General Motors Firebird

The General Motors Firebird is a group of four prototype cars that General Motors built for its Motorama auto shows, three of them for the 1953, 1956 and 1959 shows and the fourth shown at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Harley Earl's designers took inspiration from fighter aircraft, and the cars were never meant for production; they showed the extremes of technology and styling the company could reach. Each used a Whirlfire gas turbine: Firebird I of 1953 was a single-seat car shaped like a jet airplane with a 370 horsepower engine, Firebird II of 1956 a four-seat family car with titanium bodywork, and Firebird III of 1959 a two-seater steered by a joystick. Firebird IV was billed as turbine powered but was not functional. The name is unrelated to the later Pontiac Firebird pony car.