Gen 3 Firehawk prototype?

[slothy]

Hi, posting this for a friend. He has what he thinks/been told is a firehawk prototype car. here is a little description of what he knows about it -

1988 firebird that I acquired in 1997 that my employer bought in 93. The guy that he got it from said that it was a prototype fire hawk that cam from the gm tech center. The car was dark met. Green when he got the car. It has a 383 stocker zf 6 speed and custom headers and bell housing and trans mount. Also the frame is connected trough the floor pans, has koni adjustable shocks. Some of the parts have dates stamped on them.

Custom made headers and 3" exhaust

Motor looks identical to super duty Camaro

Roll cage

Stamped 91 on most made parts.

Intake runners

here are some pics of car and parts I'm hoping someone can say ya this is a prototype or if not what it is Thanks

/>http://imageshack.us/g/441/vetteseatsandfirebird06.jpg/

/>http://imageshack.us/g/850/vetteseatsandfirebird08.jpg/

[notallthere]

To my belief if it was a prototype then it may not have a valid VIN and could not be titled. Frosty is smarter then me on this.

What this could be is a mule car. It would have been used to test after market parts for the GM performance program or SLP.

I will drop Frosty a link to this to see if he knows.

[slothy]

thanks, its titled as a 1988 he said.

[notallthere]

Use this with your VIN and it may tell you a little information.

1 G 1 F P 2 1 H X H L 1 0 0 0 0 1

| | | | | | | | | | | +---------+-----> Production Number

| | | | | | | | | | +-----------------> Assembly Plant

| | | | | | | | | | N = Norwood (1987 only)

| | | | | | | | | | L = Van Nuys

| | | | | | | | | +-------------------> Model Year

| | | | | | | | | H = 1987

| | | | | | | | | J = 1988

| | | | | | | | | K = 1989

| | | | | | | | | L = 1990

| | | | | | | | | M = 1991

| | | | | | | | | N = 1992

| | | | | | | | +--------------------->

Check digit

| | | | | | | +-----------------------> Engine Code

| | | | | | | S = 173 ci V6 LB8 (1987-1989)

| | | | | | | T = 191 ci V6 LH0 (1990-1992)

| | | | | | | F = 305 ci V8 LB9

| | | | | | | H = 305 ci V8 LG4 (1987)

| | | | | | | E = 305 ci V8 LO3 (1988-1992)

| | | | | | | 8 = 350 ci V8 B2L/L98

| | | | | | | (1987-1992)

| | | | | | +-------------------------> Restraint System

| | | | | | 1 = Manual belts

| | | | | | 2 = Manual belts

| | | | | | (built in safety)

| | | | | | 3 = Manual belts

| | | | | | (driver inflatable)

| | | | | | 4 = Automatic belts

| | | | | +---------------------------> Body Type

| | | | | 2 = 2 door coupe (hatchback)

| | | | | 3 = 2 dorr convertible

| | | | +-----------------------------> Carline Series

| | | | Chevrolet:

| | | | P = Camaro (all models)

| | | | Pontiac:

| | | | S = Firebird

| | | | W = Formula, Trans Am

| | | +-------------------------------> Carline Code

| | | F = F Body

| | +---------------------------------> Make

| | 1 = Chevrolet

| | 2 = Pontiac

| +-----------------------------------> Manufacturer

| G = General Motors

+-------------------------------------> Country

1 = USA

2 = Canada

[Frosty]

Hi, posting this for a friend. He has what he thinks/been told is a firehawk prototype car. here is a little description of what he knows about it -

1988 firebird that I acquired in 1997 that my employer bought in 93. The guy that he got it from said that it was a prototype fire hawk that cam from the gm tech center. The car was dark met. Green when he got the car. It has a 383 stocker zf 6 speed and custom headers and bell housing and trans mount. Also the frame is connected trough the floor pans, has koni adjustable shocks. Some of the parts have dates stamped on them.

Custom made headers and 3" exhaust

Motor looks identical to super duty Camaro

Roll cage

Stamped 91 on most made parts.

Intake runners

here are some pics of car and parts I'm hoping someone can say ya this is a prototype or if not what it is Thanks

http://imageshack.us...firebird06.jpg/

http://imageshack.us...firebird08.jpg/

I got notallthere's note and I checked some of my Pontiac literature. I doubt that this is a prototype Firehawk. It may have been a performance car, perhaps even Pontiac or SLP, or someone might have purchased SLP pieces for a 3rd gen Firebird and applied it to this 1988. However, I won't categorically deny the possibility without more information.

First of all, 3rd gen Firebirds were the first Firehawks. Production started in late 1991 and in 1992 with 27 ordered but only 25 were built (#18 and 23 were cancelled for some reason). So there is a 3-to-4 year gap between your prototype and production. A factory ordered Firehawk would have an RPO code of B4U on the build sheet and option plate. Since this is a 1988 machine, this code should not exist.

Is there any sort of documentation from either Pontiac or SLP Engineering that authenticates this car in anyway? Back in the early 2000s I can across an ad for Firehawk #1 being sold by SLP themselves here in Michigan and authentication was guaranteed with this car.

What information can you provide about the car itself? Do you have the Pontiac Historical Services (PHS) information on this car? Is there anything that would lead you to believe this is a Pontiac or C-P-C Engineering car vs a regular production car?

SLP started in 1986 and formed an alliance with GM Performance Parts in 1988. However, the Firehawk name was not introduced until 1991. This means that parts were purchasable over the counter at your dealership or direct mail order from SLP, One person that might know the answer to this question is Herb Adams. Herb created the do-it-yourself autocross 2nd and 3rd gen Trans Am called "Fire Ams" in the 70s and 80s. He developed the WS6 suspension that we know and love on the Trans Ams. Herb went on to become the chief engineer for SLP for several years. He'd know what the prototype car(S) were. Herb still lives in SE Michigan, but I don't have any contact information for him either.

http://slpcars.com/?page_id=804

[slothy]

thanks for all the info.

hes going off what the guy who sold him the car and all the stuff done to the car makes him thing its legit or a possible mule car, but as i told him, with out any paperwork saying where it came from their its nothing more than a car with some parts on it.

ill forward this to him

[Frosty]

I guess it depends on who's mule car it was, GM's or SLP's?

If it was GM's then this car should have been crushed a long time ago. GM's policy with mule cars is they are used and eventually crushed when their usefulness ends. Experimental cars and parts seldom ever make it into the hands of the general public. it would open pandora's box with lawsuits if it did. I would say the biggest exception to this rule is when GM sold a lot of mule and prototype cars at Barrett-Jackson awhile ago, but I think those cars were sold on a bill of sale and can not be titled for legal driving on the street either.

If this was SLP's mule car, then it is possible. I am not aware of an aftermarket supplier having the same policy as an OEM.So again, documentation is key from SLP. Right now it would appear to me, without documentation, is that someone purchased a lot of SLP's 3rd gen parts and applied to the '88. Do we know who the first or perhaps 2nd owner of the car was? Again, ordering the info from PHS might shed some light on this but even I would say that is a stretch.

Bottom line, documentation is key here. There are some documented Firehawk fakes according to Firehawk.org. So beware !