For Sale: 1981 Pontiac Firebird in Houston, Texas

Gateway Classic Cars Houston Showroom is excited to offer this unique 1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am for sale. While it may LOOK like an '81 Turbo T/A on the outside, it's come far from its original configuration. According to the (included) original build sheet, this little beast was originally red, in and out. It was part of a custom ProTouring build, done in Florida around 2012. Since its current owner purchased it, he had almost everything done over on it, as the build had aged a bit. About the only thing he didn't have "touched" were the engine and transmission internals.

The car came with its unique rear opening hood already set up, but over the years, its alignment had gotten off kilter slightly, so during the teardown and updates installation at Classic Cars of Houston, that was adjusted. Under the hood is a built LS2, which reportedly is sending 511 crank HP through the Tremec T56 6-speed manual to the 10-bolt rear with its 3.73:1 PosiTrac-enhanced gears, netting 419 RWHP. That's plenty of power to light those 245/45ZR17 Mickey Thompson radials up whenever you want! And, if you're unable to control your desire to smoke the tires, one nice thing about the setup is that they are the same size at all four corners, so you can rotate them at least once before having to buy a rear set. Some key updates include a complete Detroit Speed (DSE) hydroformed front clip (which has been powdercoated), new DSE engine mounts, single adjustable shocks, new tubular control arms, new sway bars, all urethane suspension bushings, new DSE solid body mounts, new Wilwood 6-piston front calipers with slotted multipiece front rotors, drilled and slotted rear rotors, and the custom 17-inch snowflake pattern aluminum wheels that look like the originals, but are 2 inches larger diameter.

Classic Cars of Houston (CCH) also added an LS Front Runner setup with power steering, DSE hard line kit, new Gen 4 Vintage Air, updated the brake lines to all stainless steel, installed subframe connectors, revised the rear suspension from its former 2-inch drop to a more ride-friendly 1-inch drop, installed stainless shorty headers with V-band connection to the new stainless dual exhaust (which also has stainless mufflers), installed a larger Griffin aluminum radiator with twin electric fans and a proper fitment for the LS engine's steam port. The upgrade to the DSE front clip also necessitated a revision to the driveshaft length and the transmission tunnel, as well as a new transmission crossmember, so as things were resized and reinstalled, extensive use of DynaMat was implemented to reduce cabin noise. In the cabin, due to the transmission tunnel reconfiguration, the center console was reconfigured, and the shifter was enhanced with 1-inch shorter throws. With the many changes, CCH also elected to install a new complete wiring harness tailored for the revisions.

Inside, the driver is greeted by the new Dakota Digital dash behind the tilt steering wheel, and front occupants will enjoy the two-tone leather covered power seats. Rear passengers get the same two-tone leather treatment, but they'll not likely enjoy riding out back for long (unless they're car-loving kids that fit in the seats without being scrunched in, of course). In addition to the upgraded interior, audiophiles will enjoy the powered Focal subwoofer, and the amazing sound quality that the Mosconi amp pushes through the Focal 6X9 speakers in the rear and Virtus Nano Morel front component speakers. Of course, a new Alpine head unit starts the flow of aural enjoyment, but audiophiles know it's those Focal speakers that make the sound so clear. Everyone in the cabin will enjoy the new Vintage Air HVAC, which provides year-round comfort.

This is one extreme ProTouring build, which provides the look of a vintage F-body with the performance of a modern LS-powered muscle car. Unlike many, this one comes with a nearly 3-inch-thick binder of receipts, the original build sheet, lots of build documentation photos, original owner's manual, you'll have a laundry list of "what's what and how much it cost" to peruse. Its current owner's receipts and build info from CCH total out to over $66,500 in parts and labor, which breaks down to over $36K for nearly 400 hours of customization labor during the refresh in 2018-1019, and $30K in parts. Don't miss out on this bad boy - call or email our Houston Showroom to make it yours!