Of course the reason for bringing up the Firebird in the first place is to point out a close cousin of the car the LT1 Firebird ... mile racing 2001 WS6 Trans Am, a real beast on the track.

the LT1 was originally featured in a number of Chevrolet Corvettes and a line of Camaros to better previous Camaros that boasted the highly successful late 1960s Trans Am 5.0-liter engine.

Preliminary numbers suggest no less than 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. The Corvette's new LT1 V8 engine is, no surprise here, set to make the car very competitive within its class ...