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Pontiac Enthusiast rates TTA #14 of the top birds of all time!

PhillyTurboSix

PhillyTurboSix

Administrator
Staff member
Kinda shocked as most publications Pontiac driven usually hate the TTA for it's Buick engine but this months Pontiac Enthusuast rated the TTA #14 of the top 20 firebirds of all time! They go on to say.. Still one of the fastest production cars to ever come out of Detroit, the '89 Turbo Trans AM Indy Pace Car replica used the hair-dried V-6 from the Buick Grand National. It's tremendous power and improved weight balance in the Trans Am body helped push the car to the 13-second quarter miles - at a time when other factory "performance" cars were 15s and 16s. Collector status was assured moments after the first production model rolled off the line, but many have been modified and still embarrass drivers of newer, V-8 powered cars.

:headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:
 
It was ranked as the 9th fastest Firebird by Pontiac Enthusiast in the Sept/Oct 2002 issue, but they used the time from the Jan 89 Road & Track which was a [email protected], if they would have used the HPP times of like 13.48 I believe it would have been 3rd.

what issue is this top bird rankings in?
 
Number 14 out of 20?????? Are they drunk, high, asleep, oblivious, green, "new to this", ignorant or all of the aforementioned?! Ok, I'm biased, this is afterall a forum under the URL turbotransam.com, but what are these scholars looking for in their top 20? I'd like to know what the entire list is comprised of. To make my top 5 the car has to have: SPEED, SPEED and BRUTAL TORQUE. It also has to have the characteristic these cars all have. Which is: EASY to MAKE go FASTER (relative to the cost of making a -let's say a 1989 350 T.P.I. GTA run like ours,)!
Third, the car has to be unique and rare. Ok so it goes like this the first is a 69 Ram Air 4, next, the 89 Turbo TA, then a 70-71 455, 4th the 92 Firehawk, 5th would be the 99 anniversary. After that there all pretty much firebirds.:kissass:
 
72firebird said:
It was ranked as the 9th fastest Firebird by Pontiac Enthusiast in the Sept/Oct 2002 issue, but they used the time from the Jan 89 Road & Track which was a [email protected], if they would have used the HPP times of like 13.48 I believe it would have been 3rd.

what issue is this top bird rankings in?
Click to expand...

My Car and Driver from 89 has it at 0-60 in 4.6 and 13.40 in the 1/4 at 101 or 102. Can't remember , I don't have it with me. Good times for a prudish mag. The counterpoint at the end makes me sick though, the guy relegated it's anniversary and turbo status to a "burger king cruiser" or something like it was a car for teenagers to drool over-which he would be correct, I certainly drooled, I also smoked a zr1 vette (at the Bowling Green vette homecoming-that was sweet) and a Modified turbo porche with little more than a $20 cutout a bigger fuel pump and an ajustable actuator in 1991 or 92. I'm throwing my Car and Driver away now just thinking about it!:mad:
:explosion:
 
sverble said:
Number 14 out of 20?????? Are they drunk, high, asleep, oblivious, green, "new to this", ignorant or all of the aforementioned?! Ok, I'm biased, this is afterall a forum under the URL turbotransam.com, but what are these scholars looking for in their top 20? I'd like to know what the entire list is comprised of. To make my top 5 the car has to have: SPEED, SPEED and BRUTAL TORQUE. It also has to have the characteristic these cars all have. Which is: EASY to MAKE go FASTER (relative to the cost of making a -let's say a 1989 350 T.P.I. GTA run like ours,)!
Third, the car has to be unique and rare. Ok so it goes like this the first is a 69 Ram Air 4, next, the 89 Turbo TA, then a 70-71 455, 4th the 92 Firehawk, 5th would be the 99 anniversary. After that there all pretty much firebirds.:kissass:
Click to expand...

well some of the cars that were ranked higher in the magazine that I was posting about are
1. '97 Firehawk - [email protected]
2. '90 Firehawk - [email protected]
3. '00 Trans Am WS6 - [email protected]
4. '73 SD 455 Trans Am - [email protected]
5. '71 Trans Am - [email protected]
6. '68 Firebird 400 - [email protected]
7. '72 Trans Am - [email protected]
8. '70 Trans Am and '00 Trans Am Conv. (tie) - [email protected]
9. '89 Turbo Trans Am - [email protected]
10. '67 Firebird 400 - [email protected]

so as you can see they're missing some specialty TAs and there are some where it looks like they chose the slowest times that were published.
 
This was from the latest issue. Just showed up today at the house so in a week or so it should hit the news stands. That's why I posted and was shocked. Pontiac publications and other Pontiac owners HATE the TTA's. It's not a real Pontiac they say. Sometimes I put up with a lot of $hit when I'm at shows with it just for that reason. Esp. older Pontiac guys. I had one guy standing in front of my car at a show and he said to his buddy standing there... "shame what they did here.. Put a POS Buick engine in a Pontiac. He was lucky I was busy with someone else or his head would have been ripped off. If I'm out with the car at a show and people open their trap and talk crap I'm all over them and usually flame them down to nothing. But like I said I was shocked they even listed the TTA. When I get home I'll list the other cars. I did'nt want to because there is some real Pontiac turds that beat out the TTA and I knew you guys would be nuts! :chat: :chat:
 
72firebird said:
well some of the cars that were ranked higher in the magazine that I was posting about are
1. '97 Firehawk - [email protected]
2. '90 Firehawk - [email protected]
3. '00 Trans Am WS6 - [email protected]
4. '73 SD 455 Trans Am - [email protected]
5. '71 Trans Am - [email protected]
6. '68 Firebird 400 - [email protected]
7. '72 Trans Am - [email protected]
8. '70 Trans Am and '00 Trans Am Conv. (tie) - [email protected]
9. '89 Turbo Trans Am - [email protected]
10. '67 Firebird 400 - [email protected]

so as you can see they're missing some specialty TAs and there are some where it looks like they chose the slowest times that were published.
Click to expand...
The 97 Firehawk was a LT4 car. One of 25 built. The 73 SD time was the best one tested. The Best TTA time from Car and Driver should have been used.

Can you say "Letter to the Editor"....

- Dave
 
I owned a 1971 TA for six years. Great car. But, I like my TTA better. I'm curious as to what criteria they used to determine this list.
 
Now don't kill me I'm just the messenger :) but here is the list...

1 - 67 Firebird 326 H.O.
2 - 68 Firebird 350 H.O.
3 - 68 Firebird 400 Ram Air
4 - 69 Trans AM
5 - 69 Firebird Ram Air IV
6 - 70 Trans AM
7 - 70 Formula 400
8 - 73-74 Super Duty
9 - 76 Trans AM 50th Anniversary Edition <- I would think that was a misprint on them!
10 - 77 Trans AM Y82 Special Edition
11 - 79 Trans AM (all models)
12 - 79 10th Anniversary Trans AM 400/4 speed
13 - 85-86 Trans AM <-- How the hell did this turd beat out the TTA! :mad:
14 - 89 Turbo Trans AM/Indy Pace Car
15 - 87-92 Formula & Formula 350
16 - 88-89 Trans AM & Formula 1LE
17 - 93-97 Firehawk
18 - 99 Trans AM 30th Anniversary Edition
19 - 01-02 Firehawk
20 - 02 Collector Edition Trans AM

They also said "While we're aware that any subjective rating would cause controversy, we knew it was impossible to rank the top 20 cars from last to first. In other words, each model highlighted in our ranking carries equal weight - there is no number one car; they're simply the top 20 Firebirds.

:chat: :chat: :chat: :chat:
 
Looks to me like they just listed them chronologically. :detective: For those of us still in school that means in order by date. :yes: Sorry, gotta pick on the younger generation just a little bit. :cheers:
 
PhillyTurboSix said:
Now don't kill me I'm just the messenger :) but here is the list...

...
9 - 76 Trans AM 50th Anniversary Edition <- I would think that was a misprint on them!
...
Click to expand...

The 76 T/A Black Special Edition was the 50th Anniversary of Pontiac.

Interesting the 71/72 455 H.O. T/A's were not listed, the Ram Air IV was not called out for the 1970 Trans Am, the 88-89 T/A listed, but 90 is not and the 91/92 Firehawk is not listed. What a strange list.

Although I am happy to see all my cars made the list! :cool:

- Dave
 
PhillyTurboSix said:
This was from the latest issue. Just showed up today at the house so in a week or so it should hit the news stands. That's why I posted and was shocked. Pontiac publications and other Pontiac owners HATE the TTA's. It's not a real Pontiac they say. Sometimes I put up with a lot of $hit when I'm at shows with it just for that reason. Esp. older Pontiac guys. I had one guy standing in front of my car at a show and he said to his buddy standing there... "shame what they did here.. Put a POS Buick engine in a Pontiac. He was lucky I was busy with someone else or his head would have been ripped off. If I'm out with the car at a show and people open their trap and talk crap I'm all over them and usually flame them down to nothing. But like I said I was shocked they even listed the TTA. When I get home I'll list the other cars. I did'nt want to because there is some real Pontiac turds that beat out the TTA and I knew you guys would be nuts! :chat: :chat:
Click to expand...



Hey Philly, I've found that when you get these "to bad it ain't got a real big loud motor" types that a quick way to cut through the sh#t or to start the sh#t slinging is to simply ask them if they want to line em' up. A few outcomes will result from this. They will either say, "well, my car needs some tuning and I don't really run the car" or "Ok" to which 9 times out 10 they get smoked.
It's a quick cure for the ignorant. haha:cheers: :cowboy:
 
Turbota6 said:
Looks to me like they just listed them chronologically. :detective: For those of us still in school that means in order by date. :yes: Sorry, gotta pick on the younger generation just a little bit.
Click to expand...

I agree, it just looks like they listed them chronologically. :cheers:
 
sverble said:
Hey Philly, I've found that when you get these "to bad it ain't got a real big loud motor" types that a quick way to cut through the sh#t or to start the sh#t slinging is to simply ask them if they want to line em' up. A few outcomes will result from this. They will either say, "well, my car needs some tuning and I don't really run the car" or "Ok" to which 9 times out 10 they get smoked.
It's a quick cure for the ignorant. haha:cheers: :cowboy:
Click to expand...

I will have to say it is quite funny when its all said & done. I have a member in our club with a 79 Trans Am that decided he wanted to play with the little 6 cylinder going down the interstate on an open road. He called me the next morning to tell me how impressed he was with the little 6 and how good it sounded as it went around him and his Big Motored 79.
 
I remember years ago leaving a show and an old timer :wheelchair: was in his big boat tri-power in the lane next to me. Didn't think anything of it until he jumped on it. I got in it late and :burnrubber: smoked him. I think he was so embarrased that he wouldn't even pull up even with me at the next light, even slowed up for him to catch up. He was either :cry: or his old lady sitting next to him was giving him the business.:bash:
 
See I don't think I have ever heard anyone talk crap about my car at any of the shows that I've been too. Most of the old timers I've met all seem really cool, and a lot of them have said that they really liked the TTA when they came out but they couldn't afford them. I hear a lot of false information like about how the motor was swaped in or that it's a V8 and I turboed it. However, I typically go to about 3 Pontiac/Firebird specific shows a year and over the last 2-3 years I've never had anyone talk crap about it. The guys who don't like them I'm guessing normally overlook them, but they're typically the people who are stuck in their ways and they don't like electronic fuel injection or anything that involves a computer either.
 
'79 Trans Ams - All models? REALLY - Even the Olds 403 version. Come on now, I've owned a '79 Trans Am and can say that as cool as I think they are, they aren't in the same league with the real collector variety like the TTA.
 
Midwest Muscle said:
'79 Trans Ams - All models? REALLY - Even the Olds 403 version. Come on now, I've owned a '79 Trans Am and can say that as cool as I think they are, they aren't in the same league with the real collector variety like the TTA.
Click to expand...

As with anything else, it's a matter of opinion :thumbup:
 
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