The
70-1/2 Trans-Am Firebird was an awesome car, but somewhat of a mixed
bag of hardware and image. Pontiac licensed the
“Trans-Am” name from SCCA (the Sports Car Club of
America). The Trans-Am racing series was very popular in the late
‘60s when GM and Ford pony cars raced in the series. Chevy
came out with the Z-28 in ‘67 specifically as a base to build
race cars. Pontiac then release the Trans-Am in ‘69. The car
got a little attention and was overshadowed by the Z-28.
But when Chevy unveiled the all-new ‘70-1/2 Camaro and and
Pontiac the Firebird and the Trans-Am inspired versions, car lovers
were blown away by the Trans-Am. The new T/A was simply stunning and
made the Z-28 look somewhat incomplete. The T/A had a distinctive front
spoiler that wrapped up in front of the front wheel openings and a big
flipper rear spoiler. The front fenders had cool looking engine
compartment vents. The hood didn’t had just a scoop, it had a
“Shaker Scoop” that faced backwards so that it
could draw in cool air from the negative air pressure area at the base
of the windshield. With a single wide stripe that ran over the hood and
top of the car, the overall look was “DON’T MESS
WITH ME!”
However, where as the Z-28 was using a 350 cid small-block (the 302
version was enlarged), the Trans-Am used a big-block 400 cid engine.
And to ice the cake even more, there was a 455 Super Duty version!
Clearly the big-block Trans-Am Firebirds weren’t
“Trans-Am Racing Series” material, but they sure
were winners on the street and the strip.
Happily, the Trans-Am, the Z-28, and the Mustang ended up being the
longest running of all of the pony cars from the mid-to-late '60s to
today!
