A lot of people may have first been introduced to the Pontiac Trans Am cars because of film and TV. This helped elevate the status of the car and aided it in becoming an unforgettable part of American muscle car history, and the Trans Am is fully deserving of its iconic classic car status.
Despite its popularity, however, there are still some things about the Trans Am that people may be unaware of or have forgotten. Below is a list of some things you may have forgotten about the Pontiac Trans Am and some reasons why it is remembered so fondly.
10 On Screen Star
Any fans of film and TV should be aware of the Trans Am's influence in this domain. The Trans Am featured heavily in Smokey and the Bandit and of course Knight Rider.
Knight Rider featured a 1982 Trans Am as one of the stars and was initially only featured to boost Pontiac sales, which at the time were failing. As for Smokey and the Bandit, a 1976 Trans Am was used, despite appearing to be the 1977 model. This was due to the 1977 Trans Am not being released yet, and GM decided to send some parts over in the meantime to make it look like the eventual 1977 model.
9 WS6 Performance Package
The WS6 Special Performance Package was first included on the 1978 Trans Am. Costing $324 at the time, it swapped the 15×7-inch wheels for increased 15×8-inch snowflake wheels, as well as some wider tires and larger rear sway bar.
A handling package as an option actually remained for a number of years, all the way to the third generation models, 1987 Formula and Trans Am GTA cars had the optional handling package as standard.
8 Creation Of The Firebird Decal
The Firebird design on the hood of the Pontiac has become one of the most instantly recognizable decals on any car ever. It was created by Pontiac designers Bill Porter and Norm Inouye in 1970.
Despite the design being completed in 1970, it didn't actually appear on Pontiac models until 1973 helped by some added pressure from designer John Schinella. Nicknamed the screaming chicken, the decal could be added to your car for the small price of $55. The design was used up until 1981 before it reappeared again as an option for the 1985-87 Trans Am cars.
7 The Power
Power and performance has changed a lot during the years the Trans Am cars were produced. Initially, the first gen Trans Am Firebird came with 3.8-liter engine and an output of 220 hp. Those looking for some added performance could get it in the form of an optional 6.6-liter V8 that packed 340 hp.
Towards the end of the second generation of the Trans Am Firebird cars, the power output came to a relatively underwhelming 200 hp, even from the most powerful available V8. The third generation cars switched it up massively, with the car technically being a 3-door hatchback coupe with four engine options with power outputs ranging from 90 to 238 hp. Fianlly, the fourth generation Trans Am cars had an optional V8 which was capable of producing a fairly good 325 hp, giving a dignified end to the Trans Am name.
6 The History And First Edition
The Trans Am is one of the more historic cars in muscle car history, and the Trans Am story began all the way in 1967, with the first Trans Am being almost identical to a Chevrolet Z/28 Camaro. In the beginning, Trans Am cars were production cars based on the ones used in the American Trans-Am racing series.
This made the 1969 Pontiac Trans-Am Firebird the first ever Trans Am model. This car came with a 400-cid V-8 engine and a whole 335 hp. Other upgrades included a one-inch front stabilizer bar, variable-ratio power steering, seven-inch-wide rims and heavy-duty suspension.
5 The Rarest Model
This brings us to the rarest model of them all. This car is already particularly rare and there is quite a significant change to this car over the others despite being the same model.
This car is of course the 1969 convertible Trans Am. Just eight were made by Pontiac and included the standard 335 hp 400 HO engine. Of these eight, only four were made with manual four-speed transmissions. A good condition convertible 69 Trans Am can fetch well over $1M.
4 The Most Popular Model
Comparatively, the most popular Trans Am model was the 1979 Trans Am, with over 117,000 Trans Am cars being sold that year. This car is currently valued at around $22,500 making it an absolute bargain when compared to the convertible 69 Trans Am.
To give a reference as to the scale of this car's popularity, by comparison this car sold around 60 times more than the 1967 Trans Am. 7500 Trans Am Tenth Anniversary Edition models were also included with that number. The were silver and featured limited edition graphics and finned turbo wheels, as well as a silver leather interior.
3 The 1LE
Despite the 1LE optional package being more closely linked to the Camaro, Pontiac utilized it on some Firebirds the first of which being the Formula and Trans Am models in 1988.
The upgrades included larger brakes and stiffer suspension, mainly. It was also available in both manual and automatic configurations and without air conditioning due to the intended track use of the car.
2 Firebird Or Trans Am
Throughout this article, the terms Trans Am and Firebird have been used repeatedly, but they aren't exactly interchangeable, despite many believing so.
As it turns out, the Trans Am is a type of Pontiac Firebird first introduced as a performance package in 1969. This means that every Trans Am is a Pontiac Firebird, but not the other way around, as not every Firebird is a Trans Am.
1 The Final Trans Am Cars
the Trans Am cars went through some fairly significant changes during their last days, mostly notably in the looks department. As you can see here with some of the later models, they actually look a little like something you may find in the JDM market rather than the classic muscle cars they actually derived from.
However, despite the changes and ultimate death of the Trans Am, the cars went out with a bang and the final 2002 model cars produced a decent 325 hp from the 5.7-liter V8, a 0-60 mph time of around 5 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 160 mph making it one of the fastest Trans Am of all time and a fitting end for a series of cars which was over 30 years old at the time.