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Would You Rather? It’s The Battle Of Early 1980s Performance! Take Your Pick Between The Early 5.0 And A Fully Loaded Trans Am!


Would You Rather? It’s The Battle Of Early 1980s Performance! Take Your Pick Between The Early 5.0 And A Fully Loaded Trans Am!

Would You Rather is the evil drinking game that we love around here, and this time around we’re playing for the end of the Malaise Era, or the genesis of the horsepower revival, pony cars. View it however you want…this is all Eighties, all five liter power, and all your decision, one way or another.

The early 1980s…ah, how I don’t remember them, and I’m probably better off for that. The era that spawned both Lohnes and I only had good music and some leftover good drugs going for it. Vans were quickly gaining their creepy status, muscle cars were still cheap as dirt (and still just old cars) and the new cars had almost no fangs whatsoever. However, stirrings within Detroit showed that performance wasn’t 100%, completely confirmed, dead on arrival just yet. For 1982, after two years of an absolutely miserable 120 horsepower 4.2L V8, the Mustang got it’s 5.0L back. Yes, power was sitting at 157 horsepower, but any improvement was good news, and by using the cam profile from a 1973 Torino’s 351, it even sounded like it might be ready to put up a fight. That being said, the best thing about the 1982 example found on eBay might be the GT body kit. Compared to a standard 1982 Mustang, the GT look gained a completely different nose cone with driving lights and hatchback with an integrated ducktail spoiler. They were small changes, but if you parked it next to a standard Mustang, you knew which one you wanted looks-wise. This example looks to have been freshly repainted, is packing a four-speed and T-tops, and is sitting just above Rough Start territory as of writing (just north of $5,000).

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By comparison, the 1984 Pontiac Trans Am was shoving more power down (190 horsepower) and had better aerodynamics, but was still clinging hard onto the past. The black and gold paint scheme was showing it’s age after seven years, and didn’t quite have the same effect as it did on the 1977 version. It was obvious that it was still a tape-stripe muscle car, but the aerodynamics, upgraded power and suspension bits made up for the bit of cheese the car still had. The Trans Am could hang with the Corvette in the handling department, and c’mon…I’m not even making a KITT reference. These cars stood out on their own, with the sloping nose, hideaway headlights and the one-piece taillights. They looked fast, especially compared to the Fairmont-based Mustangs, and with the WS6 suspension and the optional Recaro seats, felt like they were quick too.

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So there you have it. It’s late night, the neon is bright, and Van Halen’s “Jump” is blasting out of the speakers. The question to you is which car is the ride of choice. Let us know below which one of these New Wave coupes is your flavor!


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19 thoughts on “Would You Rather? It’s The Battle Of Early 1980s Performance! Take Your Pick Between The Early 5.0 And A Fully Loaded Trans Am!

  1. claymore

    The Mustang hands down. And this a a car site not stoner mag please leave the talk about illegal drugs out of it.

  2. Sumgai

    Agh, hard choice! Going to have to go with the Mustang though. Better built for sure.

    And if the TA could handle as well as a Vette, that doesn’t say much for the Vette. The F-bodies were so cheaply made and even the suspension was junk.

  3. Brad

    At 16 my first mustang was an 82 GT (sun roof car) 5.0 4 spd. I’m a straight line guy so there’s no doubt I would take the mustang. It handled decent but in a straight line nothing in my town would touch it. It also had more room inside if hauling people around is what you’re looking for. LOL

  4. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

    I’d go for the Mustang naturally – but how come they went to all the trouble to put a V8 into it that had about the same horsepower as the 4 cylinder motor?

    Well – I’ve said my piece now I’ll go back to smoking up my good White Widow and munching on primo hash cookies – is that enough illegal drugs for you, claymore?

    1. claymore

      Well that is just brilliant another stoner on a car site. You people that glorify illegal drug use make me want to puke. There are teenaged boys that read this site and you people make them think wow these old guys do drugs they must be cool.

      Have personally lost two brothers to the scourge of illegal drug use I have no use for this BS.

      Want to talk drugs go somewhere else stoners.

      1. Sumgai

        I’m taking your side claymore. Time to quit acting like drugs are all good times and no consequences. It’s not funny seeing people who have lost themselves to whatever their addiction of choice is.

      2. Chevy Hatin' Mad Geordie

        Stoner?

        I am a 63 year old retired gardener/farm worker who spent 40 years working hard in all weathers for poor wages with regular bouts of unnemployment in the winter months. I put up with all this for the love of the outdoors and to feed my family.

        A stoner would have been unable to even see a chainsaw or a tractor let alone use one in a safe manner. Whilst I enjoy the odd toke now and then I prefer drinking good whisky and my comments are basically a wry form of sarcasm. However – I’ve never heard of pot addicts and 3 states in the USA share my opinion that its OK to legalise its use and once our stupid government get their heads around the fact that 150 million pound minimum could be raised in revenue each year from legalisation it will happen here!

        1. claymore

          Well you sure are a stoner no matter how you try and deny it. You must be deprived of news sources to never hear of dope habitations or you are just in denial but that comes from dope use.

          Yep a lot of stupid politicians here but it is STILL not legal federally stoner.

          LOL a stoners argument indeed make money by the state becoming drug pushers smokey dreams there stoner.

          Now the whole board knows just why you make the specious comments you are known for.

          I don’t give a rats patoot what you do to kill yourself slowly but illegal drug use advocacy has no place on a car board where CHILDREN view the site. Take this stoner crap to rolling stone or stoner magazine where it belongs.

  5. tw

    Back in the days my friend had a 79 trans am with a lot of cash dumped into it. Then a bought a beaten 79 mustang with the still stock 302 2bbl and 3.08 gears and smoked him so badly he sold his car .

  6. Brendon

    Bryan- you meant 8 years. The 1976 Pontiac Trans Am 50th anniversary was also black and gold.

    RE: topic- I’d take the Trans Am over that Mustang, though as stock it’d lose in a drag race.

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