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ACW · 03-10-2005, 11:14 AM

Modified models: concepts in final years

Sprewell "Bird of Prey" Trans Am concept (2000) (The Trans Am screaming chickens are back! This time they adorn the flanks of the Birds of Prey, two Firebird project vehicles built under the Sprewell Racing banner (yes, the b-ball playing Latrell Sprewell is into cars big-time). Restyling help came from the Pontiac brand team and Foam Molders, a shop that specializes in polyurethane and fabricated foam products. To build the Bird of Prey Roadster, Foam Molders started with a Firebird WS6 convertible, chopped the windshield six inches, cut down the side glass, and added a new front and rear facia, side skirts and a full-width deck spoiler designed by Jame Stormes. The quad exhaust tips coming out of the rear pan are exits for the Borla cat-back system. To enhance the car's "roadster" theme, Foam Molders fabricated a solid tonneau to cover the rear seats (like the tonneau found on the '63 T-Bird sports roadster and Ford's latest concept as well) and rollbar-like stainless-steel hoops behind the front seats. The interior was upgraded with leather upholstery from Katzkin, and billet aluminum accessories from MBA Products. Granatelli suspension mods lowered the roadster over the P245/40ZR18 Toyo Proxes tires mounted on Racing Hart MS wheels. Baer upgraded the disc brakes front and rear. For those who might feel the Bird of Prey roadster is a bit too extreme, the build team also assembled a coupe version. It features similar exterior, suspension, and tire/wheel modifications, but it uses a Firebird with T-tops as its base material. The Bird of Prey coupe and speedster were designed by DJ&F International, the Foam Molders design studio, and Sprewell Racing.)
Drekar ASV Z15 Trans Am Supercar prototype (2002) (An upcoming design & tuner company Drekar ASV (American Specialty Vehicles) set its sights on paying homage to this piece of American heritage with it's own Firebird Supercar, the "Z15". With Drekar ASV's initial goal of converting only 35 "Collector Edition" vehicles (in which GM had only a few thousand produced to generally commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the Firebird) to this 600HP performance and appearance package, the name "Z15" seemed fitting as this was already the GM "RPO" code designated to those Firebird "CE" cars. With some essential help in collaboration, build components, and overall insight from fellow enthusiast Matt Murphy (who had already put aside his beautiful 400HP pilot Firebird "Ram Air 6" project due to GM's disbanding of the Pontiac Firebird Brand Team) and staff, the project was taking its first breaths in life. This new Drekar ASV Firebird "Z15" Supercar started out as previously mentioned in "CE" form which was coming directly from GM in a Pontiac yellow "54U". This color yellow had been previously used on the Firebird's in 1994. This production "CE" yellow was a tad more "pale" than the pre-production "CE" car which was finished in a much brighter Corvette "Millennium Yellow". It was immediately decided that the "Z15" would don an outstanding show car coat of the originally intended "CE" color Corvette "Millennium Yellow". The pilot car was painstakingly disassembled and then painted piece by piece, completing the paint scheme with the addition of a black Pontiac style "arrowhead" to cleanly but accurately portray the aggressive nature of this 'bird. With its fresh new look upon reassembly, the engine was carefully reinstalled with specific "Z15" milled heads & upgraded internals to match the custom "Z15" Vortech Supercharger w/Aftercooler. From exhaust, programming, drivetrain, braking & suspension - all planted to the pavement with Goodyear Eagle F1 295-35 ZR18 Supercar tires - this vehicle is complete and bold in every detail. In keeping with its donor "CE" styling cues, the ebony interior was accented with silver, including the "Z15" specific instrument cluster, "Z15" key fob, floor mats, console badge, auto-dimming rearview mirror with temperature and compass - even a yellow "Z15" logo specific car cover - are just a few of the things that lead to an overall uncompromised setup. After the pilot Firebird "Z15" was completed in its build, it was decided that it should be seen first by the people it was most built for: the Firebird enthusiasts. It was transported to the 2002 Trans Am Nationals in Dayton, Ohio – the largest Firebird show in the world - where the public was first introduced to this one of a kind 'bird at that largest event, during the last year the F-Body was manufactured. The company, Drekar ASV, sold the pilot "Z15" in December 2003 to a Firebird collector in PA.)
ASI "Gold Rush" Trans Am concept (2002) (Pontiac show car convertible seen at the April 2002 Houston Auto Show by the TachRev webmaster. The rear seats were removed to make room for subwoofers. Builder: Automotive Service Inc. and Mr. Gasket. Paint: The golden hue is a rare factory color, with the black accents applied by Kay Automotive Graphics. Powerplant: Westech Automotive put together a stroked LS1 to the tune of 6.3 liters or 383 CID. Into it went a Lunati crank kit and a solid roller cam and rev kit from Competition Cams. Lingenfelter cylinder heads with Jessel 1.9 ratio rocker arms sit atop the block. Intake and ignition are hstened by an Accel dual stage air filter plus Accel spark plugs and race wires. Holley 36 lb. injectors make sure this mill gets enough fuel, while TTS Power Systems headers and Borla cat-back exhaust get the resulting mixture out fast. A Centerforce clutch transfers the power. On the inside, an Auto Power roll bar sits overhead while Simpson five-point competition seat belts keep passengers tightly buttoned in. A Hurst shifter for the six-speed makes sure that the gears are all in place when this Trans Am starts getting 'rushed'. Suspension & Brakes: The suspension for the Gold Rush Trans Am is a melding of well-known specialty components including Koni double adjust shocks, Eibach Pro spring kit, Lakewood Smotion Action lift bars, Hotchkis subframe connectors, strut tower braces, rear suspension package, and sway bars, plus Brembo brakes/rotors. Wheels & Tires: 18x10 American Racing Torque Thrust III wheels have BF Goodrich G-Force rubber - P295/35ZR18.)
GM Performance 421 SD Trans Am concept (2003) (White exterior with blue stripe and hood scoop, blue interior. There is one 2003 Firebird and another 2003 Camaro. The Camaro was the more popular of the two. You may have seen pictures of it, it was a blue Penske replica race car. Neither were production vehicles, they were special one offs done by the GM Performance Division. The cars were unveiled at the Woodward Dream Cruise 2002 in Michigan. VIN numbers were required for the cars and they ended up being 2003's. It had a Formula rear end, with some nice exhaust tips, and a 2nd-Gen-style spoiler.)

03-10-2005, 11:14 AM	#19
ACW TECH Junkie Trader Rating: 0 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Beaumont, TX Posts: 3,983	Modified models: concepts in final years Sprewell "Bird of Prey" Trans Am concept (2000) (The Trans Am screaming chickens are back! This time they adorn the flanks of the Birds of Prey, two Firebird project vehicles built under the Sprewell Racing banner (yes, the b-ball playing Latrell Sprewell is into cars big-time). Restyling help came from the Pontiac brand team and Foam Molders, a shop that specializes in polyurethane and fabricated foam products. To build the Bird of Prey Roadster, Foam Molders started with a Firebird WS6 convertible, chopped the windshield six inches, cut down the side glass, and added a new front and rear facia, side skirts and a full-width deck spoiler designed by Jame Stormes. The quad exhaust tips coming out of the rear pan are exits for the Borla cat-back system. To enhance the car's "roadster" theme, Foam Molders fabricated a solid tonneau to cover the rear seats (like the tonneau found on the '63 T-Bird sports roadster and Ford's latest concept as well) and rollbar-like stainless-steel hoops behind the front seats. The interior was upgraded with leather upholstery from Katzkin, and billet aluminum accessories from MBA Products. Granatelli suspension mods lowered the roadster over the P245/40ZR18 Toyo Proxes tires mounted on Racing Hart MS wheels. Baer upgraded the disc brakes front and rear. For those who might feel the Bird of Prey roadster is a bit too extreme, the build team also assembled a coupe version. It features similar exterior, suspension, and tire/wheel modifications, but it uses a Firebird with T-tops as its base material. The Bird of Prey coupe and speedster were designed by DJ&F International, the Foam Molders design studio, and Sprewell Racing.) Drekar ASV Z15 Trans Am Supercar prototype (2002) (An upcoming design & tuner company Drekar ASV (American Specialty Vehicles) set its sights on paying homage to this piece of American heritage with it's own Firebird Supercar, the "Z15". With Drekar ASV's initial goal of converting only 35 "Collector Edition" vehicles (in which GM had only a few thousand produced to generally commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the Firebird) to this 600HP performance and appearance package, the name "Z15" seemed fitting as this was already the GM "RPO" code designated to those Firebird "CE" cars. With some essential help in collaboration, build components, and overall insight from fellow enthusiast Matt Murphy (who had already put aside his beautiful 400HP pilot Firebird "Ram Air 6" project due to GM's disbanding of the Pontiac Firebird Brand Team) and staff, the project was taking its first breaths in life. This new Drekar ASV Firebird "Z15" Supercar started out as previously mentioned in "CE" form which was coming directly from GM in a Pontiac yellow "54U". This color yellow had been previously used on the Firebird's in 1994. This production "CE" yellow was a tad more "pale" than the pre-production "CE" car which was finished in a much brighter Corvette "Millennium Yellow". It was immediately decided that the "Z15" would don an outstanding show car coat of the originally intended "CE" color Corvette "Millennium Yellow". The pilot car was painstakingly disassembled and then painted piece by piece, completing the paint scheme with the addition of a black Pontiac style "arrowhead" to cleanly but accurately portray the aggressive nature of this 'bird. With its fresh new look upon reassembly, the engine was carefully reinstalled with specific "Z15" milled heads & upgraded internals to match the custom "Z15" Vortech Supercharger w/Aftercooler. From exhaust, programming, drivetrain, braking & suspension - all planted to the pavement with Goodyear Eagle F1 295-35 ZR18 Supercar tires - this vehicle is complete and bold in every detail. In keeping with its donor "CE" styling cues, the ebony interior was accented with silver, including the "Z15" specific instrument cluster, "Z15" key fob, floor mats, console badge, auto-dimming rearview mirror with temperature and compass - even a yellow "Z15" logo specific car cover - are just a few of the things that lead to an overall uncompromised setup. After the pilot Firebird "Z15" was completed in its build, it was decided that it should be seen first by the people it was most built for: the Firebird enthusiasts. It was transported to the 2002 Trans Am Nationals in Dayton, Ohio – the largest Firebird show in the world - where the public was first introduced to this one of a kind 'bird at that largest event, during the last year the F-Body was manufactured. The company, Drekar ASV, sold the pilot "Z15" in December 2003 to a Firebird collector in PA.) ASI "Gold Rush" Trans Am concept (2002) (Pontiac show car convertible seen at the April 2002 Houston Auto Show by the TachRev webmaster. The rear seats were removed to make room for subwoofers. Builder: Automotive Service Inc. and Mr. Gasket. Paint: The golden hue is a rare factory color, with the black accents applied by Kay Automotive Graphics. Powerplant: Westech Automotive put together a stroked LS1 to the tune of 6.3 liters or 383 CID. Into it went a Lunati crank kit and a solid roller cam and rev kit from Competition Cams. Lingenfelter cylinder heads with Jessel 1.9 ratio rocker arms sit atop the block. Intake and ignition are hstened by an Accel dual stage air filter plus Accel spark plugs and race wires. Holley 36 lb. injectors make sure this mill gets enough fuel, while TTS Power Systems headers and Borla cat-back exhaust get the resulting mixture out fast. A Centerforce clutch transfers the power. On the inside, an Auto Power roll bar sits overhead while Simpson five-point competition seat belts keep passengers tightly buttoned in. A Hurst shifter for the six-speed makes sure that the gears are all in place when this Trans Am starts getting 'rushed'. Suspension & Brakes: The suspension for the Gold Rush Trans Am is a melding of well-known specialty components including Koni double adjust shocks, Eibach Pro spring kit, Lakewood Smotion Action lift bars, Hotchkis subframe connectors, strut tower braces, rear suspension package, and sway bars, plus Brembo brakes/rotors. Wheels & Tires: 18x10 American Racing Torque Thrust III wheels have BF Goodrich G-Force rubber - P295/35ZR18.) GM Performance 421 SD Trans Am concept (2003) (White exterior with blue stripe and hood scoop, blue interior. There is one 2003 Firebird and another 2003 Camaro. The Camaro was the more popular of the two. You may have seen pictures of it, it was a blue Penske replica race car. Neither were production vehicles, they were special one offs done by the GM Performance Division. The cars were unveiled at the Woodward Dream Cruise 2002 in Michigan. VIN numbers were required for the cars and they ended up being 2003's. It had a Formula rear end, with some nice exhaust tips, and a 2nd-Gen-style spoiler.)