Originally purchased with a 4.2 litre straight 6 engine, and hardly any metal left anywhere, this 1975 Firebird Esprit took 18 months to get in a usable condition. The engine and gearbox waere replaced with a 350ci (5.7 litre) small block chevy V8, all rebuilt by me. We had to replace the passenger door completely, reskin the drivers door, replace one front wing and repair the other. The rear wheel arches were also rotted out and I manufactured some from some sheet steel. Then A friend of mine straightened up the bodywork with filler and aimed the red paint at the body. I also had help from my uncle to remake and weld in the rear chassis which was missing lots of iron from the rear to just above the axle.

After a few years of British weather the firebird required some more work to keep it looking and running nice. New bigger valve heads were fitted (unplanned as I needed a head, and a friend of a friend had the 2 big valves at a knock down price). Running a holley inlet manifold and 600cfm vacuum secondary carburettor, and hooker headers exiting through 2 1/4" bore pipes via turbo mufflers and coming out of pipes ending just in front of the rear wheels, she ran great and sounded just right. Then my tame sprayer was enlisted to change the body colour to a more mean looking black (the red hadn't weathered well despite me polishing it every other year at the same time I washed it ooops). And we fitted a new vynil on the roof, and replaced the interior with one from a Trans Am. But alas it's gone now, but maybe one day I will get my Corvette ?