SEMA 2012: Lingenfelter LTA Brings Sexy Back, Firebird Style

As a long-time admirer of the Firebird Super Duty, I initially wanted to build this car to celebrate and improve upon that special brand. – Ken Lingenfelter

Pontiac may be gone, but it’s far from forgotten. While the Camaro made a comeback in the form of the 5th Gen platform in 2010, there was no Firebird sibling this time around, and the brand evaporated soon after. The aftermarket quickly stepped in to provide their takes on what a 5th Gen Firebird should look at, with varying degrees of tastefulness and success.

One company that got the formula right is Lingenfelter Performance Engineering. At this year’s SEMA show, they unveiled their latest turn-key car, the LTA. While they’ve shown it as a concept before, they’re now ready to produce production customer cars to order.

“As a long-time admirer of the Firebird Super Duty, I initially wanted to build this car to celebrate and improve upon that special brand,” explains LPE owner Ken Lingenfelter. “After gauging the reactions of interested customers, we learned many enthusiasts share our passion for these eye-catching performance vehicles. And after thousands of inquiries, Lingenfelter determined we had to build limited quantities of the Lingenfelter LTA.”

Lingenfelter worked with Forgeline to craft the custom "snowflake" wheels for the LTA. For those customers who would prefer something different, a Rallye style wheel is also offered.

Starting with either a customer’s 5th Gen Camaro, or a new car, LPE transforms it into one of three LTA Stages – Stage 1 incorporates the exterior body mods, Stage 2 adds the matching interior, and Stage 3 is the complete package including powerplant upgrades. The “standard” Stage 3 package is motivated by a 455 cubic inch, LS-based naturally aspirated powerplant delivering 655 horsepower to the crank, but Lingenfelter himself says, “name a number, and we can build you an engine that will produce it.”