Joel Long and his wife, Jo, of Lithonia, Ga., are the proud owners of this '69 Bird. However, it hasn't always been as nice as it is now. Joel and his wife first spotted the Bird at a friend's house, where it was slowly rotting into the ground next to a shed. The husband and wife rescued the Bird, brought it home, and treated it to 10 months of TLC every Saturday. The couple, who came up with the slogan "Some Birds Never Die," did all the work on the car themselves, with the exception of having the wheels and tires mounted and the exhaust system installed. Great job!
Mark Takacs bought this '77 Formula new and has spent the last 20 years keeping it in pristine condition. The Poughkeepsie, N.Y., resident is a smart man, having ordered the Formula with the 400-cubic-inch mill with the W72 Performance Pack-age, 4-speed T-10 gearbox with Hurst shifter, Rally handling package and no A/C. Since Mark first picked it up in March 1977, the Formula has made it through two decades with no modifications or add-ons. As a matter of fact, the powerplant has never been rebuilt. Now that's the way to treat your Bird!
Dave "Money" Fortenberry of Gassville, Ark., used to get his kicks by flying motorcycles and ATVs around the local racetracks. That fun ended for him after an accident during the spring of 1997, which left him with a broken leg. "After five days in the hospital, I came out with enough metal in my leg to build another bike! My wife didn't have to twist my arm too much to convince me to find a safer hobby," he explained. Always a fan of T/A's and Firebirds, Dave turned his interest to this 1981 NASCAR Turbo T/A. He said, "After three years of trying to get as much air as possible on my four-wheeler, I'm looking forward to years of keeping these four wheels glued to the road." Smart move, Dave.
As you might have guessed from the lettering on Ronnie Rouse's '95 T/A, this particular F-body has been seen by more than its fair share of viewers. Rouse, a resident of Walstonburg, N.C., says that he is the first owner of the Trans Am after it was used to pace the March 3, 1996, Pontiac Excitement 400 NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway. Unfortunately, he has been unable to find out what modifications were made to it to pace the race. "I've already contacted GM to get more documentation for the car ... I am also in the process of contacting the race track to see if it kept any records on the car." The invoice for this T/A does have some interesting details, including P.E.P./Special Event (we're assuming "Pontiac Excitement Pace") listings, authorization codes and a listing of the prices of four P.E.P.-coded cars. Send us a letter if you have any information that may help Ronnie learn more about his Pace T/A.