Cheap speed is what Muscle cars have always been about, and few manufacturers embodied that as well as Pontiac. After all, it was the 1963 Pontiac GTO that started the Muscle car era. Today, however, we are talking about its little brother, the Firebird. When you think of Pontiac Firebird you probably think of the more affordable version of the Camaro. While there have been modern interpretations of the Firebird, based on the fifth and sixth generation Camaro, the one we are showing you here is a bit different, and for all the right reasons.

Is this what the Pontiac Firebird should have been from the start?

Our sister site, HotCars, has teamed up with digital artist, Timothy Adry Emmanuel, in order to reimagine the Pontiac Firebird as a Corvette-based, high-performance, Muscle car. While the Chevy Corvette sits above the Camaro both in terms of performance and price, you have to admit, the idea of a Corvette-based Firebird is an intriguing one. Moreover, certain versions of the Pontiac Firebird from the late 1980s and early 1990s, like the Formula 350 and the V-6-powered, Trans Am Turbo 20th Anniversary edition were able to give the Chevrolet C4 Corvette a run for its money.

The digital artist has chosen the C6 Corvette as a basis, and the Targa model no less. This is perfect to replicate the black and gold, “Smokey and the Bandit”, 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, driven by Burt Reynolds. The rendering proves that the C6 Corvette’s clean lines can easily accommodate all the classic design cues, which look like they belong there. Some of the highlights of the design are the shaker hood, screaming chicken, the multi-spoke gold-finished wheels mimicking the original, the integrated ducktail rear spoiler, and of course, the taillight strips. The Corvette's rear quarter panels have been exaggerated and look more luscious. Clearly, this C6 has been doing some extra squatting.

Using a Corvette instead of a Camaro may seem odd, but it’s worth pointing out that after the mid-1970s, the Camaro and Firebird models did not resemble their Muscle car predecessors. Instead, they had adopted a sleeker look, resembling more that of a proper sports car, which is, by pure coincidence, what the Corvette is. The digital artist has decided to give the C6-based Firebird a C8 interior, which is a nice upgrade over the C6 interior with its Cobalt-shared steering wheel.

The reboot we want, but probably won't get

Regardless, this looks like a believable reincarnation of the Pontiac Firebird although we know that's one American icon we probably won't get a reboot on. This isn't the first time, HotCars teams up with digital artists to create hypothetical vehicles like the mid-engine Rolls Royce supercar, slammed Mercedes G-Wagon truck, Nissan Z Roadster, and more.