I like the Pontiac Trans Am in just about every version possible. Every experience I’ve had with one makes me think of the same thing: lots of torque, a willingness to whip donuts at driver discretion, and of course one of the most iconic badges ever created with the “Screaming Chicken”. But when it comes to the turbocharged 301 that replaced the vaunted 400ci V8…well, don’t get me started. The 301 turbo was the replacement for the 400ci engine that, even smog-strangled, provided the Trans Am with a good mix of horsepower and torque. The 301ci turbocharged V8 could provide a pretty stout torque figure (336 ft/lbs in 1981) but a dismal 205hp, coupled with emissions controls, air conditioning (a required option for the turbo motor), low compression and 3.08 gears out back killed any fun that the motor could provide, and that only lasted as long as the turbocharger did. Add all of that together and the Turbo T/A was relegated to the disco muscle car lot, along with the Camaro Z/28, King Cobra II, Aspen R/T and Volaré Road Runner…lots of flash, but not much to back it up.
That brings us to this video. Mike Musto from /BIG MUSCLE is honestly looking at this 1981 with the prospect of buying the car. Cowboy hat in homage to Burt Reynolds? Check. Hypnosis over the Turbo T/A’s lighted hoodscoop? Check. Lots of noise but little go from the Pontiac? Check. Does he buy it?…..
Yeah, maybe performance-wise they were crap but so was just about everything else in 1981. And least these were slow with serious style. The ’79-’81s are my personal favorite in appearance.
Yeah I’m kind of with Nick on this one . My neighbor who had one new back in the day and I used to trade cars [ trust me he got the better end of the deal ] once and awhile so I’ve spent a fair amount of time behind the wheel . Dogs performance wise they were … but somehow they managed to be endearing , lovable and affable dogs . Can’t say I’d ever own one but then again I’d never talk anyone out of buying one either . Just don’t go into one thinking its gonna be some fire breathing macho @$&ed bad boy cause it aint . But there is a certain undeniable appeal to the beasts … this from a man who is not a fan of Pontiac’s FireChickens in the slightest
Nothing that can’t be fixed by a turbocharged 400 or 455. Make the Turbo Trans Am that Pontiac should have built.
Actually a good friend and local hot shot mechanic here back in the day took it one full step further . He supercharged a customers Turbo T/A with one of the first low profile supercharges sold to the general public . Then on the owners orders stripped the paint and all the decals … re-painted it a gorgeous midnight blue .. added on some tasteful aftermarket wheels … tweaked the suspension just enough … and …. yeeeeeeee …. hawwwwwww . He tossed me the keys right after it had been broken in properly and …. Damn
That thing almost made a FireChicken fan of me . Damn !
There were no high performance cars in the 1979 – 1981 timeframe. Even the Corvette suffered. 1979 – the L82 at 255 hp. By 1981 it was the L81 at 190 hp.
So all you were left with was the “stickers and stripes” cars as pointed out in Bryan’s post. At least the Turbo Trans Am looked stylish. LOL – plus you had the lights on the backside of the “bulge” that lit up when the Turbo kicked it.
One thing I did not like about the TTA was the color of the backlighting for the gauges. They were hard to see at night. Wished they had stuck with white or even bright blue instead
Never got use to the ugly frontend of the 79-81 cars. If one could be h
Never got use to the ugly frontend of the 79-81 cars. If one could be had for a good price, I would swap it for a 77-78 nose.
Many forget that this was a small c.i.d. engine, in a very heavy car.. 4200-4400 lb was the norm with these by then..
the 81 mustang with a 302 was 3000 lb and wasn’t that much faster..
put that ford 302 in a 4200lb car and see just how fast that 301 turbo really is for that dark time in HORSE POWER
Anything past 1973 ventures too far into redneck Ferrari territory for me. That being said, if I ever acquire the garage space and wife brownie points (yes, I’m whipped) a 67-68 Firebird 400 or 70-73 Trans Am are on the short list of cars I would really like to restore.
You want to talk about slow, my 77′ Firebird had a N/A 301 when I got it as my first car. No wonder dad wasn’t worried about cutting me loose in Ma’s old firebird. It did sound mean through the glass packs though. The 301 broke it’s crankshaft in a race against my friends Taurus, what an embarrassment. A properly tuned 400 drops in easily and makes the car a blast.
Yeah, it was slow, but what wasn’t in the late 70s/early 80s?
Pontiac did the most with what they had, and remember, despite low power levels, these cars were amazing handlers for the time, better than just about anything but a Corvette.
The endless comparisons between the cars of this era and earlier musclecars are senseless and worn out, they’re all apples to oranges.
These have always been cool cars, despite so many people refusing to publicly admit it.
Take a look at the prices of these late second gen Trans Ams, they’re climbing and not slowing down.