'82 Pontiac Firebird RHD 2.5L "Iron Duke" - 2007 Test Drive
Back in '07, my friend and I discovered an '82 Pontiac Firebird (Right-Hand-Drive), advertised online at a used car dealer in Sunshine, Victoria. At the time, I was a huge fan of the TV series 'Knight Rider' and was keen to find a third-gen Trans Am for when I got my licence. Being that the law for probationary drivers (P-platers) was strictly "no engines with eight cylinders or more", it became clear that I wasn't going to be able to buy one. I would have to wait four years for that opportunity to come around again, which seemed like eternity. The alternatives were to find a V6 or an L4 Firebird, which are very rare/non-existent in Australia. When this 'Iron Duke' Firebird popped up on carsales.com.au, I was determined to take it for a test drive. I recorded the whole experience, from cold start to running full-bore down the main drag. While it was great to test-drive a very-rare Firebird, the price was beyond what I could afford at the time. I ended up purchasing an '87 Fiero GT instead, which I have owned since late-'08 and kept even after the V8 restriction was lifted. Years later, I heard another Trans Am enthusiast purchased the car. He discovered some severe rust-issues with the chassis and parted it out.
Back in '07, my friend and I discovered an '82 Pontiac Firebird (Right-Hand-Drive), advertised online at a used car dealer in Sunshine, Victoria. At the time, I was a huge fan of the TV series 'Knight Rider' and was keen to find a third-gen Trans Am for when I got my licence. Being that the law for probationary drivers (P-platers) was strictly "no engines with eight cylinders or more", it became clear that I wasn't going to be able to buy one. I would have to wait four years for that opportunity to come around again, which seemed like eternity. The alternatives were to find a V6 or an L4 Firebird, which are very rare/non-existent in Australia. When this 'Iron Duke' Firebird popped up on carsales.com.au, I was determined to take it for a test drive. I recorded the whole experience, from cold start to running full-bore down the main drag. While it was great to test-drive a very-rare Firebird, the price was beyond what I could afford at the time. I ended up purchasing an '87 Fiero GT instead, which I have owned since late-'08 and kept even after the V8 restriction was lifted. Years later, I heard another Trans Am enthusiast purchased the car. He discovered some severe rust-issues with the chassis and parted it out.