Mr. Firebird himself, Steve...
Mr. Firebird himself, Steve Hamilton, brought this group of great T/As, plus a Buccaneer Red ’74 SD-455 that isn’t shown. The standout was this period-cool Cameo White ’73 T/A with dual T/A-style hood stripes and a strobe stripe down each side.
Late August in the Midwest means only one thing to a Firebird fan—the Trans Am Nationals! Each year hundreds of Birds flock to Dayton, Ohio, to take part in what has become a 27-year ritual.
Get in on Friday to set up and walk the parking lot to check out the early arrivals. Saturday, spend the day at the show and shine, attend the seminars, and make the cruise to Tipp City on Saturday night for another car show, tunes, and local food, and finish up with the judged show on Sunday.
And let’s not forget the swap meet full of parts for all four generations of Birds, the mini nationals for model cars, the auctions, and the DJ and tunes.
Curt Richards showed his ’69...
Curt Richards showed his ’69 Firebird, which is believed to be one of the two ’69 Trans Am prototypes. We have a full feature on this one upcoming. He also had another rare find—a ’69 T/A that was very solid and ready for resto.
The August 26-28, 2011, event marked the third year at the Dayton Marriott Hotel, and the show has hit its stride in its new home.
One of many highlights came when retired Pontiac Studio Design Chief Bill Porter presented a fantastic seminar on the Firebird that included nearly two hours of great information on the Firebird’s development and its history up through the ’73 model year. Retired Pontiac Special Projects Engineer Herb Adams and retired Pontiac Assistant Chief Designer Bill Davis also attended the seminar, and all three fielded audience questions and signed autographs afterwards.
Danielle Fargo not only won...
Danielle Fargo not only won the Best of the Best Winners’ Circle award, but her tastefully modified ’95 LT1-powered T/A was also one of the Special Wish award choices, and well-deserving of the honors.
Jim Mattison of PHS Automotive Services did a very interesting seminar on the state of the hobby, Pontiac values, and the auction phenomenon, and included vintage Pontiac videos and commercials. Scott Scheel’s thought-provoking judging seminar provided participants the info required to score well in the show.
On the showfield, variety was still king. Second-Gens appeared to have the most representation, but there were plenty of Third and Fourth-Gens on hand in stock and modified form. Turnout of ’67s and ’68s seemed to be a touch light this year compared to previous events, but there were a number of ’69s.
David Rosenbauer’s ’81 NASCAR...
David Rosenbauer’s ’81 NASCAR Pace Car T/A impressed the author so much with its owner-completed restoration that it took HPP Editor’s Choice award and the barn find was featured on the cover of the Mar. ’12 issue. David is shown here with his wife, Andrea.
Even after 27 years, the T/A Nats remains a relevant car show to anyone who has ever appreciated the style and performance of Pontiac’s ponycar. The steady influx of new restorations and innovative modifieds compliment the vast selection of pristine perennial participant Ponchos, which keeps the event fresh from a hobbyist standpoint.
The show staff is constantly pushing to keep improving the Nats and there may be surprise special guest(s) for 2012.
How often have you seen an...
How often have you seen an economy gauge in a Firebird?
When everything for 2011 was tallied, a total of 389 cars registered, and 27 U.S. states were represented, as were Canada and Australia. A staggering 40 clubs were represented, and $5000 was raised for Special Wish. An example of every Firebird model year from ’67 through ’02 could be found on the showfield. If you needed to do any research on your Firebird project, the 2011 T/A Nats was a great place to do it.
Need literature? It was available....
Need literature? It was available. There were plenty of parts for sale in the swap meet area as well.
Best of Show honors was bestowed...
Best of Show honors was bestowed upon Bill and Brenda Downing’s ’02 T/A, which leads off this row of hot Fourth-Gens. It’s also a past HPP feature car—you can read all about at
www.highperformancepontiac.com/DowningTA.
Chuck Henley, owner of the...
Chuck Henley, owner of the 8,000-mile original Firebird 350 (left), commented on how different the values are for these two Birds of the same year and color. He said he was trying to get $16,000 for his Bird, and the restored SD-455 Formula owned by Jeff Walls sitting next to it is probably worth nine times that price.
Knudsen Automotive based and...
Knudsen Automotive based and built the limited-production Tojan off of ’85-’91 T/As and sold them though Pontiac dealerships in five states. This ’86 model is #39 of 136 produced in the seven-year run.
Gary Rickenbaugh’s ’75 Trans...
Gary Rickenbaugh’s ’75 Trans Am is an unrestored original, right down to its paint.
Restore A Muscle Car brought...
Restore A Muscle Car brought out this LS9 supercharged Pro-Touring ’80 T/A with full DSE suspension, YearOne 18-inch Snowflakes, custom paint, and leather interior.
Projx’ new ZTA Firebird/Trans...
Projx’ new ZTA Firebird/Trans Am Appearance Package will turn a Fifth-Gen Camaro into a T/A inside and out for about $8,500.
Ron Schultz has owned his...
Ron Schultz has owned his ’78 T/A since new. Though it only has 10,000 miles on it, he’s not afraid to modify its look.
Meet retired Pontiac Special...
Meet retired Pontiac Special Projects Engineer Herb Adams and his Contessa sportscar with 455 power.
How’s this for a seldom seen...
How’s this for a seldom seen Pontiac? An ’85 Trans Am Daytona Pace Car. According to its owner, it’s 1-of-27 made, has 59,000 miles on it, and was for sale at the Nats.
Steve Prouty’s ’69 Bird drew...
Steve Prouty’s ’69 Bird drew a crowd wherever it went and rightfully so. The fuel-injected 400 street car was a V-8 TV project and graced the cover of the Feb. ’12 issue of HPP. It also won the Marriott Award at the event.
Except for one repaint some...
Except for one repaint some years back, Howard Joseph’s ’701⁄2 Ram Air III T/A is a 60,000-mile original.
We never get tired of seeing...
We never get tired of seeing Macho T/As. Joseph Crisan’s is number 82 for ’79, and was dressed in Heritage Brown and gold. Carolyn Lutterbie holds the keys to the stunning Sundance Yellow T/A.
Retired Pontiac Design Studio...
Retired Pontiac Design Studio Chief Bill Porter fascinated an enthusiastic audience with his History of the Firebird ’67-’73 seminar.
Special Edition T/A fans had...
Special Edition T/A fans had plenty of eye-candy to browse, as shown here in the SE2 class.
The Heide Performance Products...
The Heide Performance Products (HPP) Fifth-Gen Trans Ams you read about in the May ’12 issue had interested showgoers crawling all over them at the Nats. That’s where we shot the feature.
It just wouldn’t be the Trans...
It just wouldn’t be the Trans Am Nats without a K.I.T.T. car. Could “The Hoff” be far behind?
Denny Sullivan’s all-original...
Denny Sullivan’s all-original ’78 Trans Am had only 76 miles on it, which provided lots of resto info for showgoers who own a similar model.