I love fast Pontiacs. And if you’re visiting PontiacV8.com, you must too!
While I enjoy watching and hearing dedicated Pontiac-powered race cars, and even those built for street/strip competition make quarter-mile passes on a given weekend, I particularly enjoy seeing factory-stock-looking Pontiacs running really fast in street trim. Whether a potent combination like a factory-assembled R/A IV or those with tricked-out aftermarket cylinder heads masked to look like stockers, I’m really drawn toward street cars that run and drive as well as they look.
I have always enjoyed what Mike Noun has done with '69 Firebird. This show stopper is capable of 11-second quarter mile performance.
You’re likely familiar with Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Races (or PSMCDR) and Factory Appearing Stock Tire (or F.A.S.T.) series. PSMCDR consists of vintage vehicles compete using factory-issued components for a given application while F.A.S.T. allows for internal variances and hidden tricks but requires that a stock appearance be maintained. Both series have really grown in popularity in the past several years. Before either had really taken off, however, there was Mike Noun.
The orange-and-black exterior treatment replicates the '69 Firebird test car that Pontiac Engineering developed for various internal projects.
During the late ‘90s, I was a regular on Rich Miller’s Classical Pontiac website. Mike was a fellow member who regularly posted in the tech Q&A forum. His knowledgeable posts about Pontiac history and/or performance caught my attention, and he was happy to share with the group. Mike wrote a series of articles where he divulged some of his “tricks” that make aftermarket components look like factory-originals in Classical Pontiac’s Restoration page. One of my favorites was his highly-successful attempt at making and aftermarket Edelbrock Performer intake manifold practically indistinguishable from a typical Pontiac cast-iron unit.
Mike's '69 Firebird was featured in the March 2000 issue of Muscle Car Review magazine.
In the forum, Mike often spoke of his Carousel Red ’69 Firebird and the modifications he made to it. He was rightfully proud that it ran remarkably well but was always humble about its performance. Then one day in 1998 he posted that it had ran a best of 11.69 at 116 mph over the weekend. I was simply amazed at that accomplishment. All the while looking deceptively stock to the casual observer!
I remember receiving this issue of MCR in the mail and reading and re-reading the article on Mike's Firebird.
Then the March 2000 issues of Muscle Car Review magazine arrived in my mailbox. On the front cover was an inset photograph of Carousel Red ’69 Firebird with “Secrets of an 11-second ‘Stocker’” beneath it. I immediately recognized the Firebird as Mike’s and quickly turned to page 60 where the feature began. Mike shared with author Tom Shaw practically everything that it took to turn his stock-appearing Firebird 400 into a solid 11-second machine. I read and reread that article many times as the years went on. That very issue remains as part of my permanent personal collection.
In the MCR article, Mike shared virtually all of the hidden tricks that allows his Firebird to run in the 11's.
I have always admired Mike’s Firebird and in many ways tried to incorporate some of his stealthy techniques into my own ’76 Trans Am. Although Mike and I exchanged emails over the years, it wasn’t until the Indian Uprising in St. Charles, Illinois in August 2017 that I was able to meet him and see his Firebird in person.
As I walked the many rows of wonderful Pontiacs on display at that event, I happened across the class containing first-generation Firebirds. I knew Mike lived in the Chicago area and immediately recognized the glossy Carousel Red finish and black vinyl top from the Muscle Car Review article nearly two decades prior. I looked over every aspect taking in as much as I could visually and complemented that with several detailed photographs for later reference.
I was able to see Mike's Firebird for the first time in person at the 2017 Indian Uprising in St. Charles, Illinois.
I hadn’t ever met Mike, but as I progressed down the row of Firebirds, I was introduced to him as he stood amongst a group of fellow first-gen owners just a few down from his ’69. After exchanging pleasantries, Mike was more than happy to walk to his Firebird and share many of the stealthy tricks he incorporated into the build so many years ago but remain just as effective today.
At first glance, nothing about the engine compartment in Mike's Firebird lends insight to how potent it truly is.
Unless you had an inkling of what to look for, most onlookers would never catch the countless modifications that Mike has made to his Firebird. Mike pointed out such features as the cast-aluminum Edelbrock cylinder heads, which had been modified to look like factory round-port castings. They have also been mildly ported with intake airflow around 300 cfm. The high-rise Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold had been doctored up to look like a factory unit. And a Holley four-barrel carburetor was well hidden beneath an air cleaner assembly that looks straight out of Pontiac Engineering, but was actually comprised of many different components. And the list goes on an on.
It was a distinct pleasure to present my Celebrity Pick trophy at the 2017 Indian Uprising to Mike Noun and his inspiring '69 Firebird. (Photo by Don Keefe)
As an invited guest to the Indian Uprising, I was given the opportunity to select one show vehicle to award my Celebrity Pick trophy. With more than 600 Pontiacs on display at the 2017 event, there was no shortage of worthy candidates. Having admired Mike’s ’69 Firebird and its stealthy performance for so many years, I simply couldn’t overlook it as my choice. During the awards ceremony I was given a brief moment to explain the rationale for my pick and summarized everything above into a few sentences. It was truly a pleasure to personally hand Mike his well-deserved trophy. Not only for his vehicle’s accomplishments, but for all the inspiration that it has provided me.