggest The FireBreather could inspire another Smokey and the Bandit sequel. Burt Reynolds has had enough facelifts to just about still pull it off...

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