1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - Forgotten Phoenix?

Pontiac isn’t one of the brands most people think about when it comes to popular muscle cars. They’d mostly think about either Ford, Chevrolet or Dodge. But then, when Pontiac gets mentioned, everyone will remember about all the awesome, interesting and other somewhat strange-looking cars they’ve made throughout the years, from their beginning to their demise in 2010. 

However, one car is very memorable in the muscle car genre: the Firebird. The Firebird was originally going to be based on the Banshee concept car, but GM feared that the car would decrease the popularity with the Corvette. This is why the Firebird was moved down to the pony car segment to share platforms with the Chevrolet Camaro. Although most things about the Firebird lineage is comparably similar to the more popular Camaro, there are many things that set them apart, the front and rear end, engines, and trim levels. 

This is no different to the Firebird that I got the chance to review last weekend. Although from far away I thought it just looked like a badge-engineered F-body Camaro, I was totally wrong! The recognisable shape of the front immediately brought back ‘Smokey & the Bandit II’ vibes! The double-inset square headlights, the fully filled back end for the taillights, and of course the gigantic Firebird symbol on the bonnet!

But, something told me this was no ordinary Firebird, but a 1979 Firebird Trans Am 10th Anniversary Edition. From the classic black and gold trim of ‘Smokey & the Bandit’ to the stark contrast of red and black trim stripes on silver to this special car! And then came the elephant in the room … the ‘screaming chicken’ on the bonnet was not that of the usual one, but it was and has been the biggest ever one put on the Pontiac, having the wings not end at the edge of the bonnet, but all the way down to the fenders! 

Now being a Trans Am model meant that it was the ‘specialty upgrade’ trim of the regular Firebird, that would include: handling, suspension and horsepower upgrades, as well as a slightly different look.

Fun Fact: Although have Trans Am in the name, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am’s never participated in the Trans Am Series, due to its smallest engine exceeding the SCCA’s 5-litre displacement limit restriction.

This particular model was the top trim in the lineup of that year, with a 6.6 litre (400 ci) naturally aspirated “small block” V8 (yes, 6.6 liters is apparently small) pushing at about 220 hp (164kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm). This may not sound much, but with tires as skinny as 225’s, you can still do a decent burnout! The engine had the classic and iconic muscle tone and throb, and it had a lovely sound when letting go of the throttle, leaving a multitude of pops and burbles. The 400 came mated with the Borg-Warner Super T-10 4-speed manual

You would expect a pony car like this to have an amount of trouble around corners, but this variant at the WS6 High Performance Package which improved handling drastically. Stiffer units replaced the standard leaf springs, anti-roll bars were updated, as well as the rubber bushings being switched with nylon-end ones, all 4 wheels had disc brakes, and tighter shock absorbers were added. This resulted in the car to not feel as much as a boat, but actually keep level to the ground in corners instead of feeling the body roll. 

Next up is the interior, leather and mats all finished in silver, with the occasional Firebird motif splayed about. According to a published report, the interior was taken from the 1978 Chevrolet Corvette pace car. The instrument panel was lit in red with tach and clock, and because it was the top trim, nearly every option came standard. 

Pontiac only produced 1,817 of this specific car and forgotten if it may be, as people remember more about the 1977 Trans Am from the first ‘Smokey & the Bandit’ and the 1984 Trans Am that starred in ‘Knight Rider’ as KITT,  but it’s iconicity or lack thereof and different appearance and atmosphere it gives off will strongly stay with me, and I hope it does the same to you too!