It wasn't long ago that Gen II Firebirds got the boo-hiss treatment from car freaks. But they're starting to get the respect they deserve from collectors and hot rodders alike. Despite their 3,600-pound heft, these things can be made to handle, stop, and charge with the best of them. And even though federally mandated smash-em-up bumpers forced some bulky front-end styling, we really get excited when we see these things in the boneyard now. They're growing on us; how 'bout you?
Groovy Factoids
* 1979 was the peak year for Trans Am production with more than 100,000 built. The lowest Trans Am volume occurred 10 years prior. Only 697 TAs were built in 1969.
* To cross-promote the Smokey and the Bandit movie sequel, Burt Reynolds appeared in Pontiac ads for the 1981 Bandit edition Trans Am. The turbocharged 301 used in the movie cars was so lame, director Hal Needham had them fitted with Marvin Miller nitrous oxide systems.
* Useless Info You Oughta Know: Fire Birds is an action movie starring Nicolas Cage, Tommy Lee Jones, and Sean Young release in 1990 by Touchstone Pictures