Iron Dukes??

[NWDragracing]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

So how could the Firebirds be called sports cars? The NHRA official was correct, GM's only sports car then was the Corvette.

Like Mark Yac said earlier, Pontiac was the NHRA sponsor at the time.
I went through the same crap with many other car models when NHRA will choose to give their own designation although the manufacturer had a different one.

One example is when NHRA designates a car model to a full body style when the car is a Medium size based on the OEM's designation. At the time, the Pontiac brochure had designated the Firebird as a Sports Car.

[BlueOval Ralph]

Oldsmobile was the Offical Vehicle of NHRA from 1983 when Ford pulled back to the end of 1995 when Oldsmobile pulled out and GM gave it to Pontiac. Pontiac kept it till Obama Put Pontiac in the graveyard.

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by NWDragracing

Like Mark Yac said earlier, Pontiac was the NHRA sponsor at the time.
I went through the same crap with many other car models when NHRA will choose to give their own designation although the manufacturer had a different one.

One example is when NHRA designates a car model to a full body style when the car is a Medium size based on the OEM's designation. At the time, the Pontiac brochure had designated the Firebird as a Sports Car.

But, according to that list the Camaro/Firebird was available with that engine. I know I have had Gen 3 F body cars through my shop with 4 cyls. Been too long to remember which 4 cyl, but as best I can remember that was the only one GM had used in anything but sub-compacts at that time.

[Bobby Zlatkin]

Ed, the four cyl. in Gen III Firebirds & Camaros was the Iron Duke.

I have a set of Gen III 4 cyl. frame mounts if anyone is intertested ( W/S or W/SA). I entertained the idea, but my wife let me know that she didn't want to drive anything that slow.

[FED 387]

ED---82-84 F'bird/Camaro had the 2.5L 151 CU IN Iron Duke engine

[NWDragracing]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

But, according to that list the Camaro/Firebird was available with that engine. I know I have had Gen 3 F body cars through my shop with 4 cyls. Been too long to remember which 4 cyl, but as best I can remember that was the only one GM had used in anything but sub-compacts at that time.

I agree, but the class was created for compact cars.

[bill dedman]

That's why NHRA CALLED it ("Modified Compact.",) but in actuality, they just wanted to create a venue for Pontiac's Iron Duke. Why else would they have effectively eliminated the Pintos by making it a 151 cubic inch/2,350-pound class? They could just as easily specified 15.6 pounds per cubic inch. But that would have given the Pintos a 166-pound "advantage" and, given that the Ford 2,300 was already an OHC engine, they probably figured that the Iron Duke couldn't dominate with such a scenario.

It would have been interesting...

[Terry Witzel]

I had one of these camaros with the iron duke, it is still sitting in the late bob wollets impound lot