My dad owned an early 2000’s Jeep Wrangler during my senior year of high school. It was hunter green, had a soft top, and was only pranked once by members of the student body. The school I went to was small, and several of the senior boys didn’t have their own cars, so I imagine some of their pent-up frustration at not having their own car, and by extension, their freedom, must have played a part in said prank. One of the few that did have his own car was Adam, who had a black Trans Am. He thought it was the coolest vehicle in the entire world, and many of the girls were inclined to agree with him.
What I didn’t know then, and was interested to learn later, is that the Trans Am wasn’t actually the name of the vehicle itself, but a package offered with the Pontiac Firebird from 1969 to 2002. It included both cosmetic changes and mechanical upgrades, like better handling and suspension, spoilers, and exclusive wheels. Chevy bodies and engines were used, for the most part, and in the early 1980’s, the only engines used came from Chevrolet.
The Trans Am became a popular racing package during the 1960’s and 1970’s, especially with drivers John Force and Jim Yates, both of whom won championships. The 1990’s Trans Am package replaced the Oldsmobile Cutlass and the Chevrolet Lumina bodies used in the 1980’s, prior to the Trans Am’s entrance. From 1996-2006, the Trans Am body (a coupe) was used for all the cars involved in the International Race of Champions.
The package went through four generations before being retired, though in 2012, General Motors entered into an agreement with Trans Am Depot to produce new Trans Am packages for Chevrolet Camaros, which entails stripping down the car and adding the Trans Am package of the customer’s choice, either the 6T9, 6T9 Goat, the 7T7, or the limited edition Hurst. There are also specialty shops where clients can take in a Trans Am and have modifications made or put in a custom order, which has produced several interesting variations, the latest of which is the Trans Am 455 Super Duty, which boasts 1,000 horsepower from a combination of a GM Generation V LT1 V8 engine and a Magnuson TVS 2300 supercharger. The vehicle is rumored to be a project between Trans Am Worldwide and a NASCAR engine builder.
I’ve been keeping a lookout for one of the new Trans Am packages, but so far I’ve had no luck, though I keep hoping to see one whiz by on the highway. I’m sure wherever Adam is now, he’s thinking about his old Trans Am and wondering if it’s time to relive some of his glory days and pick up one of these gorgeous vehicles.
You can read up on the new Trans Am Worldwide package (there are only 50 being made) at the Motor Trend website, and you can read up on the history at the Trans Am Wikipedia page.
