GM to axe Pontiac!
Discussion
Shame!
In 1977 "Smokey and the Bandit" featured Burt Reynolds with the newly restyled 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Despite Reynolds, the Trans Am truly was center stage. All of America not only knew about the Trans Am, they wanted one. Demand became so great that production jumped twenty-thousand units to a total of 68,744. There was a lot to like about the '77 T/A. It had a new look. It had a new engine. It's soul was renewed. Pontiac built a winner.
At the end of the '76 model year the 7.5 litre 455 engine was finally laid to rest. GM had downsized their full-size cars for '77 and the extraordinary 455 no longer fit the program. The bean counters weren't about to spend money certifying an entire displacement class for one carline. Instead of the 455, a pair of 400's and a (gasp) Oldsmobile 403 could be ordered. This marked the first application of a non-Pontiac engine in the Trans Am. It was a grim prelude to the future......
In 1977 "Smokey and the Bandit" featured Burt Reynolds with the newly restyled 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Despite Reynolds, the Trans Am truly was center stage. All of America not only knew about the Trans Am, they wanted one. Demand became so great that production jumped twenty-thousand units to a total of 68,744. There was a lot to like about the '77 T/A. It had a new look. It had a new engine. It's soul was renewed. Pontiac built a winner.
At the end of the '76 model year the 7.5 litre 455 engine was finally laid to rest. GM had downsized their full-size cars for '77 and the extraordinary 455 no longer fit the program. The bean counters weren't about to spend money certifying an entire displacement class for one carline. Instead of the 455, a pair of 400's and a (gasp) Oldsmobile 403 could be ordered. This marked the first application of a non-Pontiac engine in the Trans Am. It was a grim prelude to the future......
Oooh, yes! Rob's new look,
This update of the Trans Am is available with an LS7 and up to 605 horsepower, or a monster 8.8 liter (540 cubic inch) Pontiac V8 making over 650 horsepower. A 5-speed manual is the only transmission offered. Suspension consists of tubular front subframe, rack-and-pinion steering, and four-link rear with adjustable coil-overs on each corner. Chassis reinforcements include integrated subframe connectors and a four-point roll bar with safety harnesses. Brakes are huge Baer Racing six-piston calipers with 14-inch (360 mm) two-piece rotors front and rear. The car offers a level of performance rarely seen in a street-legal vehicle.
This update of the Trans Am is available with an LS7 and up to 605 horsepower, or a monster 8.8 liter (540 cubic inch) Pontiac V8 making over 650 horsepower. A 5-speed manual is the only transmission offered. Suspension consists of tubular front subframe, rack-and-pinion steering, and four-link rear with adjustable coil-overs on each corner. Chassis reinforcements include integrated subframe connectors and a four-point roll bar with safety harnesses. Brakes are huge Baer Racing six-piston calipers with 14-inch (360 mm) two-piece rotors front and rear. The car offers a level of performance rarely seen in a street-legal vehicle.
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