This RARE V6 Turbocharged Trans Am CRUSHED Corvettes – The 1989 Turbo Trans Am
In the world of high-performance automobiles, there exists an unspoken rule that automakers follow diligently: never let a lower-tier performance vehicle overshadow your flagship model. For instance, if Chevrolet produces a premier performance car like the Corvette with 500 horsepower, no other vehicle in the General Motors lineup should surpass that power figure. If, by some chance, another model approaches or surpasses that threshold, it is typically detuned or advertised with lower horsepower to maintain the hierarchy. Automakers need customers to be sure that by spending the most money they’re getting the best product.
However, over the years, General Motors (GM) has skirted the line of this rule, occasionally producing cars that come remarkably close to overshadowing their flagship counterparts. One such instance occurred in 1989 when Pontiac was entrusted with creating a special vehicle to serve as the official pace car for the Indianapolis 500.
Traditionally, the pace car was a high-end production model. Yet, Pontiac decided to take a different approach that year. They aimed to craft something entirely unique for the occasion, leading to the birth of the turbo Trans Am, a muscle car powered by a turbocharged V-6 engine that gave even the Corvette a run for its money and might have even surpassed it in power, depending on who you asked.
This extraordinary machine was born from a blend of a typical third-generation Pontiac Firebird and the Buick GNX, featuring the storied turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine. Remarkably, the engine had to be further modified from the GNX version to fit within the Firebird’s tighter engine bay, resulting in a radical and potentially even faster machine than the already impressive GNX.
In the video below, the Rare Cars YouTube Channel provides a comprehensive overview of the origins of this unique model and sheds light on what’s happening with this automotive oddity – a treat for fans of unconventional vehicles.
