2003 Jim Emmel Trans Am Nationals

With nearly 2 decades of experience, the Trans Am Club of America certainly knows how to host a show. And not just any show, mind you, but the largest gathering of Trans Ams and Firebirds in the world.

The Trans Am Nationals held each year in Dayton, Ohio, at the Dayton Airport Hotel has done more for the hobby than simply provide a patch of grass or tarmac to show off your T/A or Firebird. At this point, it has become its own little city for 3 days each August where people interact socially as if it were some kind of pint-sized Woodstock, except its better because Pontiacs are there. Old friends show up to visit with each other; there are always new friends to make; and the conversations go well beyond discussions of who does the best paint jobs, who the preferred engine builders are or which detailing products actually deliver on their claims. According to the event chairperson, Sue Emmel, "The event is more like a family reunion."

But let's not stray too far from the main focus of the Trans Am Nationals, which is to provide a haven for some of the greatest T/As and Birds ever built, maintained, restored, modified, or raced. As one look at the vast show field will reveal, if you desire to learn anything about Trans Ams or Firebirds, there are scads of reference material to be had by checking out the cars and speaking with the owners at the Nats. We saw everything from a pristine '78 T/A survivor to a '79 convertible, to a Third-Gen whose owner probably bought a summer home for his chrome plater with his bill. Then there were the rarities: a '83 Daytona Pace Car, notchback Third-Gens, a European-spec Fourth-Gen, seldom-seen factory colors, cars that never were, like a Bandit Edition Fourth-Gen ragtop. You can indulge in just about every aspect of the Firebird side of the Pontiac hobby and do it all in one place at the T/A Nats. That's another reason why Trans Am aficionados are fascinated each year and keep coming back for more.

The 2003 event as always was full of music thanks to the DJs of Ryan Productions and fun thanks to the cars and the spirit of the show goers.

Scott Scheel gave a seminar on the history of the Firebird for the grown-ups and there was a die-cast and model car contest for the youngsters and the young at heart. There was drag racing at Kil-Kare on Saturday and the annual Tipp City Cruise packed 'em in on Saturday night.

Pontiac GMC and Jim Mattison displayed some very special Firebirds including a Collector Edition Daytona Pace Car that Jay Leno drove and that later paced the race with Tony Stewart behind the wheel. A Turbocharged '89 T/A was also brought along. It has a more powerful than stock Turbo V-6 engine, is the only 6-speed made and is blazingly fast according to Mattison. The T/A was a pre-production pilot that was used as an engineering development vehicle for the '89 Turbo T/A program. An unassuming '92 Formula revealed quite a pedigree. It is very rare for 3 reasons, its VIN is number 1 for the run, it's a 1LE and its Jamaican Yellow hue was only applied to precious few cars. Currently it only has 600-700 miles on it. The Hurst/Lingenfelter prototype is still owned by GM and was the only one with an automatic trans. It's also a '96, while all production cars are manual trans '97s. The Heritage Trans Am is a Fourth-Gen built by the GM Performance Group in a joint effort with GM styling, Pontiac, and the UAW. It's a one-off car that was not production-intent and is a modern representation of a '70 1/2 T/A, with 427 C5R engine and an automatic trans. Pontiac also brought the Type K wagon, which is fresh out of restoration. It's actually a '77 car that was updated each year until 1979.

If you got tired of looking at all of the great finished T/As and already had a picture of yourself taken with the Hooter girls in front of your Bird, a walk over to the large swap meet area provided enough stuff for many participants to finish off their projects. There was also a collection for Arnie Beswick at the Nats. Jim Mattison donated a jacket that was raffled off for the cause and the proceeds were sent to Arnie to offset medical costs incurred as a result of his race car fire. And the event raised $2,700 for the Special Wish Foundation. The Foundation had 2 of its children choose Pontiacs and present awards.

While I spent much of my time at the event covering the festivities and shooting feature cars for the magazine, I did keep a keen eye out for an Editor's Choice Bird. Though the decision is nearly impossible with the amount of T/As and Firebirds on hand, I did finally narrow the field to 1. And as you already saw in the April 2004 issue, the '70 1/2 Trans Am of Art Philipp is a very special Pontiac. It is a concours-quality modified with features like an aluminum-headed fuel-injected 455, a 5-speed manual trans, steamroller-sized wheels and tires and a Global West suspension that is sure to surprise a few late-model machines. If that wasn't enough, there are many subtle features like the custom striping, the custom dash plate, and the taillights lenses that add even more interest to the package. So for all of those reasons, Art was presented with HPP Editor's Choice trophy for the T/A Nats.

Best of Show honors went to Joel Howard and his gorgeous '68 Firebird. HPP hopes to have feature on this Pontiac in a future issue.

Of course this event wouldn't be possible without the diligent efforts of the Dayton Chapter of the Trans Am Club of America and the event Chairman Sue Emmel. It also would not be possible without the event sponsors, some of which include the Dayton Airport Hotel, the Dayton International Airport, Hooters, and Steve Watson, a Tipp City businessman, who provides the trophies for the cruise.

Looking forward to 2004, the 20th anniversary of the Trans Am Nationals, the Dayton Chapter of the Trans Am Club of America threw a party this past February, and at the Nats this year have added 5 additional anniversary classes and 1 modified anniversary class to help all of the Anniversary T/As and owners be recognized on the event's 20th. For further information on the 20th Annual Trans Am Nationals set for August 27-29 2004, contact Sue Emmel at (937) 667-4232, e-mail at suece49@aol.com, or visit the Web site at www.angelfire.com/hi2/TransAmNationals.

A Few Words With Sue Emmel, Chairperson Of The Trans Am Nationals

How long have you been the chairperson for the Nats?
Well, 2004 will be my 10th anniversary as chairperson but I worked on the event all 19 years.

How long have you been the chairperson for the Nats?
Well, 2004 will be my 10th anniversary as chairperson but I worked on the event all 19 years.

How have you seen the event evolve over the years?
It continues to grow. And each year more classes are added to try to please everyone.

What do you think is the secret to the event's steady growth over the years?
I feel that the Nats has turned into much more than a car show--it's a friends and family reunion. Everybody talks about how they love to meet old friends each year and make new ones. It's not so much about the cars anymore as it is about the people who participate.

What is your favorite aspect of the event?
Seeing all of these people each year is great for me as well. The satisfaction I get out of it is knowing that everybody is having a good time. It's always fun to see people reunite with friends and adopt new family members. We call it the Trans Am family.

What is your least favorite aspect of the event?
Judging is always a problem. We just can't seem to please everyone. Getting judges and trying to find the best combination is just a pain in the butt.

Do you think that the Nats will outgrow its current home?
Yes, we've got plenty of room now but I don't see it growing too much more without space problems. We manage though, Blair Conrad from the airport is behind the scenes getting us all the space that we need. And I think the growth rate will slow somewhat since Pontiac stopped making the Firebird in 2002. Without that influx of new cars each year, it should slow the rate of progress.

What issues face the event as it continues to grow?
Aside from space considerations, judging, and the tech line may get more difficult, but we are always striving to improve those processes.

What aspects do think make the Nats successful where other shows fail?
I think that it has a lot to do with the experience and dedication of both the Trans Am Club of America members who run it and the loyalty of the participants. The word of mouth regarding the show has been positive. It's just a good time with good people and good cars.

Getting Some Ink
Of course, it would not be the Nats without wild displays of body ink. Check out the skin art we spotted this year.