We are but humble truth-seekers here at Car and Driver, bringing you answers to age-old questions like “What’s the most epic death machine on Craigslist?”, “What do the paramedics drive in Dubai?”, and “Mommy, where do Pontiac Azteks come from?” And that’s just in the last 24 hours or so.Now we have taken on another one of life’s mysteries: “What would Emperor Palpatine hand out as gifts, Oprah-style, to Sith Lords?” The answer? This thing. A black-on-black-on-black-on-black-on-black-over-black, 1200-hp 1970 Pontiac Firebird restomod that one lucky buyer picked up last weekend for just $87,000 at the Mecum Auction in Chicago, according to a report in USA Today.
Now, we see a lot of lesser cars that have been murdered out (slammed, badgeless 3-series drivers, we’re looking at you), but this custom-bodied mother appears to be the real damn deal. Powered by a Pontiac V-8 bored to 4.25 inches and then twin-turbocharged to reach Bugatti Veyron levels of power, the Firebird could whisk, say, Darth Vader to his Tie Advanced x1′s docking station at hyperspeed. The black ’Bird features a zillion other modifications, as well, all listed on the Mecum Auctions website, should you be curious about what else lurks beneath this car’s sinister body.
Restomods like Singer 911s, Icon Broncos, Eagle E-types, and the like are all the rage right now, and with the entry of moneyed Gen-Xers to the collector-car market, there’s no shortage of people willing to pay big money for classic American muscle, even if it’s not original. (Vader didn’t seem to have much use for things in original condition anyway—ask the residents of Alderaan.) No word on how much this Firebird cost to build, but with cars like the Pro Touring Red Devil ’69 Camaro we tested costing about $250K to build, this car can be seen as a screaming bargain. We hope the new owner is driving it like he stole it, because he practically did.
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