Every person has an obsession. Some of us may be drawn to having big shiny electronics, while others may be compulsively drawn to fast things.  Secretly, I’m obsessed with Italian sports cars that look as loud as they sound. Most of the time obsession can lead to unrealistic dreams (like my chance to drive that Pagani Zonda R I’ve had my eye on), but sometimes, just sometimes, obsession can be a good thing.

Take for example Gui Eberhard from San Ramon, California. When Gui caught his very first glimpse of first-gen Firebirds, brain cells fused together and permanently left him with an obsession for the beautiful lines of that body style. Ever since, Gui has built a few amazing examples of beautiful ‘birds and is sparing little expense on his new project, aptly titled “Lolla”. With a blessing from his wife, Gui began buying and selling miscellaneous first-gen Firebirds until he found what lit up his heart. While browsing through Craigslist, there was an ad posted for a nearly complete 1968 Firebird convertible. After trading some e-mails back and forth with the owner, the ad mysteriously disappeared and the e-mails stopped coming in.

For many of us, we’d be crushed, but move on to another project. Not Gui. After a few days, the ad appeared again. Unfortunately this time there was no contact information, no e-mail address, and only a few pictures of the car he had been obsessing over. After a lengthy process to find the owner, he finally got the owner’s information. A few phone calls later, some of which involved a lengthy grilling session on his intentions with the car, the ’68 vert was his.

As soon as Lola arrived at her new home, the clean-up began. While going from front to back and making sure everything was in decent shape, a time capsule of sorts was discovered which contained the original owner’s manual, information from Pontiac on how to operate the convertible top, and a magazine featuring Nancy Harwood as the centerfold.

As time passed, the car began to move under its own power, which was derived from a Chevy 307. Gui knew that this had to change and was able to locate a built 400 from his friend for a very low price, as well as a 400 hood to go with it. When asked about having possibly used a more modern engine such as an LSx series motor, we were told, “The 400 will maintain a lot of the simplicity of a carbed no-frills approach.  Do not get me wrong, LS power is a great way to go, and I have several friends going through it, or that had already completed with great results. Though I believe going back to a nicely built, more original powertrain in a pro-touring\lateral g, may end up with more interesting [results] and a good compromise with purists and the crowd doing the swaps.”

Plus ponchos are getting harder to come by, and you can see Hemi and LS swaps on pretty much everything nowadays so it is becoming too commonplace. The LS is becoming the venerable Chevy 350 to be swapped into anything from Datsuns to Fords.  With Pontiac’s demise, going against the grain and sticking with old school may become the right thing to do.”This led to the beginning of a very dedicated project.” According to Gui, Lolla is becoming the 90210 of cosmetic surgery to the body. No panel has been left untouched; this included some serious body mods such as adding ’69 Firebird louvers to the front fenders, shaving the rear gills, shaving and smoothing the rear panels to the rear bumper, and a custom front valance. Despite the severe sound of these modifications, Gui insists that the mods may sound dramatic, but it’s really simple and subtle changes that give Lolla a fresh look.

Currently, the ’68 is waiting for Gui to pick the perfect color to match the newly-freshened curves and suspension work is on the drawing board. Some of these plans include an upgraded brake system, a custom air-ride suspension, and modern creature comforts inside the classic body. To top it all off, once the build is finished, he plans on his first road trip being spent to visit Nancy Harwood and have her autograph the ride. To see what’s in the future for Gui and Lolla, you can follow his build at Pro Touring.