1998 SLP Trans Am Firehawk | Retro Review
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 4 дек 2021
- Who else is stunned by how strong the 4th gen Trans Am looks without flip up lights? SLP is a visionary.
Show 1722 | Originally Recorded 02-04-1997
Want to help keep our weekly Retro Reviews alive? DONATE NOW: mptevents.regfox.com/motorweek
Follow us on social media:
Facebook ( / motorweektv )
Twitter ( / motorweek )
Instagram ( / motorweek 
Авто/Мото
These were some of the coolest cars of the 90s and early 2000s and still cool today
4
Yup. I've owned my 1995 Trans Am since 2004.
These will always be cool!
You got that right, especially if you own one and upgrading everything on it from the lights to the radio and such.
Agreed; I still regret selling my 02 WS6 T/A. The thing was just plain sexy and looked fast even standing still plus it ran VERY well for what it was and hurt a lot of feelings. My brother in-law had a 04 Cobra at the same time I had my T/A and I always beat him in the 1/8th and stayed even in the 1/4 despite being NA to his blower car.
T/A had SLP lid, Longtubes, Comp cam, springs, FAST intake, ported 243’s and a clutch, tuned with HP software, 3:73 rear and ET Streets. His Terminator had stock blower with a smaller pulley, JLT intake, stock gears and clutch, SCT canned tune and 315 street tires.
As time goes on these cars are looking better and better
I prefer this over its cousin.
Still ugly with crap interior
@Self Made Auto uh no they were junks. Only car I know was ahead of its time was my old datsun 300zx. Car would talk to you with woman's voice. Had a mpg gauge and a g force meter. Radio controls on the steering wheel. Speakers inside the seats for bass.
No cap! It’s because these cars had personality not a safety vessel
too bad their build quality was shit. They're all garbage by now.
I liked the pop up and down headlights better. Still an awesome firebird in my opinion
This car looked so aggressive.. One of the main reasons Autozone started to sell out of them 3m tape dual hood scoops everyone had. I mean everyone had them. Vans, Trucks, Cars..
3
All the Mexicans
I didn't have them or know anyone who had them. 🥴
@@Smegma_pirate Mehicans or Mohicans?
The s10 I bought has the stupid things on them. Lol
What a sick car this was. Imagine a modern day one if Pontiac was still around.
The dreaded Firehawk 0:43 2:31 !!
It be alot like the Camaro. Lol
Look up trams am bandit special or new 455SD if you want to see a new Trans am . Be prepared to drool 🤤
I wish they had revived the TA over the Camaro.. The Trans AM just looked ( and still does ..imo ) outright badass!! The Camaro was always too vanilla..
It prolly be a crossover
Never knew about the headlights on these, also thought all of them had pop up headlights. Looks really good this way.
I've never seen the fixed headlights either. I don't think those went into production
First time i have ever seen that either, and Ive seen plenty of firehawks
Reminds too much of the sunfire with those lights.
Only came with the FIrehawk package not many of these cars where built
@@Highgear145 no. None of the fire hawks had these lights. That’s what everyone is talking about.
💥Man during this time all of us GM W-body 3800s and GM F-body fans were in love with SLP modifications😎
7
W
I remember saving up every penny to buy my first car.. A 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GTX ( GTP w/SLP package! Hood, rims, exhaust and intake ...) what a rush!!
@@M5_Sonu Mine is making 400whp 😎only modification im still searching for is a SLP trunk spoiler🙄which is impossible to find🤦♂️
@@PhillyDee215 haha, both Grand Prix's I owned (97 2dr gtp & 00 4dr gt)I had the SLP gen 1 whale tail on em. Was all about Pontiac back in the day.
The headlight redesign makes such a difference to its curb appeal.
Looked better with the pop up lights
John Davis is a journalistic legend! thanks for 4 plus decades of motor week !
Hello were glad to have you with us
To bad the the 98 Firehawk was never available at the dealerships. There were 6 prototypes built and this is one of them. Very unique with the different fixed headlight design.
Thanks for clearing that up. I did not recall that horrific front headlight design making it to the street.
I had a 2001 Firehawk that was mostly similar to this one, but without the headlights of course. I think SLP had too many issues with the carbon fiber housings and those early projectors put out a lot of heat.
I was in love with that oddball spoiler kn the back. The hood made it to production eventually, but the headlights and spoiler never did.
Headlights would've required new crash tests etc and GM just didn't have the money to inject into a dying platform
There were headlamp kits available on the aftermarket for this and the C5 Vette back then.
I remember cross shopping a Trans Am in 2000, always loved the aggressive looks. I sure do miss Pontiac.
I still own my 2001 Trans Am convertible. I can't let it go. I thought I was nuts with the high $33k sticker price back then but after 20 years I am averaging out to less than $2k per year with minimal repairs. Now the values are going up on these F-bodies with anything decent in the mid-teens and ultra low mileage examples in the $20's. These SLP Firehawks are bringing over original sticker if low mileage and excellent condition.
I'm right with you with my 2002 T/A convertible! I get looks every time I take it out of the garage and with my Borla exhaust, nothing around sounds like it!
@@oceancon same here. I have a Red 99 WS6. Garage kept with only 80k miles. I have a 9 year old boy and he’s already claiming it. I remember when I bought back in 2000 and I thought I paid a lot 35k with 700 miles. But compared to today’s shitty cars, im glad I bought mine.
Those last gen Firebird Trans Ams are one of the best designed American muscle cars of all time. Much more muscular and aggressive than the same gen Camaro.
I owned a black/black '02 Formula Firehawk w/the 1LE suspension package. Bought it new and sold it September of 2020. I really miss that car.
I'll see ya my 35th anniversary camaro lol
Friend of mine was killed in one of these although it wasn't the Firehawk package it was very fast, he missed a curve at over 160mph
@@Highgear145 Damn...160 mph is crazy fast. Sorry for your loss.
@@Highgear145 bro how you miss a curve at 160. I got mine up to 160 and I wasn't trying to turn at all
@@sschevmale24 He was a young guy with a fast car he just went beyond the handling of the car he wasn't nascar driver
Damn I never knew this edition existed. That bird looks fun to throw around the corner and now I know why many of them get wrecked.
Rear wheel drive cars are not forgiving going around corners, specifically when applying too much throttle. That was on dry pavement! What do you think it is like in the rain or snow?
Only a dozen or so exist. SLP didn't release the '98 'hawk, and the '99-'02 never got the headlights.
@@redslate yep this one a fake but biggest give away was the missing nose emblem that firehawks come with
@@sparkalanio It's not fake; It just wasn't officially released. I don't doubt that Motorweek got their hands in one of the prototypes back in the '90s.
Trust me I almost wrecked my brothers WS6 that had a tune on it
Still can't get over how much performance you were able to get for your money in the late 90's and early/mid 2000's. What a car.
33 grand in 1998 is about 56K today. Given the number of performance vehicles and the level of performance they offer, that's even more true today.
Yeah Considering for that money your in A Hellcat(700+) or a Covette C8!! Working mans Super Cars!! But I Loved those Cars!!(90-2000) TA!! Owned a 2001 TA! Same Color as this Car!! Had the Engine Swapped from Dealer in 05. And Man that improved LS1 out of GTO at the time Cut 13.2 Stock to 12.7. Just changing Engines!( OG engine had the Over-bored Cylinders on All the Odds)! Was an Expensive Mistake in GMs Part!!! Man I miss that car!! But my Challenger T/A 392 Carries on the Tradition!!
@@channell11 also have to remember expenses were WAY lower. People could save that money way faster than today.
I've always wanted one, based on this look and design with T-Tops, especially the 2002 WS6 manual. Could not afford it then, now, they cost more than original sticker price, I guess since this is the last model design ever to be made.
I just picked up a Firehawk for $9k. '01 Arctic White with the Bilstein suspension package, 6 speed. Some Firehawk owners really know what they have, you should avoid the ones asking $30k. It's a Firebird with a different hood and wheels at the end of it all
Ditto, Back in highschool I wanted a new 79 Trans am but my Jack in the box paycheck could only afford a 1967 AMC Rambler 770. 😞
Actually you can a trans am pretty cheap still if you look around.
@@turbojetpowered8299 the thing is the cars have finally gotten to the age where their performance really isn't ground breaking anymore. The thing that made him awesome was the LS1 powertrain and there's so many ls1's and ls2s and ls3s floating around you can get one in a better package for less. Why pay $20,000 for a late 90s trans am when you can have a mid-2000s GTO with an LS2 and 400 horsepower or a 5-year-old v6 Camaro with the same power but with all the modern amenities.
@@robertstone9988 I was shopping 04-06 gto’s and 4th gens back in 2015 and talking to owners of both, the gto platform isn’t really that great compared to the Fbody. It’s heavy, the suspension sucks, and you can’t fit big tires. They fixed a lot of those issues with the 5th and especially 6th gen Camaros. You are right though, LS foodies never really appreciated in value and the issue is 5 years ago I used to see 3 guys in my area parting multiple perfectly good LS fbodies because they were cheap and could make a quick buck chopping them up. Now, you be hard pressed in my area to find anyone parting or selling whole a LS car. They’ve actually gotten a lot harder to find in the last year or so and it’s a shame because the platform really has a lot of potential, especially if your budget conscious.
I love watching these retro videos! I always watched MotorWeek as a child back in the 80s & 90s, hoping, waiting and anticipating a new episode or a rerun that would include a review of ANY model year of a Trans Am! MotorWeek never disappointed because they covered the 3rd and 4th gen cars quite often throughout the years. Which reminds me, there are only 4 generations of the Firebird / Trans Am... not 5 generations like John mistakenly said at the end of this video. Thanks for posting these wonderful old-school videos, MotorWeek!
I don’t remember ever having seen one with that headlight setup. That is a good looking 90s muscle car.
They never released it. Couldn't pass DOT or something. They ended up skipping 1998 and returning in 1999 with the factory popups.
@@pdennis93 Is that true? Because it would make sense if so. I know in 2002 I was looking at either getting a Firebird WS6 or a couple year old C5 Corvette, and I'm sure I would have stumbled across one of these at some point in that process. Anywho, I got the Corvette, which was the right call, but I've still always liked the top of the line Firebirds from that era and just figured I'd get one later as a 2nd car when the prices plummeted. But they never did, not for the WS6. The lesser models got cheaper, but years later a WS6 would still cost more than $30k. I have no idea what they sell for today, but probably more than that. As for the Firehawk, I heard of them, but never saw one for sale in my area.
@@rodmunch69 yes it's true. The 98 Firehawks were never officially sold. The headlights had some sort of safety issue and wouldn't pass DOT requirements. They reintroduced the 99 firehawk with the standard popup lights.
@@pdennis93 good to know, and makes sense why I never saw one.
Beautiful. Really impressed with that handling. Holy lack of body roll batman!! Love those fixed headlights too.
I may never be able to own a Firehawk, but I love my 2001 Firebird. She may just be a v6, but she’s survived most of her time in a garage and is still gorgeous.
When I was in highschool the WS6 was my favorite car. 20 years later and I find it over styled and I prefer the looks of the base model.
@@corvusala I would honestly love to have a WS6, but they’ve really held their value too well for me to afford
@@fracturedkoi1If you can find a non WS6 Trans Am, you have the same amount of fun, just throw on better shocks, adjustable panhard bar, weld in some subframe connectors and an SLP lid. Sure you won't get the ram air hood but you can get a nice aftermarket one. True WS6 factory hoods are almost twice the price as an aftermarket version.
Man I sure miss this golden era of the automobile. After the 2000s all cars went the way of cell phones. No longer was its primary function to be a phone or a car, the primary function is to be an entertainment device that has some utility.
This is accurate.
Someone needs to do an interview with John Davis and ask him what cars he liked the base, suprised him the most, most disappointing, etc. The dude is a legend,.
Oh, and I love the Firehawk. 🤣
I had a red 2001 ws6 manual with t-tops. I miss that car. It had a cam, heads performance intake and 4:10 gears in the rear. My wife made me sell it when I bought a z06 corvette. I really loved that car. And would love to get another one someday.
You married the wrong person
@@SataniaMcDowel you would think that but she's the one who convinced me to buy my Corvette. Also she also regrets forcing me to sell my Trans Am. I ended up buying her a 1999 silver trans am. But she ended up wreaking it. It was her favorite car.
@@snappers_antique_firearms I would never get married. I love being a bachelor
Why it's always wives making they husband sell they stuff. Even when i was married no such thing would have not happened. Infact the only reason i dont have my z28 camaro is caused i wrecked it. But no way in hell I would have got rid of that firebird even with the z06.
@@snappers_antique_firearms 2x you married the wrong person
Makes you sell the car
Wrecks the one you get her
Timeless design. Those were some pretty wicked numbers for the day, especially being naturally aspirated. It's heartbreaking that pontiac and olds no longer exist.
Very underrated ! My bone stock '02 dyno'd at 347 rwhp!
Yeah, but this was like a special production package. It’s not like it was designed by the factory and you could just find one at a dealership.
@@NemeanLion- I had no idea of that. So you couldnt even get this car from a dealer?
@@matthewmelton7831 I’m sure you could order one (even though some here say they weren’t available) but my point was that SLP was an aftermarket that is outside the company. I don’t really like aftermarket companies. They usually strap on something that goes beyond the design limits of the original car. To each his own though.
@@NemeanLion-
I had no idea of that. I always thought it was from the factory. So very good to know, thanks..
Miss my '99 WS6 Trans Am
It was a raw beast and a pleasure to drive. They still had mechanical cable driven throttle bodies.
The F-Bodies were great and I loved the T-tops. RIP Pontiac
I always loved this versions hood/grille integration and headlights!!!
9
I love the headlights of the 98 to 02 firebirds. But this is definitely different and unique!
Nice to have all three gens of small block 350s in the SLP Firehawk reviews on motorweek
Thank you for sharing this Pontiac/GM video. Pontiac was offering some interesting vehicles for the time. I remember Trans Am/Firebird being a hot car. It is sad Pontiac is no longer with us.
Yes it is i use to work @ Pontiac Buick GMC Hummer Dealership
Well, you can thank obama, his car czars, and the CCP in china for the one. They're the very reason why the brand will never see the light of day again. Because "new GM" will never sell. Because if they do sell the brands, they know for a fact they will get destroyed in sales.
Really had wish GM would bring back Pontiac as a low volume, strictly performance division. But with the EV crazy being push, I'm not sure what is going to happen with the car market?
@@crw3673 that is why if you have a f body car....never get rid of it...
@@Lrules364 lul.
I had no idea this version of the 1998 TA existed. Very nice though.
6
I knew about the FireHawk, never seen this test mule with these headlights. Kind of cool and definitely unique.
The 98-02 Trans Am still looks amazing today. Its design has held up very well
Man, I miss my Ws6. These will always have a special place in my heart. And for some reason, these remind me of a Rx7 but an American version.
I remember driving a Firehawk! It was a great car and I miss those old GM F body cars.
All these years and still one of my dream cars.
You’ve said it my friend 😎👍🏻
Still a wicked cool looking car. Not all the 90’s cars were a favorite look of mine… but this thing is sweet!
Such a beautiful car. Really wish these SLP headlamps got DOT approved and made it into production. Love the sleepy look and they do away with popup headlamp issues.
Very beautifull car this Firehawk SLP
As a proud 99 WS6 owner I shed a tear when he stated @ the end "I can't wait for generation 6". Then again no gen 6 means my gen 5 should appreciate well...
Timeless design! Aged like a fine wine!
Now this gives the true meaning “We Build Excitement” for Pontiac
It's a shame that the fixed headlights never made it to production. I bet the few mules that were made with them are worth a ton these days.
I was about to say, I never remembered a TA with these headlights. Now I know why... ☺
@@sdrape4964 I was saying the same thing! I had never seen these headlights before. I knew about the FireHawk, but not with this headlight assembly.
I can appreciate this car more and more as it ages
At first I thought that was a new aftermarket headlight set, but the 98+ Firehawk was originally going to come with those! Mind blown.
I just love these cars. This F body series so much better than the previous ones. Granted the new Camaro is stunning if I could only see out of it, this one is a rock star of another time. Forgive the fisher price toy plastics inside, get in buckle up and get ready for some fun. I will always love these cars.
First time I've seen a Firehawk without the pop-up headlight. It looks totally different. Still attractive though. I love the integrated SLP Ram Air scoop.
First time ever seeing it without the pop-up headlights and it does look unique based on its spinning I'm sure it's a lot faster then advertised guaranteed a 12-second car
Still looking good till this day
5:14 That clip with the radar gun was used in the intro for Test Drive 6.
I never seen those head lights on Firehawks. That was so cool. I still want one, any year!
"Can't wait for our ride in generation six" - a rare unfulfilled prophecy from MotorWeek.
This seemed to happen a LOT with GM cars. Because just when they got it perfect, theyd shit can the whole thing. That tradition has never changed.
Never seen this headlight package before. Thanks John D
Oh God, that last line just tore through my heart.
R.I.P. GM St.Therese
8
Loved this car in the Trans Am version! Interesting carbon fiber composite headlamps. I had an 88 Trans Am and loved it!
What a car. Brings back great memories of my 99 WS6 🏁
I saw the first Motor Week show and was hooked every Sunday I had to watch. It’s not Sunday if I don’t watch Motor Week!
I still have and love my Navy Blue Medallic '99 SLP Firehawk. They went back to the flip up headlights. The story I remember was the '98 had fire problems with the fixed headlights, no '98 model!
I still have my 2002 Firehawk Trans-Am and I will always love it. She has the 17 inch alloys with the black Firehawk in the middle. I spared no expense saying goodbye to the Trans-Am.
33k for a fully loaded beast !!! 33k nowadays what we get is base models!
Inflation, read about it. 33k back then is like 60k today.
Can you even get a base model V8 in the 33k range now?
@@S8ER Maybe not "now" because chip shortage, but last September I got 2020 Camaro LT1 6-speed for a little over that with tax/title/reg.
@@ragingbull94mtx wow I had no idea! Nice score man
@@S8ER Thanks much!
Very cool I've always been a fan of the firebird/Trans am car since 1967
Holy crap, those headlights are wild. Never seen one like it
Extremely rare!
Godawwg! I think I just fell in love ! I gotta get one of thesez That thing is a complete monster 👹🦈! The looks alone but that crazy sports car handling and mechanical awareness just made this one of the best F body Pontiac’s or even comparable maro Slps or any v8 coupes at its time this thing is a straight hit 💢💥 🎯
I miss the Firebird, I miss Pontiac.
Definitely 1 of the few cars that have a timeless look. Cool no matter when and no matter u pull up next to
Still one of my favorite cars of all time. Owned a 95 fire hawk in the early 2000’s. Love em
Without the pop-up headlights it doesn't look as good. Got to drive a 2000 WS6 earlier this year, and after 2 decades it's still a special car.
This must be ultra rare!! I've never seen one of these in person or ever till I saw this video!!!!
Thank god I kept my WS6. These cars can be more appreciated as time goes on. I have the 1999 red T/A with 80k miles
I’m heading over to my friends car lot to take ownership of a 2013 Chevy Impala LT, with only 53,000 kilometres (32,000 miles) and the 3.6 liter engine, straight out of the Cadillac CTV, with 300 hp. $12,000 Canadian and I have a really good trade-in, ‘09 Pontiac G6 GT with every option and 155,000 klms (94,000 miles). Can’t wait.
Congratulations, I hope you enjoy every mile
These and the 35th Anniversary SS Camaros were so cool back in the day. But this Pontiac was definitely the cooler of the two.
Never saw those headlights before! Really cool!
this video is a unicorn... never delete it.
The SLP Firehawk was indeed a holy trinity of the GM F-Body...if you could find one. But the 2002 WS6 is still an amazing ride. Too bad they're shooting up like crazy in price!
I love the new headlight look
Thanks for bring the 1998 Firehawk on retro review
Stock These Firebirds got upwards of 30 MPG. With 4.10 gears, they went mid 12s in the quarter mile and still got 26MPG. For 25 year old tech, I believe that is great
Absolutely love this review, Look at those wheels spinning, It just looks absolutely insane. and man, $27k new?
I remember the Firehawk but this is the first version I’ve seen without the Firebird flip up headlights.
I saw a Trans AM late one evening a few weeks ago in white it's been a good bit since seen of one of these. Sure miss WHEN GM was ahead of their game back in the day.
This is an archival gem! It's been noted that only a small number of SLP Firehawk prototypes with the fixed headlights were produced in 1998, with no production models offered that year. Apparently SLP had to retool for both a revised Camaro SS and Firehawk, so the company elected to complete the SS, and bring out the revised Firehawk in 1999 - with the hideaway headlights. Pontiac took WS6 production in house in '98, so they had a top-level performance and handling package to offer Firebird customers, where as Chevy continued to utilized SLP for their top Camaro.
One of the rare GM cars from this era that I liked. I still like this car today. That design.
Here in Michigan I remember when Art Moran on Telegraph use to have a lot full of these Firehawk's and WS-6's when I would get off work 3am I would stop by and walk the lot and check them out...memories
"Either way, the buyer will get a machine that takes the traditional American muscle car to a new level that's still well short of bankruptcy." Oh, the irony in that rhetoric for Pontiac…
They were the mustang killer of the day. I Have a red 2001Trans Am in my garage now with 70k miles I get out every once in a while. Still a absolute blast to drive and I enjoy it much more then the modern mustangs I have driven.
Had the sister car to the Firehawk, 96 Firebird WS6, they only made 500 or so of the Firehawk and the WS6 Firebird that year. Was a beast in its day, even with the LT1.
Ouch for that statement at the end.
I love my 4th gen Trans Am. Great cars
I remember seeing a pair of those headlights for sale on SLP’s website back many years ago. I thought I recall the add stating they were not DOT certified, prototype etc etc. That was when they were selling off some Firehawks of theirs and misc parts.
Can we admit 90s muscle cars are underrated like none other?
Graduated high school in 97 and an older buddy of mine got a black Firehawk senior year, slightly one upping this other guy's red T/A. You could also find a black 300zx twin turbo and a red 3000GT lurking in the senior parking lot that year. I made due with my mom's volvo 740 lol
Love the stock music they used in these videos
Those headlights look AWESOME!!
@@ab-op1jk Keep it clean and well maintained...it's going to be worth its weight in gold in coming years.
Back 98 we had a firehawk that the customer was trying to do a lemon law on it, it had some intermittent electrical issues. It sat in the parking lot for about 4 months until one day I was retrieving a customer car to work on and a flat bed track was dropping off a car. Well the dude driving the flat bed cut the corner to the parking lot too tight and clipped and tore off the front end of that firehawk, customer finally got out of it.
“Buyers need only to go to their local Pontiac dealer “😩. If only we could still do that. Boy I really miss Pontiac. They really did build excitement
There was a Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealership right next to my high school back in the early 2000s and they had an orange 2002 SLP Firehawk in the showroom for a while. I used to go over there almost daily and lust over it hoping that someday I'd somehow be able to afford it. Unfortunately after several months it sold and my dreams of owning that Firehawk died. I'd still love to own one, but prices on 4th gen WS6 and Firehawks are insane now!
I love this car. Soo aggressive for its day and great performance even by today's standards.
Stop saying how "Cheap" it is !!! $34K in 1998 is $58K in todays money and that's touching base C8 level or a top of line SS Camaro
Available disposable income may be why he said that. The 90's were a good time for many.
Your ugly 'c8', which its not even a corvette, just an ugly parts bin abomination, starts at $100,000. A top of the line camaro starts at $60k. This is a cheap car for the money compared to "new GMs" TRASH. If you want a modern day trans am, itll cost you $80k. This is still one of the cheapest and best platforms running, period.
@@Lrules364 Corvette MSRP is $60,000 check your facts before talking crap
@@Chicagoguy1984 The 'corvette', which you can't even really call it that cause its just a bunch of parts bin crap thrown on a chassis, starts at $100,000 at ALL of my local dealerships within a 300 mile radius. Thats not including options or special paint. My facts are based on facts, and not some bullshit you read online.
The fixed/smoothed headlights didn’t make it past the prototype phase as far as I know. Most of the other parts of the packages did, but the headlights were only seen on these early test cars.
I was sitting at the cross light of a major intersection--about 12:00 am--and I witnessed a SLP Firehawk and a Toyota Supra Turbo racing down said intersection; I think the Firehawk was in front. I was both impressed--and waiting for the inevitable crash, which never came.
JD: “We can’t wait for our first ride in generation 6!”
Narrator: “There would be no generation 6.”
When even an ordinary Trans Am just wouldn't do. The most hilarious description of the new Trans Am that year was in Motor Trend's New Car Buyer's Guide that year, where they mentioned that the wipers had been redesigned "so it no longer looks like you have the carcass of a 6-foot praying mantis on the hood"!!!!
love this style ,,still looks cool