(Words By Tony Sestito) – Ahh… The early 1980’s. It was an interesting time alright. Egos were getting larger, hair was getting bigger, and cars were getting… umm… slightly less boring? The automotive industry was trying all sorts of ways to get people in showrooms, and instead of touting the mega horsepower numbers of 10-15 years prior, they were instead touting gas mileage, primitive EFI, and digital dashboards. For a car guy, there were few choices for serious performance off the showroom floor.
So what was a car guy to do? Luckily, during these dark ages of performance, aftermarket companies stepped in to offer parts and services where the OEM companies fell short. For example, if you happened to be the lucky owner of a 1970-81 or an early 3rd Generation V8-powered Pontiac Firebird or Trans Am, you could order a catalog from Trans Am Specialties of Cherry Hill, New Jersey and go nuts! When the factory stopped offering the good stuff, companies like these guys stepped in and offered tuning services, speed parts, and even turn-key cars. My own personal 1979 Trans Am received a few of these parts back when it was in its younger days, and after doing some research over the years, I dug up a couple of catalogs. Let’s step into the past and look at some of their offerings.
In addition to their tuning and mail order business, Trans Am Specialties also offered turn-key performance packages in the form of their Bandit cars. Pictured is the Bandit himself, Burt Reynolds, in front of the 1982 model. Through a licensing agreement with Universal Studios, they were able to build and market this performance package as the Bandit. The owners would actually mail Burt dash panels to sign, and then they would be installed on the car.
Unlike the 1981 model, which had a built Pontiac 455 swapped in place of the anemic 301, they stuck with the “corporate” 305 that the Trans Am came with from the factory. They offered a performance cam, computer reprogramming, and more as options on the Bandit. And of course, you have to check off that box next to the C.B.
Moving onto the 1984 catalog, they offered some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your car. They even outlined what parts you needed from the catalog with their part numbers. They offered tips on Third Generation cars with the 305, as well as the various powerplants the Second Generation cars came with.
The products they offered went from mild to wild. They even offered a balanced and blueprinted, Paxton-supercharged 305 that made a whopping (for 1984 standards) 300 horsepower! In a car equipped with 3.73 gears, they were able to break into the 13’s with this engine installed.
This is cool: They even offered hop-up parts for the much maligned 301 Turbo. I know what you are thinking, “what a boat anchor!” but I think these were just a little ahead of their time. Imagine what they could have been like if given a few more years of development and factory multi-port EFI, like the Buick 3.8 SFI Turbo mill installed in the Grand Nationals. They offered adjustable wastegates and water injection setups, which is pretty darn cool for 1984 standards. And if all that fails, feed it nitrous.
In addition to the usual performance parts, like intakes and camshafts, Trans Am Specialties offered more unique items, like these very optimistic speedometers that went up to 170 mph. My personal 1979 Trans Am actually has one of these installed in place of the stock unit. Way cooler than the usual 85 mph speedometers of the day, and they are very rare now.
And of course, what’s a 1980’s car parts catalog without some big hair and some sweet wearables! You know you want one of those sweet satin Trans Am or Bandit jackets.
For your viewing pleasure, the whole catalog can be found in this thread from the Trans Am Country forums:
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE ENTIRE TRANS AM SPECIALTIES CATALOG!
An 8000 RPM tachometer sounds rather ambitious when paired with a 305 – either in TBI form, or their carbed conversion with a dual plane manifold.
Still, give them credit for trying.