Pontiac Firebird Turbo T/A (1980)

While it looked like the Anniversary model, the Turbo T/A was very different indeed as it used a turbocharged V8 under the hood. The car was deemed good enough to pace that year's Indianapolis 500, and around 7,500 replicas made it on to the road. A WS6 suspension package was optional, and this gave recalibrated shocks and stiffer springs, as was a four-wheel disc brake set-up, which many buyers went for. Pontiac's 400ci (6.5-liter) and Oldsmobiles 403ci (6.6-liter) engines were proving too tough to get through emission, so engineers started out with a 40lei (6.5-liter) from the station wagons, then bolted a turbo to it, lowering the compression in the process to aid reliability. While it took some getting over the lag, the car was great once up to speed. An all-time high in sales was reached this year with 117,109 Trans Am being sold.

Pontiac Firebird Turbo T/A (1980) Specifications