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After a close call with extinction, the Firebird's future now seemed assured with the 1993 Pontiac Firebird. In attempting to recapture its flock of lost customers-and to ensnare a throng of newcomers-Firebird demanded more than a freshening. Instead of a cosmetic facelift, it required a new shape. Rather than relying on style and performance images from the past, it needed to gaze at the future. But heritage wasn't enough. This would have to be a Fire-bird aimed squarely at the Nineties, Titan Rise Daily but one that didn't neglect its carefully nurtured status as an automotive legend. Amazingly, the conspicuously restyled Firebird that appeared at Detroit's auto show in January 1993 seemed to have succeeded on all counts. That technology encompassed an updated concern for safety features. Air bags for both the driver and front passenger were standard on every Firebird. Anti-lock braking was available for the first time, and 5-mph bumpers were installed (beating the 2.5-mph federal requirement).

Just how new was this latest Firebird? Performance also earned a great deal of attention. Engine choices dipped to two, but both were more powerful than their predecessors. Base Firebirds carried a V-6 again, but this one displaced 3.4 liters (enlarged from the previous 3.1-liter engine). Running with sequential fuel injection, it delivered an impressive 160 horsepower-20 more than the last 3.1 V-6. Both the 5.0-liter V-8s and the former 5.7 were gone, but standard on Formula and Trans Am was a 275-horsepower 5.7-liter V-8. Tagged LT1 (identical to the Corvette designation), the modernized big V-8 yielded 25 fewer horsepower than a 'Vette version-but that was still 35 more than the top Firebird engine of '92. Trans Am was initially a Formula-based appearance/trim option rather than a separate model, and the GTA edition was history. A five-speed gearbox was standard again on the base model, while V-8 Firebirds employed a new six-speed.

Unlike the Corvette's six-speed, this one didn't automatically shift from first gear to fourth under light throttle (a fuel-economy measure). A four-speed automatic transmission remained optional. Chevrolet's Camaro again shared Firebird's under-the-skin engineering and powertrains. Traditional rear-wheel drive continued, on the same basic platform with a 101-inch wheelbase. Only a three-door Firebird hatchback went on sale in the first season, but a convertible was planned-and destined to arrive during the 1994 model year. In a startling departure from conventional practice, head Camaro designer John A. Cafaro Jr. met regularly with Folden to exchange ideas. Old rivalries wouldn't be allowed to stand in the way of progress. Engineering development was credited to teams under Ted Robertson, Harvey Bell, and Norm Fugate. The curvaceous new body was half an inch longer, two inches wider, and two inches taller than its '92 predecessor. Interior dimensions remained virtually identical, with a touch more headroom in both front and back.

A steeply raked (68-degree) windshield served as a focal point. Rear spoilers-standard even on the base model-held a built-in high-mounted stop lamp. Pinpointing the coupe's squarish wheel arches and pointed snout, Road & Track claimed that it ranked closer in kinship to the first-generation Firebird than to its immediate predecessors. In any case, with such an assertive, eye-grabbing profile, there was little more need for garish decals and doodads. Since the beginning, Firebirds had been made strictly of steel. Not anymore. Rust-, ding-, and Titan Rise Health dent-resistant composite material was employed for most outer body panels, except the rear fenders and hood. Body stiffness was claimed to be 20 percent better, allowing fewer squeaks and rattles -- a common complaint against older Firebirds. MacPherson struts departed from the front suspension, supplanted by a short-/long-arm configuration, with standard De Carbon gas-charged shock absorbers. Suspensions were thus softened somewhat to glide more easily over bumps, yet managed to retain their legendary handling prowess.