Modern Corvette power in a 1968 Pontiac Firebird leads to one strong running, great looking muscle car.
This week’s Burnout Friday video features a mean-looking 1968 Pontiac Firebird with an LS6 engine putting on a short smoke show. The details on this classic Pontiac muscle car are short, but we know that it has an LS6 engine and a 4-speed manual transmission from the description. We can also see that it has a set of black C5 Corvette wheels and since they are working the pro touring angle – we would guess that this old school Firebird has a modern suspension setup and braking system.
Handling bits aside, this 1968 Pontiac Firebird is fitted with the LS6 engine from the C5 Corvette Z06. In the Corvette, this engine delivered 405 horsepower and 400lb-ft of torque from the factory, but we can only speculate as to whether or not this engine has been modified from stock. Realistically, very few people would spend the time to build a pro touring ’68 Firebird with a stock LS6, so we would guess that there are at least a few power-adding modifications, but that is neither here nor there.
All that matters here is the fact that this LS6-powered Firebird is capable of doing a solid little burnout, even with the big, sticky tires on modern, wide wheels.
When the video begins, the pro touring 1968 Firebird is sitting, idling quietly, but that doesn’t last long. The driver revs the engine, drops the clutch, starting the rear wheels spinning hard. Within a few more seconds, smoke begins to flow from under the back of the car and after about 8 seconds, the driver lets off of the brakes and the classic Pontiac races away into the sunset with smoke still pouring from both rear tires.
"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.
