I knew the world was about to change when my blind date picked me up in her black Firebird with a gold screaming chicken decal on the hood (bonnet). No fool am I, we're still together. Blame it on the screaming chicken.
I don’t care about its performance, handling or poor build quality. The sleek and beautiful design, the v8 engines with magnificent sounds, t-tops and the pop-up headlights make this car a real legend for me.
All could be addressed with aftermarket parts. If you want leather interior there are people who can do that. If you want a particular ride and better cornering, get a suspension upgrade. You want more speed, then get a turbo kit or do an engine swap. They are sold cheap enough at a base price to then add the stuff you actually want. This way, people who just want a flashy car they are going drive for 3-4 years and trade-in for another don't have to pay 20-30K more for options and engineering they don't want or care about. American cars are a lot better now, but they are also a lot more expensive.
I don't care how bad they are in real life. That red woosh-woosh light and the asymmetrical hood vent still awaken the 8-year-old in me. It was THE car. Period.
@@peterrenn6341 oh yeah, i forgot about that. i think there is a lady race driver, does her own mechanic-ing on you tube who is easy on the eye too! saw her on clay millican's channel.
I had an '82 Trans Am K.I.T.T. replicar for several years. It was beautiful and awesome. The car itself didn't handle well at all, it understeered badly (would slide strait when you turned the wheels too sharply instead of oversteering where the back tires break loose) it was very unsettling. On the flip side I had an '86 Trans Am which handled the road much better and never understeered, it would oversteer if you yanked the steering wheel hard over especially if you gave it lots of gas. I now drive a '95 Firebird 3.4 L. V6 with manual trans and I put Corvette sized wheels and tires on it and it literally drives like its welded to the road or on rails, I've never had it break loose EVER, no matter what speeds I'm taking curvy roads.
@@nkmcfrlnbut then, in those days, they didn’t have to resort to retro styling, it’s like designers have no imagination left and they didn’t need a team of 200 to design a single car
@@godwindracing6056 So Ferrari and Lamborghini resort to retro styling? Porsche 911 is the same shell, basically as the original with the headlights. The 2005/06 Ford GT was a taller stretched out GT40. It looks great in race trim. Amazing. Greatest GT1 car. What are you talking about? How much do Corvettes from the mid 80s go for (when the shape was lost) go for vs Corvettes from the 50s, 60s, 70s? Why would anybody prefer a 1984 Corvette? Or a 1984 Cortina, or an 1984 Escort, or a 1984 Falcon? All of these cars became boxy.
@nkmcfrln that’s everybody’s favourite argument, use luxury cars nobody can afford to justify their narrative. BTW, Lamborghini do, recycling Marcello Gandini’s designs like your girl wearing the clothes your ex wore. Ferrari do too with the recent V12 car, recycle Leonardo Fioravanti’s Daytona. In the 1930s, designers looked to air travel, example the Chrysler Airflow; in the 1950s, designers looked to space travel, example the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. Now, designers look to the past like they have no imagination left. The 911 is not a retro design, it has been in consistent production to not count. [Edit] another brainless zoomer spotted. BTW there are no 1984 Cortina, the last Cortina was introduced in 1976 and discontinued in 1982, my dad used to own one. The Australian boxy Falcon came out in 1979. The best person who could answer to those boxy 1980s design is Guigiaro, he influenced that era and everybody followed. You just mentioned the little known Bricklin, that was the 1970s, not 1980s You think race trim will make it better, so you are saying that the GT isn't good enough that it needs ugly Max Power add-ons, that as a racecar is also forgettable. I almost don't remember it as a racecar too and there were more memorable cars of the same class too such as the Maserati MC12. As with GT1 as you said, compared to the Mercedes CLK GTR, Porsche 911 GT1, Nissan R390 and Toyota GT One, the real GT1 cars, not some renamed GT2 cars. Clarkson had one and couldn't get along with it too.
It's impossible to be objective about the Firebird, because it isn't just a car. For an entire generation, myself included, the Firebird is both a Superhero, and a fully accredited Film Star. Whenever I look at one, I see KITT, my childhood hero, and that's why I can't criticise the car. Because to do so would be churlish.
@@Cloaker86 You have great taste Cloaker. The Firebird was quite a thing back in the day. It looks very dated now, and time hasn't been as kind to it as the previous generation; but in the 1980s, it was one of the most desirable cars money could buy.
Say what you want about the quality but in 1989 driving around in a new GTA made you the king of the road in the US. Aesthetically gorgeous even today.
@@MarkGelderland Well, in 1989, seeing these in Paris would have attracted everyone, heck even today it gets thumbs up. So.... I'm not so sure about what you say.
@@sinistercharger I guess i interpreted ''king of the road'' the wrong way, i thought that ment a car which has excellent roadhandling but it has to do with attention apparently. Something that to me has little importance, drivability is what counts in my book, not if strangers look at me lol.
I'm 71 years old now and I fear I may never be able to drive my dream car in this lifetime. A black 78' firebird. I currently drive a black 2013 Z06 that I purchased new. It's the best modern car in my humble opinion.
@@peterdevreter You're living the dream. Can you believe my wife prefers driving her Prius Prime? That thing has about 25 miles of electric range and that woman damn near never goes to the gas station. I tell her honey, we need to use the car for longer distances because that fuel is going to go bad. I've started putting stabil fuel stabilizer in there. Women. Hah. They'll destroy even the most reliable cars. It's a white one and it's a 2024. We had never considered buying a Prius but this new one actually looks handsome to an old goat like me. It is mind numbingly boring to drive. Feels like that feeling you get when you're waiting in the doctor's office for your turn. But imagine waiting for your turn and it never comes. The wife likes the way it looks more than her old Avalon so we went ahead and bought it. There is no way she would let me buy a 78 Trans Am when I already have a sports car. These women just don't understand us. They have 10,000 purses and shoes and we're not allowed to have more than one sports car. Hah. God bless sir
Sexy car! When I was in high-school my Dad had a maroon 1989 GTA in mint condition, and my Dad was such an awesome guy he would let me drive it as much as I wanted. Thanks Dad! I miss that car, but miss you so much more! ❤
The Formula 350 was light years ahead of this version. I had a friend who had one. He was trying to sell it and let me drive it. I didn’t have the money at the time but what the heck I took it for a spin. To this day, I think it’s still the most powerful vehicle I’ve driven and that was 30 years ago. I was being conservative and still spun the tires on dry pavement. What a fun car that would have been to own.
I had an 84 Trans AM, it takes genius to make 5.0L so anemic, it had a four barrel carb and the only thing that got faster when the secondaries open was the fuel gauge.
No, it takes fairly draconian emissions and economy legislation to make a 5.0V8 feel so lethargic. A T5 wakes them up quite a lot more than the lazy autos, though. You have to put the power output in context though - that '84 TA probably made 190bhp. A Porsche 1984 944 at the time only made 150bhp, albeit from a 2.5 litre four, and a federal spec 911 only made 207bhp. They weren't THAT bad for the time...
No it took the federal government to do that, late 70's cars were even worse as far as horse power. GM bucked the trend somewhat with the 2nd gen Camaro and Firebird by offering decent horsepower
These cars were designed to do one thing - make you feel good while driving it! I bought a 1992, the last year of this generation, and its perfect! 32 years and i still smile when im about to drive it! Handles like a dream, you cant beat the sound, feeling, and torque of a V8! Its an fun fun fun car to drive.
The 2nd gen was a late 60s design, with a separate front subframe, and thick gauge steel all around. It was quite heavy for what it was. There was a lot of room for improvement
@@Raptor3388, quite heavy? I scrapped a 2nd gen Trans Am, and despite being rotten, the front wings weighed about 10kg each. The bonnet was a two man job to carry comfortably. The 5 spoke 'alloy' wheels on early 2nd gens weren't alloy. They were a steel wheel with a urethane insert for the spokes. They were ridiculously heavy wheels.
@@cogboy302 Pretty sure the front wings weigh more than 10kg each, but I haven't checked. The doors weight at least 30kg each, then ad the big subframe, the enormous bumpers (the 74 rear bumper is steel coated in rubber just like the Honeycomb wheels you're mentioning), the massive control arms. These cars are begging for lightweight performance parts.
Hey Jack! As an American man who literally grew up with this car, this is an awesome and fascinating video to watch, how you as an English guy experience this Pontiac. I grew up a working class, Roman Catholic, JV baseball kid wearing high white tube socks (baseball stockings) and super floppy Reebok sneakers barely staying on my girl crazy and irreverent stocking feet, man lol 🤪. Those Reeboks were kicked off my stocking feet for a buddy to catch like a pop fly 24/7 lol 😜. This car (and it's sister Chevy Camaro) were made for American boys like me to lust after, and they were somewhat attainable, you know? Knight Rider's KIT brilliantly cemented this and made these cars icons of the 80's, and they were. Even a beat up '84 Camaro V6 that my buddy's big bro had to wheel around in was nirvana when I was 16 or 17 in 1988.....an era that will not be repeated, and I believe that adds to the nostalgia. And they were gorgeous, too. Even with a sh*& interior. That helps ;). JV Johnny ⚾⚾
Hey Johnny!! Thanks for that insight into the mindset of the US at the time.. I can certainly see what you mean and the attainable part in particular. Thanks for watching buddy and a big wave 👋 over to you in the USA 🇺🇸!
Hey Jack! Me British bro😜! Happy to give some insight into the tubesocked baseball jock power of these GM F bodies from the 80's (actually ALL the F bodies lol 🤣). They are beloved here "across the pond"! Johnny ⚾⚾
Knight rider.....that takes me back , I used to have sleep over at my Grandmother's and we always watched the show together.... I love this car because it transports me back to those happy times!
I've had my 91' Z28 since 93'. It has 450 horsepower now instead of the 230 it came with. Now it's a 6-speed. I'll never sell oit. Kicks BMW ass on the track every 2nd weekend.
It's good to see you review this, Jack, it feels like no one ever takes these cars seriously. I have a 1989 Camaro with the 5.7, I drive it all of the time. It is crashy and plagued by rattles and squeaks, especially from the t-tops, but it really is a lovely handling car. That feeling of it wanting to push wide is from the lack of rigidity in the chassis, it wasn't quite stiff enough factory, and there are braces you can weld in that do clear that sensation up and really balances it out. Even with my new steering box, it does feel vague on center but there's no wandering even under heavy braking. The one major fault these cars have is that without the bracing, the chassis flexing can crack behind the steering box, making the front feel really weird under hard cornering and can be tricky to repair. One other note, the 5.0 Mustang of the era was it's chief competitor, and while a wonderful car, it didn't take to the corners so well, and it understeered like a cruise ship. You had to apply a lot of throttle to bring the back end around in those, and on track days they will eat through front tires like crazy. Still a really neat little car, the Mustang, though. It was a fair bit cheaper, and unlike the Camaro and Firebird, it's largest engine was available with a manual gearbox.
I'll give you some first hand feedback. I bought an '88 IROC-Z Camaro brand new. It was a full on performance version with a hardtop, 5spd manual with LB9 305 V8 with 215 hp / 320 ft-lb, performace geared, posi rearend, and the big wheels, 4wheel disc brakes and the Goodyear Gatorback tires. I put 86k miles on it over 6 years of ownership with it being my only car for 2 years and me traveling across country several times for Navy training. The TPI is all about torque and revving past 4400 rpm was pretty useless. I found if I was above 2500 rpm there was no need to downshift. The wandering under braking is likely a loose idler arm. They are notorious for that. Handling is great with scary high levels of grip on smooth, dry pavement but the springs are too stiff due to the chassis being too flexible so it all goes "pear shaped" on poor pavement. The car's brakes fade easily and brake dive that makes the rear scary light is a major problem. On frosty pavement just lifting the throttle on a downhill corner will cause the rear to step out. You had to tread lightly in the rain or anything else slick or broken surfaced. Lots of fun, but you had to know it's limitations. We did a BC and Alberta Rockies vacation in that car. It absolutely loves mountain roads.
Our family had an 87 Formula with identical options. WS6 suspension option was an absolute blast on a twisty road, and a lightly breathed on 5.0 TPI could motivate it far faster than one would believe.
Sounds about right. I had an 89 IROC With the 5.7/ 245 hp. mine wasn't a hard top so the wet noodle feel was even worse than your rare hard top. Hard top even looked better than the glass. Glass leaked water in your lap when it rained. Even low milage cars would leak. Currently own a Scat Charger and it is pretty impressive with its performance tuning at your finger tips. fully adjustable electronic Bilstein's and so much more. I don't use half of it, I just mash the throttle and get results. Great road car too.
@@madrew2003 this 100% The brakes are undersized. I dropped my GTA at a shop to get new front tires installed and there was an early 00s Renault Megane next to it, both with the wheels off. Let’s say the cool GTA was suddenly very uncool as the brakes looked minuscule compared to that mundane Megane.
I've got a Red 1987 Camaro IROC-Z28 Convertible 305 TPI, 215 HP 5.0 Liter V8 with a Borg-Warner Manual 5-gearbox /drive train with IROC Homo-legation undercarriage with 4 disk brakes. Fabulous car and although she's a convertible, she still handles very well in fast corners. I only take her out of the garage when a sunny Sunday with warm weather is available. I really love driving her around top down at mild speeds de-stressing from a hard weeks work. She is 100% OEM and she does the job for me, so no changes to her are needed to me. And she's such a looker....in the bright sunlight, oh yeah!
I had a ‘91 Camaro that was a retired Texas Department of Public Safety patrol unit. I bought it in 1995. It had an entry level trim package but with all the Z28 goodies, TPI 305 (230 hp/300 ft. lbs. torque), 5 speed manual Borg Warner manual, 3.42 rear end gear ratio, 4 wheel disc breaks (not the larger 1LE package) and large sway bars and coil springs. The car was eventually treated to a Crane Compu Cam and springs, larger injectors out of an LT1 350 Camaro, an Accel Big Mouth lower manifold and Siamesed runners, a ported upper intake, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, 2.5” mandrel bend y-pipe into a cat-less 3” mandrel bent “cat back” exhaust with a 2 chamber 3”in/out Flowmaster muffler, a 4.10 gear swap and at the end, a 125 hp shot of Nitrous Oxide. Although not quick for today’s standards, the car would routinely knock out high 13 second quarter mile passes at 101 MPH on motor at Houston Raceway Park. Never got to run it on Nitrous but my guess was high 12’s at 110 MPH. The certified speedo clocked in a best of 153 MPH on a straight road with the original 3.42 gear. It was a fun 4 years with that car. I still miss it.
The trailer was used for a racing team, the truck used in seasons 3 and 4, is the one that's being restored. The Knight Rider Historians are doing the semi and trailer restoration. They own 2 of the 5 remaining screen used cars
Steering box! It still amazes me the weird nature of 80s cars, futuristic wedge shape, digital clocks, loads of plastic buttons but underneath a solid axle and a steering box.
That's why they were cheap, parts bin cars with a bit of flash. Maybe we need to go back to that nowadays, cars need to be affordable and simple again.
The Knight Rider Historians own the semi and a screen used KITT - Lover their dedication for preserving the show and thanks for your car journalism. I really enjoyed the honesty and loved also the video about the Clio Williams.
Just yesterday i was on the street with my jag and i saw a litteral convoy of legends... The DeLorean from Back to the Future, The car from Night Rider, with the wooshing red line on the front, General Lee and a Glorious Lancia Delta Integrale, Martini Racing, closing the parade. Like Martin McFly's mom loved to say... IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE DREAM! I almost missed my exit for honking and cheering at everybody in XD
I have one in Europe and people stare at it more than they stare at new BMW 7 series. Its crazy how sleek they look. Mine is black too and I tried hard to keep it 100% original even to the bolts which is important because there are ton of bolts that are odd sized american units. You get alot of talk when you get to the mechanic and they don't have the tools to unscrew the most simple stuff lol .
@@Adrian-mq5ld I'm from Europe too and I have 88 GTA. It attracts more attention than anything on the road. I once stopped at a traffic light with three lanes. I was in the left, the brand new Porsche in the middle, and the guy on the right lane was moving forward because the Porsche was blocking his view of my car. 😅 But whatever people say, those cars are super fun to drive. ❤
@@V8AmericanMuscleCar grandfather had 1 and mother had a 92 Camaro, I had a 96 camaro z 28 convertible black 6 speed manual...sold it during the pandemic
As an Italian American who now lives in the UK I welcome this addition to your content offering Jack. I moved to the US in the mid 80s as a teen and Firebirds, Trans Am's and its sister the Camaro (RS, Z28, berlinetta) were everywhere! I tend to disagree with the Knightrider connection. Perhaps it made the car famous outside the US but this car was not a great seller because of the show. As a matter of fact black was one of the least popular colours sold. I also don't believe and I'm almost certain the GTA was offered with the bonnet firebird emblem so something I've would of done without. Yeah these cars were built during the malaise era (74-86) of US automotive manufacturing with appalling quality issues. One classic is the famous headliner coming apart with non t-tops cars and that was only a few years after new. However, following most people's sentiment here they do still look so good especially today among the vast expanse of soulless modern vehicles. Thank you!
First car I bought after college was the 1988 Pontiac Trans Am GTA. About the same body package as in this video, as noted the 5.7l engine, better suspension, better interior, controls on the steering wheel. It had a limited slip diff, and they did some stuff to the transmission so it had a snappier shift and didn't feel like the automatic really disconnected from the wheels when letting off the gas. I owned the car from 1988 through 2002, putting approximately 170k miles on the odometer. It was a heavier car, which helped with stability on the flat but hurt some in the corners. Stock, you could turn the wheel, hit the gas, and do donuts. Between the weight and the power, upgrading the stock tires meant holding the road when getting off the line and closer to the limit of the suspension on turns. I was living in the southern US, and at that time there was distance to travel between places. The GTA would settle in at about 85 MPH where it would hum, securely grip the road, and just go. My wife used to say she could hear the note of the car about a mile away and knew I was almost home. Speed bumps were an concern because of the splitter and stance, but on the open road the aerodynamics were incredible. I personally knew my GTA could do 170 MPH - it was incredibly stable at that speed. There were a few minor issues, like the torque tearing the roof where the T-tops would have been and the intake manifold gasket needed to be replaced, but regular maintenance kept the GTA roadworthy. I sold the car when I was moving north. Not much open road where I was moving for a car that needs to open up to run right. I will always love that car.
Geez i love this Channel. Brings back memories from 37 years as an auctioneer. We had one of these in our auction room and i took it for a spin. The exit/entry to our site had a rather deep dish concrete gutter (we also auctioned heavy plant and equipment), and as such most cars had to be driven in and out on an angle to avoid damage. As i drove the trans am across the gutter the body creaked and the door sprung open to the first latch. I thought I hadnt closed it priperly but it did it again on yhe way back in. i can still vividly remember it. Thank you Jack
Hi Jack, great video. It was a beautiful affordable car in the 80s. One of my favourites together with the Toyota Supra of the same period. A sports car can't be automatic. I'm sure Pontiac one day will be back.
The 83' Toyota Supra with the factory flaired wheel wells and the two rear spoilers on the hatchback was my all-time dream car when I was in high school those same years.
The truck trailer also had Tardis tech, because it was larger from the inside than was physically possible. They never explained that in Mythbusters. 😕
There is a guy, who bought the screen used truck and trailer and is building the interior inside. Wel lets say is quite the project. He has his own TH-cam channel knight rider historian or something like that
I had an 86 T/A in the 90s. Decent power for its time, but what a beautiful car.. Some minor exhaust modifications and everywhere you went people would gaze..
I bought an 89 firebird V6 in 1998, and have been daily driving it for most of the time since then. It gets me around even if it's getting a little worn out.
I've owned a 1988 Trans Am for the last 17 years. it never fails to put a smile on my face when I drive it. It's far from the perfect sports car but the throaty sound of the V8 through the stainless steel exhaust system makes up for it's faults.
I like nicely looking, comfortable coupes as well. No fan of today’s overly sporty car trend, with those stiff sporty suspensions that rattle me through. This is so much nicer.
I'm an American who doesn't like American cars, but that T/A on British roads looks amazing and makes me smile. In 1990's America these were all over the road and most got snatched up as first cars for teenagers. Long live the fun rivalries between the muscle car and import crowds of that time.
I can recall when I had my Supra coming up a fun little road in Edmonton Alberta called Groat Road. Ahead of me was a 3rd Gen Firechicken (Pontiac Firebird) and a 4cyl Ford Mustang SVO (These had a 2.3L turbo charged Lima engine) and the little Mustang absolutely destroyed the Firebird on that road. The factor in that exchange was that the Fox bodied Mustang had the SVO goodies and was able to go around corners at speed where the Pontiac struggled to keep it's rear end from becoming the front end. If you ever get the chance to drive an early 80's Ford SVO Mustang, do so they are a lot of fun, not dissimilar to the Merkur XR4ti the watered down North American market version of the awesome Sierra Cosworth. Great review Jack, and even though I kind of poo-pooed the Firebird they were an icon of the 80's and Tom has done an admirable job keeping his in lovely condition!! - Dave
@StringerNews1 Absolutely, in fact I'm looking for a survivor Merkur XR4ti, the more I learn about these capable little cars, the more I kick myself for not buying one when they were new. This stings because I remember the Ford dealership in the town next to the one I lived in practically giving away both the Merkurs and the 1st gen Mustang SVO's. For some insane reason my 20-ish year old brain in 1986-88 thought you needed a minimum of 6 cylinders to have any chance at having power. V8's were better but were also priced way more than the 6's or 4's. Thankfully you can teach an old Sasquatch new tricks and I'm looking forward to turning wrenches on a little Lima 2.3 of my own someday!!
@@JohnKowalskyDrive Well, I had to look this up as I wasn't sure. There is a list of cars and trucks that have had variants of the Lima engine over the years. Here is the Wiki page. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto_engine
@@JohnKowalskyDriveno, it’s a completely unrelated engine. The old Ford 2.3 Lima engine still lives on as a Ford LRG425 which is a 2.5L engine made for industrial machinery.
I still have the 1984 shootout between the: Camaro, Dodge Daytona, Supra, the Mustang SVO, and (lol), the Toyota Camry. The deal killer for me was how in the SVO, all the drivers complained about hitting the backs of their elbows on the rear of the consol as they shifted through the gears. The Supra won that shootout, Camaro 2nd, Daytona 3rd place.
I used to watch your 308 videos, wow, a lot has changed. I had an 83 Z28 for 3 years, loved it. Your criticisms were spot on. That car will always have a special place in my heart.
It's amazing what media placement does for a car, even a bad one. Grew up watching Smokey and the Bandit films and Knight Rider (and The A-Team and so on and so on) so Trans-Ams, Corvettes, Chargers and DeLoreans were the sort of cars everyone wanted. British TV generally showed things like Capris or Rover SD-1s which never seemed as aspirational at the time.
Very nice review! This car looks like it's in decent shape. I'd imagine getting parts for it in the U.K. might be quite a chore. I don't know about there, but here in the U.S., prices for these cars have risen quite a bit, especially for ones in mint condition. No matter how low the initial build quality was when these cars first left the assembly line, they're still incredibly good looking, fun to drive and have A LOT of potential here in modern times. We now have the resources and technology to build them to be higher quality cars and many people here in the U.S. have done that. I've owned four of the 3rd generation Firebirds throughout the years and they were all the GTA model. I currently have a 1991 GTA and I love it! I've had this one since 1994. It's been upgraded with a 383 cubic inch crate engine that's rated at 440 horsepower, Holley engine management, performance built transmission, all new height adjustable suspension, custom exhaust, the interior was ripped out and the cabin was lined with Dynamat Xtreme sound deadening which gives the car a more solid, vault-like feel, all new leather for the seats... the entire car has been gone through, it looks new and feels like a newer car. Here's my Instagram link if you're interested in checking it out. instagram.com/carlos_clivilles/
I am a muscle car man first , and own a 4th Gen TA. Knight Rider is my fav TV programme ever and 3rd Gen is my child hood, Iroc Z also cool. Yes interior and overhall not Euro quality, but when it comes to bang for your buck nothing comes close to Muscle. And people turn heads when see them. Your review was good and honest
It's too bad it's not a more original model, that bonnet was only on 82-84 Trans Ams and 87-92 Formulas. But that's a great review. No needless bashing, just a honest feeling. As the owner of two 3rd gen Trans Am (84 HO and 87 GTA 5.7L) it's all true. The 82-84 interior looks arguably sharper, with a lot more details, but it feels so much cheaper. The one drawback is indeed, the steering box. It is a rather quick ratio of 2.5 lock to lock, so it's quite precise but it does feel antiquated for an 80's "high tech" sporty car. The Mustang had a steering rack since 1974. They did upgrade the rear end a bit more than just the springs : it's linked with the transmission with a big torque arm, it has a panhard bar and two control arms.
I had my first car a 1984 Trans Am for about 12 years I loved that car. Red black trim with glass T tops I tinted the windows had a 1200 watt sound system with a 10 disk sony cd changer plus another cd in the head deck. Had a car phone in it in 1991 and chrome rims I did a hot chip and upgraded the exhaust to a flow master. She sounded fantastic with the metal I would play you'd hear me coming from a 1/4 mile away. When the music was off she had a low blub blub sound. Even had red lights inside her at one time with the way the dash was red it looked awesome.
Those big, simple low revving American cars suddenly make sense when you drive them in the states (apart from the crashy suspension). The specific output of us engines was awful for the time, but remember they were set up for US emissions laws back then.
@@seed_drill7135 My 84 TA has the 5 speed transmission and the "High Output" 5.0L V8, it's quite revvy and feels just as fast as the 5.7L in my 87 GTA. And the manual adds so much fun.
@@tesladiesel2420 They have a different octane measuring system in the US. In Europe and the rest of the world it's the RON measure, in the US it's the PON measure. So 87 fuel in the US, is 95 octane here.
@@Raptor3388thanks for telling me. I had presumed it was 87 octane. I use 99 octane and in my car, I notice better response. It's worth the money. If just doing motorway miles for work. I have preferred the savings I got using supermarket petrol. It's good we get a choice of fuel
It is never going to set the world on fire with performance or even warm the world for that matter. I don't care how bad it really is .... I will still watch the video. If this doesn't get mega views then there truly is a glitch in the matrix. Thanks for posting this, Jack.
Great video and cool car. This car is from my generation. They were pretty cheap in the US, but were more than the 5.0 Fox Mustang. Street prices in 1988 on this car would be in the $16,500 range. Mustang 5.0 would be around $2500 less for the GT and a C4 Corvette would be roughly double the cost. For a European comparison, the Porsche 911 would have been a bit higher than $50k. I always like these 3rd gen cars since they are cheap and simple to maintain and still look cool at cars and coffee.
The TPI intake manifold on that engine is known for making good torque, but chokes the engine above 4k rpm. The aftermarket has provided different remedies to replace the manifold with better breathing ones, or some people just convert the engine to a carburetor.
A kid that I knew in college had one of these back in the day. Despite it being a brand new car, the thing went down the road like a bucket of bolts. Sadly all of that rattling managed to overshadow the V8’s exhaust note. Regardless, I can appreciate the fact that this particular example appears to be so well cared for.
Any doorstep gets darkened by a wheeze-oh-five. BUT, their center of gravity added to every hatchback having a posi & that made for some great training in REAL drifting practice. With a clutch even an anemic 305 would just roast the back tires if you unload the suspension at the right time. You always knew you were getting a posi especially if it had rear disc brakes.
Say what you will about the engine, power, torque, fueling, transmission, chassis, suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, interior, dashboard, steering wheel, safety, comfort, performance, handling, road holding, acceleration, aerodynamics, feel, etc. The overall shape of this thing is amazing.
I had an 82 TA, carburetor, 145 hp with stick, 4 speed. It needed a 5th gear Loved the looks, mechanical dog. I do miss the car. The t tops rattled, the 305 had a soft cam issue. The transmission was junk. The 4 wheel disc brake models came with silver wheel hubs which would come loose. I still have a box with a new wheel cap in silver. The positives were the handling, the looks and the 305 did have decent torque. I had 15 inch wheels. I did almost buy the 82 recaro TA. The price was 14K. I do miss the first year owning the car as it was an oddity. Other 82 drivers would pop up the headlights as a greeting. It was like an exclusive club. I still have the 82 catalog with all the clothes, jackets, etc you could buy. Alas, I traded the car in on an 88 Mazda MX 6 GT turbo with stick in ticket red. I still own the car. The only issues with the 88 MX 6 is the torque oversteer. A highly ignored car that packs a punch, with a 2.2 liter 4, 12 valve, and 145 hp, same as the TA. And, it sips gas, if you don't put your foot in it.
Credit there credit is due. The body lines of this car has aged very well. It has something going on there in that department. To bad that most American cars did not follow up on handling in those days.
@@Pierre578 I am not very familiar with the rear suspension of this car. But it is a dependent/semi-independent suspension systems isn't? That I guess is part of some the problem. Pure independent suspension systems give better handling, but it cost more
That's bullshit. The third generation F-body was THE best handling production car IN THE WORLD back then. Comparing the handling to today's world class sportsmcars is not a fair comparison.
This was my boss old car we restored the body and he had the original engine rebuilt he didn’t get to use it as much as he liked. It got sold though a classic car auction in 2019. The reg is an abbreviation of company name.
Sadly the engine rebuild wasn’t up to it. There were cracks in the block and I had to buy a new engine. It worked out cheaper to put a new 5.7 litre in, than to try and find a replacement 5.0 block and do a refurb. The car only had less that 2000 miles since the rebuild.
@@tompaterson07 you’ve done what needed be done we didn’t now about the crack in block if we know with order on the same. the guy how did the engine for us had it for 3 years and change thousands in the end.
I own a '92 third gen Camaro and these cars are a lot of fun. They're not comparable to a modern car, they're cheap and cheerful and drastically different to anything on the road in the UK today. The shape, stance and slim, long profile just turns heads... and the incredible sound of the v8 kind of makes up for the low-revving, oldchool auto-box mushiness that these old American cars offer. Hard to find a pristine example these days.
Tiny little correction: Pontiac was the performance division, not the more refined division. The Firebird was not so much a more refined version of the Chevrolet Camaro in the traditional sense of more luxurious interior, more options, and softer ride. It was a more complete performance package, with better aero, better handling, and one or two engine options above the Camaro (like the most powerful one of all, a 3.8L turbocharged Buick V-6). General Motors' other divisions at the time this generation of the Firebird debuted were Oldsmobile, which was their technological division where they'd debut new features; Buick, which was the refined brand in the traditional sense, though not without performance vehicles; and Cadillac, which was of course the luxury division. You mentioned the unusually early upshift, and that's most likely due to the automatic transmission. It was set up for the original 5.0L V-8, which had a redline at 4,500 RPM. As to the handling, that's more to the handling package. The Trans Am was actually only the middling trim. There were two handling packages above it, the WS6 and GTA, which both provided better handling, though maybe not on most English country roads. Really fun review, though! I enjoy watching cars out of their elements almost as much as in them.
I bought a 1984 trans am aero package 5 litre and a 5 speed t-5 manual trans ws6 package every package totally loaded car. The biggest piece of garbage that I ever owned!!! My uncle was a engineer for GM his hole life and I told him so. I kept it for three years and 37000 miles and traded it back to GM. GM threw the 1980's and 1990's built a lot of cheaper junk cars with big price tags for what they were.
As far as Corvette lovers (and Chevrolet) are concerned those 3.8L turbocharged Buick V-6 Pontiacs and Buicks didn't exist. LOL And as far as Fox Body 5.0 lovers are concerned, neither did the SVO. LOL, again.
@@gregrowe1168 the reason for that is that Buick is incredibly popular in China and has been so since that country still was a monarchy - both their last emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi and their first president Sun Yat-sen drove Buicks, as did Mao's foreign minister Zhou Enlai
As a kid watching reruns of Knight Rider on german television in the late 80s, early 90s THAT car was IT for me. I'd still take it over almost any modern day car despite it's numerous flaws...quite simply a beautiful, timeless machine.
In the US, the GM "F Cars" with heavily smog controlled engines, at least the ones that haven't been scrapped, are often modified. The 'small block' V8s in these cars have a huge aftermarket of performance parts: cams, headers, heads, cams, intakes, carburetors/fuel injection, etc. It's actually difficult to find any Firebird or Camaro of this era that is OEM stock; it just isn't practical to retain technology that is several generations behind what is readily available today.
The early models of this cars era was rough but they made some very good adjustments by the end of its era. The Chevy 305 was a very reliable engine as well as that 2.8 V6 although it wasn't super fast.
That's funny , my friend Brian lived with his x wife and they made a red carpet appearance. He lived in a wing of her mansion as a friend about 15 years ago.
This is one of the best cars ever made, by my opinion. Love pointic firebird gorgeous car. I do love it more without the bottom skirt. I know it's a slow car compared to today standards but it you have the money you can make it as fast as you want 🎉🎉🎉❤❤
I always loved these from watching them in American TV and Films. I'm a bit disappointed to hear about their dull 0-60 times for such big engines. They still look great though.
If you got these 80s Trans Ams with the V8 and the 5-speed, depending on the year the 0 to 60 times were between 6.5 and 7.5 seconds. That was a fast car in the 80s. For comparison, I had a 1985 BMW 535i with a 5-speed that did 0 to 60 in 7.5 seconds with its 182 horsepower. That made it about as fast as a 1983 Trans Am with the top spec 190 horsepower engine and the 5 speed, which cost far less than half as much. What made these Camaros and Trans Am slow was the fact that most people got them with automatics. On the other hand, most people got the Mustang 5.0 with the manual transmission. I never quite understood why, but that's how it was. They were not many European sports cars that could outrun a 5 liter Mustang with a manual transmission, both then and today.
Must admit, I prefer the looks of the Gen 2 Firebird, the predecessor to this. From '80 thru '83 I owned an imported Plymouth Satellite 318ci ( 5.3 litres ). It was a 74 car, and like most of it's US contemporories, and this Firebird here too, really, it had been strangled by all the post muscle car emissions regs. Chrysler didn't even quote power figures for my car, but the rumours were that the 318 was around 150bhp. BUT..., like this car here, plenty of torque, and it made all the right noises. Which to some extent still satisfies some of the urge for a 'good ole boy' type car. I mean, who on earth ever expected sophistication from an American car ? Unless their name was Tucker.
My Mercedes Sports Coupe C320 had a 3.2 V6 which made 215 hp. That did 0-60 in 8 seconds. It was a heavy car (for a 'Sports Coupe') and the weight really sapped the acceleration. I think that must have felt a lot like the Firebird, by the sounds of it. But the Merc did 25 to the gallon. With the Firebird being a 5.7L but still producing what my Merc made, the 'gas milage' must have been horrendous! Do love the shape of them though. Just a shame they were so lardy.
Why would gas mileage be worse because of lower power per capacity? I think you have thoroughly misunderstood some parts/got bad info from someone on how engines work, sadly.
My father had this exact color in 82. Sold it to his friend in 1990. Man if I can find one in this condition I’d buy it in a heartbeat. All the kids at my elementary school loved it when the trans am pulled up to the school lot.
"Complete performance review and accelerations chart for Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 5.7 L V8 TPI automatic (aut. 4) in 1987, the model with 3-door hatchback coupe body and V-8 5733 cm3 / 349.8 cui, 156.5 kW / 213 PS / 210 hp (SAE net) engine offered since September 1986 for North America . According to ProfessCars™ estimation this Pontiac is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 6.9 sec, from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 sec, from 0 to 160 km/h (100 mph) in 19.1 sec, from 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 37.5 sec and the quarter mile drag time is 15.3 sec."
@@MathsYknow yes, the 1982 165 hp tbi 305 typically ran about that fast, with 1320 times in the low 16'sine. My '86 IROC with it's L69 215 hp engine ran mid 15's, the Th200 tranny shifted at the 5,000 rpm redline, and yes, the BQ and reliability were dreadful, as was the Delco blows factory stereo. The car, repainted F40 Ferrari redhp WAS a looker, but my 5.0 Stang with 225 hp 5 speed, 3.73 gears and 6,000 rpm redline would pull away from it...every time. Today, a V-6 Camry would beat both.
The 91/92 5.7 models could do 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and do high 13 second 1/4 miles. They were capable of more still with modern tires. These cars were and still are pretty quick. Their performance blew away most of the european sports cars.
I had an "Iron Duke" 4 cylinder 1984 Firebird at the time. I actually loved that car and it *looked* exactly like this one (minus the "Trans Am" badge). It was a stick shift and it never felt underpowered. It also just fit me and my 6'4" frame perfectly in a way that no other car did at the time. Everything was just right where I wanted it to be. It wasn't until my 2014 Dodge Challenger that I found another car like that. Even my current 2021 Challenger doesn't quite measure up, literally. (I think they moved the firewall slightly to allow for bigger engines, making it feel a little more cramped for me.) I'd probably still have that Firebird today if it didn't develop a problem that I couldn't afford to fix. It made a weird ringing noise going over bumps that nobody could 100% figure out. It was a process of just trying various fixes until one worked, but nothing ever did and as a poor kid, I eventually just ran out of money. But I did love that car and have always missed it.
i bought new a 1986 trans am fully loaded with T-Tops with the tuned port injection.. i loved that car back then xcept for that it had to be towed on a flatbed or it would cave in in the middle esp if the T-tops were off
It's true that the 1982 Firebird could be had in a 4 cylinder engine, but if it was going to be badged as a Trans Am it was going to have a V8. All Trans Ams were Firebirds, but not all Firebirds were Trans Ams. KITT was a Trans AM.
the steering box mount probably has a fracture.. i grew up with these, i had 3 camaros and 1 firebird. the steering was always crisp and tight.. i liked to add subframe connectors, sway bars and strut tower brace.. also hotchkis suspension in the rear because even the V6 motor could spin over sized 275/60 15 tires easy. not cushy through bumps but a great sporty ride. just difficult to work exhaust with subframe connectors in the way. i had a cool looking sunpro digital tachometer in one.. it was a wide and short rectangle that looked super futuristic for the 90's. sometimes my brother and I would hop in through the windows like the dukes of hazzard. i used to outrun the cops here in New York all the time for fun. good times.. the V6 Camaro could run the cops easy because it was so good around corners even with cheap $30 no name tires. 😅 These cars felt like an extension of my body. Fuel was cheap so i was redlining from every stop sign with the automatic transmissions and installed 3.73 rear gears usually, the auto would chirp the giant tires into 2nd gear even with the 2.8 liter V6 motor on dry pavement. (with a B&M street/strip shift kit and running Trik Shift fluid 😇 I drove one from NY to Texas and back, mostly cruising at 100mph and feeling to sleep lol. Totally smooth at high speed on the highway. Door bushings could wear easy because the doors were long and heavy. an eco box car crashed into me once, was a spray paint, paint job so, was no dent, just touched it up the next morning. no problem. these cars never needed maintenance it seemed and parts were so cheap and easy to get at the junkyard if needed for maybe 20 to 40 bucks. my stereo would get stolen sometimes, the hatch window was 60 bucks usually from burglars breaking it to steal the subwoofers and amp. things were so simple then. minimum wage could afford plenty of toys, 72 Cadillac, motorcycles.. and trendy chemical amusement if course. twas party time and mechanics loved these cars so much, a shop did a custom dynomax exhaust job for me for $20. literally. and he had to fit a V8 exhaust kit onto my V6 car lol. my next door neighbor had an 84 Camaro with a Pontiac big block 400 motor in it. it had a hillborn front facing scoop on the carb sticking out of a hole in the hood. he was 18, as was I. I pranked him once and unscrewed the scoop to pour a little automatic transmission fluid down his carb, so when he started it, the car would blow smoke and scare him 🤣 it just cleans the valves.. what catalytic converter? Big Block 400 wasn't running any sensors or smog crap. good times. now i drive Crown Victoria's. comfy, reliable and safe in a crash.. but these gas prices make me consider downsizing to a Ford Fiesta 🥺
that dynomax exhaust cat back was 120 bucks back then. everything is criminal expensive now. i remember at the gas station, hand them 20, fill er up. then get 6 back for change lol. 14 bucks now can't get me a quarter tank ☠️
Owned an 84 TA with the WS6 package new. It was a great car. Bought it for $17.7k in 84 taxes in here in Ontario and sold it after 15 years for $3k, not a good family car :-). My wife cried when we sold it. I would love GM to bring back the Trans Am. I’d buy a v8 Pontiac in a heartbeat. Might as well have that as perhaps my last car seeing that that 84 Trans Am was my first. It would bracket my life wonderfully and I’m sure my wife would love having one in the garage again.
There are endless possibilities in terms of aftermarket upgrades to make it ride and handle properly There are also endless opportunities to boost the performance of the engine. If you can write a big enough check a company like Detroit speed could make it faster on a track than many modern sports cars
In terms of build quality, the 3rd gens were a monumental leap forward over the 2nd gens. Just compare the panel gaps. True the 3rd gen chassis are a wet noodle, but you can add SFCs (the Alsons are only 20 lbs) to stiffen things right up. Also add a WONDERBAR.......This brace is designed to further stiffen the front sub-frame and reinforce the steering box mount. If you do these things, you'll have a tight car that handles beautifully. Also true the interiors have a lot of plastic held together with screws, but again, it's no worse than a 2nd gen. Bottom line is these are awesome looking cars with torque-y engines that are really fun to drive.
I think the moral of the story is to test a car that is mechanically A1. I had my 3rd Gen Firebird for nearly 6 years ( I'm in the UK) and it was a superb handling, direct car, with good steering feedback and 'wow' looks. Nothing rattled interior wise going over rough ground, it never felt skittish and took undulations in the road in its stride. It did have the gutless 5.0 TBI lump but it could sit at illegal ( in the UK) speed limits all day long, without fuss. Think of it as a long distance tourer, happy on A&B roads and Motorways and you would be on the money. Were they built as well a Euro/Japanese equivalents? Probably not but not much European or Japanese looked as good and made you feel a bit special driving it and that, for me, is what its about.
I had an 84 TA. My first car. 4 barrel, auto. The car was fun and sparked my car enthusiasm. The car looked great for its time. It had the smaller phoenix on the hood scoop/extractor. It was in white with black decals. The potential of these cars was amazing. If you ever get a chance go find the old car and driver article where they dropped a 383 stroked in this body style and turned it into a 200mph plus car. It had the potential but never allow to breath. Plus gm would never allow it to outperform the vette at the time.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
I knew the world was about to change when my blind date picked me up in her black Firebird with a gold screaming chicken decal on the hood (bonnet). No fool am I, we're still together. Blame it on the screaming chicken.
It takes a truly smart man to recognize a keeper when he sees one.❤
Clucking hell, what a bird!
@@blairbrown4812 👍👍👍
now thats a catch!
Man that is a catch , what a bird!!!
I don’t care about its performance, handling or poor build quality. The sleek and beautiful design, the v8 engines with magnificent sounds, t-tops and the pop-up headlights make this car a real legend for me.
It is a great looking coupe. One that I could see myself very much enjoying driving on weekends.
Well, just buy a matchbox version or a poster and you get the design for a lot cheaper.
Every 3rd gen I rode in or drove had no build quality issues. They were as solid as any other new car.
All could be addressed with aftermarket parts. If you want leather interior there are people who can do that. If you want a particular ride and better cornering, get a suspension upgrade. You want more speed, then get a turbo kit or do an engine swap. They are sold cheap enough at a base price to then add the stuff you actually want. This way, people who just want a flashy car they are going drive for 3-4 years and trade-in for another don't have to pay 20-30K more for options and engineering they don't want or care about. American cars are a lot better now, but they are also a lot more expensive.
Performance you can buy with an engine swap.
But the beautiful design you can't. And that's where this car shines.
I don't care how bad they are in real life. That red woosh-woosh light and the asymmetrical hood vent still awaken the 8-year-old in me. It was THE car. Period.
Just yesterday i saw a perfect replica, cruising on the street
It's slow. It's heavy.The build quality is poor. The interior is tacky. - BUT it comes with Patricia McPherson as your on-call mechanic. ♥♥♥
@@peterrenn6341was that April, or Bonnie?
April was a good mechanic. She made my nut's tighten....
@@peterrenn6341 oh yeah, i forgot about that. i think there is a lady race driver, does her own mechanic-ing on you tube who is easy on the eye too! saw her on clay millican's channel.
I had an '82 Trans Am K.I.T.T. replicar for several years. It was beautiful and awesome. The car itself didn't handle well at all, it understeered badly (would slide strait when you turned the wheels too sharply instead of oversteering where the back tires break loose) it was very unsettling. On the flip side I had an '86 Trans Am which handled the road much better and never understeered, it would oversteer if you yanked the steering wheel hard over especially if you gave it lots of gas.
I now drive a '95 Firebird 3.4 L. V6 with manual trans and I put Corvette sized wheels and tires on it and it literally drives like its welded to the road or on rails, I've never had it break loose EVER, no matter what speeds I'm taking curvy roads.
Still better looking then 99.9% of today cars....
Oh, yeah! “99.9%.” What a joke. Get in your Bricklin and go back to the 80s.
Amen
@@nkmcfrlnbut then, in those days, they didn’t have to resort to retro styling, it’s like designers have no imagination left and they didn’t need a team of 200 to design a single car
@@godwindracing6056 So Ferrari and Lamborghini resort to retro styling? Porsche 911 is the same shell, basically as the original with the headlights. The 2005/06 Ford GT was a taller stretched out GT40. It looks great in race trim. Amazing. Greatest GT1 car. What are you talking about? How much do Corvettes from the mid 80s go for (when the shape was lost) go for vs Corvettes from the 50s, 60s, 70s? Why would anybody prefer a 1984 Corvette? Or a 1984 Cortina, or an 1984 Escort, or a 1984 Falcon? All of these cars became boxy.
@nkmcfrln that’s everybody’s favourite argument, use luxury cars nobody can afford to justify their narrative. BTW, Lamborghini do, recycling Marcello Gandini’s designs like your girl wearing the clothes your ex wore. Ferrari do too with the recent V12 car, recycle Leonardo Fioravanti’s Daytona. In the 1930s, designers looked to air travel, example the Chrysler Airflow; in the 1950s, designers looked to space travel, example the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. Now, designers look to the past like they have no imagination left. The 911 is not a retro design, it has been in consistent production to not count.
[Edit] another brainless zoomer spotted. BTW there are no 1984 Cortina, the last Cortina was introduced in 1976 and discontinued in 1982, my dad used to own one. The Australian boxy Falcon came out in 1979. The best person who could answer to those boxy 1980s design is Guigiaro, he influenced that era and everybody followed. You just mentioned the little known Bricklin, that was the 1970s, not 1980s
You think race trim will make it better, so you are saying that the GT isn't good enough that it needs ugly Max Power add-ons, that as a racecar is also forgettable. I almost don't remember it as a racecar too and there were more memorable cars of the same class too such as the Maserati MC12. As with GT1 as you said, compared to the Mercedes CLK GTR, Porsche 911 GT1, Nissan R390 and Toyota GT One, the real GT1 cars, not some renamed GT2 cars. Clarkson had one and couldn't get along with it too.
It's impossible to be objective about the Firebird, because it isn't just a car. For an entire generation, myself included, the Firebird is both a Superhero, and a fully accredited Film Star. Whenever I look at one, I see KITT, my childhood hero, and that's why I can't criticise the car. Because to do so would be churlish.
Automotive Hall of fame candidate
Herbie, KnightRider, the Italian Job Minis, all up there with Thomas The Tank Engine and Brum! 😮😅🚗
Right up there with and maybe even just behind the Smokey And The Bandit Trans Am for me. Both iconic and imprinted into my childhood fantasies.
But it was still a crap car.
im a late gen Z kid and i still think its cool as hell
@@Cloaker86 You have great taste Cloaker. The Firebird was quite a thing back in the day. It looks very dated now, and time hasn't been as kind to it as the previous generation; but in the 1980s, it was one of the most desirable cars money could buy.
Knight rider was unbelievably cool, there's nothing on TV now for a car lover.
Too right sadly, we were spoilt rotten in the 70’s and 80’s for car filled entertainment
Baby Driver was the last great car movie
Supernatural had the vintage Impala.
@@jscan5385 Wow, you’re right. Rockford files, Firebird, 77 Sunset strip , Route 66 had a Vette. Jeez…to bad for us car folks.
What about Magnum, P.I? Ferraris in that one, although I think it just ended this year.
Say what you want about the quality but in 1989 driving around in a new GTA made you the king of the road in the US. Aesthetically gorgeous even today.
The US maybe, certainly not in Europe.
@@MarkGelderland Well, in 1989, seeing these in Paris would have attracted everyone, heck even today it gets thumbs up. So.... I'm not so sure about what you say.
@@MarkGelderland I have a black 88 Firebird in Europe and peope stare at it and take photos with it more than they stare are new BMWs .
There was a Red GTA at the Bromley Pageant in the late 80s
It got huge attention..Much more than most of the other stuff there
@@sinistercharger I guess i interpreted ''king of the road'' the wrong way, i thought that ment a car which has excellent roadhandling but it has to do with attention apparently. Something that to me has little importance, drivability is what counts in my book, not if strangers look at me lol.
When I learned that every Golf GTI is faster than K.I.T.T. My childhood ended and I became a serious and bitter man.
Actually KITT was significantly faster, more like a Tesla Plaid. However the car that played KITT was slower than a Golf GTI
@@JB_inks you are right. Thank you for giving my inner child his dream car back. Can't wait to watch that show with my kids.
@@CaptianInternet it was so cool, better than airwolf and streethsawk imo
@@JB_inks
It definitely was a cool show. I'm doing a binge this weekend. It was better than street hawk but not Airwolf. Sorry. But not sorry.
Depends on the year and engine - late year 350 cars would all push 150mph stock and would run in the mid 14's.
Don't care if it's plastic Americana. Ad a kid I was in love with this shape and still am :) together with the 78 trans am!
I have both of those. Four of them actually. A 78, a 79, an 89, and a 97. And they’re all BLACK!
I'm 71 years old now and I fear I may never be able to drive my dream car in this lifetime. A black 78' firebird. I currently drive a black 2013 Z06 that I purchased new. It's the best modern car in my humble opinion.
@@JungSooLeee that's not a car to be ashamed of 👍
@@peterdevreter You're living the dream. Can you believe my wife prefers driving her Prius Prime? That thing has about 25 miles of electric range and that woman damn near never goes to the gas station. I tell her honey, we need to use the car for longer distances because that fuel is going to go bad. I've started putting stabil fuel stabilizer in there. Women. Hah. They'll destroy even the most reliable cars. It's a white one and it's a 2024. We had never considered buying a Prius but this new one actually looks handsome to an old goat like me. It is mind numbingly boring to drive. Feels like that feeling you get when you're waiting in the doctor's office for your turn. But imagine waiting for your turn and it never comes. The wife likes the way it looks more than her old Avalon so we went ahead and bought it. There is no way she would let me buy a 78 Trans Am when I already have a sports car. These women just don't understand us. They have 10,000 purses and shoes and we're not allowed to have more than one sports car. Hah. God bless sir
I'm currently restoring my Father's 1976 Trans Am. He's had it since 1977 when he turned 18.
Sexy car! When I was in high-school my Dad had a maroon 1989 GTA in mint condition, and my Dad was such an awesome guy he would let me drive it as much as I wanted. Thanks Dad! I miss that car, but miss you so much more! ❤
Your dad was awesome !!!!! Thank you for sharing that cool story . I love my 88 Firebird !!!!
You're a brave man, Jack. Never forget that you should never hassle the Hoff...
😁😁😁😁😁😁
I am the original owner of a 1989 Formula 350. 92k miles and it still runs strong. Love my bird.
The Formula 350 was light years ahead of this version. I had a friend who had one. He was trying to sell it and let me drive it. I didn’t have the money at the time but what the heck I took it for a spin. To this day, I think it’s still the most powerful vehicle I’ve driven and that was 30 years ago. I was being conservative and still spun the tires on dry pavement. What a fun car that would have been to own.
@@gregrowe1168 its a lot if fun to drive. Paint sucks on it though
I had an 84 Trans AM, it takes genius to make 5.0L so anemic, it had a four barrel carb and the only thing that got faster when the secondaries open was the fuel gauge.
LOFL....
No, it takes fairly draconian emissions and economy legislation to make a 5.0V8 feel so lethargic. A T5 wakes them up quite a lot more than the lazy autos, though. You have to put the power output in context though - that '84 TA probably made 190bhp. A Porsche 1984 944 at the time only made 150bhp, albeit from a 2.5 litre four, and a federal spec 911 only made 207bhp. They weren't THAT bad for the time...
Possible conversion ideas, VW 1,9 TDI(300-400bhp), VW VR6(500+bhp)or Tesla using single motor or plaid rear motors....
Stick in a decent small block putting out 500bhp and a manual box or better auto box and these things will fly and have surprisingly decent handling.
No it took the federal government to do that, late 70's cars were even worse as far as horse power. GM bucked the trend somewhat with the 2nd gen Camaro and Firebird by offering decent horsepower
These cars were designed to do one thing - make you feel good while driving it! I bought a 1992, the last year of this generation, and its perfect! 32 years and i still smile when im about to drive it! Handles like a dream, you cant beat the sound, feeling, and torque of a V8! Its an fun fun fun car to drive.
Imagine these days any brand releasing 200-300kilos lighter car than previous model
The 2nd gen was a late 60s design, with a separate front subframe, and thick gauge steel all around. It was quite heavy for what it was. There was a lot of room for improvement
@@Raptor3388, quite heavy? I scrapped a 2nd gen Trans Am, and despite being rotten, the front wings weighed about 10kg each. The bonnet was a two man job to carry comfortably. The 5 spoke 'alloy' wheels on early 2nd gens weren't alloy. They were a steel wheel with a urethane insert for the spokes. They were ridiculously heavy wheels.
Range Rover slashed more than that with their fourth generation.
@@cogboy302 Pretty sure the front wings weigh more than 10kg each, but I haven't checked. The doors weight at least 30kg each, then ad the big subframe, the enormous bumpers (the 74 rear bumper is steel coated in rubber just like the Honeycomb wheels you're mentioning), the massive control arms. These cars are begging for lightweight performance parts.
Just what I was thinking. Pre-2000 you would see it once in a while but generally ever car gets heavier with each new generation
Hey Jack! As an American man who literally grew up with this car, this is an awesome and fascinating video to watch, how you as an English guy experience this Pontiac. I grew up a working class, Roman Catholic, JV baseball kid wearing high white tube socks (baseball stockings) and super floppy Reebok sneakers barely staying on my girl crazy and irreverent stocking feet, man lol 🤪. Those Reeboks were kicked off my stocking feet for a buddy to catch like a pop fly 24/7 lol 😜. This car (and it's sister Chevy Camaro) were made for American boys like me to lust after, and they were somewhat attainable, you know? Knight Rider's KIT brilliantly cemented this and made these cars icons of the 80's, and they were. Even a beat up '84 Camaro V6 that my buddy's big bro had to wheel around in was nirvana when I was 16 or 17 in 1988.....an era that will not be repeated, and I believe that adds to the nostalgia. And they were gorgeous, too. Even with a sh*& interior. That helps ;). JV Johnny ⚾⚾
Hey Johnny!! Thanks for that insight into the mindset of the US at the time.. I can certainly see what you mean and the attainable part in particular. Thanks for watching buddy and a big wave 👋 over to you in the USA 🇺🇸!
Hey Jack! Me British bro😜! Happy to give some insight into the tubesocked baseball jock power of these GM F bodies from the 80's (actually ALL the F bodies lol 🤣). They are beloved here "across the pond"! Johnny ⚾⚾
Knight rider.....that takes me back , I used to have sleep over at my Grandmother's and we always watched the show together.... I love this car because it transports me back to those happy times!
That’s what most classics are all about!! Was great fun driving it..
I used to watch the show with my grandmother also! And MacGyver too! She quite liked them!
Knight rider.
@@12pawsinn Thanks for pointing out my error.
Those Happy times! No social media ❤ i miss that times so much
This and the Lamborghini Countache from Cannonball were my first two car loves as a wee lad.
I've had my 91' Z28 since 93'. It has 450 horsepower now instead of the 230 it came with. Now it's a 6-speed. I'll never sell oit.
Kicks BMW ass on the track every 2nd weekend.
Not surprised at all! Also much nicer car…
Ls swap?
It's good to see you review this, Jack, it feels like no one ever takes these cars seriously. I have a 1989 Camaro with the 5.7, I drive it all of the time. It is crashy and plagued by rattles and squeaks, especially from the t-tops, but it really is a lovely handling car. That feeling of it wanting to push wide is from the lack of rigidity in the chassis, it wasn't quite stiff enough factory, and there are braces you can weld in that do clear that sensation up and really balances it out. Even with my new steering box, it does feel vague on center but there's no wandering even under heavy braking. The one major fault these cars have is that without the bracing, the chassis flexing can crack behind the steering box, making the front feel really weird under hard cornering and can be tricky to repair.
One other note, the 5.0 Mustang of the era was it's chief competitor, and while a wonderful car, it didn't take to the corners so well, and it understeered like a cruise ship. You had to apply a lot of throttle to bring the back end around in those, and on track days they will eat through front tires like crazy. Still a really neat little car, the Mustang, though. It was a fair bit cheaper, and unlike the Camaro and Firebird, it's largest engine was available with a manual gearbox.
I'll give you some first hand feedback. I bought an '88 IROC-Z Camaro brand new. It was a full on performance version with a hardtop, 5spd manual with LB9 305 V8 with 215 hp / 320 ft-lb, performace geared, posi rearend, and the big wheels, 4wheel disc brakes and the Goodyear Gatorback tires. I put 86k miles on it over 6 years of ownership with it being my only car for 2 years and me traveling across country several times for Navy training. The TPI is all about torque and revving past 4400 rpm was pretty useless. I found if I was above 2500 rpm there was no need to downshift. The wandering under braking is likely a loose idler arm. They are notorious for that. Handling is great with scary high levels of grip on smooth, dry pavement but the springs are too stiff due to the chassis being too flexible so it all goes "pear shaped" on poor pavement. The car's brakes fade easily and brake dive that makes the rear scary light is a major problem. On frosty pavement just lifting the throttle on a downhill corner will cause the rear to step out. You had to tread lightly in the rain or anything else slick or broken surfaced. Lots of fun, but you had to know it's limitations. We did a BC and Alberta Rockies vacation in that car. It absolutely loves mountain roads.
Our family had an 87 Formula with identical options. WS6 suspension option was an absolute blast on a twisty road, and a lightly breathed on 5.0 TPI could motivate it far faster than one would believe.
Sounds about right. I had an 89 IROC With the 5.7/ 245 hp. mine wasn't a hard top so the wet noodle feel was even worse than your rare hard top. Hard top even looked better than the glass. Glass leaked water in your lap when it rained. Even low milage cars would leak. Currently own a Scat Charger and it is pretty impressive with its performance tuning at your finger tips. fully adjustable electronic Bilstein's and so much more. I don't use half of it, I just mash the throttle and get results. Great road car too.
@@madrew2003 this 100%
The brakes are undersized. I dropped my GTA at a shop to get new front tires installed and there was an early 00s Renault Megane next to it, both with the wheels off. Let’s say the cool GTA was suddenly very uncool as the brakes looked minuscule compared to that mundane Megane.
I've got a Red 1987 Camaro IROC-Z28 Convertible 305 TPI, 215 HP 5.0 Liter V8 with a Borg-Warner Manual 5-gearbox /drive train with IROC Homo-legation undercarriage with 4 disk brakes. Fabulous car and although she's a convertible, she still handles very well in fast corners. I only take her out of the garage when a sunny Sunday with warm weather is available. I really love driving her around top down at mild speeds de-stressing from a hard weeks work. She is 100% OEM and she does the job for me, so no changes to her are needed to me. And she's such a looker....in the bright sunlight, oh yeah!
@@Raptor3388 brakes rotors are 260mm. It is size good for coffee cup plate.
I have upgrade from c5 corvette on mine. 325mm and much better calipers.
I had a ‘91 Camaro that was a retired Texas Department of Public Safety patrol unit. I bought it in 1995.
It had an entry level trim package but with all the Z28 goodies, TPI 305 (230 hp/300 ft. lbs. torque), 5 speed manual Borg Warner manual, 3.42 rear end gear ratio, 4 wheel disc breaks (not the larger 1LE package) and large sway bars and coil springs.
The car was eventually treated to a Crane Compu Cam and springs, larger injectors out of an LT1 350 Camaro, an Accel Big Mouth lower manifold and Siamesed runners, a ported upper intake, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, 2.5” mandrel bend y-pipe into a cat-less 3” mandrel bent “cat back” exhaust with a 2 chamber 3”in/out Flowmaster muffler, a 4.10 gear swap and at the end, a 125 hp shot of Nitrous Oxide.
Although not quick for today’s standards, the car would routinely knock out high 13 second quarter mile passes at 101 MPH on motor at Houston Raceway Park. Never got to run it on Nitrous but my guess was high 12’s at 110 MPH.
The certified speedo clocked in a best of 153 MPH on a straight road with the original 3.42 gear.
It was a fun 4 years with that car. I still miss it.
Sounds mid
Terrible or not...beautiful car
The trailer was used for a racing team, the truck used in seasons 3 and 4, is the one that's being restored. The Knight Rider Historians are doing the semi and trailer restoration. They own 2 of the 5 remaining screen used cars
Steering box! It still amazes me the weird nature of 80s cars, futuristic wedge shape, digital clocks, loads of plastic buttons but underneath a solid axle and a steering box.
That's why they were cheap, parts bin cars with a bit of flash.
Maybe we need to go back to that nowadays, cars need to be affordable and simple again.
The Mustang had a solid rear axle until recently
To be fair, BMW 5 Series until 1995 and even the small sporty Mercedes 190E and first-gen SLK were steering box too.
@@TassieLorenzoand even later for the comparable v8 bmws.
Mercedes used steering boxes until well into the 90's.
The Knight Rider Historians own the semi and a screen used KITT - Lover their dedication for preserving the show and thanks for your car journalism. I really enjoyed the honesty and loved also the video about the Clio Williams.
Be careful with that TURBO BOOST button
Just yesterday i was on the street with my jag and i saw a litteral convoy of legends... The DeLorean from Back to the Future, The car from Night Rider, with the wooshing red line on the front, General Lee and a Glorious Lancia Delta Integrale, Martini Racing, closing the parade.
Like Martin McFly's mom loved to say... IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE DREAM!
I almost missed my exit for honking and cheering at everybody in XD
They look genuinely exotic now on today's roads.
I have one in Europe and people stare at it more than they stare at new BMW 7 series. Its crazy how sleek they look. Mine is black too and I tried hard to keep it 100% original even to the bolts which is important because there are ton of bolts that are odd sized american units. You get alot of talk when you get to the mechanic and they don't have the tools to unscrew the most simple stuff lol .
@@Adrian-mq5ldlove em, muscle cars stand out
Yeah cause they all junked out
@@Adrian-mq5ld I'm from Europe too and I have 88 GTA. It attracts more attention than anything on the road. I once stopped at a traffic light with three lanes. I was in the left, the brand new Porsche in the middle, and the guy on the right lane was moving forward because the Porsche was blocking his view of my car. 😅
But whatever people say, those cars are super fun to drive. ❤
@@V8AmericanMuscleCar grandfather had 1 and mother had a 92 Camaro, I had a 96 camaro z 28 convertible black 6 speed manual...sold it during the pandemic
Mom had an 86 Firebird with T-Tops. It’s black with 71,000 and we still have it under a cover. 👍🏼
"Michael, I recommend you use Turbo Boost" 😂😂😂😂
No! No! Not 80 mph!!!!
"Michael, did you ever think of auditioning for Magnum instead?" 😂😂
@@caeserromero3013 He cant...gets that constipated look trying to hold his gut in. Re Baywatch
Turbo boost makes your car jump! 😉
for gen X that was the equivelent of us gen Z kids hitting a turbo boost in Hot Pursuit
As an Italian American who now lives in the UK I welcome this addition to your content offering Jack. I moved to the US in the mid 80s as a teen and Firebirds, Trans Am's and its sister the Camaro (RS, Z28, berlinetta) were everywhere! I tend to disagree with the Knightrider connection. Perhaps it made the car famous outside the US but this car was not a great seller because of the show. As a matter of fact black was one of the least popular colours sold. I also don't believe and I'm almost certain the GTA was offered with the bonnet firebird emblem so something I've would of done without. Yeah these cars were built during the malaise era (74-86) of US automotive manufacturing with appalling quality issues. One classic is the famous headliner coming apart with non t-tops cars and that was only a few years after new. However, following most people's sentiment here they do still look so good especially today among the vast expanse of soulless modern vehicles. Thank you!
That colour scheme owes itself to Smokey and the Bandit, which itself was inspired by JPS Lotus. East Bound & Down loaded up n truckin!
"I need a speedy car. Speedier than that"
First car I bought after college was the 1988 Pontiac Trans Am GTA. About the same body package as in this video, as noted the 5.7l engine, better suspension, better interior, controls on the steering wheel. It had a limited slip diff, and they did some stuff to the transmission so it had a snappier shift and didn't feel like the automatic really disconnected from the wheels when letting off the gas. I owned the car from 1988 through 2002, putting approximately 170k miles on the odometer.
It was a heavier car, which helped with stability on the flat but hurt some in the corners. Stock, you could turn the wheel, hit the gas, and do donuts. Between the weight and the power, upgrading the stock tires meant holding the road when getting off the line and closer to the limit of the suspension on turns.
I was living in the southern US, and at that time there was distance to travel between places. The GTA would settle in at about 85 MPH where it would hum, securely grip the road, and just go. My wife used to say she could hear the note of the car about a mile away and knew I was almost home. Speed bumps were an concern because of the splitter and stance, but on the open road the aerodynamics were incredible. I personally knew my GTA could do 170 MPH - it was incredibly stable at that speed.
There were a few minor issues, like the torque tearing the roof where the T-tops would have been and the intake manifold gasket needed to be replaced, but regular maintenance kept the GTA roadworthy.
I sold the car when I was moving north. Not much open road where I was moving for a car that needs to open up to run right. I will always love that car.
Geez i love this Channel. Brings back memories from 37 years as an auctioneer. We had one of these in our auction room and i took it for a spin. The exit/entry to our site had a rather deep dish concrete gutter (we also auctioned heavy plant and equipment), and as such most cars had to be driven in and out on an angle to avoid damage. As i drove the trans am across the gutter the body creaked and the door sprung open to the first latch. I thought I hadnt closed it priperly but it did it again on yhe way back in. i can still vividly remember it. Thank you Jack
Hi Jack, great video. It was a beautiful affordable car in the 80s. One of my favourites together with the Toyota Supra of the same period. A sports car can't be automatic. I'm sure Pontiac one day will be back.
The 83' Toyota Supra with the factory flaired wheel wells and the two rear spoilers on the hatchback was my all-time dream car when I was in high school those same years.
The truck trailer also had Tardis tech, because it was larger from the inside than was physically possible.
They never explained that in Mythbusters. 😕
There is a guy, who bought the screen used truck and trailer and is building the interior inside. Wel lets say is quite the project. He has his own TH-cam channel knight rider historian or something like that
Wasn't it Mythbusters that tried to determine if you can in fact drive into the trailer at highway speed and stop before hitting the front wall??
@@shelbynamels973 Yes.
th-cam.com/video/HEOL7xk9QGk/w-d-xo.html
@@tuneskramer69 www.youtube.com/@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial/featured
@@shelbynamels973 Yes. It turned out to be no big deal. The car stopped easily
Beautiful car, always been a Pontiac trans am guy since high school.
I had an 86 T/A in the 90s. Decent power for its time, but what a beautiful car.. Some minor exhaust modifications and everywhere you went people would gaze..
...and think to themselves: What an idiot in his shitty pimp car.
I bought an 89 firebird V6 in 1998, and have been daily driving it for most of the time since then. It gets me around even if it's getting a little worn out.
Thanks Tom. A lovely car that still appeals to us all today.
‘KITT! I need you buddy!’
I'm with Sammy Hagar:"I can't drive, 55".
Nice car. Great vid
Oh my, I just love that. Knight Rider was my favourite show as a kid. So cool to see one being kept in great shape - nice one Tom 👍
I've owned a 1988 Trans Am for the last 17 years. it never fails to put a smile on my face when I drive it. It's far from the perfect sports car but the throaty sound of the V8 through the stainless steel exhaust system makes up for it's faults.
I like nicely looking, comfortable coupes as well. No fan of today’s overly sporty car trend, with those stiff sporty suspensions that rattle me through. This is so much nicer.
Knight rider historians channel they doing the trailer and tractor unit up
Also they got 2 original kitts too
I'm an American who doesn't like American cars, but that T/A on British roads looks amazing and makes me smile. In 1990's America these were all over the road and most got snatched up as first cars for teenagers. Long live the fun rivalries between the muscle car and import crowds of that time.
I can recall when I had my Supra coming up a fun little road in Edmonton Alberta called Groat Road. Ahead of me was a 3rd Gen Firechicken (Pontiac Firebird) and a 4cyl Ford Mustang SVO (These had a 2.3L turbo charged Lima engine) and the little Mustang absolutely destroyed the Firebird on that road. The factor in that exchange was that the Fox bodied Mustang had the SVO goodies and was able to go around corners at speed where the Pontiac struggled to keep it's rear end from becoming the front end. If you ever get the chance to drive an early 80's Ford SVO Mustang, do so they are a lot of fun, not dissimilar to the Merkur XR4ti the watered down North American market version of the awesome Sierra Cosworth. Great review Jack, and even though I kind of poo-pooed the Firebird they were an icon of the 80's and Tom has done an admirable job keeping his in lovely condition!! - Dave
@StringerNews1 Absolutely, in fact I'm looking for a survivor Merkur XR4ti, the more I learn about these capable little cars, the more I kick myself for not buying one when they were new. This stings because I remember the Ford dealership in the town next to the one I lived in practically giving away both the Merkurs and the 1st gen Mustang SVO's. For some insane reason my 20-ish year old brain in 1986-88 thought you needed a minimum of 6 cylinders to have any chance at having power. V8's were better but were also priced way more than the 6's or 4's. Thankfully you can teach an old Sasquatch new tricks and I'm looking forward to turning wrenches on a little Lima 2.3 of my own someday!!
Do you know if the newer 2.3 I4 turbos that were used in Mazdas and Focus ST/RS Mustang, Ecoboost have anything in common with the old ones?
@@JohnKowalskyDrive Well, I had to look this up as I wasn't sure. There is a list of cars and trucks that have had variants of the Lima engine over the years. Here is the Wiki page.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto_engine
@@JohnKowalskyDriveno, it’s a completely unrelated engine. The old Ford 2.3 Lima engine still lives on as a Ford LRG425 which is a 2.5L engine made for industrial machinery.
I still have the 1984 shootout between the:
Camaro, Dodge Daytona, Supra, the Mustang SVO, and (lol), the Toyota Camry.
The deal killer for me was how in the SVO, all the drivers complained about hitting the backs of their elbows on the rear of the consol as they shifted through the gears.
The Supra won that shootout, Camaro 2nd, Daytona 3rd place.
The styling on 3rd gen firebirds are timeless. How you can hear the RPM rise on 2-3 shift, transmission has issues. What a beautiful car.
I have had 78 and 79 Trans Ams in Black and Gold.
They were Great cars and always recieved huge admiration when I drove them in london
I used to watch your 308 videos, wow, a lot has changed. I had an 83 Z28 for 3 years, loved it. Your criticisms were spot on. That car will always have a special place in my heart.
It's amazing what media placement does for a car, even a bad one. Grew up watching Smokey and the Bandit films and Knight Rider (and The A-Team and so on and so on) so Trans-Ams, Corvettes, Chargers and DeLoreans were the sort of cars everyone wanted. British TV generally showed things like Capris or Rover SD-1s which never seemed as aspirational at the time.
don’t forget the Fall Guy snd Convoy❤ 😂
@@zogzoogler Could go on all day with shows like Airwolf and Street-Hawk too, was trying to stick to ones with cars though. 😜
Sat here reading this wearing a bright orange T-shirt with 01 on it. You know the rest....
@Utopian_Turtletop-vn1iu Perhaps a generation thing, lets not Forget Roland the Rat’s pink Ford Anglia.🤣
@Utopian_Turtletop-vn1iu I was too young for most of those shows, first time round anyway, although who didn't love Wet Neliie?
Very nice review! This car looks like it's in decent shape. I'd imagine getting parts for it in the U.K. might be quite a chore. I don't know about there, but here in the U.S., prices for these cars have risen quite a bit, especially for ones in mint condition. No matter how low the initial build quality was when these cars first left the assembly line, they're still incredibly good looking, fun to drive and have A LOT of potential here in modern times.
We now have the resources and technology to build them to be higher quality cars and many people here in the U.S. have done that. I've owned four of the 3rd generation Firebirds throughout the years and they were all the GTA model. I currently have a 1991 GTA and I love it! I've had this one since 1994. It's been upgraded with a 383 cubic inch crate engine that's rated at 440 horsepower, Holley engine management, performance built transmission, all new height adjustable suspension, custom exhaust, the interior was ripped out and the cabin was lined with Dynamat Xtreme sound deadening which gives the car a more solid, vault-like feel, all new leather for the seats... the entire car has been gone through, it looks new and feels like a newer car.
Here's my Instagram link if you're interested in checking it out.
instagram.com/carlos_clivilles/
I am a muscle car man first , and own a 4th Gen TA. Knight Rider is my fav TV programme ever and 3rd Gen is my child hood, Iroc Z also cool.
Yes interior and overhall not Euro quality, but when it comes to bang for your buck nothing comes close to Muscle.
And people turn heads when see them. Your review was good and honest
I love my 1989 Pontiac Trans-am GTA. Still have it now! 5.7L was a bit more horsepower in 89.
It's too bad it's not a more original model, that bonnet was only on 82-84 Trans Ams and 87-92 Formulas.
But that's a great review. No needless bashing, just a honest feeling.
As the owner of two 3rd gen Trans Am (84 HO and 87 GTA 5.7L) it's all true. The 82-84 interior looks arguably sharper, with a lot more details, but it feels so much cheaper.
The one drawback is indeed, the steering box. It is a rather quick ratio of 2.5 lock to lock, so it's quite precise but it does feel antiquated for an 80's "high tech" sporty car. The Mustang had a steering rack since 1974.
They did upgrade the rear end a bit more than just the springs : it's linked with the transmission with a big torque arm, it has a panhard bar and two control arms.
I had my first car a 1984 Trans Am for about 12 years I loved that car. Red black trim with glass T tops I tinted the windows had a 1200 watt sound system with a 10 disk sony cd changer plus another cd in the head deck. Had a car phone in it in 1991 and chrome rims I did a hot chip and upgraded the exhaust to a flow master. She sounded fantastic with the metal I would play you'd hear me coming from a 1/4 mile away. When the music was off she had a low blub blub sound. Even had red lights inside her at one time with the way the dash was red it looked awesome.
Those big, simple low revving American cars suddenly make sense when you drive them in the states (apart from the crashy suspension).
The specific output of us engines was awful for the time, but remember they were set up for US emissions laws back then.
Yes, I imagine one with a stick could rev a bit higher than the automatics were set up for.
@@seed_drill7135 My 84 TA has the 5 speed transmission and the "High Output" 5.0L V8, it's quite revvy and feels just as fast as the 5.7L in my 87 GTA. And the manual adds so much fun.
@@Raptor3388 Our 87 Formula had the 5.0 TPI with the 5-speed. With simple mods (SLP stuff) it was properly quick and could go around a road course.
@@tesladiesel2420 They have a different octane measuring system in the US. In Europe and the rest of the world it's the RON measure, in the US it's the PON measure. So 87 fuel in the US, is 95 octane here.
@@Raptor3388thanks for telling me. I had presumed it was 87 octane. I use 99 octane and in my car, I notice better response. It's worth the money.
If just doing motorway miles for work. I have preferred the savings I got using supermarket petrol.
It's good we get a choice of fuel
It is never going to set the world on fire with performance or even warm the world for that matter. I don't care how bad it really is .... I will still watch the video. If this doesn't get mega views then there truly is a glitch in the matrix. Thanks for posting this, Jack.
Great video and cool car. This car is from my generation. They were pretty cheap in the US, but were more than the 5.0 Fox Mustang. Street prices in 1988 on this car would be in the $16,500 range. Mustang 5.0 would be around $2500 less for the GT and a C4 Corvette would be roughly double the cost. For a European comparison, the Porsche 911 would have been a bit higher than $50k. I always like these 3rd gen cars since they are cheap and simple to maintain and still look cool at cars and coffee.
The TPI intake manifold on that engine is known for making good torque, but chokes the engine above 4k rpm. The aftermarket has provided different remedies to replace the manifold with better breathing ones, or some people just convert the engine to a carburetor.
A kid that I knew in college had one of these back in the day. Despite it being a brand new car, the thing went down the road like a bucket of bolts. Sadly all of that rattling managed to overshadow the V8’s exhaust note. Regardless, I can appreciate the fact that this particular example appears to be so well cared for.
Any doorstep gets darkened by a wheeze-oh-five. BUT, their center of gravity added to every hatchback having a posi & that made for some great training in REAL drifting practice. With a clutch even an anemic 305 would just roast the back tires if you unload the suspension at the right time. You always knew you were getting a posi especially if it had rear disc brakes.
Say what you will about the engine, power, torque, fueling, transmission, chassis, suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, interior, dashboard, steering wheel, safety, comfort, performance, handling, road holding, acceleration, aerodynamics, feel, etc.
The overall shape of this thing is amazing.
I had an 82 TA, carburetor, 145 hp with stick, 4 speed. It needed a 5th gear
Loved the looks, mechanical dog. I do miss the car. The t tops rattled, the 305 had a soft cam issue. The transmission was junk. The 4 wheel disc brake models came with silver wheel hubs which would come loose. I still have a box with a new wheel cap in silver.
The positives were the handling, the looks and the 305 did have decent torque. I had 15 inch wheels. I did almost buy the 82 recaro TA. The price was 14K.
I do miss the first year owning the car as it was an oddity. Other 82 drivers would pop up the headlights as a greeting. It was like an exclusive club. I still have the 82 catalog with all the clothes, jackets, etc you could buy.
Alas, I traded the car in on an 88 Mazda MX 6 GT turbo with stick in ticket red. I still own the car. The only issues with the 88 MX 6 is the torque oversteer. A highly ignored car that packs a punch, with a 2.2 liter 4, 12 valve, and 145 hp, same as the TA. And, it sips gas, if you don't put your foot in it.
Credit there credit is due. The body lines of this car has aged very well. It has something going on there in that department. To bad that most American cars did not follow up on handling in those days.
yes but handling can easily be fixed on theses cars , there's is a ton of aftermarket part .
@@Pierre578 I am not very familiar with the rear suspension of this car. But it is a dependent/semi-independent suspension systems isn't? That I guess is part of some the problem. Pure independent suspension systems give better handling, but it cost more
That's bullshit. The third generation F-body was THE best handling production car IN THE WORLD back then. Comparing the handling to today's world class sportsmcars is not a fair comparison.
The aesthetic this era is my favorite, probably because I was a young kid and my dad would get me Matchbox cars of the Firebird.
This was my boss old car we restored the body and he had the original engine rebuilt he didn’t get to use it as much as he liked. It got sold though a classic car auction in 2019. The reg is an abbreviation of company name.
Sadly the engine rebuild wasn’t up to it. There were cracks in the block and I had to buy a new engine. It worked out cheaper to put a new 5.7 litre in, than to try and find a replacement 5.0 block and do a refurb. The car only had less that 2000 miles since the rebuild.
@@tompaterson07 you’ve done what needed be done we didn’t now about the crack in block if we know with order on the same. the guy how did the engine for us had it for 3 years and change thousands in the end.
I own a '92 third gen Camaro and these cars are a lot of fun. They're not comparable to a modern car, they're cheap and cheerful and drastically different to anything on the road in the UK today. The shape, stance and slim, long profile just turns heads... and the incredible sound of the v8 kind of makes up for the low-revving, oldchool auto-box mushiness that these old American cars offer. Hard to find a pristine example these days.
That is a very clean example of this car in your video! 👍🌟💯
"Michael, I'm detecting a heat signature up ahead... oh it's me! I'm overheating again!"
Tiny little correction: Pontiac was the performance division, not the more refined division. The Firebird was not so much a more refined version of the Chevrolet Camaro in the traditional sense of more luxurious interior, more options, and softer ride. It was a more complete performance package, with better aero, better handling, and one or two engine options above the Camaro (like the most powerful one of all, a 3.8L turbocharged Buick V-6).
General Motors' other divisions at the time this generation of the Firebird debuted were Oldsmobile, which was their technological division where they'd debut new features; Buick, which was the refined brand in the traditional sense, though not without performance vehicles; and Cadillac, which was of course the luxury division.
You mentioned the unusually early upshift, and that's most likely due to the automatic transmission. It was set up for the original 5.0L V-8, which had a redline at 4,500 RPM. As to the handling, that's more to the handling package. The Trans Am was actually only the middling trim. There were two handling packages above it, the WS6 and GTA, which both provided better handling, though maybe not on most English country roads.
Really fun review, though! I enjoy watching cars out of their elements almost as much as in them.
I bought a 1984 trans am aero package 5 litre and a 5 speed t-5 manual trans ws6 package every package totally loaded car. The biggest piece of garbage that I ever owned!!! My uncle was a engineer for GM his hole life and I told him so. I kept it for three years and 37000 miles and traded it back to GM. GM threw the 1980's and 1990's built a lot of cheaper junk cars with big price tags for what they were.
As far as Corvette lovers (and Chevrolet) are concerned those 3.8L turbocharged Buick V-6 Pontiacs and Buicks didn't exist. LOL
And as far as Fox Body 5.0 lovers are concerned, neither did the SVO. LOL, again.
I hate that GM kept Buick and mothballed Pontiac instead. Buick was considered a brand for old people just like Oldsmobile was.
@@gregrowe1168 the reason for that is that Buick is incredibly popular in China and has been so since that country still was a monarchy - both their last emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi and their first president Sun Yat-sen drove Buicks, as did Mao's foreign minister Zhou Enlai
As a kid watching reruns of Knight Rider on german television in the late 80s, early 90s THAT car was IT for me. I'd still take it over almost any modern day car despite it's numerous flaws...quite simply a beautiful, timeless machine.
I have a 84 Trans Am medium Royal metallic blue fully loaded original owner 42,830 miles
That many miles over that many years... You could have just walked.
@@stevendeans4211 I have a lot of other cars I was trying to observe it to be an antique or collectible preserve it
In the US, the GM "F Cars" with heavily smog controlled engines, at least the ones that haven't been scrapped, are often modified. The 'small block' V8s in these cars have a huge aftermarket of performance parts: cams, headers, heads, cams, intakes, carburetors/fuel injection, etc. It's actually difficult to find any Firebird or Camaro of this era that is OEM stock; it just isn't practical to retain technology that is several generations behind what is readily available today.
The early models of this cars era was rough but they made some very good adjustments by the end of its era. The Chevy 305 was a very reliable engine as well as that 2.8 V6 although it wasn't super fast.
The Trans Am did not come with thicker sway bars as standard. You needed the WS6 pack for that, which was introduced in 1978 for the 2nd Gen bird.
As a boring fact du jour, my ex-wife lives next to Mr Hasslehoff's sister in law. Every now and again she sees him pop by.
That's funny , my friend Brian lived with his x wife and they made a red carpet appearance.
He lived in a wing of her mansion as a friend about 15 years ago.
The only problem I had with mine was the head lights, I had to mess with them to get those to open up. Besides that everything was good.
You forgot to mention that, if you got the 5.7 liter, you were stuck with an automatic transmission.
Get your hands on something like a Firehawk. These cars were wild with some upgrades.
Am I crazy or is that the same exact stretch of road that Harry's Garage always tests his cars on?
*Should have done it with the stock 5 liter and not the Big-N-Beefy 5.7 upgrade~Then see if the little 305 was an endemic as it really was back then*
Knight Rider Historians Official is the guy restoring the Cab and trailer.
This is one of the best cars ever made, by my opinion. Love pointic firebird gorgeous car. I do love it more without the bottom skirt. I know it's a slow car compared to today standards but it you have the money you can make it as fast as you want 🎉🎉🎉❤❤
I always loved these from watching them in American TV and Films. I'm a bit disappointed to hear about their dull 0-60 times for such big engines. They still look great though.
American V8's of the time are famous for converting energy into heat and sound without the unwanted byproduct called horsepower.
If you got these 80s Trans Ams with the V8 and the 5-speed, depending on the year the 0 to 60 times were between 6.5 and 7.5 seconds. That was a fast car in the 80s.
For comparison, I had a 1985 BMW 535i with a 5-speed that did 0 to 60 in 7.5 seconds with its 182 horsepower. That made it about as fast as a 1983 Trans Am with the top spec 190 horsepower engine and the 5 speed, which cost far less than half as much.
What made these Camaros and Trans Am slow was the fact that most people got them with automatics. On the other hand, most people got the Mustang 5.0 with the manual transmission. I never quite understood why, but that's how it was.
They were not many European sports cars that could outrun a 5 liter Mustang with a manual transmission, both then and today.
I measured my 87 GTA 5.7L at 6.2s. It has headers and a few small suspension upgrades but the engine is stock.
Must admit, I prefer the looks of the Gen 2 Firebird, the predecessor to this. From '80 thru '83 I owned an imported Plymouth Satellite 318ci ( 5.3 litres ). It was a 74 car, and like most of it's US contemporories, and this Firebird here too, really, it had been strangled by all the post muscle car emissions regs. Chrysler didn't even quote power figures for my car, but the rumours were that the 318 was around 150bhp. BUT..., like this car here, plenty of torque, and it made all the right noises. Which to some extent still satisfies some of the urge for a 'good ole boy' type car. I mean, who on earth ever expected sophistication from an American car ? Unless their name was Tucker.
My Mercedes Sports Coupe C320 had a 3.2 V6 which made 215 hp. That did 0-60 in 8 seconds. It was a heavy car (for a 'Sports Coupe') and the weight really sapped the acceleration. I think that must have felt a lot like the Firebird, by the sounds of it. But the Merc did 25 to the gallon. With the Firebird being a 5.7L but still producing what my Merc made, the 'gas milage' must have been horrendous! Do love the shape of them though. Just a shame they were so lardy.
I have the Camaro and I got 28mpg on a run, now it’s 24 since I put more lively rear axle gears in
Why would gas mileage be worse because of lower power per capacity? I think you have thoroughly misunderstood some parts/got bad info from someone on how engines work, sadly.
My camaro with a 6.2 pulls 28mp hwy all day long and also epa rated at 28mpg
My father had this exact color in 82. Sold it to his friend in 1990. Man if I can find one in this condition I’d buy it in a heartbeat. All the kids at my elementary school loved it when the trans am pulled up to the school lot.
The 87 model with the 5.7 liter engine was reported doing 0-60 in 6.4 sec.
That sounds more like it. An 8-second 0-60 time sounds too slow.
"Complete performance review and accelerations chart for Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 5.7 L V8 TPI automatic (aut. 4) in 1987, the model with 3-door hatchback coupe body and V-8 5733 cm3 / 349.8 cui, 156.5 kW / 213 PS / 210 hp (SAE net) engine offered since September 1986 for North America . According to ProfessCars™ estimation this Pontiac is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 6.9 sec, from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 sec, from 0 to 160 km/h (100 mph) in 19.1 sec, from 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 37.5 sec and the quarter mile drag time is 15.3 sec."
@@MathsYknow yes, the 1982 165 hp tbi 305 typically ran about that fast, with 1320 times in the low 16'sine. My '86 IROC with it's L69 215 hp engine ran mid 15's, the Th200 tranny shifted at the 5,000 rpm redline, and yes, the BQ and reliability were dreadful, as was the Delco blows factory stereo. The car, repainted F40 Ferrari redhp WAS a looker, but my 5.0 Stang with 225 hp 5 speed, 3.73 gears and 6,000 rpm redline would pull away from it...every time. Today, a V-6 Camry would beat both.
The 91/92 5.7 models could do 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and do high 13 second 1/4 miles. They were capable of more still with modern tires. These cars were and still are pretty quick. Their performance blew away most of the european sports cars.
@@betterbeavailable Yea that's BS lol.
I had an "Iron Duke" 4 cylinder 1984 Firebird at the time. I actually loved that car and it *looked* exactly like this one (minus the "Trans Am" badge). It was a stick shift and it never felt underpowered. It also just fit me and my 6'4" frame perfectly in a way that no other car did at the time. Everything was just right where I wanted it to be. It wasn't until my 2014 Dodge Challenger that I found another car like that. Even my current 2021 Challenger doesn't quite measure up, literally. (I think they moved the firewall slightly to allow for bigger engines, making it feel a little more cramped for me.)
I'd probably still have that Firebird today if it didn't develop a problem that I couldn't afford to fix. It made a weird ringing noise going over bumps that nobody could 100% figure out. It was a process of just trying various fixes until one worked, but nothing ever did and as a poor kid, I eventually just ran out of money. But I did love that car and have always missed it.
i bought new a 1986 trans am fully loaded with T-Tops with the tuned port injection.. i loved that car back then xcept for that it had to be towed on a flatbed or it would cave in in the middle esp if the T-tops were off
It's true that the 1982 Firebird could be had in a 4 cylinder engine, but if it was going to be badged as a Trans Am it was going to have a V8. All Trans Ams were Firebirds, but not all Firebirds were Trans Ams. KITT was a Trans AM.
That is how I know it as well. Firebird: small engine, Trans Am: V8
@@mrtopcat2They're all Firebirds.
@@redslate OP has already made that clear. And I have already agreed with that in my post.
@@mrtopcat2 Negative.
Def not clear in your response.
@@redslate OK. Have fun splitting hairs then.
the steering box mount probably has a fracture.. i grew up with these, i had 3 camaros and 1 firebird. the steering was always crisp and tight.. i liked to add subframe connectors, sway bars and strut tower brace.. also hotchkis suspension in the rear because even the V6 motor could spin over sized 275/60 15 tires easy. not cushy through bumps but a great sporty ride. just difficult to work exhaust with subframe connectors in the way. i had a cool looking sunpro digital tachometer in one.. it was a wide and short rectangle that looked super futuristic for the 90's. sometimes my brother and I would hop in through the windows like the dukes of hazzard. i used to outrun the cops here in New York all the time for fun. good times.. the V6 Camaro could run the cops easy because it was so good around corners even with cheap $30 no name tires. 😅 These cars felt like an extension of my body. Fuel was cheap so i was redlining from every stop sign with the automatic transmissions and installed 3.73 rear gears usually, the auto would chirp the giant tires into 2nd gear even with the 2.8 liter V6 motor on dry pavement. (with a B&M street/strip shift kit and running Trik Shift fluid 😇 I drove one from NY to Texas and back, mostly cruising at 100mph and feeling to sleep lol. Totally smooth at high speed on the highway. Door bushings could wear easy because the doors were long and heavy. an eco box car crashed into me once, was a spray paint, paint job so, was no dent, just touched it up the next morning. no problem. these cars never needed maintenance it seemed and parts were so cheap and easy to get at the junkyard if needed for maybe 20 to 40 bucks. my stereo would get stolen sometimes, the hatch window was 60 bucks usually from burglars breaking it to steal the subwoofers and amp. things were so simple then. minimum wage could afford plenty of toys, 72 Cadillac, motorcycles.. and trendy chemical amusement if course. twas party time and mechanics loved these cars so much, a shop did a custom dynomax exhaust job for me for $20. literally. and he had to fit a V8 exhaust kit onto my V6 car lol. my next door neighbor had an 84 Camaro with a Pontiac big block 400 motor in it. it had a hillborn front facing scoop on the carb sticking out of a hole in the hood. he was 18, as was I. I pranked him once and unscrewed the scoop to pour a little automatic transmission fluid down his carb, so when he started it, the car would blow smoke and scare him 🤣 it just cleans the valves.. what catalytic converter? Big Block 400 wasn't running any sensors or smog crap. good times. now i drive Crown Victoria's. comfy, reliable and safe in a crash.. but these gas prices make me consider downsizing to a Ford Fiesta 🥺
that dynomax exhaust cat back was 120 bucks back then. everything is criminal expensive now. i remember at the gas station, hand them 20, fill er up. then get 6 back for change lol. 14 bucks now can't get me a quarter tank ☠️
that V8 sounds so creamy smooth!!
Owned an 84 TA with the WS6 package new. It was a great car. Bought it for $17.7k in 84 taxes in here in Ontario and sold it after 15 years for $3k, not a good family car :-). My wife cried when we sold it.
I would love GM to bring back the Trans Am. I’d buy a v8 Pontiac in a heartbeat. Might as well have that as perhaps my last car seeing that that 84 Trans Am was my first. It would bracket my life wonderfully and I’m sure my wife would love having one in the garage again.
There are endless possibilities in terms of aftermarket upgrades to make it ride and handle properly
There are also endless opportunities to boost the performance of the engine. If you can write a big enough check a company like Detroit speed could make it faster on a track than many modern sports cars
In terms of build quality, the 3rd gens were a monumental leap forward over the 2nd gens. Just compare the panel gaps. True the 3rd gen chassis are a wet noodle, but you can add SFCs (the Alsons are only 20 lbs) to stiffen things right up. Also add a WONDERBAR.......This brace is designed to further stiffen the front sub-frame and reinforce the steering box mount. If you do these things, you'll have a tight car that handles beautifully. Also true the interiors have a lot of plastic held together with screws, but again, it's no worse than a 2nd gen. Bottom line is these are awesome looking cars with torque-y engines that are really fun to drive.
I think the moral of the story is to test a car that is mechanically A1. I had my 3rd Gen Firebird for nearly 6 years ( I'm in the UK) and it was a superb handling, direct car, with good steering feedback and 'wow' looks. Nothing rattled interior wise going over rough ground, it never felt skittish and took undulations in the road in its stride. It did have the gutless 5.0 TBI lump but it could sit at illegal ( in the UK) speed limits all day long, without fuss. Think of it as a long distance tourer, happy on A&B roads and Motorways and you would be on the money. Were they built as well a Euro/Japanese equivalents? Probably not but not much European or Japanese looked as good and made you feel a bit special driving it and that, for me, is what its about.
I had an 84 TA. My first car. 4 barrel, auto. The car was fun and sparked my car enthusiasm. The car looked great for its time. It had the smaller phoenix on the hood scoop/extractor. It was in white with black decals. The potential of these cars was amazing.
If you ever get a chance go find the old car and driver article where they dropped a 383 stroked in this body style and turned it into a 200mph plus car. It had the potential but never allow to breath. Plus gm would never allow it to outperform the vette at the time.