This week’s Dyno Blast video features a 1992 Pontiac Firebird on the rollers. Generally, the vast majority of the vehicles featured on Dyno Blast have been heavily modified – especially in the case of 3rd gen Camaros and Firebirds.
However, this 1992 Firebird still packs the same engine that it arrived with from the factory, and that leads to some surprisingly low power figures.
There are no real details, but we know that this 1992 Firebird is stock with exhaust and we know that it makes 167 rear wheel horsepower based on the description. With 167 rwhp, I am going to guess that this car is packing a 305 cubic inch V8, or it has an incredibly weak 350 – but it is probably a 305.
The reason that I picked this video today showing a Pontiac Firebird laying down less than 170 rear wheel horsepower is to remind everyone how far the muscle car segment has come over the past 20 years.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
