Agreed as Pontiac at the time of its dismissal Pontiac had some of the more interesting cars in the GM line up: Solstice GXP targa, G8 GXp, G6 hardtop convertible.
@@peatyxxjxxx1494 With Pontiac it was death by a 1000 cuts from GM. Pontiac wanted to have equal or better performance cars than Chevrolet. And they were capable of doing it and they kept trying, but GM wouldn't let them out shine the Corvette or Camaro. They always wanted a 2 seat performance car. They slipped Fiero in as a commuter then when they finally started to get the good stuff for it in 88 it died. In 81 they basically turned the Firebird into a Pontiac Camaro. Pontiac was offered the Buick turbo 6 back in 82 but opted for the Chevrolet 305. In hindsight that was a mistake. Imagine all the TAs from 82-92 having 3.8 Turbos :) or at least the option for it.
Noughties Pontiac was infinitely more interesting in terms of looks and performance, but Buick was the 'original' General Motors marque from a century prior to the 2008 fustercluck and also had better international sales, so sadly from an economic and ideological perspective the government bailouts offered GM rather little choice.
The Firebird went out of production (along with the Camaro) in 2002, and General Motors discontinued the Pontiac brand in 2009 in the wake of the national recession.
@Geminisixtyfour - GM discontinued the Pontiac brand in 2009 because they were ordered to by Obama as a requisite to get a bailout loan. It wasn't GMs idea. It was a government mandate.
I'm a Mustang guy. But if I had room for an F-body I'd have an 88 or so GTA with the 350. They're probably the best looking GM car of the 80s. Though I would figure out how to put a 5 or 6 speed manual in it.
@Christian Barrett I used to street race back in the late 90s early 2000s with a guy who had an 89 TTA. Have video tape of a few of his races. I was running a modified 86 SVO Mustang. Another friend was running an 87 GN. he still has the GN
@@331Grabber I think it's easier to install another engine in a 5 speed car than a 5 speed in an automatic car. I have 305 with 5 speed and I have new 350 crate engine for her. Can't wait to try that! 😁
@@V8AmericanMuscleCar I need to dig up that old street race video tape of mine from the late 90s. You'd probably love all the cars on it. 87 Buick GN 87 Buick T-Type 89 TTA 87 IROC 68 Camaro 70 442 Oldsmobile 69 Charger 440 68 California Special Mustang Like 20 5.0 Mustang Fox bodies Another bunch of F bodies My 86 SVO Hell that's just a few of them. I miss those days :)
I miss my 91 TA. It was bright blue metallic, 5.7 liter. Mods I did were, hp prom, 160 degree thermostat, and installed a 3.73 ring and pinion. Sticker was $20,200 new. It pulled 14.4 down the quarter mile, and topped out around 145 mph. In 1992, this car was badass enough for me, a 23yr old kid, then.
Got to drive these when I worked at a Pontiac dealership close to 30 years ago. If only I had known the brand was living on borrowed time, I would have taken pictures to try and help keep the memories fresh. BRING BACK PONTIAC!!!!
Pontiac would have been better off being sold in 2008 instead of gutted. It would have been interesting to see them create the Corvette killer they'd always wanted to build.
I love the 91-92 GTAs.. I've owned 20 or so 68-95 T/A's and GTO's and any and all Pontiacs look good in green! But ur right this year bird looks the best in green.
There were 2,035 GTAs built in 1991.... of which 1,321 were built with the 5.7 and a total of 508 were the Green Metallic color. The 92s are way lower from what i've read there were only 144 GTA's with the 5.7 I almost bought a Jamaican Yellow 92 like 20 years ago 1 of 14!
@tommy d u b b s - Who wants a Buick? A hell of a lot more buyers than Pontiac ever had - especially in China. Buick makes profit! Pontiac erodes profit! No brainer, Bro.
I bought a GM "Brass Hat" demo '91 GTA back in 1991. Red with grey cloth buckets, and a fixed-mast antenna. Both were rarely seen "delete" options. I forget what it ran in the 1/4 as a stocker, but soon I had installed a set of the OEM L98 Corvette aluminum heads, an SLP box intake plenum with Edelbrock runners, a custom-ground hydraulic roller camshaft, aluminum roller rockers, SLP stainless shorty headers and a Flowmaster muffler. It then ran 13-teens at over 105 MPH in the 1/4, even though I was still running the OEM 3.23 gears and the OEM torque converter. It was quite the sleeper and a BLAST on the street, as I rarely had any problem taking care of any of the competitive cars of the day. Ah, the memories . . .
Sounds like a cool car. My 91 GTA came with gray cloth and it was pretty common as leather seats were the upgrade option. The fixed antenna is interesting.
Yeah they aren't so fast today but so what. 340 lb-ft of low end torque is still respectable and the fun factor of these cars are astronomincally high in addition to the class factor. They are timeless in design.
@@digitalmagicAR That's the thing, the torque at low revs. These engines were heavily restricted, so the maximum power output wasn't too high, but on the other had most of the maximum power output on all revs, that's why the car was fast even though the maximum figures weren't high.
It’s funny how a car weighing “nearly 3400 lbs” was considered heavy. There’s a reason new Camaros and Mustangs require over 400hp to move quickly. Lighter is almost always faster.
Had the pleasure of owning a 91 trans am t-top for 6 glorious years. Found it at a used car lot in 2007 fresh out of storage with 55,000 miles on it. She was white with black wheels, what a classy look it had. Tuned port 305 and the automatic with the lesser ws6 package ( had rear drums but still had the suspension upgrades). I absolutely loved that car, it always made me feel like a million bucks whenever I drove it. Sadly we'll never see cars like this ever again.
how much?, i once had a 1990 GTA ws6 but in the ruby red/gold wheels, 1990 was a rare year only a few thousand made, and most didn't have disc brakes on the rear because of a shortage they were called ws7 i believe.
Well the ws6 versions rides stiff as fuk like bust your teeth out if you hit a pebble, good tires will make or break the ride it seriously felt like a different car after i put some (good at the time) goodyears on it. We also put new tie rods/ ball joints, bushing, and some good shocks on it and it was tight and nimble, zero body roll it was like a giant go kart but the back end is light combined with being that stiff it will break lose real easy. They don't have a rack and pinon steering, so the steering gets slapped out when they're old so people think they are just that way normally but if you put a fresh steering box in its not bad at all, so just know if you drive one and its all sloppy thats not right it shouldn't be like that. Oh and if it has a dish fin/wing on the back just expect to replace it because they rot/get soggy no big deal just something to look out for. If you drive a formula firebird they don't have anything close to the same suspension, its really soft and spongy compared to the ws6.
Yeah and when 6.3 sec zero to sixty times were considered fast, when today there are many mid sized crossovers that are sub 6 sec zero to sixty. I drove a mid 70s Camaro Berlinetta - a beautiful car.
I'm with you man. I was driving a 1994 25th Anniversary Trans-Am in 1996 and a 2002 Firehawk Trans-Am from 2002-2006. I still have both cars and while they were stupidly fast back then...they don't come close to what we have today. My yellow and black 2017 Dodge Challenger RT+P is pushing 440hp@425 ft. lb. of torque. It is incredibly fast for a daily driver and best of all gets fantastic gas mileage. I'm hitting 27-28 mpg without trying.
@@oslinthompson8182 That is a beautiful car. I take it you sold her at some point. I came close to selling my first two 1994 25th Anniversary Trans-Am and 02 Firehawk Trans-Am but my father was the voice of reason. Both times he talked me out of it and now both cars are worth quite a bit. I drive a 2017 Dodge Challenger RT+P now that's getting 440hp@425 ft. lb. of torque and as I said to the last guy it gets gas mileage like you wouldn't believe. She sips fuel when I ride her like a normal car.
@@oslinthompson8182W is notorious for the slowest performance numbers. Observe the off the line smoke show, losing valuable time. With a competent driver, they were easily sub 6 sec 0-60 and low to mid 14 sec ET’s.
I saw these reviews on pbs back in the day. I recall they aired on a sat. or sun. I always tried to watch them, they were the best auto reviews available on tv at the time, way before youtube and the net.
Miss mines. Had an 89 GTA with T-Tops, red, hooked headers, and flowmaster muffler, beautiful chrome 3 inch dual exhaust. I would have still had it if it wasn't for my first divorce. Dang!!!
I love these retro reviews. It takes us back to those years. I would love if car companies would reproduce these cars exactly as they were back then and offer it for sale. And those of you complaining about how fast, it was a different era. You probably were a thought back then.
And now this style of car- bare bones, affordable, stylish V8 powered rear drive hot rod- truly is extinct, never to return. What a shame, I was born too late
I love these retro reviews. It gives an insight into what current car companies products were like back then and contrast them with what they have out today even the ones that are no longer around today. Keep them coming Motor Week
They had some reasonably small cameras back then. Not sure if they had their own tape machine or if they used some sort of radio transmission to a near by tape recorder unit.
Trance88 depended on the model of camera some were able to record remotely (that's how scenes where cars were driven by radio control were filmed) and others recorded locally through videotape
My first car in 1978 was a triple green, automatic, 400cid, limited slip 1969 Firebird. Sold it to my brother for college money. I miss that old girl. I have only seen one other triple green 69 bird since then.
mark allen nice. Pontiacs were the best. They drove and handle much better then their bow tie counterparts. Besides the 400-455 being possibly the most underrated V8s of the time.
I don't always drive my third gen but when I do people always stare and some honk and wave.. 89 Formula 350 black with t tops and cold ac. I keep her maintained,clean and waxed . She may be a little high maintenance and a bit of a money pit at times but I'll love her forever.
Had an 88 GTA. Loved it, would be great to have a 91. Currently in a G8 GT. RIP Pontiac, and now Holden. Everything is going electric so enjoy any form of muscle why you still can. Sad. Life's too short to drive boring cars..
My neighbor ordered an 89 T/A 5.0 TPI 5 speed brand new. 2 toned blue/grey on grey interior. He had a 3.73 posi rear gear installed at the dealer, ( I believe it had a 3.08 stock) and it ran a 14 flat at 100.3 mph at US 44 dragstrip, bone stock. He had it exactly 2 yrs before it was stolen, and never found... I've always had a soft spot for the 82-92 generation.
When I was in high school, my buddy bought a brand new 88 GTA. Black exterior with tan interior, that car was amazing, and surprisingly handled very well for its size and weight.
First driving car was an 84 Firebird, with the 2.8 6 pot. Was a horrid eggshell white, no rear brakes and smelled awful due to a forgotten watermelon on a hot sunny day. I loved that POS
86 and up (or maybe 85) 2.8s were better than the earlier 2.8. Bottom end was stronger iirc. My 89 v6 did just fine in Germany for 2 years. Stop and go traffic, hills, and regular cruising 110-130mph.
84 was still 2bbl carb, 85-89 was the HO with port fuel injection, made about 35 more hp. I owned an 88 with the 2.8 HO, and it wasn't bad (though obviously not a V8)
My brother has a black 1989 gta that's been sitting in the driveway for about 10 years now. He bought it in like 1999. He used to take me out in it when I was an early teenager it was always a blast. We used to blast Soundgarden and Audioslave with the t-tops off! It had AFR heads crane cam, edelbrock intake manifold, slp intake runners, and slp catback. He never got it dyno tuned and so it always struggled to pass smog and one time he couldn't get it to pass and he just stopped driving it. We get about a person every month dropping by to offer to buy it lol. He still has a pair of stainless SLP headers hanging on the wall in the garage that never got put on. Good times.
Magnum force Mopar i had a 89 FIREBIRD formula! 350ci, i had super 10 flowmaster installed, 1 cat back! man that thing sounded like a Nascar almost! GOD I MISS THAT CAR!!
THA FIREBIRD nice. I love that car. Hearing a kids at the tech school I went to in the mid 90s made me have to get some flowmasters myself as I had dyno max at the time on my 71 Ventura. Pontiac was the best.
Yup I had a 85" iron-z 5.0 with flow masters man even with the 5.0 it was badass to hear. Not to high not to low just perfect and my dad had a 87 gta just stock it sounded badass
I bought the almost twin to this model, but a t top 5.0 V8 model, new. After 31 years, its still in almost perfect shape and still excites me to drive it every time. 126k reliable miles, bone stock.. Nothing compares to driving this beast - its an incredible feeling drive a low slung V8 ponycar.
One of my favorite parts of the Retro Reviews are seeing what plays when they try the radio. For instance, that was probably the last time Revolution was ever played on the radio. They never play good stuff now.
The moment when youre german, want to buy this beautifull masterpiece of car and have to worry about the fuel economy, but you remember that you will pay less tax because the car become historical
All you ppl saying slow by today's standards....you really need to drive 1. 340 trq will throw you back so hard and corner exiting speed would amaze you. Also you feel connected to the road. No drive by wire, electric power steering, no magnetic suspension. Just a real car. And fyi I'm not a gm gym but the gta demands respect.
Torque doesn't throw you back, horsepower does. Horsepower is a unit of work. Torque is simply a force. Horsepower is what moves the car. What you're talking about is a small, peaky torque curve that results in more low-end power. That's why the car is so slow. Because for all the torque it can muster, it cannot maintain it as the revs increase. A broader power band would make the car faster.
@@rars0n Adam I am sorry but you're reply does not hold up. no engine makes enough horsepower at low rpms for example a standing start to throw you back in your seat. think of horsepower as a human sprinter with lungs. Horsepower is how well you can perform at maximum speed. your cars engine needs to be moving at higher rpms to even produce horsepower.If you look at any Dyno results you will see that at lower revs there's not much horsepower at all. How is that supposed to throw you back in your seat?in acceleration runs horsepower only helps when you're in the power band even then when the horsepower and torque curves meet then horsepower starts taking over. there is a reason why these V8 cars with high torque,low horsepower figures still perform at the track.TORQUE gets you moving from not moving at all
@@danielwatne5535 What are you smoking? I don't start my car at 0 RPMs, when I launch my car I do it at 7500 RPM with full boost and the car goes sideways as all 4 wheels spin. Obviously you've never been to the track in a powerful car. Horsepower is a function of torque and RPM. Torque is a FORCE. It does not move the car. POWER is what moves the car. You're also completely ignoring gearing, which is what determines how much power is applied at the wheels. Why do you think Formula 1 engines that rev to 19k and make zero torque are so fast? Because of gearing, not torque. Nothing you said makes any sense. You seem to think that because big V8s are fast in low-RPMs it must be because they make a lot of low-end torque. YES, that's exactly correct! Because low-end torque equals low-end horsepower and less of a need to rev the engine up to launch the car! That's exactly my point! Power is what is moving the car, not torque!
340 lb feet of torque is still nothing to complain about by today's standards... The 6.2l in the new Camaro SS puts out 455. And for a weird twist the new Camaro is also available with a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-banger so yikes...
@@jamesmartin1387 I thought that I could barely see out of a Camaro due to my vertically challenged 5'6" frame. It was a bit sketchy with such poor visibility and surprisingly strong engine. (SS). Felt a lot more comfortable in a Challenger.
Well, there's actually 1000's of people who would disagree with you--I think people tend to either hate Fox body Mustangs (like you) or love them...it's a matter of personal preference.
The Car Crazy Guy You are whats wrong with America. #1 the 700r is what this car has and it is the base for all gm over drives in cars and is what 90% of ls came with called 4L60e #2 With some new heads a cam headers injectors and a stand alone fuel module this 350 will destroy any ls turd.
Magnum force Mopar The problem is cubic inch for cubic inch the traditional 350 tpi heads can't flow nearly as well as LS heads this is why LS engines usually dyno 20+% more hours HP/TQ to the wheels. 350 Cid traditional gen one style 350's rarely breaks 400whp (N/A) while the 346 Cid gen 3 LS1 style engine can make 500whp on natural aspiration. Let's not get started on boost performance because the LS is about 10X better than any gen 1 for that.
Not to mention the LS brought us the T56 a completely new 6 speed manual better than the T5 from third gens by miles. Yes the 700r4 and the 4L60 are similar but the 4L60e is quite a bit different with computer control, not to mention the creation of better transmissions (4L80e and 6L80e)
Still a beautiful car. Timeless. When they were doing the handling tests, I felt like I was watching knight rider. Just needed the red scanner in front. Lol
This body style can still compete with today’s modern coupes. Just add updated technology Nav, virtual dashboard and maybe an AWD system for better traction.
Always hated the 91-92 front end. I have had 4 F-bodies, would still love to find a clean 85 Trans AM with T-tops, bright red with gray bottom to to a modern engine swap to. Those cars new were very sharp.
scott9050 I agree three months ago got a 86 Trans Am WS6 red silver trim. Bad tpi motor but the car's in great shape inside and out a lot of options. The WS6 was kind of iroc level of performance for the T/A. Will restore the car in the near future to factory stock. No pimp outed, cheezy aluminun wheels or cheapo steering wheel for this ride.
91 and 92 F-Body's were the BEST built !!. Late built 91' and all 92's had special adhesive/glue underneath the chassis for less body flex and rattles !!
I had this car and I loved it. I had the choice between 90 or 91 with the cat face front. I got the 91, never had problems with it. I do remember the interior high mounted stop light always blowed the bulb within two months. I was always putting new ones in. Other then that, it was a great car. I was 16, a gift to get to school. Needless to say I always had a car full.
Unfortunately the salt got to it. I'm from New Hampshire but live in Florida now. Wish I had lived in Florida then. Cars long gone, but boy was it a fun car. GM did a really good job putting that era of cars together. Purchased a lot of GM car after that but was VERY disappointed in the end result of always have problems down the road. I'm a Toyota fan now, as I drive a 2016 Lexus GS 200t F-sport. Well at least I still have the urge for a sporty driving experience. Boy, do I miss those days in general. Life was so much easier, honest and just plain more respectful as a hole. Oh and people took pride in their work and held their selfs to a higher standard.
My 1990 GTA had ABS , and ran 14.2sec stock. Also for only a few hundred dollars you could bump power to 375hp with a $200 cam and some cheap $75 LT headers to make a good mid/low 13sec car . The interior is also So much better looking then the c4 vett.
frank leary they got 14.9 spinning tires on purpose. These cars were sick never got the credit because muscle cars were cheap in the 90s and I had 10s Nova 12s Ventura I built for 5k including buying the cars. Great times and your ride sounds sweet.
Some of that is true. No abs till 1993 in camaro's and firebirds. No way 375hp could be achieved unless its mini rammed, supercharged or turbo. Tpi's were torque motors
L98 heads were good for 200cfm same as the old fuelie heads and both are good for about 375hp on a 350ci/5.7L with a healthy roller cam, the tuned port intake was cfm limited so proper cam choice was important, or you could do what everybody else did and rip all that complication off and add a duel plane 4 barrel intake and Qjet carb and a cheap roller cam plus some headers=375hp. if you can't get 375hp out of a chevy 350 you might be a ford person smh, the L98 had high enough compression and "ok" head flow but the stock cam was weak something like 193 duration and .470lift if you bump it up to 218 D and .510 lift +some 1.6 roller rockers and free the exhaust up with long tube headers/no cats and go true duel all the way back. SLP made a 350hp version that ran 13.2sec so i'm not without proof here.
I think we bought that actual gta used in the video. Bought it from an engineer that purchased it from his work, gm tech center. It had been abused used a mule at tech center and scrapped kind of. Dented the intake tube, dented the hood all up, missing rear wing, missing stereo unit. One wheel dented. He said he was the guy that modeled it in clay. Mentioned it was the first v8 trans am that broke 150mph. We got it kind of cheap and never really put it back on the road. Been years now since we sold it.
My first car was a 70 Firebird, base V8 and Hydromatic slush box. Absolutely wonderful car for what it was. Those early second generation cars will always be my favorites, but the third gen Firebird was a sleek looking machine. China deserves Buick, North America deserves better. We deserve Pontiac.
Back in the 90s 240hp was considered dangerous and not suitable for teens, while in 2017 the challenger hellcat was released with a teen driver restrictive key limiting to 500hp. Wow how standards have changed.
I remember when these came out. Gorgeous cars! Thankful to be able to see this review again as back then I only caught the tail end of it on TV and wished to see it again. The non-ABS brakes of the Z28 and Trans Am/Formula/GTA rivaled the stopping distance of most ABS equipped cars of the time.
I had a 2000 with t-tops, and a 87 with a lt1 87 looked better but 2000 ,Not a ws6, still went 185 mph with a chip funnest dam cars I ever drove and these gtaz, always looked better than the 93-2002 ones but dam those last ones would fly man gona gona have to find me another one soon
I think GM made a big mistake by dropping the pontiac name plate & keeping buick
Agreed as Pontiac at the time of its dismissal Pontiac had some of the more interesting cars in the GM line up: Solstice GXP targa, G8 GXp, G6 hardtop convertible.
@@peatyxxjxxx1494
With Pontiac it was death by a 1000 cuts from GM. Pontiac wanted to have equal or better performance cars than Chevrolet. And they were capable of doing it and they kept trying, but GM wouldn't let them out shine the Corvette or Camaro.
They always wanted a 2 seat performance car. They slipped Fiero in as a commuter then when they finally started to get the good stuff for it in 88 it died.
In 81 they basically turned the Firebird into a Pontiac Camaro. Pontiac was offered the Buick turbo 6 back in 82 but opted for the Chevrolet 305. In hindsight that was a mistake. Imagine all the TAs from 82-92 having 3.8 Turbos :) or at least the option for it.
This was all about the "business", not choosing favorites. The lowest profit turners were out the door. Simple as that.
Buicks sell like hotcakes in China, so that's why they were kept around
Noughties Pontiac was infinitely more interesting in terms of looks and performance, but Buick was the 'original' General Motors marque from a century prior to the 2008 fustercluck and also had better international sales, so sadly from an economic and ideological perspective the government bailouts offered GM rather little choice.
"The Firebird will be with us for years to come."
Well, we had fun, anyway. RIP Pontiac.
The Firebird went out of production (along with the Camaro) in 2002, and General Motors discontinued the Pontiac brand in 2009 in the wake of the national recession.
Well, they technically weren't lying. They said "for years" to come. They didn't say "forever".
@Geminisixtyfour - GM discontinued the Pontiac brand in 2009 because they were ordered to by Obama as a requisite to get a bailout loan. It wasn't GMs idea. It was a government mandate.
@@Loulovesspeed Same people that all relationship worse after that.
@ae747sp - Want to try again, your statement makes no sense to me.
Cool car, I always thought Trans Ams were way better looking than the Camaro, it's a shame they're gone forever now.
I'm a Mustang guy. But if I had room for an F-body I'd have an 88 or so GTA with the 350. They're probably the best looking GM car of the 80s. Though I would figure out how to put a 5 or 6 speed manual in it.
@Christian Barrett
I used to street race back in the late 90s early 2000s with a guy who had an 89 TTA. Have video tape of a few of his races. I was running a modified 86 SVO Mustang. Another friend was running an 87 GN. he still has the GN
@@331Grabber you can use the ZF 6 Speed from 89-92 Corvettes, it bolts up (since it's the same engine)
@@331Grabber I think it's easier to install another engine in a 5 speed car than a 5 speed in an automatic car. I have 305 with 5 speed and I have new 350 crate engine for her. Can't wait to try that! 😁
@@V8AmericanMuscleCar
I need to dig up that old street race video tape of mine from the late 90s.
You'd probably love all the cars on it.
87 Buick GN
87 Buick T-Type
89 TTA
87 IROC
68 Camaro
70 442 Oldsmobile
69 Charger 440
68 California Special Mustang
Like 20 5.0 Mustang Fox bodies
Another bunch of F bodies
My 86 SVO
Hell that's just a few of them. I miss those days :)
I miss my 91 TA. It was bright blue metallic, 5.7 liter. Mods I did were, hp prom, 160 degree thermostat, and installed a 3.73 ring and pinion. Sticker was $20,200 new. It pulled 14.4 down the quarter mile, and topped out around 145 mph. In 1992, this car was badass enough for me, a 23yr old kid, then.
It's a 30 year car that still looks today super sleek and smoking hot
No it doesn’t
Can't help thinking of the shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.
Terroriser Spot man I had a couple similar to this and it still gets me pumped.
I just pretended with my 3 speed Grand Prix.
One man can make a difference.........
Hey I do it with a autotragic Montana mommyvan. Gotta' dream ya know.
KITT was the shit. I hated the 2009 remake. A trash Mustang.
Loved those tail lights!
Ya they're RARE 91-92 only !! They go for $400-500 on ebay !!
Chicagoguy84 YES!!!! I have a 1988 GTA! I’ve always liked these and they are super rare!
0l
I love Pontiac Trans AM GTA. beautifull and pretty car
Got to drive these when I worked at a Pontiac dealership close to 30 years ago. If only I had known the brand was living on borrowed time, I would have taken pictures to try and help keep the memories fresh. BRING BACK PONTIAC!!!!
Pontiac would have been better off being sold in 2008 instead of gutted. It would have been interesting to see them create the Corvette killer they'd always wanted to build.
This version of the GTA in green was really a good looking car, you don't even see them at cars and coffee even!
@@ronaldarchibald2506 The one in the video is green.
I love the 91-92 GTAs.. I've owned 20 or so 68-95 T/A's and GTO's and any and all Pontiacs look good in green! But ur right this year bird looks the best in green.
Only like 1500 gtas were built in 91. Thats why you never see them.
There were 2,035 GTAs built in 1991.... of which 1,321 were built with the 5.7 and a total of 508 were the Green Metallic color. The 92s are way lower from what i've read there were only 144 GTA's with the 5.7 I almost bought a Jamaican Yellow 92 like 20 years ago 1 of 14!
Check out my Trans Am on my channel.
GM must bring Pontiac back and rival M3, S4 and C63. Bringing back a Firebird defeating Hellcat or Demon would be interesting. No vans or crossovers.
EDWIN QUIOTO I agree 😁
I think Pontiac made a mistake bailing on the Catalina after 1981, could you guys have imagined a 94-96 Catalina similar to the 94-96 Impala SS?!? 😁
Yeah who wants a Buick
@tommy d u b b s - Who wants a Buick? A hell of a lot more buyers than Pontiac ever had - especially in China. Buick makes profit! Pontiac erodes profit! No brainer, Bro.
Bring Pontiac back, make it a performance brand. TransAm, GTO, and Soltace. And make it real performance not rebadged product.
I bought a GM "Brass Hat" demo '91 GTA back in 1991. Red with grey cloth buckets, and a fixed-mast antenna. Both were rarely seen "delete" options. I forget what it ran in the 1/4 as a stocker, but soon I had installed a set of the OEM L98 Corvette aluminum heads, an SLP box intake plenum with Edelbrock runners, a custom-ground hydraulic roller camshaft, aluminum roller rockers, SLP stainless shorty headers and a Flowmaster muffler. It then ran 13-teens at over 105 MPH in the 1/4, even though I was still running the OEM 3.23 gears and the OEM torque converter. It was quite the sleeper and a BLAST on the street, as I rarely had any problem taking care of any of the competitive cars of the day. Ah, the memories . . .
Sounds like a cool car. My 91 GTA came with gray cloth and it was pretty common as leather seats were the upgrade option. The fixed antenna is interesting.
I finally just got a 1990 GTA and i absolutely love it one of the most beautiful cars ever
Congratulations! 🎉🎉👏👏👏
Nice
That 0-60 time is still fast enough for me!
They didn't even mention it
@@elonmust7470 it was at the beginning. 6.3 seconds to 60. Watch it again
Yeah they aren't so fast today but so what. 340 lb-ft of low end torque is still respectable and the fun factor of these cars are astronomincally high in addition to the class factor. They are timeless in design.
@@digitalmagicAR That's the thing, the torque at low revs. These engines were heavily restricted, so the maximum power output wasn't too high, but on the other had most of the maximum power output on all revs, that's why the car was fast even though the maximum figures weren't high.
@@SparrowNoblePoland True they were good for low and mid range
RIP pontiac
Rise from the dead.
rfdsdf1 breakaway Pontiac
rfdsdf1 pontiwack
GM loves killing things once they become good. G8, Solstice, GTO! I'd happily trade Buick for Pontiac...
He jinxed it saying it would be here for years to come, more like 10 years.
It’s funny how a car weighing “nearly 3400 lbs” was considered heavy. There’s a reason new Camaros and Mustangs require over 400hp to move quickly. Lighter is almost always faster.
A 90-92 TA is almost impossible to find these days.
Nowadays they are in Sweden and Finland.
Had the pleasure of owning a 91 trans am t-top for 6 glorious years. Found it at a used car lot in 2007 fresh out of storage with 55,000 miles on it. She was white with black wheels, what a classy look it had. Tuned port 305 and the automatic with the lesser ws6 package ( had rear drums but still had the suspension upgrades). I absolutely loved that car, it always made me feel like a million bucks whenever I drove it. Sadly we'll never see cars like this ever again.
Man I loved to have that car today. Always my favorite since Knight Rider.
I was thinking about the same thing
Check out mine.
I had a 86,its really comfortable to drive,i reccomend getting one and do research on it as well so you what to expect from repairs.
This body style did 308 mph at Bonneville in 1997..kugel and lefevers Pontiac trans am
that forest green color with the tan interior has always been my favorite combination ever
This engine was also available in the lower cost Firebird Formula.
The trunk in the third generation is much better then the current platform offered.
I would seriously love to restore one of these bad boys to it’s factory originality at some point.
Why don't you just buy mine? It's a 1990 with 9076 miles. L98, WS6 Bright Red auto trans
Original miles? If so, that's sweet.
how much?, i once had a 1990 GTA ws6 but in the ruby red/gold wheels, 1990 was a rare year only a few thousand made, and most didn't have disc brakes on the rear because of a shortage they were called ws7 i believe.
Restoring one right now actually.
Well the ws6 versions rides stiff as fuk like bust your teeth out if you hit a pebble, good tires will make or break the ride it seriously felt like a different car after i put some (good at the time) goodyears on it. We also put new tie rods/ ball joints, bushing, and some good shocks on it and it was tight and nimble, zero body roll it was like a giant go kart but the back end is light combined with being that stiff it will break lose real easy. They don't have a rack and pinon steering, so the steering gets slapped out when they're old so people think they are just that way normally but if you put a fresh steering box in its not bad at all, so just know if you drive one and its all sloppy thats not right it shouldn't be like that. Oh and if it has a dish fin/wing on the back just expect to replace it because they rot/get soggy no big deal just something to look out for. If you drive a formula firebird they don't have anything close to the same suspension, its really soft and spongy compared to the ws6.
Had a minty 1991 Formula with the L98. Miss that car... :(
Had 89 and 95 Trans Am's in the past; loved them both. And funny how 3600+ was considered heavy when my 2016 392 Scat Pack Charger weighs in at 4500+!
Yeah and when 6.3 sec zero to sixty times were considered fast, when today there are many mid sized crossovers that are sub 6 sec zero to sixty.
I drove a mid 70s Camaro Berlinetta - a beautiful car.
I'm with you man. I was driving a 1994 25th Anniversary Trans-Am in 1996 and a 2002 Firehawk Trans-Am from 2002-2006. I still have both cars and while they were stupidly fast back then...they don't come close to what we have today. My yellow and black 2017 Dodge Challenger RT+P is pushing 440hp@425 ft. lb. of torque. It is incredibly fast for a daily driver and best of all gets fantastic gas mileage. I'm hitting 27-28 mpg without trying.
@@oslinthompson8182
That is a beautiful car. I take it you sold her at some point. I came close to selling my first two 1994 25th Anniversary Trans-Am and 02 Firehawk Trans-Am but my father was the voice of reason. Both times he talked me out of it and now both cars are worth quite a bit. I drive a 2017 Dodge Challenger RT+P now that's getting 440hp@425 ft. lb. of torque and as I said to the last guy it gets gas mileage like you wouldn't believe. She sips fuel when I ride her like a normal car.
@@oslinthompson8182W is notorious for the slowest performance numbers. Observe the off the line smoke show, losing valuable time. With a competent driver, they were easily sub 6 sec 0-60 and low to mid 14 sec ET’s.
I saw these reviews on pbs back in the day. I recall they aired on a sat. or sun. I always tried to watch them, they were the best auto reviews available on tv at the time, way before youtube and the net.
Miss mines. Had an 89 GTA with T-Tops, red, hooked headers, and flowmaster muffler, beautiful chrome 3 inch dual exhaust. I would have still had it if it wasn't for my first divorce. Dang!!!
Women...
I love these retro reviews. It takes us back to those years. I would love if car companies would reproduce these cars exactly as they were back then and offer it for sale. And those of you complaining about how fast, it was a different era. You probably were a thought back then.
That's a nice looking car. Reminds me of Knight Rider! Loved that show growing up.
And now this style of car- bare bones, affordable, stylish V8 powered rear drive hot rod- truly is extinct, never to return. What a shame, I was born too late
I love these retro reviews. It gives an insight into what current car companies products were like back then and contrast them with what they have out today even the ones that are no longer around today. Keep them coming Motor Week
I miss Pontiac and those 90's color combinations. Dark green and tan interior speaks to me.
I wonder how the camera looked like mounted outside on the car, 20 years before gopros
They had some reasonably small cameras back then. Not sure if they had their own tape machine or if they used some sort of radio transmission to a near by tape recorder unit.
Trance88 depended on the model of camera
some were able to record remotely (that's how scenes where cars were driven by radio control were filmed) and others recorded locally through videotape
jerry calvert
a portable camera that can be attached to helmets and other surfaces
I always like the mesh wheels. Make sure that 240hp doesn't get away from you!
More the 330 lb-ft...
the torque is insane tho
Have you driven one? They can bite you in a hurry. Nobody now knows how to handle a big rear driver with a 3 or 4 speed auto
Same Horsepower And Engine As 1985 1986 1987 Corvette!
You have no idea how fast this car is.
Nice!!
90's GTAs looks great in that color!
My first car in 1978 was a triple green, automatic, 400cid, limited slip 1969 Firebird. Sold it to my brother for college money. I miss that old girl. I have only seen one other triple green 69 bird since then.
mark allen nice. Pontiacs were the best. They drove and handle much better then their bow tie counterparts. Besides the 400-455 being possibly the most underrated V8s of the time.
thumbs down for this liar
Gilberto Solorio
So why is he a liar??
I hate it when people make negative comments with NO explanation.
Lol @ Nodick Soulja.
I saw a V6 version of this yesterday (10/5/2017) on the road in Torrance CA. Aside from that, these are RARE.
I have a v6 right now it my dd
I don't always drive my third gen but when I do people always stare and some honk and wave.. 89 Formula 350 black with t tops and cold ac. I keep her maintained,clean and waxed . She may be a little high maintenance and a bit of a money pit at times but I'll love her forever.
Had an 88 GTA. Loved it, would be great to have a 91. Currently in a G8 GT. RIP Pontiac, and now Holden. Everything is going electric so enjoy any form of muscle why you still can. Sad. Life's too short to drive boring cars..
Replaced the front end yet?
your 88 looked way better....
Man, I miss my '91. Brilliant Red, kept it clean. Sold in '02 for $5000.
I had an 89 formula... I loved it!
My neighbor ordered an 89 T/A 5.0 TPI 5 speed brand new. 2 toned blue/grey on grey interior. He had a 3.73 posi rear gear installed at the dealer, ( I believe it had a 3.08 stock) and it ran a 14 flat at 100.3 mph at US 44 dragstrip, bone stock. He had it exactly 2 yrs before it was stolen, and never found... I've always had a soft spot for the 82-92 generation.
When I was in high school, my buddy bought a brand new 88 GTA. Black exterior with tan interior, that car was amazing, and surprisingly handled very well for its size and weight.
I love it. Pontiac’s beauty always rocked, even when chevrolet design stuttered
I like the front of the 91-92 pontiac. It kinda looks like a birds beak.
First driving car was an 84 Firebird, with the 2.8 6 pot. Was a horrid eggshell white, no rear brakes and smelled awful due to a forgotten watermelon on a hot sunny day. I loved that POS
86 and up (or maybe 85) 2.8s were better than the earlier 2.8. Bottom end was stronger iirc. My 89 v6 did just fine in Germany for 2 years. Stop and go traffic, hills, and regular cruising 110-130mph.
I had a 82 with 2.8, It could chirp the tire grabbing second. I thought I was bad ass. Oh the teenage mind
Go Mango 392 yeah the base Firebirds had pretty narrow gears on the rear end. Made the acceleration feel better.
At least it wasn't an Iron Duke
84 was still 2bbl carb, 85-89 was the HO with port fuel injection, made about 35 more hp. I owned an 88 with the 2.8 HO, and it wasn't bad (though obviously not a V8)
Great for just cruising around
Francisco Vasquez most of the Firebirds had the corvette engines as far as I know
Mario Iacolucci the last ones did in 89 they had a buick and before idk
My first car was an 89 Formula 350. I was able to get almost 28 MPG on the highway cruising at 70 to 75 MPH.
My brother has a black 1989 gta that's been sitting in the driveway for about 10 years now. He bought it in like 1999. He used to take me out in it when I was an early teenager it was always a blast. We used to blast Soundgarden and Audioslave with the t-tops off! It had AFR heads crane cam, edelbrock intake manifold, slp intake runners, and slp catback. He never got it dyno tuned and so it always struggled to pass smog and one time he couldn't get it to pass and he just stopped driving it. We get about a person every month dropping by to offer to buy it lol. He still has a pair of stainless SLP headers hanging on the wall in the garage that never got put on. Good times.
just love the sound of that Tuned Port!! sounds even better with flowmaster exhaust!
THA FIREBIRD definitely. I had a 85 vette with borals and hollowed cats it was loud and fast.
Magnum force Mopar i had a 89 FIREBIRD formula! 350ci, i had super 10 flowmaster installed, 1 cat back! man that thing sounded like a Nascar almost! GOD I MISS THAT CAR!!
THA FIREBIRD nice. I love that car. Hearing a kids at the tech school I went to in the mid 90s made me have to get some flowmasters myself as I had dyno max at the time on my 71 Ventura. Pontiac was the best.
Magnum force Mopar Wow!! thats great!!
Yup I had a 85" iron-z 5.0 with flow masters man even with the 5.0 it was badass to hear. Not to high not to low just perfect and my dad had a 87 gta just stock it sounded badass
Bought 89 gta 5.7 yesterday, straight n clean , 160k. Got it for a deal! Unreal
I owned two of these back in the day, an 87 and a 91, back before I knew better, they were loose as hell and rattling to pieces. Good times though
Nice looking car!
Man, I miss this car. Had same one in green. Not leather, but was awesome! Kill me now. Kids.. ex baby mommas. Sucks getting old.
I bought the almost twin to this model, but a t top 5.0 V8 model, new. After 31 years, its still in almost perfect shape and still excites me to drive it every time. 126k reliable miles, bone stock.. Nothing compares to driving this beast - its an incredible feeling drive a low slung V8 ponycar.
One of my favorite parts of the Retro Reviews are seeing what plays when they try the radio. For instance, that was probably the last time Revolution was ever played on the radio. They never play good stuff now.
This was one of my dream cars back then; mean looks, a mighty V8 and very inviting seats, especially in this tan leather. I still love to own one.
Long live pop ups.
I’m a Ford guy that can say he is TRULY a fan of everything Pontiac. Even the Aztek.
Pontiac I miss you!!Your like that hot cool chick in high school yea you know the one she's gone just like the GTA. GTO ...
I can’t believe for that kind of car Pontiac did not put anti-lock brakes in there.
The moment when youre german, want to buy this beautifull masterpiece of car and have to worry about the fuel economy, but you remember that you will pay less tax because the car become historical
SO BADASS!!!!!! THEN AND NOW!!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!!
All you ppl saying slow by today's standards....you really need to drive 1. 340 trq will throw you back so hard and corner exiting speed would amaze you. Also you feel connected to the road. No drive by wire, electric power steering, no magnetic suspension. Just a real car. And fyi I'm not a gm gym but the gta demands respect.
Torque doesn't throw you back, horsepower does. Horsepower is a unit of work. Torque is simply a force. Horsepower is what moves the car.
What you're talking about is a small, peaky torque curve that results in more low-end power. That's why the car is so slow. Because for all the torque it can muster, it cannot maintain it as the revs increase. A broader power band would make the car faster.
@@rars0n Adam I am sorry but you're reply does not hold up. no engine makes enough horsepower at low rpms for example a standing start to throw you back in your seat. think of horsepower as a human sprinter with lungs. Horsepower is how well you can perform at maximum speed. your cars engine needs to be moving at higher rpms to even produce horsepower.If you look at any Dyno results you will see that at lower revs there's not much horsepower at all. How is that supposed to throw you back in your seat?in acceleration runs horsepower only helps when you're in the power band even then when the horsepower and torque curves meet then horsepower starts taking over. there is a reason why these V8 cars with high torque,low horsepower figures still perform at the track.TORQUE gets you moving from not moving at all
@@danielwatne5535 What are you smoking? I don't start my car at 0 RPMs, when I launch my car I do it at 7500 RPM with full boost and the car goes sideways as all 4 wheels spin. Obviously you've never been to the track in a powerful car.
Horsepower is a function of torque and RPM. Torque is a FORCE. It does not move the car. POWER is what moves the car. You're also completely ignoring gearing, which is what determines how much power is applied at the wheels. Why do you think Formula 1 engines that rev to 19k and make zero torque are so fast? Because of gearing, not torque.
Nothing you said makes any sense. You seem to think that because big V8s are fast in low-RPMs it must be because they make a lot of low-end torque. YES, that's exactly correct! Because low-end torque equals low-end horsepower and less of a need to rev the engine up to launch the car! That's exactly my point! Power is what is moving the car, not torque!
@@rars0n Uhm, no sir, that what throws you back is torque and you need horsepowers to maintain it over time.
@@manoman0 I'm not going to explain it again. Torque is an angular force, it doesn't move the car.
That was the biggest problem with the Camaro and the firebird ever since they came out in the 80s was the dashboards were horrendously ugly..
I had this exact car and, absolutely loved it. It wasn’t the fastest around however, she got the looks and keeping it clean kept it pristine!
340 lb feet of torque is still nothing to complain about by today's standards... The 6.2l in the new Camaro SS puts out 455. And for a weird twist the new Camaro is also available with a turbocharged 2.0 liter four-banger so yikes...
@@jimgarrity2414 Yikes is right, what's the point in squeezing into a Camaro with poor outward vision to listen to a whistling 4 banger..
@@jamesmartin1387 I thought that I could barely see out of a Camaro due to my vertically challenged 5'6" frame. It was a bit sketchy with such poor visibility and surprisingly strong engine. (SS). Felt a lot more comfortable in a Challenger.
Started to snort at that horsepower figure but then heard the amount of torque!
$44,164.58 in today's money!
That's about how much a new Camaro SS would cost haha
Derick Smith GTA Trans Am in IROC Z the hottest American sports cars I've ever seen
Derick Smith the 80's Mustang you can completely keep totally ugly
I found one for $3000 used with only minor wear and tear.
Well, there's actually 1000's of people who would disagree with you--I think people tend to either hate Fox body Mustangs (like you) or love them...it's a matter of personal preference.
The steering wheel on this Pontiac Firebird would be recycled to the Lotus Esprit, since GM owned both brands at the time.
Drop an LS into it with a modern transmission and you have a badass car.
The Car Crazy Guy You are whats wrong with America.
#1 the 700r is what this car has and it is the base for all gm over drives in cars and is what 90% of ls came with called 4L60e
#2 With some new heads a cam headers injectors and a stand alone fuel module this 350 will destroy any ls turd.
Magnum force Mopar I’m what’s wrong with America??? Have you lost your mind?
A friend of mine just picked up one just like this he's doin an LS swap to lol. It's gonna be a sweet ride when he gets done with it
Magnum force Mopar The problem is cubic inch for cubic inch the traditional 350 tpi heads can't flow nearly as well as LS heads this is why LS engines usually dyno 20+% more hours HP/TQ to the wheels. 350 Cid traditional gen one style 350's rarely breaks 400whp (N/A) while the 346 Cid gen 3 LS1 style engine can make 500whp on natural aspiration. Let's not get started on boost performance because the LS is about 10X better than any gen 1 for that.
Not to mention the LS brought us the T56 a completely new 6 speed manual better than the T5 from third gens by miles. Yes the 700r4 and the 4L60 are similar but the 4L60e is quite a bit different with computer control, not to mention the creation of better transmissions (4L80e and 6L80e)
Still a beautiful car. Timeless.
When they were doing the handling tests, I felt like I was watching knight rider. Just needed the red scanner in front. Lol
Love these old reviews, do C5 Corvette next!!
Until then check out C5's on the Autobaun, people know how to drive there.. Wide Open!
This body style can still compete with today’s modern coupes. Just add updated technology Nav, virtual dashboard and maybe an AWD system for better traction.
Agreed
“Revolution” by The Beatles
Richard M gee ya think?
I had a. 91 Formula WS6 .Most times it ran like 14.6 on quarter one cold night it ran a 14.1 stock.I miss that car .
Always hated the 91-92 front end. I have had 4 F-bodies, would still love to find a clean 85 Trans AM with T-tops, bright red with gray bottom to to a modern engine swap to. Those cars new were very sharp.
scott9050 I agree three months ago got a 86 Trans Am WS6 red silver trim. Bad tpi motor but the car's in great shape inside and out a lot of options. The WS6 was kind of iroc level of performance for the T/A. Will restore the car in the near future to factory stock. No pimp outed, cheezy aluminun wheels or cheapo steering wheel for this ride.
Stunningly gorgeous designed Firebird...…… Style. That what a Firebird should look like.
I drive an automatic firebird, it's sew fawnceh
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo FANCEH
Its so fauncy, it shifts gears for me. Manual was SOOOOOO 1970s
It's so fanceh it has "low profile" 15 inch wheels
My 89 firebird daily driver has power locks AND power windoooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwssssssssssssseeeewwwwwww fahnseeh.
BAPPADAAADAADAA IVE GOT A VTEC
It looks like they used a couple of E.T. carcasses for the seats.
91 and 92 F-Body's were the BEST built !!. Late built 91' and all 92's had special adhesive/glue underneath the chassis for less body flex and rattles !!
MY DREAM CAR!!
It's a good one!!!
I had it, but now the dream is over. Kill me!
I had this car and I loved it. I had the choice between 90 or 91 with the cat face front. I got the 91, never had problems with it. I do remember the interior high mounted stop light always blowed the bulb within two months. I was always putting new ones in. Other then that, it was a great car. I was 16, a gift to get to school. Needless to say I always had a car full.
Unfortunately the salt got to it. I'm from New Hampshire but live in Florida now. Wish I had lived in Florida then. Cars long gone, but boy was it a fun car. GM did a really good job putting that era of cars together. Purchased a lot of GM car after that but was VERY disappointed in the end result of always have problems down the road. I'm a Toyota fan now, as I drive a 2016 Lexus GS 200t F-sport. Well at least I still have the urge for a sporty driving experience. Boy, do I miss those days in general. Life was so much easier, honest and just plain more respectful as a hole. Oh and people took pride in their work and held their selfs to a higher standard.
Thank you for another GM brand video. It is appreciated when these are posted. I look forward to more of them.
Firebirds ROCK.
My 1990 GTA had ABS , and ran 14.2sec stock. Also for only a few hundred dollars you could bump power to 375hp with a $200 cam and some cheap $75 LT headers to make a good mid/low 13sec car . The interior is also So much better looking then the c4 vett.
frank leary they got 14.9 spinning tires on purpose. These cars were sick never got the credit because muscle cars were cheap in the 90s and I had 10s Nova 12s Ventura I built for 5k including buying the cars. Great times and your ride sounds sweet.
Some of that is true. No abs till 1993 in camaro's and firebirds. No way 375hp could be achieved unless its mini rammed, supercharged or turbo. Tpi's were torque motors
L98 heads were good for 200cfm same as the old fuelie heads and both are good for about 375hp on a 350ci/5.7L with a healthy roller cam, the tuned port intake was cfm limited so proper cam choice was important, or you could do what everybody else did and rip all that complication off and add a duel plane 4 barrel intake and Qjet carb and a cheap roller cam plus some headers=375hp. if you can't get 375hp out of a chevy 350 you might be a ford person smh, the L98 had high enough compression and "ok" head flow but the stock cam was weak something like 193 duration and .470lift if you bump it up to 218 D and .510 lift +some 1.6 roller rockers and free the exhaust up with long tube headers/no cats and go true duel all the way back. SLP made a 350hp version that ran 13.2sec so i'm not without proof here.
Oh i'm from FL we have No laws hear emission or otherwise, we run open headers on mini vans. 375hp out a L98 might not happen with CA type laws
I was going to say something about their quarter mile. 14.9 seemed slow for 94 MPH.
I love how John calls the Trans Am "heavy" at 3500lbs. How times have changed.
Always loved how they straight melted street tires and then expected to get fast 1/4 times.
Finally someone brought this up.
Funny how KITT's front fogs make it by 1990 model. Am I the only one who likes the 90's Trans Am frontend?
I was never a fan of the 90s front-end, but I've come around on that. It's as close as you get to a production car version of the KITT nose
This is a great-looking car. Throw an LS engine into it, attached to a good 6-speed manual, and it's almost perfect.
I think we bought that actual gta used in the video. Bought it from an engineer that purchased it from his work, gm tech center. It had been abused used a mule at tech center and scrapped kind of. Dented the intake tube, dented the hood all up, missing rear wing, missing stereo unit. One wheel dented. He said he was the guy that modeled it in clay. Mentioned it was the first v8 trans am that broke 150mph. We got it kind of cheap and never really put it back on the road. Been years now since we sold it.
I wish someone would swap an LS engine and a DCT and watch these cars rip...
The wheels were always the best looking back then
Pontiac >Chevy all day.
My first car was a 70 Firebird, base V8 and Hydromatic slush box. Absolutely wonderful car for what it was. Those early second generation cars will always be my favorites, but the third gen Firebird was a sleek looking machine. China deserves Buick, North America deserves better. We deserve Pontiac.
Well-built but overpriced GTA & IROC is why cars like the mustang L.X. 5.0 were so popular.
Back in the 90s 240hp was considered dangerous and not suitable for teens, while in 2017 the challenger hellcat was released with a teen driver restrictive key limiting to 500hp. Wow how standards have changed.
Any Pontiac 6000 STE videos??
Also 1988 Pontiac Sunbird Turbo 2.0 Convertible!
I remember when these came out. Gorgeous cars! Thankful to be able to see this review again as back then I only caught the tail end of it on TV and wished to see it again. The non-ABS brakes of the Z28 and Trans Am/Formula/GTA rivaled the stopping distance of most ABS equipped cars of the time.
The last great Trans-Am.
Blair Brown the 02 trans am is pretty bad ass too
Blair Brown The 4th Gen is the pinnacle of the F-Body.
redslate32 1990 GTA Trans Am smoking hot
Looks like a Fiero in the front. 241 horsepower. That ain't great fanboi
I had a 2000 with t-tops, and a 87 with a lt1 87 looked better but 2000 ,Not a ws6, still went 185 mph with a chip funnest dam cars I ever drove and these gtaz, always looked better than the 93-2002 ones but dam those last ones would fly man gona gona have to find me another one soon
I was born in 91. The best cars IMO 4rm 91 is between this Trans Am or the 5.0 mustang. Im really leaning towards buying the Trans Am
"the firebird will be around for years to come." my how wrong you were... :(