What they could do with a modern Fiero using todays tech. Of course now that the Corvette is mid-engined, they would probably fear it eating into those sales.
Back in the day, I seen many new WS6's and SS's with the LS1 break into the high 12's. Most were low 13's. It was mind blowing back then to see new cars running those numbers.
boostedmaniac Did anyone ever actually take off the t tops? I’ve never once seen a t top car with them removed driving on the road ever. Almost no one used them, plus they take away from chassis rigidity and contribute to body flex, make the car less safe in a rollover crash and just don’t look as good as a normal roof aesthetically. I’m personally glad they don’t cars with them anymore, but hey, everyone has their own opinion.
@@ReallyRyan. yes, in all 8 or 10 F bodies I owned and all 4 Corvettes, I removed the tops when I could. For the month between summer and winter and back between winter and spring, they were rarely in. Not much over the summer as it gets 100+ here in SC and as hot when I lived in Alabama. I prefer T-Tops/targa over convertible as you can still run the AC in the summer and get cooled, or heat in the winter and stay warm enough.
HEMIFAN392 still stands the test of time. It’s what I like about most 90’s cars; they set the bar high with design and performance, they don’t age even after 20 years and won’t seem to show it for at least another 10-15.
Infiniti GTI In general I would say 1990s car styling has held up pretty well today, 20 years later, especially when you think about what a 1978 car looked like in the late '90s - also 20 years old at the time but even then looked like a dinosaur.
My friend had a 2001 silver ws6.. we worked together and went to lunch together everyday. Car had bolt ons only. That car will always hold a special place in my heart. It was way underrated. Thing was a fucking rocket ship. This was back in like 2006 and that's when I knew that the GM LS series motors were the real deal. I'm personally a euro owner. But that LS1 was most epic motor I've ever experienced for its time.
Also says it’s a WS6 but in 98, the exhaust only exited on the right side (the left was empty) and the iconic ram-air hood is also missing along with the extra 15hp. Only thing I see is the 17” wheels and the badge on the bumper.
benn454 The WS6 package had all of those things, not as an additional option in that package. When I bought mine in 00, it was a $3,156 package on top of the base TA. You either had it all or you didn’t have any. I don’t care what he said honestly, they have been wrong more time than I can count on these articles.
Ozzstar right there with ya man. I'm 42 and I wanted one of these for years. I did end up with my granddads 96 SSEi supercharged Bonneville after he passed in 06. That thing had 19k miles on it when I got it. I really miss that car. For a full sized front driver, there weren't too many cars that could match it in 96. :)
The most aggressive muscle car ever made. Period. Nothing has come even close to matching this cars looks. And its LS1 is highly modifiable, making it super easy to upgrade the car without breaking the bank. Add a couple thousand to an already fast stock car, and youve got yourself a 10 second pavement pounder that can only be rivaled by a $90k dodge. This truly was the best F body ever made.
LRulesTheWorld 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️ not even comparable. Pulley,cat delete e85 and a small shot will put the demon in the mid 8s. Do cat delete small shot 75 and e85 tune and you’ll be lucky to maybe hit mid 11s
@@TheBb6prelude 18 years later. In 1998, Dodge made nothing comparable at all. The Stealth was from Mitsubishi, and could not hold a candle to it, and for a couple thousand the Trans Am ate vipers as a snack. LS was and still is one of the best, most reliable, most modifiable engines ever built. Anyone would agree. Even today, an LSA will give you 1500HP of reliable power for half the cost of a Hellcat engine. Let's be realistic.
My papa had one it was maroon when I was young and he passed away my family sold it I but I remember always getting in it and acting like I was driving and now that I have my ford zx2 I really love the way the firebirds looked hopefully to get one for myself again for in memory of what my papa use to drive I think it would be unreal
I remember looking at a 2000 Trans AM back when it was new but passed on it for an Accord coupe instead. These TAs still look great though! Damn I miss Pontiac, they were really starting to make nice cars again before they were killed off.
I agree. Pontiac was on the way back, but GM had already made the decision to let it go. I still think killing Olds, Hummer, and letting Saab go was the right choice, but Saturn and Pontiac could have stayed. I would've let Buick go instead, but Buick is big in China so that was a no go.
You would've kept Saturn? Did Saturn EVER make a good car? Not that I remember...lmao Even the Saturn Ion Redline was a pile of shit compared to the Cobalt SS, especially the later turbocharged 260 hp ones. I'm not trying to be a dick, but Saturns all sucked and GM was right to kill them off. It was cool when they were cheap beaters that people bought brand new cheaper than a Cavalier, but when they started charging more for them and people stopped buying them because they could get a much better quality Kia or Hyundai (which are both killing the car game right now, in a good way) Saturns took a huge nosedive. I always liked Saabs, but there too they had many many issues with build quality and electrics. I owned an 87 Saab 900S turbo and had absolutely nothing but problems with it. Three turbos (the third one was taken out by the timing chain when the engine decided to seize), a $1000 windshield wiper motor, it blew fuses all the time even though there was never any short, and it was fugly. However, when it did run right it was fast and fun to drive. Hummer, loved the H1s and military versions, HATED everything else but the H3 pickup truck and even there I would've rather had a 4.8 V8 than that pile of shit Isuzu inline 5. GM got rid of the extra weight and burden of all of those subsidiaries to make a better product and most importantly, survive through an economic downturn in business for the big three. Ford has definitely stepped its game up as well in the past 15 years. Dodge is kinda straggling behind just limping by, but I still say that nothing beats a Heavy Duty Ram with a Cummins for pulling power. I have a 2014 3500HD and love it. I also have a 17 F550 Ford and I love it too. I have a 2011 F550 and hate it. It rides like dog shit and has no power at all for a 6.7 V8 turbo diesel.
Acc0rd79 how the hell u pass a up a Chevy V8 for a Honda Accord u must not know anything about cars at that time.I know u feel like a fool evey time u see one
I had this car in black, 6sp manual. It looked stunning and that LS1 engine was glorious. The interior was full of cheap plastics some of which broke off, but good ergonomics. I think it was the best looking muscle car at the time. I wish I hadn't sold it.
This was my dream car in the early 2000s. My dad once woke me up on a Saturday morning and said he wanted to show me something. He got me the car and just started driving without telling me where we were going. We pulled up to a Nissan dealership of all places and I was like wtf are we doing here? A sales person pounced on us and my dad then said, "we'd like to take a look at the Trams AM WS6 you got in." My eyes nearly popped out of my head as the sales guy ran to retrieve the car. Moments later he rolled up in a black WS6 with the ram air hood and allowed my dad and I to test drive it. My dad had to drive while I rode shotgun, but it was one of the coolest things I'd ever done up to that point. After that test drive (we didnt buy it, we were poor) I lusted for one even more. While I'm not the American muscle car fan I was back then I still would love to have one of these. Even if I don't ever get to I'm still happy my dad surprised me like that and really made my week with that test drive.
Man, this brings back memories. I had a 2000 Trans Am WS6 manual. It was fun to drive, but of course had its flaws. The driver’s side seat bolster had the classic worn and frayed stitching from constantly being rubbed every time you entered or exited the car. The power window motors could drive you crazy if not replaced (very slow and sluggish if they worked at all). The interior door plastic molding had a specific spot it would crack and split at, resulting in a big eye sore. The interior was acceptable, but bordered on cheap. The rear seat is comically small. Random unfindable rattles and squeaks were common. The “sticky clutch pedal syndrome” that plagued the manual cars would cause the clutch pedal to stick to the bottom of the floor when shifting at high rpms. The solution often included drilling out the clutch master cylinder to allow more fluid volume, replacing the slave cylinder, replacing the clutch pressure plate, or any combination of the three. The automatic 4l60e trans had its own issues, including developing slipping issues. Headlight motors and gears did fail and/or became noisy and clunky. The power steering cooler (in cars equipped with it) was notorious for leaking radiator coolant into the power steering pump. Lastly, the rear ends on these cars were plagued with leaky rear pinion seals that caused rear diff fluid to slowly drip on your garage floor. But I digress, it was still a fun car.
Pontiac was GM's "Excitement " division which meant their styling were more "sportier" than it's twin stablemates. Pontiac always usually used body cladding or deeper spoiler kits to differentiate between the two brands. I've always been pro Pontiac from the Grand Prix, Grand Am,Trans Am , the Gto, Bonneville SSE & the Can-Am! There's a rumor Pontiac is coming back??
@mike b Yes sir the 3800 series 2 platform from 1996-2003 I believe? .It was a Eaton supercharger generation 3 with about 240hp & 280tq not blisteringly fast but adequate for that era!!
The WS6 is such a cool looking car. I always wanted one, but bought a early C5 Corvette instead -- and don't get me wrong, I made the right decision, but I still love the way that WS6 looks. It's over the top without being too gimmicky. It's aggressive without being comical. It's just a great looking car.
Braking, 60-0 in only 104ft? Wow, that's actually very impressive. A 2016 Camaro and a 2016 Mustang are both at 110ft for 60-0. Remarkable that this is coming in with a number that low despite being a heavy sports car for the day.
I have one. Well, a 99 black firebird. It looks just like this style tho. It's a fun car to drive and I love it. These cars still look good for 20 years old. Still very stylish.
14 second 1/4 mile! It felt quicker than that and that was quick for a factory car back then. Now we can go buy a car from a dealer that will run in the 9’s! But of course you will pay 6 figures for it. So maybe things haven’t really gotten much better, you could put 6 figures into a car back then and get a 9 second car too, just not off the lot with a warranty!
The most hilarious description of this car was in Motor Trend's New Car Buyer's Guide that year, where they mentioned that the wipers had been redesigned "so it no longer looks like you have the carcass of a 6-foot praying mantis on the hood"!!!!
And what a stupid description. They were same wipers that were on the car since 1993. That made no sense. I wonder about these people who review cars professionally.
This has to be the most aggressively styled car that went down an assembly line in the 1990's. It also backed up the looks with serious power, it was faster than the then current C5 Corvette if you had the right tires and got it to hook off the line. I just love how the Trans Am really went out with a freaking bang.
My stock 98 Camaro Z28 went 13.4 @ 105mph on a 2.2 60-foot on street tires. That's a 12.8 with 1.9 60-foot with DRs. These cars were so quick for their time and still today 20-25 years later are completely relevant and sought after. What a story.
I remember this episode, and I sure wish there was a way to discuss these episodes back in the day like we can now because there is SOOOOO much wrong with this one. 1. ALL 4th gen WS6 cars came with the Ram Air hood and air intake. 2. There were two different Trans Ams in this episode being used. One was a base 1998 Trans Am with silver 16 inch wheels and 1993 - 1997 seat headrests. The other Trans Am had polished 17 inch WS6 wheels, had the 'WS6' badge on the rear fascia, but DIDN'T have a Ram Air hood, which it SHOULD HAVE had. The GM press car crew really screwed that up!
the 98 only ws6 came with a single outlet exhaust....a friend of a friend bought one new and still has it...they also has bigger injectors..the 98 was the strongest and quickest ls1...F car
Timothy Cote You're right about the exhaust on the 98 WS6 (and SS), but the 28lb injectors didn't do anything for stock power over the 99+ years. The 98 had worse exhaust manifolds and were more difficult to tune.
Timothy Cote '98 having a slightly more agressive cam profile evens the playing field. The quickest bone-stock F-body on record was a '98 Z28 M6. 411 pcm's are cheap and readily available.
Without a shadow of a doubt the whole car and times were underrated. My friend had a completely stock 2000 automatic LS1 Camaro Z28 that did 13.7 in the 1/4.
I remember one of the major publications of the day (Car & Driver or Motor Trend) had tested the above non RamAir version and they had 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. I had seen 0-60 for the RamAir in 4.6 seconds. I would say that's still fast for today for sure.
I had a 98 Z28 Convertible and I ran a 4.6 0-60 and 13.6 1/4 at 106. Remember that the convertible is the heaviest model to boot. MW always has the slowest times. Road and Track ran a 4.6 0-60 and 13.4 at 107 1/4 in a 98 . Trans Am.
Motorweek has always been good stuff, but when it comes to 1/4 times, it's always been taken with a grain a salt. That grain being that the guys doing the runs weren't exactly good at the drag strip. The car reviews these guys produced though, are top notch.
@@King1614 absolutely not. The autos were always slower. This whole automatic is faster deal is new. In 98 of you wanted a fast car, you drove a standard. Automatics were slow to shift, and had problems. You could update them, put in a B&M shift kit, smaller torque converter, and still not beat a stick.
Hey, Motorweek! PLEASE upload your retro review of the GM U-Body minivans, affectionately dubbed "dustbusters." Ya know, the Oldsmobile Silhouette, Pontiac Trans Sport, and Chevy Lumina APV.
E Meyer No kidding?! Did you sell Pontiac in the early 1990's? I've been looking for a sub-100k mile example of a Silhouette or Trans Sport to buy (1st gen). And are you also seeing that blue Lumina APV in the beginning of these retro review videos?
2:21 "The Trans Am is a heavy Hot Rod..." I wouldn't consider 3,4xx pound rear wheel drive V8 "heavy" even by 1998 standards, its not like its competition weighed a lot less.
Got an '01 Formula that was pampered, myself. Had 177,300 miles on it, when I bought it. Still runs and performs like a champ, and the interior is well preserved, with only the famous door panel cracking on both driver and passenger sides. I can live with that. Power to spare......
@@rustlinbustlin3018 Biggest thing I had to do to mine, was new valve cover gaskets, which were leaking like the Titanic, when I got it. When I would park the car after dark, I could see the oil smoke coming out from under the hood, by the headlight beams. Did that myself, and saved a bunch on labor. And, one week after I got it, the clutch and slave master cylinders went out, so I did that, along with a new clutch. Other than that, it's been fairly solid and dependable. And, though some love the T-tops, I drove approximately 165 miles to purchase mine because it is a hard top, and there's not too many of them around.
@@terrancerespress5787 Mine officially has 155,000 miles and is in my storage unit because the transmissions is down, but its still around and it’ll be back 😈
I remember when these were new on the lot back in the late 90’s early 2000’s. My roommate had a Mustang GT and even being heavily modified we were always getting smoked by these and the Camaros. Those were the days, it seemed like everyone had a fast car. I loved the looks of these, to me they look better than the current Camaro by far
The current Camaro SS, damn that thing is ugly. The '16-18 looks awesome. What were they thinking? GM better fix this FAST. A great car still needs to look good (unless you're Honda, apparently)
While stationed in Germany, a co-worker of mine had one of these delivered new through the AAFES car buying program. It had "Euro" specs for driving on German roads. He told me it had better seals, brakes, tires, and no speed limiter. Got to ride in it on the Autobahn...155 mph and he "still had pedal left". It was like flying in an airplane on the ground. Germany was fun like that...
I specialize in F-bodys since 2002, The red car tested in this segment with the 17" Chrome WS6 wheels is a TRUE WS6, But a pre-production PRESS CAR missing the ram air hood !!! The Ram air hoods weren't ready yet at time of release for press, Those came from a supplier in Michigan or ohio I believe ALL factory retail production WS6 came with ram air hood or the Firehawk WS6 with flush firehawk hood
I owned a '95 back in the day but sold it when my second child was on the way. I wanted to get a newer one in Y2K. I ended up buying a base model 1996 3000GT because I couldn't find a good used TA for a decent price. I've never owned another American car since. The Borg Warner transmission was so clunky and the interior is crap. With that said, I'd love to own one again some day.
Interesting that you said the 98 Firebird was put together with a low quality interior. It is now the 12th of August 2023, and I still can't find a gen 4 Firebird with a torn up interior. Yes the dash cracks. Yes the door panels do as well, and the ashtray door always breaks. But I have never known a used cars interior to hold up as well as the last four years of the Firebird, unless it's an expensive import. Blew that call Motorweek!
This car is definitely faster than what they recorded. Their test drivers blow if you ask me. Watch their other videos and you see their test drivers spinning the rear wheels for a good solid 2-3 seconds off the line.
@@vetteluvnh Actually, that's why the horsepower numbers were different. The Camaro and Firebird had more restrictive exhaust systems. This was done to keep the Corvette on top. Again, GM's obsession with the Corvette kept other cars within GM from ever reaching their full performance potential!
Im a Miata owner and the typical weight reduction brah. HOWEVER, I still lust for one of these in black and throw all my beliefs out the window and bring fourth the spirit of 'Murica to drive this sexy beast!
Love the LS1 f-bodies. Dream cars a SOM Trans Am and a Mystichrome Terminator Cobra. It might be just Motorweek but damn, those were like the exact same times as the '96 Cobra.
They might have been dampening the numbers the same way they did with the horsepower on these and the camaro’s to not outshine the vette. The numbers here are even slower than the 99 Mustang GT they tested
It's really hard to find one of these today that hasn't had the everloving piss beaten out of it, but when you do, holy shit, do you have a rocket on your hands. Literal monstrous power is easily attained with a bit of wrenching skill and a few bucks. That being said, these are the absolute best project cars of the next 10 years.
If Pontiac gets revived the new Firebird Trans Am must rival and defeat the Hellcat. Also must make cars to conquer M3, S4 and C63 performance. No mom vans or crossovers.
That’s an incredible point you made specially now that the Dodge Hellcat Red Eye has a similar hood scoop of the Olds 442. A 2019 Olds 442 revival would be a beast. That good ol’ natural muscle car engine crackle. Now it’s switches and buttons to make the engines sound louder.
This Pontiac Trans Am still looks badass even to this day.
The designs definitely are aging well. Reminds me of a classic rock song that never seems to get old.
@@HardwiredZ06 This comment is spot on. Nice way to put it
@@HardwiredZ06 I love Pontiac Firebird WS6 is beautiful and great car
Thank you oh so much GM for getting rid of the Trans Am and Pontiac. The one division that made good looking cars. Any more brilliant ideas GM?
What they could do with a modern Fiero using todays tech. Of course now that the Corvette is mid-engined, they would probably fear it eating into those sales.
Kill off the bulletproof 3800 engine in 2009.
Killing off brands is GM's superpower!
If they had any sense they’d bring it back but under gmc or Chevy
Here's one! No manual transmission for the Corvette!
Back in the day, I seen many new WS6's and SS's with the LS1 break into the high 12's. Most were low 13's. It was mind blowing back then to see new cars running those numbers.
Too bad they don’t make cars with t tops anymore.
boostedmaniac Did anyone ever actually take off the t tops? I’ve never once seen a t top car with them removed driving on the road ever. Almost no one used them, plus they take away from chassis rigidity and contribute to body flex, make the car less safe in a rollover crash and just don’t look as good as a normal roof aesthetically. I’m personally glad they don’t cars with them anymore, but hey, everyone has their own opinion.
@@ReallyRyan. i don't know where you're driving but here in Michigan you'll see ttops off whenever the sun is out.
@@ReallyRyan. I don't see very many t top F Bodies on the road, but when I do they almost always have their tops off.
@@ReallyRyan. yes, in all 8 or 10 F bodies I owned and all 4 Corvettes, I removed the tops when I could. For the month between summer and winter and back between winter and spring, they were rarely in. Not much over the summer as it gets 100+ here in SC and as hot when I lived in Alabama. I prefer T-Tops/targa over convertible as you can still run the AC in the summer and get cooled, or heat in the winter and stay warm enough.
Yeah no shit... T-tops add that wow factor. Love them on my twin turbo z
I don't care if it's not "fast" by today's standards...it's still sexy and I'd still take one.
MaziesButt it's still faster than 80% of cars on the road.
An hci trans am would lay waste to to any stock pony/muscle car in a straight line unless we are talking a zl1 hellcat or demon
Youngsters... It's called nostalgia. This is no 60s muscle car but still a classic otherwise just to drive and enjoy.
Are you kidding? It's on par with a 2016 Camaro / Mustang/ Challenger 6 cylinder, and they cost about 10k - 20k more.
Jelly II Its an easy 13.2-13.5 car, and high 12s with a good driver. Ofcourse, the 2.0 Cobalt Turbo ran 12.9 with just a tune, at a 22k MSRP.
Had a 2002 ws6 for 10 years, never an issue, great looking/performing cars.
This was 20 years ago......let that sink in
HEMIFAN392 still stands the test of time. It’s what I like about most 90’s cars; they set the bar high with design and performance, they don’t age even after 20 years and won’t seem to show it for at least another 10-15.
The lt1 F-body's and 4th generation debuted in 93 let that one sink in. Car was ahead of its time
I agree.... I had a 95 z28 and it was deceptive how quick it was
Unbelievable. Seems like yesterday
Infiniti GTI In general I would say 1990s car styling has held up pretty well today, 20 years later, especially when you think about what a 1978 car looked like in the late '90s - also 20 years old at the time but even then looked like a dinosaur.
I loved my 98 Firebird Formula. Great autocross car and ran 13.35@ 107.9 mph with K&N air filter and SLP cat back exhaust
These gets alot of attention in the road I like this generation. They still look great in 2018 I love to cruise around in my ws6
Still to this day one of my favourite cars!
My friend had a 2001 silver ws6.. we worked together and went to lunch together everyday. Car had bolt ons only. That car will always hold a special place in my heart. It was way underrated. Thing was a fucking rocket ship. This was back in like 2006 and that's when I knew that the GM LS series motors were the real deal. I'm personally a euro owner. But that LS1 was most epic motor I've ever experienced for its time.
Anyone else catch that he called the F-body TA a J-body (as in Sunbird/Sunfire and Cavalier)?
I luv it when he calls it pony car then i did hear him say J body. Why can't he say Fbody?
Also says it’s a WS6 but in 98, the exhaust only exited on the right side (the left was empty) and the iconic ram-air hood is also missing along with the extra 15hp. Only thing I see is the 17” wheels and the badge on the bumper.
@@MIUBHI007 Those mods came with the Ram Air IV package, which he said was on the way.
benn454 The WS6 package had all of those things, not as an additional option in that package. When I bought mine in 00, it was a $3,156 package on top of the base TA. You either had it all or you didn’t have any.
I don’t care what he said honestly, they have been wrong more time than I can count on these articles.
Yes
WTF
Wow it's hard for me to believe it' been 20 years. I must be getting old.
Ozzstar right there with ya man. I'm 42 and I wanted one of these for years. I did end up with my granddads 96 SSEi supercharged Bonneville after he passed in 06. That thing had 19k miles on it when I got it. I really miss that car. For a full sized front driver, there weren't too many cars that could match it in 96. :)
yeah you are grandpa
Considering they are showing a new 1998 model, it was probably aired in the summer/fall of 1997...ouch
SuperDuty455 Sounds right. I was 22 then. LOL Old!
Same
The most aggressive muscle car ever made. Period. Nothing has come even close to matching this cars looks. And its LS1 is highly modifiable, making it super easy to upgrade the car without breaking the bank.
Add a couple thousand to an already fast stock car, and youve got yourself a 10 second pavement pounder that can only be rivaled by a $90k dodge. This truly was the best F body ever made.
eh, some people like it, others dont. but there is no denying that it is the most aggressive car out on the market.
Yes it was, I have one and it's modded slightly but it will put out 510 hp
LRulesTheWorld 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️ not even comparable. Pulley,cat delete e85 and a small shot will put the demon in the mid 8s. Do cat delete small shot 75 and e85 tune and you’ll be lucky to maybe hit mid 11s
LRulesTheWorld that 90k dodge will be worth 200k in 10 years easy. This car will be 5k.
@@TheBb6prelude 18 years later. In 1998, Dodge made nothing comparable at all. The Stealth was from Mitsubishi, and could not hold a candle to it, and for a couple thousand the Trans Am ate vipers as a snack. LS was and still is one of the best, most reliable, most modifiable engines ever built. Anyone would agree. Even today, an LSA will give you 1500HP of reliable power for half the cost of a Hellcat engine. Let's be realistic.
My favorite pony car of all time. I owned a '93, '95, '99 30th Anniversary and '02 CETA. Long live the Legend.
Hear Hear!!!
My papa had one it was maroon when I was young and he passed away my family sold it I but I remember always getting in it and acting like I was driving and now that I have my ford zx2 I really love the way the firebirds looked hopefully to get one for myself again for in memory of what my papa use to drive I think it would be unreal
This was a really cool car, but man the interior quality of GMs at this time was comically cheap.
i had a 95 z28 about 15 years ago and i remember how cheap the interior was but didnt care...it was destroying mustangs all day with the 350..
@@workingshlub8861 yeah i had a 95 z28 camaro too. Dash started to crack and seats tearing but i didnt care lol i was burning rubber
Hey pontiac made do with what suppliers that were available back then same with chevy camaro. U sound like a ford owner (mustang)!
palebeachbum That’s no joke!
still is
Owning a TA is priceless. 😍
I remember looking at a 2000 Trans AM back when it was new but passed on it for an Accord coupe instead. These TAs still look great though! Damn I miss Pontiac, they were really starting to make nice cars again before they were killed off.
I agree. Pontiac was on the way back, but GM had already made the decision to let it go. I still think killing Olds, Hummer, and letting Saab go was the right choice, but Saturn and Pontiac could have stayed. I would've let Buick go instead, but Buick is big in China so that was a no go.
You would've kept Saturn? Did Saturn EVER make a good car? Not that I remember...lmao Even the Saturn Ion Redline was a pile of shit compared to the Cobalt SS, especially the later turbocharged 260 hp ones. I'm not trying to be a dick, but Saturns all sucked and GM was right to kill them off. It was cool when they were cheap beaters that people bought brand new cheaper than a Cavalier, but when they started charging more for them and people stopped buying them because they could get a much better quality Kia or Hyundai (which are both killing the car game right now, in a good way) Saturns took a huge nosedive. I always liked Saabs, but there too they had many many issues with build quality and electrics. I owned an 87 Saab 900S turbo and had absolutely nothing but problems with it. Three turbos (the third one was taken out by the timing chain when the engine decided to seize), a $1000 windshield wiper motor, it blew fuses all the time even though there was never any short, and it was fugly. However, when it did run right it was fast and fun to drive. Hummer, loved the H1s and military versions, HATED everything else but the H3 pickup truck and even there I would've rather had a 4.8 V8 than that pile of shit Isuzu inline 5. GM got rid of the extra weight and burden of all of those subsidiaries to make a better product and most importantly, survive through an economic downturn in business for the big three. Ford has definitely stepped its game up as well in the past 15 years. Dodge is kinda straggling behind just limping by, but I still say that nothing beats a Heavy Duty Ram with a Cummins for pulling power. I have a 2014 3500HD and love it. I also have a 17 F550 Ford and I love it too. I have a 2011 F550 and hate it. It rides like dog shit and has no power at all for a 6.7 V8 turbo diesel.
Acc0rd79 how the hell u pass a up a Chevy V8 for a Honda Accord u must not know anything about cars at that time.I know u feel like a fool evey time u see one
Acc0rd79 i would never pass up a trans am for a accord what was u thinking?
karl smith is that u with the GTR symbol cause that's what u said
I had this car in black, 6sp manual. It looked stunning and that LS1 engine was glorious. The interior was full of cheap plastics some of which broke off, but good ergonomics. I think it was the best looking muscle car at the time. I wish I hadn't sold it.
I wish Pontiac would make a come back, and bring out a new version of the WS6!
And bring back the Firebirds and GTO
20 years ago and this car still looks modern and way better that most new cars miss the ws6 T/A
The engine that changed the car world.
yes, if your world is only U.S.A.
Marco Fiorillo USA is the world nothing else matters
Maybe countries outside the USA should arrange their laws to permit something like the LS engine to flourish.
This was my dream car in the early 2000s.
My dad once woke me up on a Saturday morning and said he wanted to show me something. He got me the car and just started driving without telling me where we were going. We pulled up to a Nissan dealership of all places and I was like wtf are we doing here? A sales person pounced on us and my dad then said, "we'd like to take a look at the Trams AM WS6 you got in." My eyes nearly popped out of my head as the sales guy ran to retrieve the car. Moments later he rolled up in a black WS6 with the ram air hood and allowed my dad and I to test drive it. My dad had to drive while I rode shotgun, but it was one of the coolest things I'd ever done up to that point. After that test drive (we didnt buy it, we were poor) I lusted for one even more. While I'm not the American muscle car fan I was back then I still would love to have one of these. Even if I don't ever get to I'm still happy my dad surprised me like that and really made my week with that test drive.
I wanted that bird so bad in high school.
Eventually I got one.
And till the day I love the feeling I get when I’m shifting trough those gears
GM needs to bring back these Firebirds one of America's most iconic muscle cars of all time
I never thought i would see a 4th Gen F-Body in a retro review
Man, this brings back memories. I had a 2000 Trans Am WS6 manual. It was fun to drive, but of course had its flaws. The driver’s side seat bolster had the classic worn and frayed stitching from constantly being rubbed every time you entered or exited the car. The power window motors could drive you crazy if not replaced (very slow and sluggish if they worked at all). The interior door plastic molding had a specific spot it would crack and split at, resulting in a big eye sore. The interior was acceptable, but bordered on cheap. The rear seat is comically small. Random unfindable rattles and squeaks were common. The “sticky clutch pedal syndrome” that plagued the manual cars would cause the clutch pedal to stick to the bottom of the floor when shifting at high rpms. The solution often included drilling out the clutch master cylinder to allow more fluid volume, replacing the slave cylinder, replacing the clutch pressure plate, or any combination of the three. The automatic 4l60e trans had its own issues, including developing slipping issues. Headlight motors and gears did fail and/or became noisy and clunky. The power steering cooler (in cars equipped with it) was notorious for leaking radiator coolant into the power steering pump. Lastly, the rear ends on these cars were plagued with leaky rear pinion seals that caused rear diff fluid to slowly drip on your garage floor. But I digress, it was still a fun car.
That WS6 looks strange without the Ram Air hood.
Thank you for not being Motor Trend. You guys are awesome and keep it real with your fans with both the new and retro content
That car is mean looking! Beautiful color! Muscle car performance!
Is there a reason why the side and rear views are of the WS6, but the front view never shows the WS6??? Very strange!!!
Pontiac was GM's "Excitement " division which meant their styling were more "sportier" than it's twin stablemates. Pontiac always usually used body cladding or deeper spoiler kits to differentiate between the two brands. I've always been pro Pontiac from the Grand Prix, Grand Am,Trans Am , the Gto, Bonneville SSE & the Can-Am! There's a rumor Pontiac is coming back??
@mike b Yes sir the 3800 series 2 platform from 1996-2003 I believe? .It was a Eaton supercharger generation 3 with about 240hp & 280tq not blisteringly fast but adequate for that era!!
I respect GM again if Pontiac ever comes back
I wish so badly for them to revive this brand. Im holding out on my g6 lol. Otherwise I will probably jump to Honda..
They had better trim and interior than Chevy
The WS6 is such a cool looking car. I always wanted one, but bought a early C5 Corvette instead -- and don't get me wrong, I made the right decision, but I still love the way that WS6 looks. It's over the top without being too gimmicky. It's aggressive without being comical. It's just a great looking car.
I bought a new 02 WS6 and loved it. I kinda wish I still had it but my 18 SS is a blast as a DD! If you have one I would recommend keeping it!
Thank you for posting more GM footage. I always appreciate when you guys do this.
Braking, 60-0 in only 104ft? Wow, that's actually very impressive. A 2016 Camaro and a 2016 Mustang are both at 110ft for 60-0. Remarkable that this is coming in with a number that low despite being a heavy sports car for the day.
I have one. Well, a 99 black firebird. It looks just like this style tho. It's a fun car to drive and I love it. These cars still look good for 20 years old. Still very stylish.
Also, just an FYI, Motor Trend tested that same red T/A with the polished wheels and ran 13.4@107.
Of course. Polished wheels are good for +40 HP
Bought my 2000 T/A off the showroom floor. Was and will always be my favorite vehicle I owned
My god that breaking is insane
14 second 1/4 mile! It felt quicker than that and that was quick for a factory car back then.
Now we can go buy a car from a dealer that will run in the 9’s! But of course you will pay 6 figures for it. So maybe things haven’t really gotten much better, you could put 6 figures into a car back then and get a 9 second car too, just not off the lot with a warranty!
The most hilarious description of this car was in Motor Trend's New Car Buyer's Guide that year, where they mentioned that the wipers had been redesigned "so it no longer looks like you have the carcass of a 6-foot praying mantis on the hood"!!!!
And what a stupid description. They were same wipers that were on the car since 1993. That made no sense. I wonder about these people who review cars professionally.
This has to be the most aggressively styled car that went down an assembly line in the 1990's. It also backed up the looks with serious power, it was faster than the then current C5 Corvette if you had the right tires and got it to hook off the line. I just love how the Trans Am really went out with a freaking bang.
One thing I thoroughly enjoy:
These guys could test a Tesla in ludicrous mode and it would run 14.0 at 100 mph. Lmao
😂 true story
Just walked past one of these this evening. Its a great looking car.
My Favorite GM Division Has Always Always Been Pontiac....The Trans Am Is My Favorite Sports Car I Plan On Buying Another One Soon
My stock 98 Camaro Z28 went 13.4 @ 105mph on a 2.2 60-foot on street tires. That's a 12.8 with 1.9 60-foot with DRs. These cars were so quick for their time and still today 20-25 years later are completely relevant and sought after. What a story.
Funny part...they STILL cost $27k in 2018.
scottieray only a crazy low mile one
115k miles for 4k lol
B G Well what else would you want?
Dumbass
Jesus Vasquez Bulkshit.Low mileage examples are in the low 30s
I got an LT1 formula with 55k miles for 10k. But the LS ones are expensive. Unless you want to buy one that has 120k miles or something like that.
This is exactly what I imagined I would find when looking for 98' camaro engine videos and I am so happy about it.
Bring back Pontiac!
Even though I’m a Ford guy I have to admit the Trans Am is one bad ass car
I'm envious of new F150's with a 5.0 l, 10 spd. auto trans., 3.55 electronic locking axle,,, who woulda thought?
Rod Guitarezz Ok
305 Hp! DAMN That's still decent today imagine how it was back then!
I remember this episode, and I sure wish there was a way to discuss these episodes back in the day like we can now because there is SOOOOO much wrong with this one.
1. ALL 4th gen WS6 cars came with the Ram Air hood and air intake.
2. There were two different Trans Ams in this episode being used. One was a base 1998 Trans Am with silver 16 inch wheels and 1993 - 1997 seat headrests. The other Trans Am had polished 17 inch WS6 wheels, had the 'WS6' badge on the rear fascia, but DIDN'T have a Ram Air hood, which it SHOULD HAVE had.
The GM press car crew really screwed that up!
Carlos Clivilles Spot on, my man, *except* there are three T/A's including the black one. ;)
the 98 only ws6 came with a single outlet exhaust....a friend of a friend bought one new and still has it...they also has bigger injectors..the 98 was the strongest and quickest ls1...F car
Timothy Cote You're right about the exhaust on the 98 WS6 (and SS), but the 28lb injectors didn't do anything for stock power over the 99+ years. The 98 had worse exhaust manifolds and were more difficult to tune.
Timothy Cote '98 having a slightly more agressive cam profile evens the playing field. The quickest bone-stock F-body on record was a '98 Z28 M6. 411 pcm's are cheap and readily available.
MOST H8D I know. My comment was to make an argument to his post about the 98s being supposedly superior.
aaannnddd...the window motor just went out... (haha)
yes my is broken
@@Catsarebestlove ah mine are slow, similar to molasses on a hot summer day
Soon the headlight Motors are going to stop working
Same problems plagued mine too. God these cars were awesome
Dont forget about the headlight motor too
Miss my 99 firebird.😎
Respect Mr Davis!
this car is like gold.I LOVE MY TRANS AM 😎 oro puro yeah
Without a shadow of a doubt the whole car and times were underrated. My friend had a completely stock 2000 automatic LS1 Camaro Z28 that did 13.7 in the 1/4.
HyenaGhost Yup. Underrated as any LS1 makes ~350hp. MotorWeek are really bad drivers though.
I remember one of the major publications of the day (Car & Driver or Motor Trend) had tested the above non RamAir version and they had 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. I had seen 0-60 for the RamAir in 4.6 seconds. I would say that's still fast for today for sure.
Munditimum Mosu All while being modest
Munditimum Mosu You can subtract about 1/2 second are more from Car & Driver. There numbers are never realistic.
I had a 98 Z28 Convertible and I ran a 4.6 0-60 and 13.6 1/4 at 106. Remember that the convertible is the heaviest model to boot. MW always has the slowest times.
Road and Track ran a 4.6 0-60 and 13.4 at 107 1/4 in a 98 . Trans Am.
@@johnhenry267 did you have auto or stick? 4.6 sounds super fast for a 98
@@johnhenry267 Could you provide the R&T link? I've never seen anything close to this.
Glad I still have mine!
14sec! these were low 13.3-13.5s @ 105 with an auto all day. some quicker than that.
Even though this the base Trans Am,the driver was definitely babying the throttle.
Motorweek has always been good stuff, but when it comes to 1/4 times, it's always been taken with a grain a salt.
That grain being that the guys doing the runs weren't exactly good at the drag strip. The car reviews these guys produced though, are top notch.
The automatic cars were waaaaaay ahead of the 6 speed cars
@@King1614 absolutely not. The autos were always slower. This whole automatic is faster deal is new. In 98 of you wanted a fast car, you drove a standard. Automatics were slow to shift, and had problems. You could update them, put in a B&M shift kit, smaller torque converter, and still not beat a stick.
@@buffalobillswin187 ok. We'll agree to disagree
The looks of the 4th gen trans ams are timeless, Some well done examples look like they could be brand new
GM LS POWER! NOBODY DID IT BETTER THEN....OR NOW!
Always thought this was a badass body style.
My dream car as a kid, I now have it , with several hundred extra horsepower.
Hell yeah. Same story for me, just bone stock with no extra horsepower XD
Hey, Motorweek! PLEASE upload your retro review of the GM U-Body minivans, affectionately dubbed "dustbusters." Ya know, the Oldsmobile Silhouette, Pontiac Trans Sport, and Chevy Lumina APV.
Chevy Lumina APV, AKA "The pinched off turd"
You must like nausia
E Meyer How do you mean?
Styling was ugly.I sold Pontiac and used to have people laugh at it when we would walk by one on the lot
E Meyer No kidding?! Did you sell Pontiac in the early 1990's? I've been looking for a sub-100k mile example of a Silhouette or Trans Sport to buy (1st gen). And are you also seeing that blue Lumina APV in the beginning of these retro review videos?
Not even the WS-6 model shown, that's a regular T/A. The engine I have now is costs more than the car when it was new lol.
It said WS6 right on the back
I'm old, I remember when these started showing up on the streets. Yeah, I was 12 but car kid always.
2:21 "The Trans Am is a heavy Hot Rod..." I wouldn't consider 3,4xx pound rear wheel drive V8 "heavy" even by 1998 standards, its not like its competition weighed a lot less.
This is a special test car. All WS6s sold to the public also came with ram air
I love my 98 to death. It is my prized possession lol
Got an '01 Formula that was pampered, myself. Had 177,300 miles on it, when I bought it. Still runs and performs like a champ, and the interior is well preserved, with only the famous door panel cracking on both driver and passenger sides. I can live with that. Power to spare......
@@500erider They are built to be driven the absolute piss out of. Two years later and still going strong. Here’s to another many years!
@@rustlinbustlin3018 Biggest thing I had to do to mine, was new valve cover gaskets, which were leaking like the Titanic, when I got it. When I would park the car after dark, I could see the oil smoke coming out from under the hood, by the headlight beams. Did that myself, and saved a bunch on labor. And, one week after I got it, the clutch and slave master cylinders went out, so I did that, along with a new clutch. Other than that, it's been fairly solid and dependable. And, though some love the T-tops, I drove approximately 165 miles to purchase mine because it is a hard top, and there's not too many of them around.
I’m with you. My 98 trans am just passed it’s last emissions. 150k. Great cars, watching value increase.
@@terrancerespress5787 Mine officially has 155,000 miles and is in my storage unit because the transmissions is down, but its still around and it’ll be back 😈
I remember when these were new on the lot back in the late 90’s early 2000’s. My roommate had a Mustang GT and even being heavily modified we were always getting smoked by these and the Camaros. Those were the days, it seemed like everyone had a fast car. I loved the looks of these, to me they look better than the current Camaro by far
By far indeed
The current Camaro SS, damn that thing is ugly. The '16-18 looks awesome. What were they thinking? GM better fix this FAST. A great car still needs to look good (unless you're Honda, apparently)
I grew a mullet specifically to watch this video!
😂
😂
I like how they hired Freddy Mercury to show off the interior features.
Didn't the WS6 have ram air? I'm not an F body guy but I remember these when they came out. I thought the WS6 had twin hood scoops.
forrysc I want to say that came in 1999 and bumped power to 325hp if I remember correctly
It does.
forrysc Yeah, wierd. The car has WS6 wheels but a base T/A hood. lol
This Crazy Tangerine Ram Air package was from 1996-2002.
MOST H8D I thought those scoops were non functional...
While stationed in Germany, a co-worker of mine had one of these delivered new through the AAFES car buying program. It had "Euro" specs for driving on German roads. He told me it had better seals, brakes, tires, and no speed limiter. Got to ride in it on the Autobahn...155 mph and he "still had pedal left". It was like flying in an airplane on the ground. Germany was fun like that...
I have been waiting for this one thanks.
I specialize in F-bodys since 2002, The red car tested in this segment with the 17" Chrome WS6 wheels is a TRUE WS6, But a pre-production PRESS CAR missing the ram air hood !!! The Ram air hoods weren't ready yet at time of release for press, Those came from a supplier in Michigan or ohio I believe
ALL factory retail production WS6 came with ram air hood or the Firehawk WS6 with flush firehawk hood
I owned a '95 back in the day but sold it when my second child was on the way. I wanted to get a newer one in Y2K. I ended up buying a base model 1996 3000GT because I couldn't find a good used TA for a decent price. I've never owned another American car since. The Borg Warner transmission was so clunky and the interior is crap. With that said, I'd love to own one again some day.
Amazing story, thanks for sharing. Now back to work at your glory hole.
the 2002 WS6 FireHawk is a bucket list car for me
always wanted on of these....good power for short money.
Such a great looking car
"Ford opted for a more refined approach" I don't think anybody would call the 4.6 SOHC refined.
Man Overboard In the 90s it was all about "new" technology. Anything OHV was seen as archaic while people acted like OHC had been invented in 1992.
I assumed he was talking about the hand built, dohc 4.6L in the cobra's
Yeah, they refined all of the horsepower and torque right out of it and did away with much less "refined" 302. Mistake.
Sometimes these old guys don't know refinement
Interesting that you said the 98 Firebird was put together with a low quality interior.
It is now the 12th of August 2023, and I still can't find a gen 4 Firebird with a torn up interior.
Yes the dash cracks.
Yes the door panels do as well, and the ashtray door always breaks.
But I have never known a used cars interior to hold up as well as the last four years of the Firebird, unless it's an expensive import.
Blew that call Motorweek!
14.00 really. Mine went 13.4 stock w/ auto. Tune,lid and cat back went 12.9
This car is definitely faster than what they recorded. Their test drivers blow if you ask me. Watch their other videos and you see their test drivers spinning the rear wheels for a good solid 2-3 seconds off the line.
rvfixerguybrian or they were really looking out for us as consumers;"insurance"
I call bullshit. My girl friends 1999 did 14.40 at sea level with a six speed.
@@canabox7112 says alot about your driving
TheJoey99 it depends the altitude. For every 1000ft a natrurally aspirated engine loses 3% of the power
Classic...must get one of these 30th anniversary with blue wheels.
GM actually underrated the car. It really has a 345 hp. There's no difference between the LS1 found in the Corvette and in the Trans am.
Probably right, but the exhaust was definitely more restrictive on the fbodies.
@@vetteluvnh Actually, that's why the horsepower numbers were different. The Camaro and Firebird had more restrictive exhaust systems. This was done to keep the Corvette on top. Again, GM's obsession with the Corvette kept other cars within GM from ever reaching their full performance potential!
What a slick looking car!
Im a Miata owner and the typical weight reduction brah. HOWEVER, I still lust for one of these in black and throw all my beliefs out the window and bring fourth the spirit of 'Murica to drive this sexy beast!
Love the LS1 f-bodies. Dream cars a SOM Trans Am and a Mystichrome Terminator Cobra. It might be just Motorweek but damn, those were like the exact same times as the '96 Cobra.
love those cars😍😍😍
Freakin' HOT, man. Still gets me goin' after all these years!! The perfect car for red blooded JV baseball guys from the 80's like me. :) JV Johnny
I was in JV Marching Band! :) hahahaha
Easy to handle in corners. Tires "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Un super auto soy fanático de la extinta marca Pontiac, saludos desde Jalisco Mexico.
Their test driver needs to be fired i ran a 14.0 in my LT1 firebird. LS1 Firebirds are in the low 13s stock.
Yeah that’s what I always said! When they test drove the Ferrari F40 their 0-60 time was like 4.5 seconds when it’s capable of low 3 seconds!
They might have been dampening the numbers the same way they did with the horsepower on these and the camaro’s to not outshine the vette. The numbers here are even slower than the 99 Mustang GT they tested
I always loved that wing
Smoking tires + bad driving = inaccurate quarter-mile times
Definitely lol my lt1 auto did that stock and my ls1 car runs circles around around it 😂
It's really hard to find one of these today that hasn't had the everloving piss beaten out of it, but when you do, holy shit, do you have a rocket on your hands. Literal monstrous power is easily attained with a bit of wrenching skill and a few bucks.
That being said, these are the absolute best project cars of the next 10 years.
Finally! Good brakes, tires, and engine.
If Pontiac gets revived the new Firebird Trans Am must rival and defeat the Hellcat. Also must make cars to conquer M3, S4 and C63 performance. No mom vans or crossovers.
EDWIN QUIOTO Combine them with Oldsmobile and bring back the Cutlass and a 442 package.
That’s an incredible point you made specially now that the Dodge Hellcat Red Eye has a similar hood scoop of the Olds 442. A 2019 Olds 442 revival would be a beast. That good ol’ natural muscle car engine crackle. Now it’s switches and buttons to make the engines sound louder.