1977 pontiac firebird trans am commercial

[Z28inNC]

great thing about these pre 79 T/A's is that you can rip off/block off all the smog control BS and get close to early 70's performance.

[69homohater]

I put 2:72 in mine and 670 gto heads and im pushin 450 hp and i can do about 160

[spaceghost30082]

400 cu in (6.6 L) Pontiac V8 200 hp at the crank. hahahaha. lol. (:>)

[TheGuitarGuy09]

dislike...a woman driver

[princessurfs]

MY FAVORITE WAS MY 1970TA WITH 455 AND A4 SPEED,HOWEVER,MY2002 TA CONVERTIBLE IS FASTER,BETTER HANDLING AND GETS26MPG ON THE HWY AT75MPH.

[Ratmouth66]

Heyyy, anyone notice the placement of the "Trans Am" decal over the headlights? Its not directly over the lights like all the restoration guys always say, and this is direct 1977 footage from Pontiac, maybe we've been getting it wrong this whole time?

[RADTASTICjen]

mannnn if I could have one car right now... this would be it.

[ThrilloVanHouten]

Kinda odd that GM would show a woman driving this manly car...

[AirCargoHeavy]

I had a '78 and wish I had never sold it. There are better, higher quality cars out there, but nothing looked like them. The feel of that "high-effort" steering was great.

 Mine had the T-Tops, which sacrificed some structural rigidity. When the car was up on a rack once, I tried to open the doors, but couldn't. The subframe design was a POS. But what a machine!

[tjtrujillo]

Also, lets not forget that HP calculation methods changed in the early 70's. The big muscle cars of the 60's and early 70s were rated in the dyno or factory with no accessories. After this for insurance and government smog purposes they were rated at the rear wheels with all the smog and accessories attached. Therefore, a 220 T/A 6.6 like mine from 78 probably had similar HP characteristics as that of the earlier muscle cars if you compared properly. The smog equipment was the killer.

[jonrene100]

@tjtrujillo What are you talking about? Engines were tested for brake hp at the fly wheel with no accessories, but the engines were also hand built for the testing. Around 1973 they started net horsepower ratings with all emissions and power accessories attached using an engine off the assemblely line. However they don't test at the rear wheels. That would be testing rear wheel hp and varys with different transmission and rear axle ratios.

[tjtrujillo]

Its two years later to reply to racerboyroy. I had a '78 T/A 6.6 automatic that was bone stock and brand new way back when. When I went in the Navy I drove it from Norfolk to San Diego and back. Several times on those long Arizona and Texas stretches of highway I had the TA up over 130 mph for extended periods of time. No sweat! Mine had 3.23 gears and it used to fly on the highway. Therefore, I don't doubt the previous comments of 150 under the right circumstances.

[ThrilloVanHouten]

Damn, the Trans Am looks so much better than my bare base-model '77 bird...I still love mine though :)

[zukomatico]

wow is a kennie´s car SOUHT PARK i want have one XD

[brin3535]

@zukomatico Your spelling and sentence structure are on par with those that might inhabit a trailer park. I'm certain that this car and a jean jacket suits you perfectly....

[gracom1977]

imagine how many chicks got pregnant because of this car !!

[LocoSaldados26]

@gracom1977 answer to that is..... holy shit!

[dutchy1176]

"BANDIT!!!!...I'll get you, you SUMBITCH!!!

[fundyracer]

73 SD for me.

[JoshisBack101]

yeaa well not to brag but my dad has one. 455sd exept its not the 4speed. I would rather have his to but i got the 76 455 4speed.

[Stipi2007]

I cant decide which car i would buy?

firebird (perhaps 19973), trans am, honda civic (2005-2011) or Nissan 350Z coupe...

or chrysler 300c :D

[HaleFire7]

If you're even considering a civic I can't help you.

[dodge69874]

Firebird is fast, Trans Am has looks, and Civic and 350Z are just gay. 300C has modern day comfort and such.

[blacksantau]

@dodge69874 240z is cool though

[dodge69874]

@blacksantau Well, maybe the Silvia's or the 300ZX with twin turbo. If I didn't have much money and wanted a nice little peppey economic ride, I'd probably go with one of those.

[PolskaRezystans]

This car rules! 1970's cars are cooler than today's cars.

[3manwolfpack2]

@PolskaRezystans DUH!

[cadillac4100]

I know that this is a TransAm..But does one recall the gold Firebirds that James Garner drove on "The Rockford Files"???

[DC322]

Confirmed. Firebird Esprit.

[njot3]

I dig the 70s music in this commercial!!

[njot3]

The reason why GM messed up is because they have people who don't care running the company. Each division was marketed to a different segment of the market. They didn't all use to be clones of one another. And they should not have shared motors with each division. If you were alive back then, you know that we did not think of a Pontiac as being anything like an Oldsmobile, or a Chevrolet, or a Buick. They were distinct and did not overlap with each other in the marketplace.

[QTurkCorp]

I'm building a '76 Trans am clone right now.

Came with a 350 pontiac but I think I have stumbled across a fuel injected 454 chevy I'm dropping in it =)

Going to make it Maroon with Gold decals and while interior

[debrajl529]

I want it so bad....

[gdement]

These Firebirds actually offered something different from the Camaros back then. Pontiac offered their own V8's in them, which were a step up from the Chevy engines.

The Pontiac V8's got cancelled in the early 80's, which reduced Firebird to a complete Camaro clone.

For those who laugh at these engines, the torque curve of a small 180hp 4-cylinder isn't even close to a 180hp 400ci V-8. You can't just compare peak hp with engines that vastly different.

[mfreeman7821]

The last Firebird generation was sick though to me anyways.

[QuebecCentral]

pontiac WE BUILT EXCITEMENT ! ! it was really the case in 77 ! !

[xlcxyay]

lol they use all those words technical words do they expect everyone to know what they mean

[stevenrbostick]

Sweet!

[JMMoosey]

The only thing I would love to have come extra come with the '77 Trans Am is Burt Reynolds.

[deepmelody1991]

Oh man what an awesome car! Fast AND quick in it's time, unmistakable today both in looks and its impact to the performance and pop culture world. Those cars had SOUL!

DAMMIT GM! How could you let Pontiac be killed off?! It actually had cars that were FUN!

[madcapromanian]

The '77 firebird was one of the best nose designs on these cars.

Nevermind Pontiac...they killed Oldsmobile, one of the original car companies bought by Durrant!

Well, the entire original GM structure is gone...Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, Buick, Cadillac, GMC.

Now they're cuting back to Chevy, Buick, Cadillac and GMC which now equils 4 different Chevies with different trim and badges. And Gm wonders why they're dying?

[jensenon]

I had a 77 Trans am. the best car I ever had. I called it maintance free because I never did a thing and it still ran.

[Treyhtown]

These cars aren't fast at all. They had so much smog shit back then which is what killed these cars. You people should be glad they did this. Now you can buy a 500hp car and still get high 20's mpg. Several C6 corvettes get nearly 30 mpg.

But yeah, these cars had what? 180hp? Import 4cyl cars have that now.

[thefate1]

Corvettes are a joke all they are is a name, the 06 GTO beat the corvettes so chevy made them stop and same with the feiro, and im sick of people talking about how much better a camaro is then a firebird its the same damn car!

[Treyhtown]

They quit making the GTO because of GM's shitty advertising, the same is going to happen with the G8. Both are the most respected American cars built, and GM is flushing them down the toilet.

The Camaro's were better than Firebird in the 77' range but that is it. Firebird had better interior in recent years.

But yeah, everything else is the exact same.

[thefate1]

How was the Camaro better then the Firebird in 77? the Camaro was totally ugly in that year, a black 77 T/A Bandit Edition is absolutely beautiful

[Treyhtown]

I thought they gave the a face lift camaro in 77 but it was 78..

But yeah, I have an 80 SE T/A. Such an awesome car. It's not a 77 or 78, but it is good enough for me! I will put a vid up later

[Treyhtown]

*gave the camaro a facelift

[PD05]

Corvettes are not a joke, and the GTO did not beat it. they did have the same motor but the GTO was heavier

[harley145000]

mrfish 7 in wide rims

[yalltookthegoodnames]

also does anyone know anything about the pontiac Tojan?

[yalltookthegoodnames]

i love music on this

[mrfish1991]

did he say 7" wheels????

thats HUGE!!! lol

[Cash2112]

Yeah, the **8!!** inch Snowflakes were introduced the next year as part of the WS6 package.

[TheBandit77TransAm]

nope not true at ALL unless this commercial was made in 1976 because the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit" had a 1977 Trans Am SE Y82 "BANDIT" edition (thats what we call those cars now), and the 77 Trans Am had 9" Snowflake wheels.

[DunkinDonuts747]

Dude all you gotta do is put up a video, and anyways the speedo on a 78 T/a only goes up to 100mph.

WHICH doesnt mean im saying the car only goes 100mph, but there ain't no way to tell you were going 143 unless you get into some tech. shit like a radar gun.

[ERICTSGT]

Let them say what they want, ever drive a 1974 SD-455 Trans Am? PONTIAC was still faithfull to Keep a BIG BLOCK in a Pony Car Right up til 1979 400ci Worth and with a 4spd too. True the 1970's were bad years for cars, But The Trans Am went Fast SMOG and all. Ask Sammy the Red Rocker IEATZ28

[cheese2507]

Regardless of power, it is one of the best looking cars of all time.

[dodge851]

If you think this car is fast, you've been watching too many Smokey and the Bandit re-runs. Just because it could stay out in front of a '77 Lemans patrol car, doesn't mean it was fast. I purchased a new '77 T/A 6.6 4-speed. It was a 200HP car. Sure, it could take down a stock Z-28 or Mustang of that era (Chrysler had zero muscle in that year), but that's not saying much since both couldn't touch 200HP. Just about anything called a muscle car from about '67 to '73 could eat this cars lunch.

[hugglescake]

I like the background "porn music" Very 70's, the decade that taste forgot.

[WweHbk6]

My dad used to have this car =( I wish he didn't see it

[fabiolas4]

wow a chick in a t/a im actually turned on, i love this!!

[bgsd73]

one of Charlie's Angels driving

[longfade]

Maybe it sounds misogynistic, but I hate seeing women driving high-performance cars, sitting bolt upright with hands at 10 and 2 o'clock, or yapping on the cell phone going 50mph in the left lane.

[transamboy455]

My 76 TA is Def not slow..It has a 455 though!

[chevellenut65]

I was speaking in terms of drag racing...not top speed..yea a newer car with overdrive can have a higher top speed...but I was comparing the Chevelle to a 77 T/A in the 1/4 mile.

[racerboyroy]

actually the new cars are faster the muscle cars (some of them) were quicker with slicks headers and tuning

but with their gearing few would go over 120mph red line limited

the 77 trans am goes about 115mph at red line

new cars with their overdrives commonly go over 140mph i have seen a car magazine test

a stock 95 trams am at 159mph

i have had the speedo in my 95 z28 over 150mph twice

[buckk007]

I went 143 in my 78 TA and had to let up for a stop sign. I believe I would have got 150 out of her easily, and it was pure stock, nothing extra. It wasn't the fastest thing on the road, but it was pretty damn quick. I know all the 78's are not this quick, though. I just bought another one this week that may be faster than my other. Love the TA's!!

[racerboyroy]

a stock 77-79 t/a will not go that fast with stock gears/motor they go 115mph; and high 15's quarter mile according to magazine tests from that time period

not only that the speedos only go to 100 in those cars

how do you figure 143mph??????????????

the 6.6liter on the hood scoop indicated a 180hp oldsmobile 403ci station wagon motor. a

6.6 TA on the hood scoop(rare)indicated a 220hp pontiac 400 usually only sold with a 4 speed

[buckk007]

You are correct, the speedo only registered 100 mph. But, I would wrap mine past 100 almost back to the zero. And, I was running beside a Corvette that would do about 160. His speedo would register 180 mph. You might want to re-read your info on T/A'S. In 1977 if you had a 400 W 72 220 hp your scoop decals were T/A 6.6. If you had the L 78 180 hp or L-80 Olds 185 hp you had 6.6 liter decals for scoop. In 1978 if you had the W 72 your scoop decals were T/A 6.6.

[buckk007]

Part 2. In 1978 if you had the L-78 or the L 80 403 Olds, you had no scoop decals. All three of these engines were available in standard or auto. In 1979 the L78 was not available. If you had the W 72, your scoop decals were T/A 6.6 and it was available only in standard trans. The L 80 403 had 6.6 liter on scoop and was available in manual or standard. I'm sure you can ask anyone that had any of these three engines take your pick and they'll tell you they went way over 115 mph top speed stock.

[buckk007]

Part 3 to racerboyroy, Sorry I said manual or standard, but I meant manual or automatic. Also, the 6.6 Liter was actaully spelled "Litre" on shaker scoop decals. These speeds I'm stating are not 1/4 mile speeds, I'm talking about top speed. I'm not getting this info from a mag test, I'm speaking of personal experience. I have had several of these cars, And I blew away alot of Z 28's. In fact, all the Z's I raced, I never lost to one in the 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile or top end.

[malteE]

my dads 77 tranny goes 12 seconds 1/4 mile.. well he restored it though :)

[tjtrujillo]

@racerboyroy

Its two years later but I will reply for posterity. I had a '78 T/A 6.6 automatic that was bone stock and brand new way back when. When I went in the Navy I drove it from Norfolk to San Diego and back. Several times on those long Arizona and Texas stretches of highway I had the TA up over 130 mph for extended periods of time. No sweat! Mine had 3.23 gears and it used to fly on the highway. Therefore, I don't doubt the previous comments of 150 under the right circumstances.

[caudice]

@racerboyroy they come stock with 2.41 gears and they may not get up to 143 but they will get damn close, i got mine up to at least 125 or 130 once. the needle on the speedo was pointing straight down

[TheBeer274]

@racerboyroy I had 78 and I assure you it went alot faster than 115 mph, not 150 for sure but they are definately faster than 115.

[racerboyroy]

@TheBeer274 I got this info from a car magazine from the late 70's. The car they tested went 115mph @ redline. Maybe it had a performance ratio rear axle. My camaro has a 3.73 rear and goes about 110mph @5200rpm in 4th gear (1:1 ratio).

[TheBeer274]

@racerboyroy Dont quote me but I beleive you could get them with 3:23's as well which would give you a few more MPH.

[SuRihtanil]

@racerboyroy That will do more than 115mph, probably not 150mph. The stock gearing in the auto's 2:73s thats pretty low. My best friend has a 78 T/A auto with a 400BB out of a 76 year model. Its all stock besides his carb. Its not the fastest car ever but I know it will do 125mph. I would say the top speed on his is about 135mph. Also some of the 400BB came with 180hp... most of them had 180HP you can only find out your ratings by the code on the engine block.

[TheChoisington1]

@racerboyroy exactly it when you have a high gear ratio like 3.73 you can only go about 120 max but my 77 camaro has a rear axle ratio of 2.52 and i can do about 150 and it doesn't have over drive

[DunkinDonuts747]

And you sir are mistaken... let me tell you why.

First of all, you being the driver of the 78' T/A you should already know that the car is actually geared in a way that they will often redline at about 5400-5800 rpms and cutting off at about 125-130 miles per hour.

If that isnt believable then I guess take a stand against me and post a video with proof that you got your 78 T/A over 140mph and I'll love you forever.

And seriously, dont go trying to argue agianst me, I know I'm right.

[mjackk1962]

Buckk007 is right!! Why does everyone, LOL, think they know everything about the 78 T/A's performance? I went almost 140 (verified beside a Corvette)in mine. I can't tell you what the RPM'S were, but the speed was there. Maybe your car, Sir, won't go over 125 or 130, but EVERYONE I know that has, or had, a '78 T/A with the W72 performance package, would do more. I can't speak for the L78, or the 403K engine, I do know these 2 engines had less H.P. stock. There's no intelligent arguement here!

[DunkinDonuts747]

You guys have got to be kidding me with this

there's gotta be a few 78 T/As out there that do go "140" maybe even 150, who knows nowadays? But its just a simple fact that the cars tested top speed when it was released WAS around 125, in some cases you might get a T/A that will only do 115! There really isnt an arguement here, its just a matter of what your T/A will do.

[Cash2112]

The top speed of these cars greatly depended on the rear axle ratio. I had a '76 400 powered T/A with *2.41* gears that would wrap the speedo needle past the "MPH" printed on the bottom of the speedometer and back around to about 25 MPH. God only knows how fast this really was. . . on the awesome Dunlop G/T Qualifiers!

[1more4theroad]

That must have been what my '76 Firebird 400 4-bbl 4-speed had. In first gear, 5500 RPM translated to 55 mph! On the other hand, it squawked the tires in all 4 gears of the Borg Warner T10. I really miss the back set of the Quadrajet kicking in. The last time I drove it was not too long I rebuilt the entire motor and kicked the secondary acceleration in and just that quick, pieces of the leaf spring went flying out from under the right rear rubber! Was quite full of torque after the rebuild.

[txgirl224]

It's not just you guys that like the hotrods. I have a W72 78 T/A. It only has 93,742 original miles. It drives and rides like new. It's all stock except for an aftermarket (calibrated) speedometer. It will go way over 130 mph. I do street race other cars in it's class. I love it. Guys don't like getting beat by a chick. It's not the fastest car on the road, but it's very quick. It's definitely not governed to stay below 125or 130. I bought the car from my uncle who was the original owner.

[AzhiaziamL]

@racerboyroy Is this a joke? You're telling me that my 1977 Trans Am will redline at 115? I have a fucking 1987 NISSAN PULSAR that can go 115. Do you have any idea how much of a piece of shit that car is? Hahahahahahaha

[chevellenut65]

The fastest musclecar ever produced..a 77 T/A..you need to get out more my friend ..drive a few SS chevelles...they would smoke any 77 T/A and I've owned both...a 70 LS6 chevelle beats everything!!

[buckk007]

Any 77 T/A? So I guess you raced every 77 T/A there is to know that you could smoke EVERY 77 T/A. I have owned both also, (more than one of each of these cars) and I know just any SS will not beat every 77, or any other year T/A for that matter. You must be living in a self induced fantasy world. It's a point not even worth arguing. I suggest you do some more research. In my opinion, the T/A is ONE of the greatest muscle cars built, but so is the SS Chevelle along with a few others.

[LJAR28]

look out its the bandit

[Ivanthegamer]

Classic.

[dijit345]

this car was great!

i noticed cops don't want this car on the road, cause they know it'll get away from them.

(from thier crown victorias & police interceptors, and this is the only car able to do it.)

[Death666wish]

ok, i really really love this car, i have a 91 Firebird, i'm hoping one day i'll get a 1978 black trans am with a golden bird on the hood, but seriously there are doesn't of cars that would kick this cars ass big time.

unless u mean back then which i'm not sure how it was, or u mean that it was relativly cheap for that power?

[EZEboy3225]

i don't think there is anything really that would kick this cars ass. This car is pretty much the fastest muscle car of it's time-or any time. It is probably the fastest muscle car ever produced. there acuall VERY FEW cars that would "kick it's ass", as you call it.

[racerboyroy]

actually this trans am was available with a oldsmobile 403 @180hp auto trans only(6.6 liter on hood scoop) or a pontiac 400 @220hp (6.6 TA on hood scoop)

the 01-02 trans am's were 320-345hp

when smokey and the bandit came out in 1977

this cars sales went out the roof

previously the trans am sold very little

but smokey and the bandit made the public aware of a 400ci motor in a f body gm car

and the movie made the car look really fast

[EZEboy3225]

the car IS really fast, but smokey and the bandit made it look faster. And over those years of the smokey and the bandit era, the movie makers and the pontiac company might have added more to the car to make it one of the best handling and one of the fastest muscle cars in the world-even today. there are some cars that could beat it...but to me, and to a lot of other people probably...the 77-78 trans am is #1. I like it.

[Death666wish]

the most powerful T/A was 440bhp, lot's of cars today beat that, vettes, vipers, ect. not to mention the european and jap cars, but like u said, to me this is the #1 muscle car and the best ever built, next would be the 69 charger, then most corvettes and mustangs(slow but i love them), and of course my own pile of junk 91 firebird formula :p

[EZEboy3225]

oh! I thought you meant other muscle cars (from like the 60's, 70's, and 80's era) that would kick it's ass. Ya. some cars today would kill it in a race. but i love T/A the most...then a 69 charger and after it a Camaro.

[Death666wish]

u got taste dude ;)

but didn't the charger make over 300bhp?

[Utubepersonz]

I don't exactly know. Trans Am is my favorite. I made a video of my cars in NFS Carbon. I have a Charger, and a Sweet Camaro.

[transamboy455]

What about torque? My POS 76 TA has about 500 lbs of it. Pontiac motor with aftermarket parts.

[Death666wish]

u forgot the 455 with 290bhp, and the "special edition" of the engine forgto what it's calles supposed to be SAE NET 440hp and 371 at the wheels i think.

[transamboy455]

These engines were under rated from the factory. Pontiac motors were built for making torque not BHP.

[BJFan34]

i have a '77 trans and i believe it is the greatest car ever i find nothing slow about it at all i have the 403 and Smoke and the Bandit ismy favorite movie XD

[shatchett0]

@racerboyroy It's nice to see someone shut down these clowns with their faulty/false memories. The Trans ams from this period look good but have relatively zero performance.