The Pontiac Firebird Pegasus is either a stroke of automotive genius or a crime against Maranello, depending on how deep your brand loyalty runs. It is, undeniably, the most compelling piece of American-Italian automotive frankensteining from the early 1970s. This fever dream of a muscle car, blessed by the GM design legend Bill Mitchell, houses a screaming Ferrari V12 in the engine bay of a classic Firebird.
Mitchell, GM’s Vice President of Design from 1958 to 1977, was clearly in a rebellious mood. Inspired by a Camaro-Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa mashup sketched by Chevrolet designer Jerry Palmer, Mitchell, who inherited the performance-focused Pontiac division from hot-rod architects like John Z. DeLorean, snatched the concept for himself. He wanted a “high-revving, low-torque Trans Am”.
Whatever his motivation, Mitchell got his wish when none other than Enzo Ferrari offered a 352 HP V12, plucked from a prized 365 GTB/4 “Daytona“. The backstory is delightful: perhaps Ferrari, still smarting from the Ford vs. Ferrari rivalry, decided to subtly contribute to a potential Mustang killer via a back channel.
The project nearly suffered a tragic, Americanized indignity. Mitchell, despite his high-octane vision, nearly subjected the sublime Ferrari V12 to the horror of a three-speed slushbox. Thankfully, the engine’s very soul revolted, and sanity prevailed: engineers sourced a much more appropriate five-speed manual from a Ferrari 365 GTC/4.
To accommodate the Italian heart, the Firebird’s chassis mercifully required no stretching, though the firewall had to be relocated back nine inches. Custom exhaust headers were necessary, which, naturally, ruined the uniform length and thus, the pure exhaust note. Mitchell loved the Pontiac Pegasus so much he essentially turned the V12 five-speed into his personal car, a slightly 1,700 kg showpiece equipped with Corvette disc brakes and a 4.10:1 differential.
Aesthetically, the car is a seamless blend of Detroit muscle and Maranello luxury. It features the sharp, boat-tail rear and elongated headlights that would hint at the future 1975 Firebird facelift, elevated by authentic Borrani wire wheels and a genuine Ferrari interior, complete with an Italian dashboard and custom, leather-clad seats.
This unique Firebird now rests in the GM Heritage Collection, a rare relic, its perfection preserved even after Mitchell famously dinged the nose on the appropriately named Bill Mitchell Bridge at Road America.
