Turbo Trans Am Plucked My Birdie!

[Darkside]

I got killed by a Turbo Trans Am this weekend at the strip. It was running in the low 13's. I beat it to 60 ft. and then it was over. The guy told me it was stock but I didn't know if they were that fast from the factory or if he was BS'n me. Adjusted for altitude that would make it a 12 sec car. Is that right? This should've been in the racing forum shouldn't it. Damn me and my lack of ability to follow directions!:mad:

[XR7 Dave]

The turbo guys are all "stock" with higher boost levels. I have yet to see a turbo guy who didn't raise the boost to at least 17psi before they ever hit the track. Also remember that you are only getting 10psi at your altitude whereas an SC at sealevel gets at least 12. The turbo has a built in compensator for such conditions. ;)

[DamonSlowpokeBaumann]

People have different Ideas on what stock is

[JAFO]

Stock with the boost turned up. ;)
They were good for mid 13's stock, maybe a little better?

Very cool cars, don't feel bad. :)

[J57ltr]

Originally posted by DamonSlowpokeBaumann
People have different Ideas on what stock is


And "ported"

JEff

[Doug Franklin]

Darkside, started to send you a video cllip of a blown SHO waxing one over here in Tejas. But emails go through the forum so file is too large. Been wondering if one of those rice engines will do well in a stripped SC.

[Darkside]

Hey Doug, did you ever figure out how to post videos to the forums? If not, you can just email it to me as long as the vid isn't bigger than 10MB. Then i will post it. Email is zonaboy@comcast.net I would love to see it.

[droptop5.0]

Yo Darkside Bro, Losing by 3. in the 1/4 isn't just getting plucked. Bro, you got plucked, stuffed and roasted.:( We gotta do that shift kit soon.

[Darkside]

No kidding. Anyway, here are those vids Doug Franklin sent me.

Video (http://home.comcast.net/~zonaboy/images/Tony_and_Sergio_4.wmv)



Sorry if you tried to look at these before and they didn't work. Had the wrong link in there. They work now.:D

[Darkside]

video 2 (http://home.comcast.net/~zonaboy/Tony_and_Sergio_2.wmv)

[IGot6UGot8]

If it was an '89 T/A, it probably was stock running low 13's. They made an Anniversary T/A with the same drivetrain as a Grand National, but they're were said to be faster. They would have no problem in the 13's, high elevens with mods.

Jake

[1QuikV6]

Man I love SHO's :D Eat your heart out GM.

I also saw a Fox Body Mustang with a GN drivetrain in it. i bet thats a heckuva sleeper.

[silversc90]

don't feel bad, you were beaten by a very low production car. i think less than 1,000 units.

[1BADSC]

89Turbo TA had the GNX motor with better heads on it. The car ran 0-60 in 4.3 seconds bone stock, and is good for low 13's. Plus it was the only car to pace indy without modifications. So I wouldn't feel to badly about being beaten by one.

[JAFO]

Originally posted by silversc90
i think less than 1,000 units.

Close, 1547.
Surely there's one for me? :D

[Darkside]

Originally posted by JAFO
Close, 1547.
Surely there's one for me? :D

Sure, there's one for sale here in Albuquerque. Send me the money and I'll go pick it up for you.;) Check it out, here's the ad from the autotrader:


1989 PONTIAC TURBO TRANS AM, 20th Anniversary Indy Pace Car. #1335 of 1550 ever built. This car is completely original & always stored in garage. Still the quickest Trans Am ever built. 0-60mph in under five seconds. 68k miles. Serious inquiries only please. $12,800. 505-898-1620, 505-440-4614.

[JAFO]

Sounds good, I'll fax you a check!

Thanks!
:)

[XR7 Dave]

Ha! with only 841 90 5spds made, my wife's car is even more rare.

And SWB 003 is more rare than that! :o :p

[1QuikV6]

Thou shall not yurn for a GM:D Cant argue with the performance though. Ill bet that if a little Turbo 4 can pace INDY then Im sure a 2000 Cobra R can surely do it. Only 307 units including prototypes. Ya think theres one out there with my name on it?:D

[JAFO]

Believe me, I yearn for a lot of cars, not just Ford & GM. :D There's no end to my car lust!

BTW, it's a turbo 6, 3.8L.

[KwikGSeX]

There was a Turbo TA running in SLP Customer appreciation day at ETown Raceway 2 weeks ago.. The thing was beat up, ugly as sin, stock lookin and had a white bumper (rest of the car was red) So imagine our surprise when he pulls up does a minor burnout and clicks off a 10.80@129 on drag radials.. Car sounded like it had no exhaust at all.. Just this HUGE turbo whine.. Those cars are friggin beasts man!!

[1BADSC]

1Quick it is a 3.8

[RancherV6Lee]

The guy I've been buying parts off of for my 70' chevelle has a 89' Turbo Transam, with 3,120 mile in it. Nice looking car and he has owned it since new.

[Big Cat Davo]

It was just the GN motor with different heads, the stock GN heads would not fit between the shock towers so they goit the heads that were designed for the FWD buick3.8, the result was a littl bit better combustion chamber and high exhuast flow, this let the Turbo spool quicker, but it was not and never was a GNX motor.

Dave

[1BADSC]

hmmm, I thought I had watched a history channel special and they stated that it was a GNX motor. :(

Thank you for the correction though. :)

[cougar20th]

Originally posted by KwikGSeX
There was a Turbo TA running in SLP Customer appreciation day at ETown Raceway 2 weeks ago.. The thing was beat up, ugly as sin, stock lookin and had a white bumper (rest of the car was red) So imagine our surprise when he pulls up does a minor burnout and clicks off a 10.80@129 on drag radials.. Car sounded like it had no exhaust at all.. Just this HUGE turbo whine.. Those cars are friggin beasts man!!

that car is not one of the 1550 turbo transams. it is a 89 gta that has a gn motor put in it. the guy also owns (3) 89 turbo transams.

this is the car
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/411384

[KwikGSeX]

Originally posted by cougar20th
that car is not one of the 1550 turbo transams. it is a 89 gta that has a gn motor put in it. the guy also owns (3) 89 turbo transams.

this is the car
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/411384

Thats the car i was talking about allright.. All i can say is.. DAMN!!!

[dirtybird91]

GM had a lot going on in those days. There were also the GMC SYCLONE, and the TYPHOON. These trucks were really some beasts too. Although I can't remember if they were 3.8 or 4.3.:confused:

But they were based on the same principles as the Turbo Trans Am Pace Car, and the Buick Grand National.

BUT, they were AWD's

Dirtybird91:D

[JAFO]

Same principle in that they were turbo'd and deceptively fast, but that's about where the similarity ends. The Sy/Ty had a Chevy 4.3 not the Buick 3.8. They're more prone to problems when they get modified that the Buicks/TTA.

[Darkside]

Yeah, GM had some cojones during that time, I wonder what happened? The Cyclones/Typhoons were ill. God, it hurts to say that.:rolleyes: Puts a bad taste in my mouth.

[1BADSC]

Gm was much like Ford. Nothing was allowed to be faster than the Corvette, so they canned the GN, GNX, and the Turbo T/A. The Rumor was that most of the GNX's were bought up the government. Imagine a federal agent chasing you in a GNX. :)

[XR7Kurt]

I knew a guy that had one of those cars when it was a year or two old, he had done only a couple of things, maybe exhaust and a chip or something like that, but it just flew! Low 12's from what I remember. The guy also told me that all of those engines were built and installed by Kar Kraft I think. They all came with the dyno sheets from the installer and were all dyno'd at over 300 hp even though the official rating was somewhere in the 200's.

Kurt

[1BADSC]

Yeah they were bad machines. They are still the fastest trans am ever made. The only one that came close in 0-60 was the 1969 T/A with the Ram IV motor.