Car and driver road test 1979 trans am

For updates from auto europa and a sneak peak at coming inventory, please see our facebook page at. The sd455s arrival surprised the media and enthusiasts who had been awaiting the demise of performance cars in a catalytic cataclysm of. He is the younger brother of veteran nascar racer john andretti, nephew of indianapolis 500 winner mario andretti and first cousin to indycar. Join millions of people using oodle to find unique used cars for sale, certified preowned car listings, and new car classifieds. In base configuration, the 79 trans am came with an oldsmobilesourced. Our test machine was the special edition, which meant that. While in production from 19681976, the torino cobra that was produced from 1970 to 1971 was one of the fastest iterations. The last pontiac 400s were built up in 1978 and the tooling disbanded. For updates from auto europa and a sneak peak at coming. On the seventh of february, 1973, our test firebird trans am sd455 swept through the quartermile at orange county international raceway in irvine, california in an elapsed time of. Steve mcqueens 1979 pontiac trans am pulled from illinois. The ta was the choice the 3 drivers liked, the z28 being the worst. This issue, it compares the 78 vette, z28, and the ta. Car and driver road tested a 1978 trans am with the 400cid200nhp v8 and turbohydramatic transmission and concluded it was very sophisticated and impeccably well mannered.

But four decades ago, one car and one film captured the publics imagination. First of all, it had a bigger engine than the corvettean engine we all knew about, thanks to the awesome and mystical 6. This is truly a living dinosaur, the very last direct descendant of the the original big blockhipo pony car. The 20th anniversary trans am is a muscle car from the traditional mold. The series has in fact gone by a variety of different names through the years too many to list, some linked to sponsors, some not. Pontiac 060 times pontiac firebird, g8, grand prix, gto. Once a thriving species during the golden performance car era, it was all but wiped out by that great. Part service and mot history well looked after and maintained. Both former hemmings muscle machines feature cars, each were fitted with contemporary power, spoilers, stripes, and a firm suspension, most of which harkened back to the glory days of the performance era.

The transam series was created in 1966 by sports car club of america scca president john bishop. The march 75 issue of road test magazine published a bird without wingsa blowbyblow account of a trans am test, wherein its 400, automatic trans, and 2. For the 400403 comparison just to show this was the hot ticket for 79. The infamous 19801981 pontiac trans am turbo ate up. The rollover resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a singlevehicle, lossofcontrol scenario. Is the 1979 pontiac firebird formula w72 the last muscle car. Ludvigsen is credited with the name change to car and driver with the april 1964 issue. This part borrowed from the 1980 front drive nova supplements a new fiveblade, enginedriven fan that saps less power, so all l82s produce 225 horsepower, with or without air conditioning. Our original test of the pontiac firebird trans am sd455. He has raced in sports cars, indy pro series, nascar, and stadium super trucks. Originally known as the transamerican sedan championship, the name was changed to the transamerican championship for 1967 and henceforth.

This episode of this or that features a pair of icons from gms divisional rivals. He has been competing in the transam series since 2014. The 1976 trans am 400 and 455 made use of the same exhaust each car incorporated a 2. Before you buy a 19962002 pontiac trans am ws6, heres. In search of the besthandling american car car and driver. The basic combination of a big exterior and a small interior harks back to the inefficient days of yesteryear, while the instrument layout, the modern seats, and the excellent driving position seem fully uptodate. There would only be a handful of the 220 hp motors. The trans am is the besthandling car made in america.

Ilove only 1971 chevy lt1 350 the best and fastest in america in original and stock class. Y pipe coming off the passenger and driver exhaust manifolds before it enters into a 2 12. Starting upfront is the console between the two front bucket. From this bunch of five automotive athletes, the trans am has risen cleanly and clearly. He says, i had a 1979 w72, 400, fourspeed trans am in high. One such underrated muscle car is the ford torino cobra.

At the dragstrip it hit 60 mph in five seconds flat a finished the quartermile in. Powered by a 429 cubic inch 4v ford torino cobra jet engine, the torino could go from 060 in under six seconds and produced around 375 horsepower. V8 rpo l80, which had already seen use in californiabound trans ams and some formulas since the 1977 model year. Call us 6366004600 visit our showroom 2340 cassens dr. It was the same engine you got in the corvette, making 325 horsepower and 365 poundfeet of. Pontiac firebird trans am trans am was the coolest car on the road, bar none. Early tests by car and driver and motor trend october and november 1979 respectively recorded 060 mph 097 kmh times of around 8 seconds, quartermile 402meter ets in the mid16s, and a top speed. I wanted a road car, one that was fun to drive, like the porsche 924.

Car is originally from oklahoma no rust and has been stored inside. Car and driver magazine named the ws6 trans am the besthandling american car in 1979. At least pontiac offered a hotter option, borrowed from corvette. Inside, the turbo ta displays a mixture of modern and old. Car and driver magazine page 2 amazon web services. The publisher was bradford briggs and the editor was karl e. He wanted to shift the focus to a more general automotive magazine and not one just.

Four years later motor trend tested an lspowered trans am ws6 with a sixspeed and it was significantly quicker. This 27k mile 1979 pontiac firebird trans am is a terrible. This 27k mile 1979 pontiac firebird trans am is a terrible car, and. It seems that pontiac firebird trans am 455 heavy duty is 455ci 7. Pontiac firebird trans am 455 super duty laptimes, specs. The fourwheel disc brakes were offered as a part of the special performance package introduced in 1979 to improve the stopping power. The shear audacity of comparing the legendary ferrari gto to an american 4 passenger car sent shock waves through the industry, and subsequently put the pontiac gto on the map. Car and driver magazine named the trans am with the ws6 performance package the best handling car of 1979. Being the fastest rearwheeldrive, american v8 ponycar of the late 1970s is one thing. Depending on which road test you read, the 1979 firebird trans am needed about 160 feet to stop from 60 mph.

Correction the sd registry shows about 125 1973 sd 455 tas. For 2002, celebritycomediancar nut jay leno will command the pontiac firebird trans am as he leads the 43 competitors on sunday, february 17. Back in 2001, if you chose the ws6 version of the firebird, your car came with the gms lt1 engine. This is the special sports car issue, it looks like it was 4 times a year. Trans am again served as performance king, even if its standard carbureted 305cid 5. Adam andretti born march 24, 1979 is an american racing driver. The side barrier test simulates an intersection collision between a standing vehicle and moving barrier at 38. This transdapt product is just the option for you in. If you are interested in trading your high quality car for one of ours, simply fill out this form. Shop millions of cars from over 21,000 dealers and find the perfect car. When youve been feeding on a strict diet of modern day, fuelinjected cars, its oddly refreshing to drive something with a bit of history. A member of our sales department will be in touch within 24 hours.

Find 1979 pontiac trans ams for sale on oodle classifieds. During period dyno testing, the national hot rod association rated the limitedavailability ta 6. Overview car and driver was published by william b. Instead of a screaming chicken, the 1979 firebird trans am should have a pterodactyl on the hood. The words firebird trans am turbo would seem to connote furious performance, but the turbo ta was not as speedy as one might expect. Mine would have had to be black, with gold graphicsas seemingly most of them were. The brand manufactured a lot of other cars, but these stood out from the rest of the pack. Other iconic pontiac cars include the 2002 trans am ws6, the sleek 1978 trans am and the 1964 pontiac gto, which time after time would sell like hotcakes in showrooms. Steve mcqueens final onscreen car a 1979 pontiac trans am from 1980s the hunter has been liberated from an illinois barn after 39 years in storage. The side pole barrier test simulates a crash into a fixed object like a tree or utility pole.