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Some color pics of 1970s Trans Ams, 1972 455 HO & 1977 W72 400. I have some specs on the blue 1972 7.5 liter car.



weight: 3700 lbs, 300 bhp @ 4000 rpm, 415 lbs/ft @ 3200 rpm



1/4 mile acceleration 14 seconds dead



http://www.78ta.com/international.htm



Not bad for a 32 year old 4 speed manual.



Hot Rod magazine's figure for 1973 SD 455 automatic = 13.5 seconds :)

looks pretty hot.

Pontiac were the exception to the rule in the 70s. Everyone thought they were crazy to keep trying to offer hot cars given the Z/28 was axed at the end of 1974 and the Vette lost the 454, but they just kept on going. Road & Track (1976) once said the musicians have packed up and gone home, but the melody is lingering on at Pontiac Division. Basically GM management didn't care, they were too worried about losing market share to the Japanese imports in the late 70s for normal cars, so if Pontiac wanted to make a few special cars they were indifferent, it was small beans.

By 1977 it was entrenched policy that the Corvette would have a higher power rating than the F body cars. Pontiac got around this by underquoting the output on the optional W72 400 so that it was lower, on paper, than the Corvette's L82 350. Even after the 6.6 liter engines got axed Pontiac still beat Corvette to the post by getting approval to offer a turbo charged car in 1980, but part of the trade off was that they weren't allowed to offer it with a 4 speed manual, it was auto only because you could still get a 4 speed on the C3 Corvette. :wordup: