The year 1967 was memorable in American automotive history with the release of three new rivals for the record-setting Ford Mustang. From Chevrolet came the Camaro, Ford fielded the Mercury Cougar and Pontiac unleashed its Firebird.
Two years later, pursuing success in the USA’s premier competition category for production cars, a 6.6-litre Trans Am version of the Firebird appeared but didn’t win a race in the Trans American series contested during 1969.
There was a significant restyle in 1970, and with 1971 models came access to one of General Motors’ most potent engines; the 7.4-litre, 455 cubic inch V8 with 276kW. When fitted to ‘Super Duty’ versions of the Trans AM, the monster engine delivered 0-400 metre times on street rubber of 13.9 seconds.
Early cars had been light enough to race but by the mid-1970s, bulky bodies and emission controls had muted their performance and Trans Ams had to rely on attributes other than pure pace for sales.
Among the improvements that surfaced during the 1970s was Radial Tuned Suspension – a term later accessed by Holden for its Australian range.
Heavier springs and sway bars were used in conjunction with Uniroyal radial tyres to deliver improved high-speed handling and control body roll. Late-1970s Trans Ams also displayed less of the fore-aft pitching that had characterised earlier models on bumpy surfaces.
Much of the model’s ongoing popularity during the late-1970s and right through to the present day was due to the antics of a black 1977 model which starred in the film Smokey and the Bandit.
After 1976 when the 455-engine option was discontinued, and the biggest Trans Am/Firebird power unit was an Oldsmobile sourced 403, detuned with an 8.1 compression ratio and restricted induction, so power dropped by around half to just 138kW.
Styling changes during the late 1970s introduced a new, energy-absorbing nose cone with four deep-set headlamps replacing the twin, mudguard mounted lights of earlier models.
Cars delivered new in Australia were usually loaded with accessories like electric windows, sports wheels and air-conditioning. In this way the selling dealers could mask the cost of right-hand drive conversion, which in the late 1970s put Trans Ams into the same price bracket as Porsche’s 911.
Today, those similarities persist, with some Trans Am vendors pricing their cars at or above $100,000. Even the very best 1971-73 cars rarely achieve triple figures, while those from the late 1970s-early 1980s are most sensibly priced at $45-55,000. Early Firebirds with the optional 400 Ram-Air V8 may exceed $80,000.
