LS1TECH - Camaro and Firebird Forum Discussion

2001 SLP 10th Aniv. Pontiac Firebird Firehawk vs. Chevy Camaro SS Road Test

By - October 15, 2013

Firehawk
We’re rewinding time by over a decade for this special, F-body centric episode of Motorweek. They set the ultra rare, 2001, 10th Anniversary SLP Pontiac Firehawk against the 2001 Camaro SS in a road-test on the streets, at the strip and around the track. For some reason I’d always thought that the black/gold LS-equipped Trans Ams were the the 1998 Hurst Editions. I’d forgotten that in 2001 SLP brought back the black and gold for the special 10th Anniversary cars. I’ll admit that I’ve always been more of a Camaro aficionado, so if any Pontiac gurus can confirm the specifics of the LS1-equipped Pontiac Hurst Edition F-Bodies that would be awesome.

The Poncho in question was good for 335 HP and 350 LB-FT at the crank and during these instrumented tests it sprinted to 60 MPH in 5.1 seconds and through the 1320 with a time of 13.5 @ 108 MPH. As for the Camaro, it had the center-mount-exhaust (CME) good for 10 HP, thus matching the Firehawk’s power figures, but for some reason the tests marked it a hair slower with a 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds and a quarter-mile mark of 13.8 @ 107. Nonetheless, both cars were wicked in their days, giving even the almighty C5 Z06 a run for its money in straight-line performance.

I’ve never forgotten the significance of their performance capabilities for their day, but what had slipped my mind was their price. The Camaro SS had a base MSRP of $27,730 and the Firehawk opened at $33,345, and while that made them great deals considering their performance, $33K was still a lot of money! No wonder the 4th Gens. were so unattainable back when I was in high school. I would’a killed for one then, but instead I had to wait until I was well into college before I got one! But enough of my reminiscing. Enjoy the video, it’s awesome to step back when the 4th Gens. were rolling off showroom floors and rollin’ heads! Long live the F-Body!

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