In , Trans-Ams began accounting for half of all Firebird sales. The surprise miniboom did not escape the Motor City sales analysts and prompted attempts to cash in on what was considered a renaissance of the performance market.
Perhaps the most spectacular—and superficial—effort came from Ford, where the Mustang II was decked out in garish paint and tape combinations to become the Cobra II. But these are all stopgaps, designed to plug holes in the model lineup until proper performance machines can be created. Therefore the field was left to Trans-Am in terms of anybody manufacturing a really honest sporting coupe in the mold of the old Pony cars.
Rather than let the proud name become just another plastic applique on the flanks of various ordinary cars—as happened to the Pontiac GTO and Plymouth Road Runner—Chevrolet yanked the car off the market.
Now it returns in a fashion that is sure to blow the lid off the entire world of fast automobiles and end, once and for all, the notion that Detroit and the American public have forgotten performance. It was hardly a dazzling visual sight, mainly because we were so familiar with the liquid lines of the Camaro after so many years, but the presence of spoilers fore and aft, relatively discreet decal treatment and custom wheels indicated that this was no ordinary machine.
A few moments in the car, with Turner lashing furiously around a small test loop, removed all doubt. We had a Porsche during the initial stages of this project, and we were really impressed with its handling. But frankly, I think this machine will run right with it.
The car yawed to the left, its body rolling slightly, its steel-belted tires screeching angrily, then snapped back on course. Turner yanked the wheel hard right, and the car responded with the same precision. Perhaps he had something here. But proving-ground running can be deceiving.
The surfaces are often billiard-table-smooth or unnaturally rough. Both can give invalid impressions of an automobile, so we fled the compound and headed for a stretch of bumpy, twisting mountain road running northeast away from the ragged collection of gas stations and fast-food joints known as Apache Junction. There the Camaro revealed itself as a road machine of the first rank.
Even with the Batmobile nose and screaming-chicken decals the Trans-Am has survived self-caricature. For the past four years he had been assigned to Chevrolet's new B-body intermediates, and it was he and his fellows who created the "F" optional suspension that makes large, solid-axle sedans handle like tiny sports cars.
Then you have to get out here and drive'em. You take a lot of cars like this with big front sway bars, and when you drive'em really hard you get bad under-steer and the feeling that the front wheels are doing all the work. I like to feel the rear wheels working too.
That's where this car really has an edge. Sure, they are interested in what we're doing with this machine, and we've shown'em most of what we've done. But not all of it. We've got some stuff in reserve. We're not finished with this project by a long shot. Wait until you see what we do next year. The City of Vapors was in the midst of one of its rare monsoons, and all of our driving was spent hissing along soaked roads and freeways with the gentle clatter of the wipers mingling with the soft exhaust note and the faint mechanical whines rising out of the engine and transmission.
Trans-Ams are old friends, essentially unchanged over the past few years, save for the addition of a weird Batmobile grille treatment and the use of a somewhat tamer drivetrain. You might also like. We check out some of the most interesting cars up for grabs right now! Nov 13, Elizabeth Puckett. Nov 12, Steven Symes. Nov 12, Elizabeth Puckett. Next, complete checkout for full access to Motorious.
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in. You've successfully subscribed to Motorious. The common characteristics used to identify muscle cars are rear-wheel drive which has changed due to technological advances , a relatively lightweight two-door body, affordable price, and designed for street legal straight-line drag racing. The Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird were both models built by their respective manufacturers to compete with the Ford Mustang.
The Mustang has been continuously produced by Ford since and fits neatly in the pony car category. The Camaro first went on sale on September 29, , for the model year. The Pontiac Firebird also released its first pony car competitor on February 23, The Camaro and the Firebird were considered cousins in design, sharing the same type of F platform F-Body design.
General Motors used this rear-wheel pony car automobile platform in models from to The Camaro and Firebird both saw several generational changes over the years. The Camaro is still in production today.
However, Pontiac stopped producing the Firebird in The Camaro has seen six different generations thus far. The Pontiac Firebird was no longer manufactured after , meaning that the only body style available for these pony cars was the GM F-Body. A total of four generations were released for the Firebird.
Both the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird have a history in racing. However, there was particular controversy when the Firebird Trans Am was released.
Not only was the engine too large for use in the series, but the SCCA claimed that GM used the name without permission. Funny cars are recognized by the tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber body and custom-fabricated bodies that give the appearance of a showroom model. During through , time funny car champion John Force used a Firebird body to replace the obsolete Oldsmobile Cutless and Chevrolet Lumina he had used in races since — he won all three years!
The manufacturer worked with Roger Penske to operate the unofficial factory-backed Trans-Am team, winning the title in and with Mark Donohue. The Camaro was also adopted as the official Indianapolis Pace Car in , , , , , , , , and Needless to say, the Camaro has seen its day at the races. When it came to choosing who to keep and who to discontinue, the answer was easy — both. When sales had declined enough, GM discontinued both the Camaro and the Firebird.
During the early s, GM found itself in some financial instability. In GM announced that Pontiacs would no longer be manufactured, following the same path they had taken with Oldsmobile in amidst their financial crisis.
With the focus shifted to only these four, it was soon after discontinuing the entire Pontiac line that the Camaro was reborn, only with a different body style.
Even though the Firebird never stood a chance given the odds, both vehicles were worthy opponents of the Ford Mustang, which they were originally created to contend with. Working with his mentor Tony Taylor, Joe Webster has learned the ins and outs of this industry which is largely misunderstood. With over 30 years experience in the industry, we've been helping people ship their vehicles, motorcycles, RV's, heavy equipment, household goods and more across the country or overseas without a hitch.
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