The red headed stepchild. Pontiac guys dont like it because its buick powered and buick guys dont like it because its a Pontiac. I, personally, love it
I saw a story that Pontiac had an updated 301 turbo slated to go into the 3rd gen Trans Am but GM axed it in favor of cheaper manufacturing by using the Chevy small block across the board. But just looking at history, the Buick 3.8 turbo was as anemic as the 301 turbo in 1981, by 1984 it was starting to get exciting and of course in '86 with the TPI, inter cooler and distributorless ignition, the 3.8 become the legend it is today. Imagine had Pontiac been allowed to develop the 301 along side the 3.8 Buick? We might have had 12 second Trans Ams by 1986 or 87. Well it's all fantasy as the T/A made due with really anemic small blocks while the GN/GNX rode off into automotive greatness. But the '89 Anniversary T/A sure gave a glimpse of what might have been!
My dad owned one, back in 1989, I was 17 and sneaked it out for a drive and didn't know about turbo lag. Nailed it on a turn, tires spun and then jumped a curb. Drove it home on the spare and the rim was bent. Whoops!! Still one of my favorite cars GM ever built!!
My favorite Trans Am! I graduated high school that year. I just think they nailed every aspect of this car from design to performance. Wish I would have picked one up several years ago before they really shot up in value.
I also graduated that year. 2 years later I was working for a late model performance shop and a guy brought one in. We did a bunch of mods to it, and then sprayed it with 100 shot. Got kicked out of the track 1st pass. Have loved those ever since!
I graduated in '89' as well. I personally LOVE this Trans Am. I had three 1/64 scale model cars as a teen. If I ever had the chance to get one of these, I'm NOT gonna hesitate!!
Thanks for showing this piece of history. I remember sitting in one of these at the dealership. It was priced at sticker. They should have had blue accents and interiors to reflect the original Trans Am. The good old OBD1 days. I bought a $30 chip for my T-Type Regal. Easy install inside the passenger side kick panel. Performance increase was negligible but it worked. There was also a noticeable change in shift points.
It was just like getting a tune on modern cars the 80s version. Just like today not all tunes are created equal. If it had a good one on a turbo car I can assure you the difference wouldn't be just negligible lol
In the early 90's I worked for PAS who not only turned these T/As into the anniversary cars, but also made the Syclone and Typhoon. In the factory in Auburn Hills, MI. there were many of these T/As sitting around the lot like they were nothing. Crazy to think about that now that these are so rare.
I met Jeff B at a car show at Crystal Cove- Newport Beach CA around 2007. Another tech that worked at PAS I met at a car show in Huntington Beach -- he drove a silver/blue 71 BOSS Mustang. He told me stories that they had Mr Duntov (Mr Corvette) fly in to do some consulting work on the TTA project loaned from GM. Something to do with noisy engine mount. This was around 2004 ish.
Me too, but it was 87. I worked on the Firehawk race team that was in the same building. When I wasn't working on the race cars I sometimes welded prototype exhaust parts up for these cars and the Syclone's and Typhoon's. Jeff and Dan were really great folks to work for!! There were always cool cars there.
I always loved the Turbo Trans Am. I graduated in 89 so I definitely knew of these and how bad they were. I had a 89 Trans Am but, it wasn’t the good one. Lol. Mine was 5.0 TBI. Great video! Thanks for posting.
Those t-tops should be plastic /lexan instead of the usual glass to save weight, Priceless t-tops if that car has them... those turbo Trans Ams have always been wrongfully undervalued.
Can’t beat the feel of your own automobile, they maybe many but this one yours, That’s the way I feel in my Black 1996 Flare side, has the inline 6 with the 5 speed, she’s old and slow but hay, She’s mine and I enjoy driving it , I Like the way you did your car,She’s pretty, To me, all cars are a work of art
For us in 89 getting our DL meant you could get a mid to late 70s very used 2nd gen firebird/trans am or camaro for $1500 or less depending. The rusted out 2nd gen Trans Am I could of bought back then with the pontiac 400 and a 4 speed for $1500 is ridiculous in price now.
i had a triple black, all options, '79.....had EVERYTHING.....it got totaled sitting parked at the curb one fine spring morning.....I cried......yeah. LOVED that car
@@charlesdiggs5297 ....maaaan....the hardest part was...after 18 months I FINALLY go......$4000....out of the insurance.....because the insurance was convinced it was just a 1979 Firebird
@@charlesdiggs5297 ....yeah....and it was the Anniversary edition in triple black...the last of the 400/4bbl/4sp cars with disc brakes in the back and ALL the options.....WS6 - W72 - the optional $5500 Recaro seats.....T-tops....screaming chicken and the whole thing....44k miles. In perfect condition. I had the window sticker and all the factory documents from the original owner. that car was worth a lot more than $15k even then, in 1993. I really DID cry when I saw it demolished at the curb.....and THAT was another story.....my car and a brand new, paper tag, Z32 300ZX-TT were totaled by the dumpster dumper truck when the guy driving it....smoking crack all night....had a seizure and blacked out and lost control of the truck....and destroyed both cars, right there. BAM!!! I was in the process of giving the truck driver a dose of black and blue when the cops showed up and.....i managed to stay out of jail that day when the cop was told that the Trans Am that was destroyed was mine.
Love my 1999 Mustang GT Convertible it's an Automatic does 0 to 60 in 4.8 second and sounds absolutely amazing. Motor is stock with port and polished heads and intake plenum. I also have a Fiero GT with a 4 speed stick and a Northstar V8 that car is insanely fun. Anything analog just feels right when you actually feel the cracks in the road through the steering wheel.
Another good video, w great information. Nice work Campy. Beautiful design these and the Irocs. My gripe..Never cared for that automatic shifter, that is canted towards the driver in the Pontiacs. Chevy didn't do it. Just looks odd or cheap to me. Anyways..Very glad to see this Turbo↩️ is driven and enjoyed 🏁
With all that development work to put in that motor, I was hoping to get one from a possible extension of this build run and there wasn’t! I just wasn’t willing to pay an exorbitantly inflated price back in 89.
As a former '91 GTA and '86 Grand National owner, I would love to own one of these. However, my central issue with this car has always been the color scheme. I really dislike tan/camel interiors, and the white exterior is just...blah. I wish the 20th anniversary car had been dark blue, with a white leather interior. Something that would hark back to the original 1969 Trans Am, and would really stand out from regular GTA's. Anyway, cool car, and I plan to buy another GTA one day (a black 1990).
@@lorieandpatrickdavies7483 I tend to agreed I wish they would have taken the the anniversary package up a notch or two for ‘89, cosmetically. Maybe they also felt that the body style was still too similar to the ‘84, that offered the white/blue graphics,white wheels with matching Recaro interior - that going subtle, and putting all of the emphasis on performance rather than stickers, was the way to go for this car. It is somewhat annoying that this car looks identical to a “standard” white GTA, the only cosmetic difference being a few subtle badges.
@gnws6 I like the subtle changes that is what I always loved about svt (I'm a Ford guy) they were always very good with making their stuff look better but also subtle changes that only enthusiasts really notice. Some emblems and minor changes that the average person might not notice. I think that's a plus for this car. I like understated cosmetics and performance performance performance lol. This Car does that well
Awesome car. Would have loved to see Pontiac put the supercharged 3800 Series II engine in the F body in the 90’s, but by then the LS1 was getting 250-300hp, so no need for a force-fed 6.
This is my one realistic dream car I never owned. In 94 I was looking everywhere for one and nobody was selling them. Found one and when I checked it out I pulled off the inlet to the turbo and it had a bunch of oil in there so I declined to buy it and ended up buying an 87 GN instead. Back then you could find GNs everywhere, at least where I was in Ohio. Got an amazingly clean low mileage one for $7900. I still wish I would have bought the Turbo TA anyway and just fixed whatever was wrong with it. no regrets on the GN though. Favorite car I ever owned.
@@negativeindustrial Yeah, I was just being picky at the time. That was one of things I was told to check and if there was oil in there the turbo was going to need replaced and possibly could have gummed up valves. At the time it was portrayed as a big red flag because most were relatively new to the turbo cars.
@@midnight347 My dad and brother both had GNs at the time and they both had bigger turbos, so yeah, they definitely had bigger turbos out there. They sold kits with injectors, chip, turbo, down pipe front mount intercooler, adj fuel regulator, fuel pump, and valve springs that all worked in synergy. I helped my brother install it all on his in one day. Went from 13.4 to low 11's with just that. I think it was a t44 turbo. Cost less than 2000 for all of it together in the kit. My dads ran a 10.03 with an even bigger turbo, trans brake, race gas and chip for race gas, probably a few other things. They kind of helped sway me towards the GN with their knowledge and access to parts. As I remember at the time they pitched that there wasn't a lot of aftermarket stuff for the TTA because there just weren't many of them and the people that had them weren't big on modding them at the time. There were some significant differences that made the TTA much more difficult to upgrade as I recall but I don't remember what they were.
The '89 TTA was the quickest car of the 80s. 0-60 in 4.6s in C&D's test. The only cars that were close were the GNX and ZR-1. 5.0s and L98s were easy pickin's. It is an absolute travesty that it was obe year only. The Corvette team were realy jerks to get the TTA and GN/GNX programs killed. I wish the Turbo 3.8 wouldbhave been offered in the GP 2+2s, Cutlass 442s and Monte Carlo SSs...even the L98 would have been a gane changer in the G and B bodies. Even the Syclone and Typhoon would have been better with the 3.8 Turbo than the 4.3s. I never understood why the 3.8s were supressed, Australia used the 3.8L SC in RWD vehicles as a base performance model under the LS1. GM made so many foolish mistakes. Pontiac made the worst mistake ever when the ruined their V8, the 301 could have been great and lived on through the 89s with the same technology the Buick 3.8 got like Sequentual Multiport EFI, if they had just used normal heads(possibibly aluminum to save the weight) and a normal counterweighted crank, then the later turbo tech. Could have sold the 301 and a 377ci with the lower deck height. Could have skipped the garbage Caddy engines, used the money on the Pontiac V8. A guy took a 301T block, bored it 0.030" over, used a regular 3.75" crank, normal Pontiac small chamber heads and a narrowed intake manifold made 475hp with a 383ci. I imagine a 301T with aluminum heads made on the line that was making 4.1/4.5/4.9 heads, Buick EFI and Coil ignition, twin GN turbos, normal counterweighted crank, could have made 350-400hp, 400-450tq easy, met full emissions and CAFE requirements...Cadillac/Buick//Olds big expensive luxury cars, wagons and GMC trucks/SUVs could have had a 377ci aluminum head, port efi, coil ignition Pontiac V8 instead of a choked 307 or 305 or even the underwhelming L05 350 later in that should have at least been an L98 that was perfect with it's 350TQ and 250hp at under 5000rpms. That Pontac 377 could have made LS1/LS2/LS3 level power from the mid 80 to the late 90s. Probably 300-400hp 350-450TQ fully emissions compliant and CAFE compliant with a TH2004R or 4L80e and a 2.56-3.73 axle ratio. Of course GM didn't respect the people they expected to buy their expensive high end RWD vehicles and the imports slaughtered them out of existence. Now it's only huge pickups and SUVs that serve the function of a 50s and 60s luxury land barge while skirting CAFE and Emissions regulations.
It was an eyefull for sure, with a glaring error. A ZR1 will leave TTA for dead in the quarter mile. 12.9 @ 113 vs. 13.4 @ 101. 1/2 second and 12 mph is an eternity. Oh... And there were OTHER Corvettes also, like the B2K's which had no problems at all with dropping a TTA like a bad habit.
Addendum. Times were adjusted each year and got slower it seems. Doesn't really matter though, old technology at this point. I have a GN in the garage that will do 0 to 60 in 3.4 secs at 10lbs and I can run 23lb .
I worked at Maxon Pontiac during the 80's. These did not sell very well, we had several in stock rotting on the lot. We did sell boat loads of TPI and TBI trans am's.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Price certainly did not help. Sales told me, most people thought that it looked too much like the GTA and not worth the added cost. It really did not stand out from a visual perspective.
Being a Buick grand national owner I’ve always wanted one! Got lucky last year …. Through a friend at work …found a barn find! Has been in the barn since 2012! #334 from the original owner! I like to think the only modification for the Indy 500 Pace car was the Pace car stickers!😂😂
The T5 was too weak, the Doug Nash 4+3 was universally reviled and the ZF 6-speed in the ‘89 Corvette was way too costly for use in the F-body. They were caught off guard so many people wanted a stick. That is why Borg-Warner (now Tremec) developed the T56.
People say manuals are more fun. I say whatever makes the car faster is more fun. The early 60s are long past, along with the superiority of manuals. The fastest sports cars and drag cars are automatics.
i know of no dealer that marked up a turbo t/a new.they were not that popular.most folks wanted a 350HO or 305. the one we had at the Pontiac dealer i worked at was never driven after it was prepped.the sales manager had it put in the show room. customers would look at it and balk at the 30k price tag because it had a V6 eventually a dealer in Alabama sold it.
Turbo Trannies you couldn’t get one and in Philly everyone wanted a T-Type or a Grand National. By then I was into Cummins Turbo Diesel’s because they were starting to be released in pickup trucks. Nice car Pontiac collectors are a dying breed, shame isn’t it. Great Video Thanks 🙏
Not everything is about flashy style this is a collectable performance first car. Performance is way more important than cosmetic bs and most ppl who buy these agree with that.
You forgot about the biggest myth, gm said it had 250hp, it had a little over 300hp, the president of PAS said they had to under rate it because the manufacturer of the transmission wouldn't warranty anything over 250, so they did some things to make it have less power for test that showed the trans company & public, but all cars sold had the 300+ hp
My cousin has a transmission shop in Toronto and had a 350 V8 GTA, he did up the tranny and tuned the engine. The car was crazy crazy fast!! The Turbos were ok but not great cars.
About 10 years ago a guy was selling a mint 89 Pontiac turbo for $8,500 it was mint af, he was located in Arizona I tried so hard to get it but he was one of those lazy type of people and he was slow to respond so I said the heck with it, I eventually ended up getting a theft recovery 87 Grand National with 5k miles for $2,200 😅
When they where talking about removing the speed limiter and that the car would now do 159mph "very comfortably " I kinda had to roll my eyes 🙄. One quirk of this generation camaro and trans am was above 120 mph the drivers or passenger windows would suddenly pop out if the rubber window seal. Now it didn't do any harm but it was sometimes startling . You made me miss my arrest me red 5.7L iroc 😢
Mine was #713 and the first time the windows lifted off the seals at about 135 scared me into lifting. I did the usual recipe tweaks (also had a couple of 87 GN's) and the car would run around 12.9 to 13.1 at high 1teens pretty easy if the track was grippy. Just a fun car that would really make you grin on a 1-100 run at 20lbs of boost.
The problem with all these turbo cars was if you were not racing in 40 degree weather and/or did not have time for a 90 minute cool down, performance fell off drastically. The Vette would run the number time and again.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Bump and paint guy so that kinda stuff bugs me. Shoulda pulled the molding and nameplate for repairs anyways. Cool car regardless. They all have flaws-sometimes from the factory!
$1,500 in the late 70s lol 70 442 convertible fully loaded $100 70 GS 455 Stage 1 $900 69 XR7 Couger 351 Cleveland $700 69 Camaro convertible $75 but was a 6 cyl. 70 442 w30 455 4sp $600 and the list went on.
Fender has been painted, nice run= really paint shop,couldn't nib that one down a little ? Great cars though..... as well as the "f" body z28's. Best burnout cars ever.
The engine was still entirely all-Buick. The heads were the same used on the FWD Park Avenue etc. The only Pontiac engine left in production after '81 was the Iron Duke 4-cyl.
Bone stock...the Turbo TA all day. Seen 2 getting rolled off some Pontiac dealer's trailer at the 1989 E-Town GN Showdown. Both brand spanking new with window stickers and plastic on the interior. Both went down the track to the tune of 13.3-13.4 at 102-103 MPH. Blew my mind.
@@lesstyranny2695 With me, it's not about "who's faster" anymore. It's the fact it's a half breed. Been a loyal Pontiac enthusiast for 50 yrs now, and don't like the fact GM decided to kill the Pontaic V8 in 82. Unforunately the breed had been going down hill since the later 70s. The 80s were the worst for "most" Detroit performance cars. But the memories of the golden days still remain, and are constantly relived. (Thanks to people like the Campster.)
@@musclecarcampy9922 lightest possible configuration. Over 400 lbs less than GT, plus extra cooling . Extra cooling plus 180 degree thermostat beneficial if you run something hard.
@@musclecarcampy9922 also, there were special service package Mustangs sold through AAFES in Germany. Those were similar to the US police package cars (oil, differential, and power steering cooling) except the LX’s had no AC or EGR and an electric radiator fan. You had to pay $1800 for the package or the overseas use voided your warranty. Of the three Special service package LX’s I have, that one has ran 13.7 103, the auction bought KY State police cars (90 and 93) have ran 13.94 101 and 14.02 respectively. All completely stock. I run both an 1986 T type. And an 87 GN regularly, and the best they’ve run is14.40 99 and 14.21 100
I owned one of these 1994-1996. It was very fun during cool weather, but otherwise had just wicked turbo lag. Sold it for a 5.0 Mustang with a 5 speed and dual exhaust.
Car driver did a test of a GNX a GN and a turbo Trans Am. The GN pulled off a 13.8 the GNX pulled off a 13.4 and the turbo TA pulled off a 13.1 . That car has obviously been repainted. There is no orange peel on it whatsoever and there is a massive drip run on the passenger fender under the Trans Am at the trim. You should’ve carefully screened your video footage and removed that ugly run. These things were sold with a sticker price of $23,000 everybody had them marked up with a 5 to $7000 premium on top of that including Davis Pontiac in Southampton Pennsylvania. Went there test drove it, my 79 403 Trans Am was faster. Yes the dealer let me run it against my personal car and it lost. I went there with cash in my pocket and told him if it beat my car I’ll buy it. So I was the happy owner of a very shiny black 79 Trans Am that night.
Original window sticker on an 89 TTA With leather and ttops is $31,223. Not sure how you can argue with that factual document which is shown in video btw
Never really liked the 80s Trans Am. I bought an IROC in '86. Slugs yes, but a wow factor on date & cruise night. Ah, to be 22 again. Sold my IROC in 2001. That was a dumb move.
I bought a new '85 Bandit II Edition Trans Am when I was 23 & it was a chick magnet, got me laid more times than I can count! In '88 I bought a new IROC-Z, great car but girls liked the Trans Am much better! Sold both in 1998...dumb move
I owned a 2002 firehawk vert . Do you know about SLPs issues with emissions and the stuff about the " real tune" . I have a whacky story but is true that sounds goofy but is not . Im just gonna say thaT SLP tried too hard fhe last of the F body LS1 cars and they failed emissions and they had to put a crap tune on them that most owners never relaized . Its a FUNNY STORY how it played out , but wont tell then whole thing unless anybody cares . Got a bkack auto vert with PINK Firehawk logo I never wanted but such a good deal whixh is also crazy i bought it to replace my 98 SS camaro ( single exhaust pipe and no t tops / early production car with a story as well . Hated black paint , hated convertibles and hated autos . But firehawks and especially that last ones if you didnt keep th3 crap tume and bitched hard enough with GM / SLP were something and faster then you would think . Fast , nice cruiser but cowl shake , fl3x and understeer compared to my 98 . Yeah , not a corner care in that trim but straighline even with the weight it trounced just trounced our / moms C5 auto . It was just fast with really wide despoke sticky firestone summer tires that were very sticky and didnt last long . Firehawks were always kinda underground cars many people dont know and most underated GM products for whatever reason , well beingn expensive . I got mine like 1/2 price . With 0 miles . But the story about the real tune and how one got it is like some crazy stuff. If anybody wants to hear it or the owner reads this or how i got one at crazy discount for espensive car and last of breed . All other F- bodies were GONE when i found it .
Wish I could have lived the 60s muscle car era but the 80s had to do...and man did I have a blast, in my 87 Turbo T, spankin them 5.Slows. Only GM had bone stock 13 second cars back then. Like you said, (properly optioned...no old man gears) 85+ Vette...86+ GN, 86 T-Type, 87 Turbo T, 87 GNX, and of course the 89 Turbo TA. Didn't have to buy a stripper and then remove the silencer, bump the timing, run a short belt...to go 13s...like them Stanks. 😜
@@chadkent1241 Alan Root motor. Before Root motor came along, Lee Shepherd (RIP) BBC > anything Furd. Shepherd > Glidden. GM ruled NASCAR mid 70s thru mid 90s. GM = KING
@@jamesgeorge4874 I agree but purists won't. Both the original and the current muscle car era (started in 1986)...are brought to us by General Motors. Thank you GM!
The mustang was far cheaper and way better bang for the buck, ecsp a 5 speed lx notch. You act like the 10 minute tuneup is some crazy modding or something lmao. Hate on my friend hate on.
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The red headed stepchild. Pontiac guys dont like it because its buick powered and buick guys dont like it because its a Pontiac. I, personally, love it
Pontiac guys would prefer a 301.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Lol
@@musclecarcampy9922 ......NYET COMRADE!!! T/A400, WS6!!!
I'm a TR Buick guy and I definitely like it :)
I saw a story that Pontiac had an updated 301 turbo slated to go into the 3rd gen Trans Am but GM axed it in favor of cheaper manufacturing by using the Chevy small block across the board. But just looking at history, the Buick 3.8 turbo was as anemic as the 301 turbo in 1981, by 1984 it was starting to get exciting and of course in '86 with the TPI, inter cooler and distributorless ignition, the 3.8 become the legend it is today. Imagine had Pontiac been allowed to develop the 301 along side the 3.8 Buick? We might have had 12 second Trans Ams by 1986 or 87. Well it's all fantasy as the T/A made due with really anemic small blocks while the GN/GNX rode off into automotive greatness. But the '89 Anniversary T/A sure gave a glimpse of what might have been!
My dad owned one, back in 1989, I was 17 and sneaked it out for a drive and didn't know about turbo lag. Nailed it on a turn, tires spun and then jumped a curb. Drove it home on the spare and the rim was bent. Whoops!! Still one of my favorite cars GM ever built!!
Wow cool story 😂 did your dad sell it or keep it?
@@makevelicustoms He sold it, then a few years later bought a 1993 Supra Turbo
Same snappy thing happened with the Grand National, only worse!
....did your dad beat ur azz??
My favorite Trans Am! I graduated high school that year. I just think they nailed every aspect of this car from design to performance. Wish I would have picked one up several years ago before they really shot up in value.
I also graduated that year. 2 years later I was working for a late model performance shop and a guy brought one in. We did a bunch of mods to it, and then sprayed it with 100 shot. Got kicked out of the track 1st pass. Have loved those ever since!
I graduated in '89' as well. I personally LOVE this Trans Am. I had three 1/64 scale model cars as a teen. If I ever had the chance to get one of these, I'm NOT gonna hesitate!!
I had a red 87 Trans-Am with t-tops. It wasn't a special edition or anything but damn I loved that car!
Any red Trans Am is special.
I remember seeing them at the dealership in 89, I was a 9 yr old kid and was amazed by the Turbo TA.
Those 89 Turbo Trans Am had 4.3 heads on the 3.8 block,bigger inter cooler, better breathing on the top!!
3800 Series 1 heads off the Bonneville.
@@musclecarcampy9922I thought it was LeSabre heads but I'm ok to be wrong.
One of my dream cars growing up I had this poster on my wall.
Thanks for showing this piece of history. I remember sitting in one of these at the dealership. It was priced at sticker. They should have had blue accents and interiors to reflect the original Trans Am. The good old OBD1 days. I bought a $30 chip for my T-Type Regal. Easy install inside the passenger side kick panel. Performance increase was negligible but it worked. There was also a noticeable change in shift points.
It was just like getting a tune on modern cars the 80s version. Just like today not all tunes are created equal. If it had a good one on a turbo car I can assure you the difference wouldn't be just negligible lol
Nice find. Thanks for sharing. Great story.
Glad you enjoyed it
In the early 90's I worked for PAS who not only turned these T/As into the anniversary cars, but also made the Syclone and Typhoon. In the factory in Auburn Hills, MI. there were many of these T/As sitting around the lot like they were nothing. Crazy to think about that now that these are so rare.
I met Jeff B at a car show at Crystal Cove- Newport Beach CA around 2007. Another tech that worked at PAS I met at a car show in Huntington Beach -- he drove a silver/blue 71 BOSS Mustang. He told me stories that they had Mr Duntov (Mr Corvette) fly in to do some consulting work on the TTA project loaned from GM. Something to do with noisy engine mount. This was around 2004 ish.
Me too, but it was 87. I worked on the Firehawk race team that was in the same building. When I wasn't working on the race cars I sometimes welded prototype exhaust parts up for these cars and the Syclone's and Typhoon's. Jeff and Dan were really great folks to work for!! There were always cool cars there.
Great car. The perfect blend of style, attitude, handling and straight line speed.
This car with a ‘93-up LT1 would have been amazing, forget about an LS1.
@@musclecarcampy9922 yeah, an LT1 would be right at home in one of these.
That's a time capsule beautiful car !
The 1989 TTA is one of my favorite cars ever!
Yup grand national motor in a Trans am with t tops and pop up head lights for the win 🏆
I always loved the Turbo Trans Am. I graduated in 89 so I definitely knew of these and how bad they were. I had a 89 Trans Am but, it wasn’t the good one. Lol. Mine was 5.0 TBI. Great video! Thanks for posting.
Those t-tops should be plastic /lexan instead of the usual glass to save weight, Priceless t-tops if that car has them... those turbo Trans Ams have always been wrongfully undervalued.
I wasn't aware of this car. It's awesome.
Can’t beat the feel of your own automobile, they maybe many but this one yours, That’s the way I feel in my Black 1996 Flare side, has the inline 6 with the 5 speed, she’s old and slow but hay, She’s mine and I enjoy driving it , I Like the way you did your car,She’s pretty, To me, all cars are a work of art
One of my favorites. A coupe is my favorite
Hairdryer attached ..lmao on that 81 ta turbo.. excellent video on the 20th anniversary car.. I always wanted one..still do
Curious if the 87 GN would outrun the TA in stock form or what? Anyone know?
Glad you enjoyed it.
@@andylappin4801the gnx might but a regular one I don't think so honestly. These were fast.
For us in 89 getting our DL meant you could get a mid to late 70s very used 2nd gen firebird/trans am or camaro for $1500 or less depending. The rusted out 2nd gen Trans Am I could of bought back then with the pontiac 400 and a 4 speed for $1500 is ridiculous in price now.
This and the silver 10th anniversary were always dream cars of mine.
i had a triple black, all options, '79.....had EVERYTHING.....it got totaled sitting parked at the curb one fine spring morning.....I cried......yeah. LOVED that car
@@ssnerd583 Better to have love and lost than never loved at all. I feel your pain.
@@charlesdiggs5297 ....maaaan....the hardest part was...after 18 months I FINALLY go......$4000....out of the insurance.....because the insurance was convinced it was just a 1979 Firebird
@@ssnerd583 If my memory serves correctly back in 79, your car was worth at least $15000.
@@charlesdiggs5297 ....yeah....and it was the Anniversary edition in triple black...the last of the 400/4bbl/4sp cars with disc brakes in the back and ALL the options.....WS6 - W72 - the optional $5500 Recaro seats.....T-tops....screaming chicken and the whole thing....44k miles. In perfect condition. I had the window sticker and all the factory documents from the original owner. that car was worth a lot more than $15k even then, in 1993.
I really DID cry when I saw it demolished at the curb.....and THAT was another story.....my car and a brand new, paper tag, Z32 300ZX-TT were totaled by the dumpster dumper truck when the guy driving it....smoking crack all night....had a seizure and blacked out and lost control of the truck....and destroyed both cars, right there. BAM!!! I was in the process of giving the truck driver a dose of black and blue when the cops showed up and.....i managed to stay out of jail that day when the cop was told that the Trans Am that was destroyed was mine.
My dad had one when i was in high school... fucking awesome cars.. makes me want to turbo a v6 camaro rs with the manual, always dreamt of that.
Great video. Very nicely done.
Thank you very much!
Love my 1999 Mustang GT Convertible it's an Automatic does 0 to 60 in 4.8 second and sounds absolutely amazing. Motor is stock with port and polished heads and intake plenum. I also have a Fiero GT with a 4 speed stick and a Northstar V8 that car is insanely fun. Anything analog just feels right when you actually feel the cracks in the road through the steering wheel.
So it’s not stock…
😂
Best of both worlds. I've owned L98 Firebirds and a 1986 Grand National. Should have bought one of these.
Another good video, w great information. Nice work Campy.
Beautiful design these and the Irocs. My gripe..Never cared for that automatic shifter, that is canted towards the driver in the Pontiacs. Chevy didn't do it. Just looks odd or cheap to me. Anyways..Very glad to see this Turbo↩️ is driven and enjoyed 🏁
Thank you so much, sir!
With all that development work to put in that motor, I was hoping to get one from a possible extension of this build run and there wasn’t! I just wasn’t willing to pay an exorbitantly inflated price back in 89.
As a former '91 GTA and '86 Grand National owner, I would love to own one of these. However, my central issue with this car has always been the color scheme. I really dislike tan/camel interiors, and the white exterior is just...blah. I wish the 20th anniversary car had been dark blue, with a white leather interior. Something that would hark back to the original 1969 Trans Am, and would really stand out from regular GTA's. Anyway, cool car, and I plan to buy another GTA one day (a black 1990).
@@lorieandpatrickdavies7483 I tend to agreed I wish they would have taken the the anniversary package up a notch or two for ‘89, cosmetically. Maybe they also felt that the body style was still too similar to the ‘84, that offered the white/blue graphics,white wheels with matching Recaro interior - that going subtle, and putting all of the emphasis on performance rather than stickers, was the way to go for this car. It is somewhat annoying that this car looks identical to a “standard” white GTA, the only cosmetic difference being a few subtle badges.
@gnws6 I like the subtle changes that is what I always loved about svt (I'm a Ford guy) they were always very good with making their stuff look better but also subtle changes that only enthusiasts really notice. Some emblems and minor changes that the average person might not notice. I think that's a plus for this car. I like understated cosmetics and performance performance performance lol. This Car does that well
That's a 20 footer for sure got more runs then Usain Bolt but GM FOR LIFE!. LOVE IT!!....
Great Review!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Man, I love me some gold mesh wheels, gonna be putting some on my '93 Cobra at some point, I've always loved these cars.
Sve makes some killer 18 inch mesh style wheels in gold. I think they look killer on fox bodies.
@@midnight347 actually, those are the ones I have been looking at purchasing! :)
Awesome car. Would have loved to see Pontiac put the supercharged 3800 Series II engine in the F body in the 90’s, but by then the LS1 was getting 250-300hp, so no need for a force-fed 6.
The LS1 made more power and torque and had far more potential.
@@musclecarcampy9922 - agreed.
This is my one realistic dream car I never owned. In 94 I was looking everywhere for one and nobody was selling them. Found one and when I checked it out I pulled off the inlet to the turbo and it had a bunch of oil in there so I declined to buy it and ended up buying an 87 GN instead. Back then you could find GNs everywhere, at least where I was in Ohio. Got an amazingly clean low mileage one for $7900. I still wish I would have bought the Turbo TA anyway and just fixed whatever was wrong with it. no regrets on the GN though. Favorite car I ever owned.
Probably just the seals on the turbo. A little oil in the intake never hurt anyone.
@@negativeindustrial Yeah, I was just being picky at the time. That was one of things I was told to check and if there was oil in there the turbo was going to need replaced and possibly could have gummed up valves. At the time it was portrayed as a big red flag because most were relatively new to the turbo cars.
@@TheSpink02
We could afford to be picky back then. Every company had a world class GT car and most of them were great.
@@TheSpink02that just gives you an excuse to upgrade the turbo lol. I'm sure even then there were people upgrading stock turbos (I would assume)
@@midnight347 My dad and brother both had GNs at the time and they both had bigger turbos, so yeah, they definitely had bigger turbos out there. They sold kits with injectors, chip, turbo, down pipe front mount intercooler, adj fuel regulator, fuel pump, and valve springs that all worked in synergy. I helped my brother install it all on his in one day. Went from 13.4 to low 11's with just that. I think it was a t44 turbo. Cost less than 2000 for all of it together in the kit. My dads ran a 10.03 with an even bigger turbo, trans brake, race gas and chip for race gas, probably a few other things. They kind of helped sway me towards the GN with their knowledge and access to parts. As I remember at the time they pitched that there wasn't a lot of aftermarket stuff for the TTA because there just weren't many of them and the people that had them weren't big on modding them at the time. There were some significant differences that made the TTA much more difficult to upgrade as I recall but I don't remember what they were.
Campy vs Frieburger? Battle of the 90’s rag editors?
Campy vs Uncle Tony more like it.
The '89 TTA was the quickest car of the 80s. 0-60 in 4.6s in C&D's test. The only cars that were close were the GNX and ZR-1. 5.0s and L98s were easy pickin's. It is an absolute travesty that it was obe year only. The Corvette team were realy jerks to get the TTA and GN/GNX programs killed. I wish the Turbo 3.8 wouldbhave been offered in the GP 2+2s, Cutlass 442s and Monte Carlo SSs...even the L98 would have been a gane changer in the G and B bodies. Even the Syclone and Typhoon would have been better with the 3.8 Turbo than the 4.3s. I never understood why the 3.8s were supressed, Australia used the 3.8L SC in RWD vehicles as a base performance model under the LS1. GM made so many foolish mistakes. Pontiac made the worst mistake ever when the ruined their V8, the 301 could have been great and lived on through the 89s with the same technology the Buick 3.8 got like Sequentual Multiport EFI, if they had just used normal heads(possibibly aluminum to save the weight) and a normal counterweighted crank, then the later turbo tech. Could have sold the 301 and a 377ci with the lower deck height. Could have skipped the garbage Caddy engines, used the money on the Pontiac V8. A guy took a 301T block, bored it 0.030" over, used a regular 3.75" crank, normal Pontiac small chamber heads and a narrowed intake manifold made 475hp with a 383ci. I imagine a 301T with aluminum heads made on the line that was making 4.1/4.5/4.9 heads, Buick EFI and Coil ignition, twin GN turbos, normal counterweighted crank, could have made 350-400hp, 400-450tq easy, met full emissions and CAFE requirements...Cadillac/Buick//Olds big expensive luxury cars, wagons and GMC trucks/SUVs could have had a 377ci aluminum head, port efi, coil ignition Pontiac V8 instead of a choked 307 or 305 or even the underwhelming L05 350 later in that should have at least been an L98 that was perfect with it's 350TQ and 250hp at under 5000rpms. That Pontac 377 could have made LS1/LS2/LS3 level power from the mid 80 to the late 90s. Probably 300-400hp 350-450TQ fully emissions compliant and CAFE compliant with a TH2004R or 4L80e and a 2.56-3.73 axle ratio. Of course GM didn't respect the people they expected to buy their expensive high end RWD vehicles and the imports slaughtered them out of existence. Now it's only huge pickups and SUVs that serve the function of a 50s and 60s luxury land barge while skirting CAFE and Emissions regulations.
Well that was an eye full.
Good read and everything was pretty much covered!
It was an eyefull for sure, with a glaring error.
A ZR1 will leave TTA for dead in the quarter mile. 12.9 @ 113 vs. 13.4 @ 101.
1/2 second and 12 mph is an eternity.
Oh...
And there were OTHER Corvettes also, like the B2K's which had no problems at all with dropping a TTA like a bad habit.
@@drm9397 the 92 zr1 is listed at 13.4
Same as the TTA
8th mile is a better indicator though.
Addendum. Times were adjusted each year and got slower it seems. Doesn't really matter though, old technology at this point. I have a GN in the garage that will do 0 to 60 in 3.4 secs at 10lbs and I can run 23lb .
An LT1 C4 would beat it for sure.
I have a modded '87 T-Type. Main difference between the two cars is the fuel pressure regulator. I knew all about these and love them!
That and they have completely different cylinder heads and crankshaft …
I worked at Maxon Pontiac during the 80's. These did not sell very well, we had several in stock rotting on the lot. We did sell boat loads of TPI and TBI trans am's.
Do you think price was a factor?
@@musclecarcampy9922 Price certainly did not help. Sales told me, most people thought that it looked too much like the GTA and not worth the added cost. It really did not stand out from a visual perspective.
Man, I have not thought about Maxon Pontiac in years!
@@musclecarcampy9922 8 years in the service dept. Saw alot of crazy stuff there. Now it's a honda dealer.
These are the best.
Being a Buick grand national owner I’ve always wanted one! Got lucky last year …. Through a friend at work …found a barn find! Has been in the barn since 2012! #334 from the original owner!
I like to think the only modification for the Indy 500 Pace car was the Pace car stickers!😂😂
Good stuff, man!
Such a nice car!
Why so many of these had to be automatic ugh. This is the best looking 80s sports car IMO.
All the 20th Anniversary cars were automatics. The sticks they used couldn’t handle the torque.
@@musclecarcampy9922 they could have found something that would. They could have used the Corvettes.
The T5 was too weak, the Doug Nash 4+3 was universally reviled and the ZF 6-speed in the ‘89 Corvette was way too costly for use in the F-body. They were caught off guard so many people wanted a stick. That is why Borg-Warner (now Tremec) developed the T56.
People don't realize, this car was built on a factory budget, with leftover production parts. Similar to the 1st Viper.
People say manuals are more fun. I say whatever makes the car faster is more fun.
The early 60s are long past, along with the superiority of manuals. The fastest sports cars and drag cars are automatics.
ALWAYS WANTED THIS CAR
Best factory rims ever
I bet the fella with the car was disappointed when he heard how the audio was done.
Not as disappointed as me.
The gn was a 12 second car with an adjustable wastegate alone. 11 with injectors and a chip.
GNX didn’t have a ball bearing turbo, the heads are not 3800 series 1. The turbo on the TA was the same as the TR.
Garrett didn't release ball bearing turbochargers until 1993, and the TTA in '89 didn't leave the factory with one.
I misspoke. Sorry.
That was a super fun car to drive
I liked these cars but just loved the 3rd gen Z28s and IROC Zs a lot more!
These would smoke an iroc lol
i know of no dealer that marked up a turbo t/a new.they were not that popular.most folks wanted a 350HO or 305.
the one we had at the Pontiac dealer i worked at was never driven after it was prepped.the sales manager had it put in the show room.
customers would look at it and balk at the 30k price tag because it had a V6
eventually a dealer in Alabama sold it.
Cool vid AMAZING CAR
Thanks!
Turbo Trannies you couldn’t get one and in Philly everyone wanted a T-Type or a Grand National. By then I was into Cummins Turbo Diesel’s because they were starting to be released in pickup trucks. Nice car Pontiac collectors are a dying breed, shame isn’t it. Great Video Thanks 🙏
Damn gorgeous car. A dream. I had the original turbo and you are correct. It was the best looking thing ever but not fast at all Still my favorite tho
Should came with some different cues to separate it from lesser cars but only the turbo badges isn’t enough but looks great
Not everything is about flashy style this is a collectable performance first car. Performance is way more important than cosmetic bs and most ppl who buy these agree with that.
You forgot about the biggest myth, gm said it had 250hp, it had a little over 300hp, the president of PAS said they had to under rate it because the manufacturer of the transmission wouldn't warranty anything over 250, so they did some things to make it have less power for test that showed the trans company & public, but all cars sold had the 300+ hp
when i was 18 i used to unload the the car hauler with these brand new trans ams at the dealership
I had the 1989 gta,mostly the same car,my favorite car ever,and said to be faster then the corvette of the time....just had a back seat
Very nice
“I like driving cars because there fun” Yep👍
Sometimes it really is that simple.
Disappointed that it doesn't have the original radio.
My cousin has a transmission shop in Toronto and had a 350 V8 GTA, he did up the tranny and tuned the engine. The car was crazy crazy fast!! The Turbos were ok but not great cars.
About 10 years ago a guy was selling a mint 89 Pontiac turbo for $8,500 it was mint af, he was located in Arizona I tried so hard to get it but he was one of those lazy type of people and he was slow to respond so I said the heck with it, I eventually ended up getting a theft recovery 87 Grand National with 5k miles for $2,200 😅
When they where talking about removing the speed limiter and that the car would now do 159mph "very comfortably " I kinda had to roll my eyes 🙄. One quirk of this generation camaro and trans am was above 120 mph the drivers or passenger windows would suddenly pop out if the rubber window seal. Now it didn't do any harm but it was sometimes startling . You made me miss my arrest me red 5.7L iroc 😢
The T-tops popped around 140mph my brother 1995 LT-1. That car had no issue getting to 160mph. But neither did an early 90’s Oldsmobile 4 cylinder lol
Had that happen in a car a buddy was driving at 135 or so scared the daylights out of me lol..
When I did it the t tops were off
@@anthonypalese3153 I can’t even remember if the GTA we were in had ttops are not but they were on or it was a solid roof.
Mine was #713 and the first time the windows lifted off the seals at about 135 scared me into lifting. I did the usual recipe tweaks (also had a couple of 87 GN's) and the car would run around 12.9 to 13.1 at high 1teens pretty easy if the track was grippy. Just a fun car that would really make you grin on a 1-100 run at 20lbs of boost.
People always say it was faster than a vette but it was also 4000 dollars more than a vette and 4 grand then would be like 20 grand now
The problem with all these turbo cars was if you were not racing in 40 degree weather and/or did not have time for a 90 minute cool down, performance fell off drastically. The Vette would run the number time and again.
the insurance costed more than the car
Is this the same campy from MMFF magazine
Yessir.
A favorite magazine. Especially when i had my 89LX 5.0 stripper model.
Sorry in 1980 the turbo Trans Am came out 301 v8 turbo I had one.
Don’t blame me.
These are better than a GN or GNX, I can’t Stand the hideous interiors in those cars..
My friend took me to the dealership to go and look at it on the showroom floor. I heard Mike Tyson owned one
Nice paint run @ 00:30 lol
Good eye!
I’m sure yours is just perfect.
@@musclecarcampy9922
Bump and paint guy so that kinda stuff bugs me. Shoulda pulled the molding and nameplate for repairs anyways. Cool car regardless. They all have flaws-sometimes from the factory!
$1,500 in the late 70s lol
70 442 convertible fully loaded $100
70 GS 455 Stage 1 $900
69 XR7 Couger 351 Cleveland $700
69 Camaro convertible $75 but was a 6 cyl.
70 442 w30 455 4sp $600 and the list went on.
Fender has been painted, nice run= really paint shop,couldn't nib that one down a little ? Great cars though..... as well as the "f" body z28's. Best burnout cars ever.
Not perfect. just a 116,000 car that got a fender scratched and repaired.
Gn short block +Pontiac heads❤
The engine was still entirely all-Buick. The heads were the same used on the FWD Park Avenue etc. The only Pontiac engine left in production after '81 was the Iron Duke 4-cyl.
Turbo 4.9. woulda, coulda, shoulda
I’ve heard other things about Sam kinnison death maybe Andrew Dice Clay would like to talk about it lol
Who would win, a GN, or this car? (Good find Campster.)
Bone stock...the Turbo TA all day. Seen 2 getting rolled off some Pontiac dealer's trailer at the 1989 E-Town GN Showdown. Both brand spanking new with window stickers and plastic on the interior. Both went down the track to the tune of 13.3-13.4 at 102-103 MPH. Blew my mind.
GN’s were not close to this. GNX, on the other hand …
@@musclecarcampy9922 I still think they're missin 2 cylinders. Too bad Pontaic wasn't allowed to "evolve" the 301T.
@@joequillun7790 drive one and you won't feel this way anymore.
@@lesstyranny2695 With me, it's not about "who's faster" anymore. It's the fact it's a half breed. Been a loyal Pontiac enthusiast for 50 yrs now, and don't like the fact GM decided to kill the Pontaic V8 in 82. Unforunately the breed had been going down hill since the later 70s. The 80s were the worst for "most" Detroit performance cars. But the memories of the golden days still remain, and are constantly relived.
(Thanks to people like the Campster.)
An lx 5.0 police package could outrun a Grand National in the right hands
Why a police package? There was nothing special about these except stuff to make them more reliable in police duty.
@@musclecarcampy9922 lightest possible configuration. Over 400 lbs less than GT, plus extra cooling . Extra cooling plus 180 degree thermostat beneficial if you run something hard.
@@musclecarcampy9922 also, there were special service package Mustangs sold through AAFES in Germany. Those were similar to the US police package cars (oil, differential, and power steering cooling) except the LX’s had no AC or EGR and an electric radiator fan. You had to pay $1800 for the package or the overseas use voided your warranty. Of the three Special service package LX’s I have, that one has ran 13.7 103, the auction bought KY State police cars (90 and 93) have ran 13.94 101 and 14.02 respectively. All completely stock. I run both an 1986 T type. And an 87 GN regularly, and the best they’ve run is14.40 99 and 14.21 100
I owned one of these 1994-1996. It was very fun during cool weather, but otherwise had just wicked turbo lag. Sold it for a 5.0 Mustang with a 5 speed and dual exhaust.
The Camaro 25th was a disappointment after this.
In my opinion 89 turbo t/a ran about the same as gm later ls engine z28 t/a and Corvette
The EPA killed all the cools cars. Strangled them
Yeah, but they came back with a vengeance in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and continue to the present day.
Not OBD 1 that was 93-95
Car driver did a test of a GNX a GN and a turbo Trans Am. The GN pulled off a 13.8 the GNX pulled off a 13.4 and the turbo TA pulled off a 13.1 . That car has obviously been repainted. There is no orange peel on it whatsoever and there is a massive drip run on the passenger fender under the Trans Am at the trim. You should’ve carefully screened your video footage and removed that ugly run. These things were sold with a sticker price of $23,000 everybody had them marked up with a 5 to $7000 premium on top of that including Davis Pontiac in Southampton Pennsylvania. Went there test drove it, my 79 403 Trans Am was faster. Yes the dealer let me run it against my personal car and it lost. I went there with cash in my pocket and told him if it beat my car I’ll buy it. So I was the happy owner of a very shiny black 79 Trans Am that night.
Original window sticker on an 89 TTA With leather and ttops is $31,223. Not sure how you can argue with that factual document which is shown in video btw
Never really liked the 80s Trans Am. I bought an IROC in '86. Slugs yes, but a wow factor on date & cruise night. Ah, to be 22 again. Sold my IROC in 2001. That was a dumb move.
I bought a new '85 Bandit II Edition Trans Am when I was 23 & it was a chick magnet, got me laid more times than I can count! In '88 I bought a new IROC-Z, great car but girls liked the Trans Am much better! Sold both in 1998...dumb move
Saw a cool story about the fbi using the plane GNX type cars
I owned a 2002 firehawk vert . Do you know about SLPs issues with emissions and the stuff about the " real tune" . I have a whacky story but is true that sounds goofy but is not . Im just gonna say thaT SLP tried too hard fhe last of the F body LS1 cars and they failed emissions and they had to put a crap tune on them that most owners never relaized . Its a FUNNY STORY how it played out , but wont tell then whole thing unless anybody cares . Got a bkack auto vert with PINK Firehawk logo I never wanted but such a good deal whixh is also crazy i bought it to replace my 98 SS camaro ( single exhaust pipe and no t tops / early production car with a story as well . Hated black paint , hated convertibles and hated autos . But firehawks and especially that last ones if you didnt keep th3 crap tume and bitched hard enough with GM / SLP were something and faster then you would think . Fast , nice cruiser but cowl shake , fl3x and understeer compared to my 98 . Yeah , not a corner care in that trim but straighline even with the weight it trounced just trounced our / moms C5 auto . It was just fast with really wide despoke sticky firestone summer tires that were very sticky and didnt last long . Firehawks were always kinda underground cars many people dont know and most underated GM products for whatever reason , well beingn expensive . I got mine like 1/2 price . With 0 miles . But the story about the real tune and how one got it is like some crazy stuff. If anybody wants to hear it or the owner reads this or how i got one at crazy discount for espensive car and last of breed . All other F- bodies were GONE when i found it .
Wish I could have lived the 60s muscle car era but the 80s had to do...and man did I have a blast, in my 87 Turbo T, spankin them 5.Slows. Only GM had bone stock 13 second cars back then. Like you said, (properly optioned...no old man gears) 85+ Vette...86+ GN, 86 T-Type, 87 Turbo T, 87 GNX, and of course the 89 Turbo TA. Didn't have to buy a stripper and then remove the silencer, bump the timing, run a short belt...to go 13s...like them Stanks. 😜
GM got SMOKED in Pro Stock from 85-89. Bob Glidden. Ford > GM
@@chadkent1241 Alan Root motor. Before Root motor came along, Lee Shepherd (RIP) BBC > anything Furd. Shepherd > Glidden. GM ruled NASCAR mid 70s thru mid 90s. GM = KING
You live in the era of 700-800 horsepower cars, off the showroom floor. The top of the line Corvette is over 1000 hp !
The muscle car era *IS NOW* !!
@@jamesgeorge4874 I agree but purists won't. Both the original and the current muscle car era (started in 1986)...are brought to us by General Motors. Thank you GM!
The mustang was far cheaper and way better bang for the buck, ecsp a 5 speed lx notch. You act like the 10 minute tuneup is some crazy modding or something lmao. Hate on my friend hate on.
picked up a '68 Chevelle convertible in 1988 for $3,000 ... yes it needed some work ...
And the point in relation to the TA is?
"Myth"? What's not to know about how lame the Wheeze-oh-One was and will ALWAYS be? Putting lipstick on a pig is just a moot point
Well, that was not a myth we busted. It was true.
Sam died in his Corvette. Not a T/A
Not according to the Seattle Times: archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19920412&slug=1485946. Look up photos from the scene. It is a Turbo TA.