Street Legal Performance Introduces the 2009 Pontiac G8 Firehawk

After years of being known for specialty tuned Pontiac Firebirds, Street Legal Performance (SLP) is throwing a supercharger and other performance goodies at the Pontiac G8 GT to create the latest iteration of the iconic Firehawk.

During its lengthy existence, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am had many souped-up performance versions that could be bought right off a Pontiac showroom. While the last generation Firebird ended with the ram-air inducted WS-6, General Motors’ partnership with Street Legal Performance, or more commonly known as just SLP, gave Pontiac one of the best handling and most identifiable Firebirds ever, the Firebird Formula Firehawk. With the Chevrolet Camaro returning for the 2010 model year but not the Firebird, SLP looked elsewhere in Pontiac’s lineup for a car worthy of the Firehawk namesake. This spring, SLP will introduce the 2009 Pontiac G8 Supercharged Firehawk, which like the Firebird Firehawk will feature extensive performance upgrades, a unique styling and will still be available through Pontiac dealerships for a price tag of at least $51,435.

The Firehawk package will start with production ready G8 GT models which are then shipped up to SLP’s New Jersey facility and transformed into the Supercharged Firehawk. SLP starts off by adding a supercharger to the G8 GT’s 6.0-liter V-8 in a similar fashion to the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 upping the horsepower from 361 to 500. The upgraded SLP package also includes a cold air induction system, a stainless steel exhaust system and a suspension system that is fine tuned for better handling. The end result is the ability for the Supercharged Firehawk to run from 0-60 miles per hour in just 4.3 seconds and a quarter mile run of 12.6 seconds @ 115 mph. To further improve the car’s handling and style, unique Firehawk 19-inch five-spoke wheels are wrapped in the same Bridgestone Potenza tires offered on the 415-horsepower G8 GXP.

To the G8’s already aggressive looks, the Firehawk package adds flat-black accents on the hood, grille and decklid spoiler helping to give it the look of a classic muscle car. Since the basis of the Firehawk is a stock G8 GT, this performance sedan is available in any stock color that Pontiac offers – our favorite would be either the classic look of the Stryker Blue or the true hot rod coloring of Pontiac’s expressive Liquid Red. Another subtle exterior change that helps improve the car’s styling is having the grille inserts in the lower front fascia painted to match the body color instead of being black. Inside, the Supercharged Firehawk gets a numbered dash plaque, a pair of exclusive SLP key fobs, embroidered head rests and unique floor mats. Each car also gets a Firehawk car cover as well as a birth certificate that authenticates the car’s high-performance customization.

In addition to purchasing a stock G8 GT that starts out at $32,440, SLP adds the basic Firehawk package for $18,995 and offers the option of an upgraded brake system for an additional $4,995. For comparison’s sake, the 2009 G8 GXP puts out 402 horsepower with a starting price of $38,295, but a fully loaded Supercharged Firehawk will be just as powerful and about $30,000 cheaper than a BMW M5. If G8 owners aren’t quite ready to fork over this kind of cash for the unadulterated performance of this performance sedan just yet, SLP also offers numerous performance upgrades for G8s (as well as most other GM vehicles) including engine components and exhaust systems.