Road Test: Pontiac Trans Am

Review by Feann Torr - 21/December/2007

When you've been feeding on a strict diet of modern day, fuel-injected cars, it's oddly refreshing to drive something with a bit of history. 

This 1977 Pontiac Trans Am is one of the coolest cars I've driven, not just because of it's T-top which provides the low slung American coupe with open air driving, nor even it's classic inertia seat belts and dashpad.

Nope, none of them.

It's one of the coolest cars I've ever driven because of the thumping 7.6-litre big block V8 that beats angrily away underneath the Pontiac's almost 6-foot long bonnet.

It's big, it's bad, and it's a burnout machine.

The Pontiac Trans Am could be considered to be the American version of the Holden Monaro; an iconic 2-door sports coupe that's always been entrenched in V8 culture and is favourite among collectors.

The Pontiac Trans Am, which later played the part of the KITT car in the Knight Rider TV series during the 1980s, was never released in Australia. And that's another reason why this car is so special.

It's not the most economical car we've ever road tested, nor is there a huge amount of rear seat room or boot space.

But this 1977 Pontiac Trans Am makes a huge impression - both visually and aurally.

To call the Trans Am an iconic car is only just scratching the surface. It epitomises the excess and indulgence that earmarked the late 1970s and 1980s, and almost every person we passed stopped and stared at it's hard-nosed style.

From the outside the white Trans Am has that quintessential '70s American racer style, complete with old-school wheels and flares. Then there's the ultra-long front end that has an engine bay the size of backyard swimming pool, complete with a shaker that houses the air cleaner.

The pushed back cabin has a fairly upright windscreen, but the rear window curves smoothly down until it reaches the rear spoiler, creating a sporty muscle car silhouette.

Getting into the low slung car wasn't too much of a stretch (though it is low) and the right-hand drive conversion was excellently finished, with no seams or marks to be seen. 

It looked impressively original, just like a classic '77 Trans Am, right down to the dials and switchgear. 

Buckled into the old-school seat belts, having adjusted the tiny side mirrors, it was time to turn the key in the ignition and with a slight throttle the engine boomed into life, startling unseen wildlife.

This American-made street machine is noisy. 

The reason is simple - the engine is an Oldsmobile big block and displaces 463 cubic inches - or about 7.6-litres using the metric formula. You can pretty clearly discern each cylinder firing at idle, like eight very sonorous hammers striking anvils.

The original engine, a 403 cubic inch (6.6-litre) V8 was a bit of a dog according to Shane, the owner.

Peak power from the huge 463ci engine was measured at 236kW (317hp) @ 4800rpm on the dyno, but the engine revs to more than 6000rpm if you're game. 

On the road the 3-speed automatic gearbox handles the carburetted engine's power remarkably well, and cruising along without mashing the loud pedal at normal speeds is quite relaxed.

It was also interesting to note how the majority of other cars moved out of the way when the Trans Am thundered past down the freeway.

If you do plan on flooring the throttle however, be prepared for fireworks because this Pontiac Trans Am can get very agro very quickly. 

The rear Yokohama tyres, which measure 275/60 (on Simmons 5-spoke rims), have huge amounts of tread but even in second gear and at higher road speeds the rear wheels smoke up quicker than a dried out eucalypt during a lightning strike.

The Turbo 350 gearbox (3-speed) has been performance prepped and has an 1800rpm stall converter, which is very useful when you've got 607Nm (448 ft/lbs) of torque on tap from 3350rpm.

And it's not just any power, but big block, carburetted power and it's like nothing else I've ever driven before. To say I was addicted to its crushing power delivery would be an understatement.

Beyond the car's insanely loud exhaust note - barking, snarling and huffing in air like a untamed beast - this Pontiac Trans Am drives quite well.

Power steering ensures that you never have to exert yourself to corner, and while too much throttle will result in powerslides (ESP was still a theory when this car was born) the suspension is fairly rigid and the Trans Am rides nice and flat through turns. 

Body roll is not an issue, and I reckon back in their hey-day these Pontiacs would have been just as enjoyable through a winding mountain pass as cruising down the highway.

Feedback through the steering wheel was pretty good I thought, and as a Sunday cruiser it's a very satisfying car to drive.

But this Pontiac is 30 years old, and there are some squeaks and creaks - especially because of the removable T-top. But these only seemed to add to the driving experience. They added character, for want of a better description.

And now some questions for the man behind the machine:

Feann: Shane, good to see you. Very nice wheels. But why the Pontiac Trans Am? What was the motivation for buying this vehicle?

Shane: I was never happy or satisfied with cars after I sold my '75 Pontiac Firebird for part of a house deposit and then this one came along at the right time a few years later. I still think they look pretty good for a 30 year old car. 

Feann: How long have you had it?

Shane: 22 years.

Feann: Had any previous Pontiacs?

Shane: Had a red 1975 Firebird with a small block Chevy engine, Nitrous, big fat tyres and a lot of unhappy neighbours.

Feann: Are you the first owner of this Trans Am?

Shane: Second. I have the build sheets and original purchase papers from the first owner and have kept all the original parts for the car. The prices for a good '77 [Trans Am] have come up quite a lot over the last 5 years in the United States. Not sure if I would ever sell it - though it’s good to have all the right bits.

Feann: Does your wife approve?

Shane: She loves it. Sunsets along the coast roads with the "T" roofs off -- it’s pretty cool cruising around in.

Feann: Any recurring issues?

Shane: Always something with an older car but nothing that a few hours in the shed can't fix.

Feann: What's next for the car?

Shane: I would like to build my own fuel injection set up; a mate has done it with his '69 [Pontiac] and it runs so sweet.

For a 30 year old car (though it has been tooled around with) Shane's '77 Pontiac Trans Am ran really well. I was also quite impressed with the gear changes too, though the brakes left a little to be desired.

The Trans Am struggles for grip under even a half throttle in first gear which can make getting the power down an exercise in control, yet it still manages to charge through the quarter mile traps in the low 12s -- 12.28 seconds @ 180km/h to be precise. 

And what about the 0-100km/h dash? "Pretty quick if you can get some grip," says Shane. 

Based on the fact that it's a 3-speed gearbox and has a hellishly quick quarter mile time (quicker than an AWD Mitsubishi Evo IX), the 100km/h sprint time would be around 5.0 seconds by our calculations.

It's got a Ford 9-inch limited slip diff with a 3.25:1 final drive ratio, and while most cars need you to hold the brakes while nailing the throttle to get the rear wheels smoking, this is one car that needs no such coaxing.

Just sink the foot, get ready for an acoustic explosion, and it's party time.

At the end of the day, there are many things that aren't quite perfect about the 1977 Trans Am, especially when a massive big block V8 has taken up residence between the front wheels. 

The fuel gauge needle actually moves when you nail the throttle, quivering like a newborn lamb under full loads, plus there's a few creaks from the targa-top roof when you corner and rear seat room is about as useful as a rollerblades in a muddy paddock.

But ultimately I had a ball driving this classic American muscle car, despite the obvious drawbacks. And I have to say there's something about a carburetted engine (especially a big block) that fuel injection systems cannot mimic. 

When it comes to old-school muscle, something like a Trans Am really stands out in Australia amongst the HQ Holdens and XB Falcons, and gets a lot of attention when you're just heading down to the shops to get a kilo of prawns for dinner. 

I find it easy to appreciate classic cars such as this one for a plethora of reasons, but most of all because they have an unmatchable style that brings back memories of an era where cubes reigned supreme.

Overall: 4/5

Compared to something like the new Mitsubishi Lancer, or perhaps a Ford Mondeo, classic cars like the Pontiac Trans Am are in a different realm.

The Trans Am was researched and developed when the idea of climate change and global warming were the sole preserve of scientific think tanks and university professors, but as well as the hard-charging old-school performance, there's something about the look of classic muscle cars such as the Pontiac Trans Am that is hard to ignore. 

And when you've been feasting on a diet of modern day fuel-injected cars with electronic this, and computerised that, it's quite remarkable and incredibly enjoyable to drive something from a previous era. 

I'm not sure how this beast would fare as a daily driver, but as a weekend toy the Trans Am is just sensational.