Sadly, it wasn't to be, but the spirit of this sports car prototype lived on in a very real way, inspiring the design of the fourth-generation Pontiac Firebird that you can still go out and buy.

Get the latest car news, reviews, and features.

We're glad the prototype styling was deemed too expensive for production; the world wasn't ready for a modern interpretation of the 1982 J2000. The Coupe 60 started life as Pontiac's replacement ...