The Trans Am was as much a movie and tv star as the actors who drove it. “Smokey & the Bandit,” “Knight Rider,” “Cannonball” to name a few. You have to wonder if its little brother Firebird was jealous.
The Trans Am, named after the Sports Car Club of America racing series, was introduced to muscle-car lovers on March 8, 1969. The car was a Firebird on steroids. The 1960s birthed the age of muscle cars. Pontiac was competing with the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Oldsmobile Toronado.
The Firebird came out in 1967. It was built on the same platform as the Chevy Camaro but used different parts. Topsonline.com called the Trans Am, Firebird’s big brother. “It came with better performance options, a more powerful engine, and more high-end interior options.”
The car, in 1969, cost $725 more than the Firebird. That’s equivalent to $5,546.35 today. Pontiac and GM were hurting financially when they stopped making the Trans Ams in 2002. GM would quit making all Pontiacs in 2010.
Many songwriters put to words their love of their Trans Ams. Sammy Hagar was one of them, “Trans Am (Highway Wonderland.” He wrote about his 1979 red Trans Am for his album “Street Machine.”
Hagar was in San Francisco promoting the album when the radio station there wanted to give his car away as part of a promotion. He said no way, so the station ordered a duplicate. Listeners mobbed the car dealership for the giveaway. The promotion turned out more popular than the album, which peaked at 71 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Hagar’s car was stolen three times. The original engine was removed and never recovered.
Song of the Day is created by Sheldon Zoldan, and produced by Pam James for WGCU. Would you like to receive the Song of the Day in you inbox every day? Send an email to shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD