Imagine it’s 1976. Armageddon has come and gone. Earth is now a desolate place, full of leisure suits, disco music, the Krofft Supershow, and automobiles that have been hit with the ugly stick. Despite the bleak environment, Pontiac continues to produce a performance car with 455 cubic-inches.
Looking at the performance environment in Detroit, we have a Camaro that was missing its Z/28, leaving only a 350 Corvette with 180 or 210 horsepower. Chrysler could do that one better with a 360-powered Dodge Dart Sport and Plymouth Duster that offered 220 horses; mid-size Mopars offered a 240-horse 400 big-block — now, things began to get interesting. Ford had plenty of decals but no performance offerings comparable to the above. Extra pity goes to the folks from California who were restricted from buying these.
And Pontiac? The 455 was reintroduced for the Firebird after taking a year-long sabbatical. It put out a pathetic 200 horsepower, but its torque numbers made up for it. Plus, it was only available with a four-speed. Amid the desolation on Earth, there was an emergence of life.
This 1976 Pontiac Trans Am, one of 7,528 built, was the last of the performance cars that harkened back to another era. Join Muscle Car Campy as he asks the question that Freud and others have always wondered: Is the 1976 Trans Am a legitimate muscle car?
Source: www.classiccars.com