COCHRANE— Brent Kuntz's 2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Collector Edition is the ride of his dreams.
“This is basically what I’ve wanted for a long time," Kuntz said. He was 16 years old when the ride was originally released. At the time he was working at a part-time job and worked at a car show to help set up booths.
“I remember this coming into the showroom and looking at it when it was brand new sitting on the showroom floor,” Kuntz said. “It was pretty cool.”
He dreamed of one day owning the vehicle.
The ride is one of about 2,000 Collectors Editions built to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the legendary American muscle car. It was the final edition of the Trans Am before it was discontinued. About 350 Firebirds were sent to Canada, the rest were located in the United States.
The Trans Am was a rare car to find, Kuntz said, explaining he had spent several years searching for the ride. He eventually found the Trans Am in Airdrie in the fall of 2019.
Kuntz has been hard at work tinkering on the Trans Am in the two years it has called his garage home.
The Trans Am boasts a 5.7-litre LS1 V8 engine with about 350 pounds of torque.
He is currently finishing up on the 18-year-old rubber suspension bushings that were starting to show their age.
Kuntz added UMI springs, Toni shocks, subframe connectors, a Panhard bar, low control arms and lower control arm relocation brackets, along with new sway bar bushings and end links.
“Basically, the entire suspension has been replaced,” Kuntz said.
Kuntz said he enjoys tinkering on vehicles and the Trans Am is the perfect balance of being modern enough that it has a full electronic fuel injection, but it is not new enough that it is completely computer-controlled.
The Firebird sits on specially created blocks during the winter so Kuntz can crawl beneath the underbody of the car. Kuntz said the blocks are essential when working on the Trans Am because when it's on the ground the ride sits about an inch and a quarter lower than its stock height.
“Everything I’ve done so far is returnable to complete factory if you wanted,” Kuntz said. “Even the subframe connectors I have are bolt-in connectors because it a collectors edition car and super rare. If someone wants to put it back to the original form, you just have to unbolt some stuff and put the original stuff back on.”
Kuntz grew up immersed in car culture— His dad was the Chief Operating Officer at Race City and his grandfather owned a Dodge dealership.
“I spent a lot of time growing up at the racetrack. It’s his fault I’ve got an interest in cars,” Kuntz said with a chuckle. “I was always around vehicles.”
His dad and grandfather passed along car care tips, Kuntz said, and if he ever hits a wall while working YouTube usually has the answer.
“There’s so many tips and tricks on there you can find for doing anything,” Kuntz said. “As long as you take your time and make sure you torque things properly then you’re good to go.”
He always had a soft spot for Trans Ams because he likes the style of the vehicle and the aggressive look of the body’s lines.
“The lines on it are something you just don’t find anymore,” Kuntz said. “My requirements when I was looking for a Trans Am was I needed something that was a manual and it had to be T-topped.”
The T-top is great because it creates amazing lines for the vehicle. An added bonus is car comes with four seats so he can take his children to car shows.
A family favourite has been the shows hosted by Cruise Cochrane.
Last summer was great, Kuntz said, he had an awesome experience with Cruise Cochrane visiting Seniors Homes in town with hundreds of other rare cars.
“I’m just excited to get back out with the nice weather that is hopefully coming,” Kuntz said with a laugh.
For more information on upcoming cruises visit cruisecochrane.com.
