At this point in time, Danbury is my favorite provider of die cast cars. The recent selection of releases and the resultant finished products prove they have the collector on the run – to the bank! Over the past year DM has given us the predictable and the unexpected. The Firebird 400 is among the pleasant surprises. It is not quite as astonishing as the Saddle tan 1964 Corvette Coupe. That one may be the dark horse winner of 2004. But this Pontiac is almost in that league.

By issuing a more generic version of a vehicle, the mints may avoid the polarizing tendency of high profile, top-of-the-line cars like a Hemi or a ZL-1 Camaro. Thus, my expectations were not overly pumped when I ordered it. For instance, I did not think I would be crazy about the color combination of Champagne metallic with green interior. It is not the way I would have ordered a real one; however, it not only works, but it is rather striking with a finish that is perfectly applied and especially glossy. The lack of stripes and the subdued interior allow for a greater admiration of the clean lines that Pontiac gave us with the Firebird’s first redesign.