#Pontiac firebird trans am series#

The vehicle was prominently featured in such movies as Smokey and the Bandit and Rocky II, and it was used as the main vehicle in television series like Knight Rider and the Rockford Files. The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is a popular vehicle that has made its way through the pop culture ranks. That way, you’ll never have to worry about calling a Trans Am a Firebird and embarrassing yourself in front of your friends.Pop Culture Cred: The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Compliment them on their choice of muscle car and ask what model it is.

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However, the brand has been off the market for so long, that you may find classic Firebirds with Trans Am-style body kits on them for sale on various marketplaces.Īsking the driver is your greatest option whenever you are unsure of something. Newer Trans Ams featured a lot of bodywork that made them distinctive from their Firebird cousins. They would also sometimes come equipped with a taller fin, but that may also depend on the personal preference of the individual who purchased the Trans Am new. You might also find them equipped with lower body panels, making them appear closer to the ground than they actually are. The Trans Am offered different engine styles than the Firebird. On older Trans Ams, the only way to tell the difference between the two cars - other than the trunk decals - was to look under the hood. In addition to “Smokey and the Bandit,” the original K.I.T.T from the television show “Knight Rider” was also a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am Firebird. The Trans Am is the one you’ll usually see in movies and television shows. Telling the difference between a Firebird and a Trans Am isn’t always easy at first glance, especially since every single Trans Am started life as a Firebird.

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The company is planning to make a limited run of these custom models, 77 to be precise, in honour of the 1977 special edition that made an appearance in the iconic Burt Reynolds movie “Smokey and the Bandit.” The custom vehicle was even endorsed by Reynolds himself before his death in 2018. The “Bandit Edition” 2021 Trans Am Firebird is a custom-built car, sitting on the frame of a Chevy Camaro, much like the original Firebirds did back in the 1960s. In 2021, a group worked to revive the iconic Trans Am Firebird by building it themselves. While Pontiac gave up on the Firebird and Trans Am in 2002 - and GM gave up on Pontiac eight years later - there are still fans of both the brand and models.

Third-gen Trans Ams were all about the look, with all sorts of sleek exterior adjustments to appeal to the decade’s high-tech aesthetic. The second-gen Trans Am lost a little bit of power, switching from a 6.6-liter and 7.5-liter V-8 until finally settling on a 4.9-liter V-8 by the time the brand made the transition to the third generation. It started with a whimper rather than a bang. Despite its popularity today, there wasn’t much marketing done to promote the Trans Am. That might seem like pocket change today, but that extra would cost upward of $4,416 in today’s economy if you account for inflation.

For an additional $725, you could enjoy all the benefits of the Trans Am performance and appearance package. Each generation of the Firebird came with a Trans Am option, starting with the first-gen Trans Am that rolled off the assembly line in 1969.Įarly Trans Ams was an add-on for the 1969 Firebird.

Every Trans Am ever made is a Pontiac Firebird, but not every Firebird comes with the features that make it a Trans Am. When you start getting down to the nitty-gritty of the debate, Trans Ams and Firebirds are technically incarnations of the same car.

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