The 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo is a muscle car that has won the heart of a lot of automotive enthusiasts. It's not just because it is rare, but because it is a great "performing" car in its own right. Pontiac produced the 1980 Trans Am Turbo in limited quantity as there were only 6,000 cars made, of which only 5,900 units were sold to the public. The rest were used for racing purposes or as promotional vehicles in various movies.
The 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo is not your average muscle car. It's actually a hybrid of two different models: the first-generation Firebird and the second-generation Grand Prix. The car features a turbocharged 301 cubic inch V8 engine with 210 horsepower. Created to celebrate Pontiac's success in NASCAR racing, they also built it to be a street-legal race car. Today, these cars are highly sought-after by collectors because of their rarity and performance prowess. In fact, there have been some recent sales that have brought in big numbers, and they are just going to keep rising.
The 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo Features The '80s Iconic V-8 Turbo
Pontiac had been enjoying success with its big block V-8 engines since the 1960s, but by 1979, rising fuel prices and stricter emissions regulations spelled trouble for these large engines. They needed something small and efficient that could still provide plenty of power for their large cars like the Bonneville and Grand Prix. Pontiac's answer to the V-8 big block crisis of the '80s was a turbocharged version of its newly developed small-block V-8. This made it one of the first cars to use forced induction via a turbo and one of the few ones to do so using a carburetor at that time.
They fitted the Pontiac with a 9-psi Garrett TBO-305 turbocharger, which would boost power from 135 horsepower to 180 horsepower. To get there, however, Pontiac had to make some changes. They dropped the compression ratio from 8.1:1 to 7.6:1, and they fit the engine with a special version of the Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor that used an internal wastegate. The result was a 4.9-liter V-8 that made 210 hp at 4,400 RPM and 365 lb.-ft. (325 Nm) of torque at 4,400 rpm when paired with an automatic transmission (190 hp / 240 lb.-ft.).
The 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo's Looks Are Coming Back In Style
If you have been looking for a muscle car to add to your collection and want something that is going to stand out from the crowd, look no further than the 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo. This was the last year that Pontiac made this model, and it comes with some great features that will make it stand out from all other cars on the road today.
The '80s styling is something that has always been unique, and those who love muscle cars know how much they love this look. It was not only popular during the decade but also long after it ended, and now more people are appreciating it again. With so many modern cars having similar styling, this is one way to get away from all of them and make sure your ride stands out from the crowd. The interior of the 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo was also very impressive considering how cheap they compared to other sports cars from the 80s.
The 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo Is A Movie Icon
Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American action comedy film co-written, produced, directed by, and starring Burt Reynolds. The film was the first of three collaborations between Reynolds and director Hal Needham. It inspired several similar movies that were released at about the same time, including Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and Smokey and the Bandit III (1983), in which the trans am was also one of the main stars.
The 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo: Old School V-8 Muscle Cars Are Rare
The 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo is a rare car. It's not the most desirable model from the muscle car era, but it's unique in its own way. It's so rare you can't go into any used car lot and expect to find one sitting there waiting for you. If you want one, you're going to have to find it online or at an auction house somewhere nearby.
Not only are old-school V-8 muscle cars hard to find today, but they're also becoming even harder to find over time because many of them have been destroyed or modified by their owners over time, so they no longer look like they did when they were new models. In total there were only 6,000 examples ever produced, which is why these cars are so hard to find today. You can still see them on the streets from time to time because some people keep them rather than sell them off right.
Sources: Mecum, Hoovies Garage, Bring a Trailer