I prefer the Grand National

So the Trans Am and Firebird coming back as Buicks is the only choice since Pontiac’s death oh so long ago. However, I think the Grand National would be a better bet!

Way back in the Trans Am race series days the Pontiac Tran Am had a place to perform.

However, as years went by and emissions started to have an effect on performance cars the Pontiacs took a big hit!

Yes the 455 did make decent power and pushed the Trans Am more than a Small Block Chevy before that engine became the standard for all GM cars. However, this video that calls out the 1977 as some form of classic Muscle Car is ridiculous to me.
How you ask as you saw it on TV or in the movies just tearing up the roads with Bert Reynolds driving it and jumping over rivers that are out. I could go into an entire different post on how the cars were built for that and totaled every time the weak unibodies folded. Or the main reason I do not look at these as any form of Muscle.

When those cars were made for the movie they took out the lousy Pontiac engines and replaced them with Small Block Chevy engines because the Pontiac didn’t make Jack Squat for power. You can check on Wiki TA Page then see the 400 was making 180 Horse Power!

It gets worse as they replaced the Pontiac with an Oldsmobile 403 engine to make a better more usable powerband to make the car more driveable. The problem with that was the engine is a dead end when it comes to anything performance aftermarket! Last I checked I think you can get an intake manifold for it and maybe a camshaft? Not even sure if you can get headers for these cars?

So they are listing these cars as some form of Muscle or Sports Cars when they are in reality just a Poser Car with a Flaming Chicken on the Hood!

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