The Pontiac Firebird is one of the unsung heroes among American sports cars. In fact, Motorweek said in a review from 1998 that the Trans Am was the synonym of “Corvette performance for a minivan price.” The reason for that? For 1998, Pontiac fitted its sports car with a 305-horsepower LS1 engine.

An older review of the 1998 Trans Am WS6 sees it go from zero to sixty in 5.5 seconds and do 14-second quarter mile runs. So, you can understand right away why Jay Leno calls his 2002 Firebird WS6 a “four-seater Corvette.”

By the way, this is a car the Jay Leno got as payment and believe it or not, it has become one of his favorite daily drivers. Leno’s WS6 has 325 horsepower and 345 pound-feet of torque because it is one of the post-2001 models that got a new camshaft and the LS6 intake from the Z06 Corvette. The WS6 also tipped the scales at a tad under 3,500 pounds, which made it quite nimble for its day.

Jay Leno also admits the car’s nose is a bit controversial – which it is – but otherwise, the WS6 is a good-looking car and we second that. Now, about the name, WS6 comes from Wide Suspension 6-pieces.

The WS6 was a package that got you thicker sway bars, four stiffer springs, and the whole combo had six pieces (that is, two sway bars and the four springs). So, it is definitely not just a lame GM RPO (Regular Production Option) code.

About that and more you can find out in the video below.