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.

Read more: The 12 Fastest F1 Cars Of All Time, Ranked Before the Trans Am trim arrived in 1969, the most robust engine available ... the Gen-II Chevy small-block LT1 bumping horsepower to 275 ...

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 ...