Once one of the most popular muscle cars in America, the Pontiac Trans Am is now a classic car with a cult status. General Motors first launched the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am in 1969 and continued to make it all the way until 2002. This muscle car boasted such a unique design in the segment that its looks instantly drove buyers and earned itself movie roles. That’s part of the reason why it’s getting newer fans even today. And yet, people seem to sleep on just how cool this car is.
Pontiac did try to keep the Firebird Trans Am fresh by regularly updating the model or at least introducing some kind of a special edition every once in a while. From the ever-popular Knight-Rider fame 1982 K.I.T.T. Trans Am to the ever-loved 1989 T/A Turbo, we took the ten greatest model years of this iconic nameplate and ranked them good to best.
10 1969 Trans AM
It’s fitting that the very first Trans-Am starts this list. Pontiac wanted to make a car to race in the Tran-Am series, but GM wouldn’t let them build a racecar. So, they cleverly got around the problem by launching a car that would be a perfectly normal streetcar but can be easily modified into a race-worthy model.
Two years after launching the Firebird muscle car, they came up with the Firebird Trans-Am. According to drivingline.com, only 697 were made, and all featured white-blue stripes and a distinctive body styling.
9 1974 Trans Am SD 455
The golden age of muscle cars was at its end by the mid-’70s. Most upcoming muscle cars that year were considered slower and blander than what they used to be in their glory days of the late ‘60s. But Pontiac stood out when the Trans Am SD 455 entered the market. The new Firebird Trans Am looked beautiful and fast, with the mechanical prowess to back it up.
It came with an enhanced suspension, better brakes, and a 7.4-liter V8. This 290-hp beast was the fastest production car on the road upon launch and was one of the few last true muscle cars in the market at that time. Corvettes, Mustangs, Chargers, and Challengers struggled to keep up with it.
8 1970 Trans Am
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The sophomore year of the Trans Am showed us what Pontiac could do when no one stopped it from making a bigger, better, badder muscle car than its first outing. The second-gen Trans Am got a badass spoiler, new brakes, suspension packages, and updated interior trim. In this case, the sequel was better than the original, which is rare.
The added selection of colorways was also appreciated by the people. The 345-hp (claimed) 6.5-liter V8 sourced from Ram did wonders for the car’s popularity and performance. It was made to race in the Trans-Am series after all.
7 1980 Trans Am Turbo
Let’s jump a decade and take a look at this charmer. The 3rd gen Trans Am was on its way, but the second-gen went out swinging in all its glory. By the late ‘70s, Pontiac wanted to try their hand at turbocharging.
The result was a decent 200-210-hp 4.9-liter V8, but a whopping 340 lb-ft of torque changed the game. And let’s not forget the unique timeless looks that we can’t ever forget. Truly a classic car in its own right.
6 1978 Trans Am Special Edition
The 1973 oil crisis and recession had hit the market badly and it turned muscle cars into undesired bygones. But Pontiac was willing to fight for it and brought us the 1978 Trans Am Special Edition. And boy did they put up a fight!
This special edition had everything going for it: A powerful engine that gave a vicious performance and thrilling speeds, that iconic ‘Screaming Chicken’ logo, the classic looks, and a rumbling sound. Very few other muscle cars that year were what an actual muscle car is supposed to be, and this Trans Am was one of them.
5 2000 Trans Am WS6
The looks of this Trans Am generate countless debates between people who like it and those who don’t. But if you like the way it looks, then you are in luck, because this Trans Am is one of the most souped-up Pontiacs ever made. Capable of going 0-60 in just 5 seconds, the WS6 had a 5.7-liter LS1 V8 engine and a Borg-Warner six-speed manual transmission.
Power? 305 hp. Quarter Mile? 13.5 seconds at 107.4 mph. And it’s a convertible! So open the roof up, jam the throttle, spin the wheels, and have some fun!
4 2002 Trans Am WS6
By 2002, the general public had moved on from the powerful and flashy muscle cars, and started finding good, compact, fuel-efficient cars as their daily drivers. So the 2002 Firebird was the last one to grace us with its presence. But Pontiac made sure their final effort wouldn’t go unnoticed under the shadow of minivans and hatchbacks. The last Trans Am was bigger and beefier than ever before.
It was also fast, handled well, and very energetic with the way it moved. The 5.7-liter V8 engine kept the bar high against competition with a 4.8 second 0-60 mph time. It was the last ever Trans Am and while we were sad to see it go, we are also happy that such a unique and characterful car got made in the first place.
3 1982 Trans Am
1982 saw the release of the 3rd gen Trans Am. The new one underwent a complete redesign and looked different than the previous one. Talking about the looks, it is the same one seen as K.I.T.T. in Knight Rider driven by David Hasselhoff.
The revised suspension meant the car handled well, and while the power was comparatively lower than expected, it makes up for it with a lot of torque on standby. Hence, the 1982 Trans Am never failed to deliver a thrilling performance. Oh, and it had pop-up headlights!
2 1989 Trans Am Turbo
The success and popularity of the above-mentioned 3rd gen Trans Am blew Pontiac’s reputation through the ceiling. And the 1989 Trans Am Turbo made sure to keep its name and integrity intact, if not elevate it. It had been 20 years since the very first Trans Am, and an anniversary special edition was developed.
This rare vehicle had a 3.8-Litre turbocharged V6 (same as the Buick GNX), a sought-after design, and an almost picturesque performance.
1 1977 “Bandit” Trans Am
It’s not the fastest or the best accelerating Trans Am. But it was simply the most kick-ass. The 1977 Firebird Trans Am was one of the coolest cars in the market because of its stylish design, that iconic “Screaming Chicken” logo, but more importantly, due to its appearance in the 1977 blockbuster Smokey and the Bandit.
More than just a car, this Trans Am was a significant piece of ‘70s pop culture, and years later, it still is one of the coolest cars on the roads today.