There were just over 1.5K 1989 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo cars but their 0-60mph time left America floored
It was a celebration of the muscle car The post There were just over 1.5K 1989 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo cars but their 0-60mph time left America floored appeared first on Supercar Blondie.
In the late 1980s, just 1,555 1989 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo Pace Car Editions were built, but it was the acceleration of the muscle car that shocked America.
Performance cars had taken a hit in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to tightening emissions rules and the oil crisis, but by the late 1980s, things were starting to pick up again.
In 1989, Pontiac wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Trans Am, despite the regulations that had hurt engines like the V8.
But they went ahead and created one, coming up with the Trans Am Turbo that stunned America with its 0-60mph time.
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The 1989 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo was rapid off the line
Unlike previous Trans Ams, under the hood of the new anniversary model was a turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine.
This was the same engine used in the fearsome Buick Grand National GNX muscle car.
The engine made 250hp and 340lb-ft of torque officially, but real-world figures saw it output 300hp.
What made the car such a shock was the acceleration.
The Pontiac flew from 0-60mph in just 4.6 seconds, which in the late 1980s was almost unheard of.
Pontiac marketed the car brilliantly, with the Pace Car edition’s advert featuring an iconic line.
It simply read: “The only modification it needed to pace the Indy 500 was a decal.”
The 1989 Trans Am Turbo became a legend
Initial fears over the potential of its turbocharged engine disappeared when customers started driving the Pontiac.
Tests by the company also saw the car smash the quarter-mile run in around 13 seconds.
At the time, that made it quicker than the Chevrolet Corvette and equivalent, and more expensive European sports cars.
When Pontiac launched the car, it was the fastest-accelerating production Trans Am ever sold to the public.
In total, though, there were just 1,555 examples produced by the American car company.
Pontiac’s advertising was true as well, as when the Trans Am became the 1989 Indy 500 pace car, it needed no modifications.
Other cars at the time, however, would have required heavy modification.
With such a rarity of cars, they can sell for big money, sometimes as high as $80,000.The post There were just over 1.5K 1989 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo cars but their 0-60mph time left America floored appeared first on Supercar Blondie.
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