"So how does a '77 S/E Trans Am rack up only 213 miles in 36 years while remaining showroom fresh?"

In this web exclusive, High Performance Pontiac brings you a look at some of the action at the 2012 Trans Am Nationals, and a shout out to the winners.

The Law of Attraction is the idea that like attracts like. If you have positive thoughts, positive things will happen. If you have negative thoughts, negative things will happen.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." These words have become a metaphor for life for these two Firebirds and me.

In 2009, General Motors sold off a sizeable portion of its private Heritage Collection cars to the public, via a series of high-profile Barrett-Jackson auctions. High Performance Pontiac readers already learned about one such car-the Piranha Concept Mule Car-in our Dec. '12 issue.

Part 2: Three guys named Mike and two white Trans Ams

Like you, we're intimately aware of our Pontiac's performance every time we get behind the wheel of it and push the go pedal. If power seems off by even the slightest bit, we begin to mentally troubleshoot what system or component in the drivetrain or elsewhere may be the root of the subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) performance loss we sense.

Tech Type

Bump and Measure

High Performance Pontiac had the pleasure of being a VIP at the National Parts Depot's 7th Annual All-GM Oktoberfest, which was held at Silver Springs Natures Theme Park, in Silver Springs, Florida, on October 6, 2012. A total of 550 show cars attended.

May the DynaForce be with you

Many decisions have to be made when you’re an editor, and you always have to weigh the overall benefit versus possible compromises. Had I been given the choice, neither our cover ’61 Bonneville nor our cover Sunfire/Judge tribute would have been photographed in the rain. However, if I hadn’t, they may not have made it into the magazine for six months, or a year, or in the case of the Sunfire/Judge, possibly never.

An engine that just doesn't perform as it should at high speed on the dyno or racetrack can induce a series of checks that usually first includes measuring the pressure and volume of the fuel being delivered to the carburetor. If that's ruled out, then the valvetrain is generally suspected next. It's comprised of many components working together to transfer camshaft lobe profile into valve lift, and its weakest link can compromise the functionality and performance of any engine.

Many car enthusiasts dream of one day taking their cars to the limit at the historic Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah. However, The Flats, the name given to a 45-square mile area of flat barren land coated with a salt crust, are rapidly deteriorating. Located where Lake Bonneville once existed, the salt crust is rapidly depleting and today only about an inch of salt remains. The Bonneville Salt Flats have served as the location for numerous Land Speed records, and are a vital part of the history of American automotive performance. Here's how you can help "Save the Salt!"

This month High Performance Pontiac returns to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, for our world-famous Pavement Pounders Shootout, which is held the day prior to the annual Ames Performance Tri-Power Pontiac Nationals. We invited select strip-scorching Pontiacs spanning 40-plus years of the marques sensational history, and youll get to see them in exciting drag-race action, starting with this issue and for months to come.

Ron Schultz may be 53 years old now, but his fondest memories of this W72 400 ’78 T/A reach back to when he was just 18. Why? Because he bought it new from Kole Pontiac in his hometown of Oak Lawn, Illinois, in December of 1977.

When restoring any vehicle, finding reproduction components that share the appearance, quality, and consistency of an OE part can be a daunting task. NOS pieces are the preferred choice for perfectionists, but theyre generally difficult to locate and costly when available. While many modern reproduction parts are close enough for most, sometimes theyre all thats available at a given time and may simply have to do, even for the pickiest owners.

Get Up And Go For A GTO

Going with the theme “Wide-Trackin’ A Mile High,” the 33rd Annual GTOAA International Convention, held July 3-7, 2012, in Loveland, Colorado, north of Denver, had GTO fans from as far away as Alaska, Georgia, and even Australia cruising comfortably at 5,100 feet above sea level.

Smokey and the Bandit Director Receives Honorary Oscar

Vanquish the V-Belt

If you’ve been reading HPP for any length of time, you likely recognized the importance of spark advance. Over the years we have reported through dyno and/or dragstrip testing the benefits of optimizing the advance curve. We’ve found that a variance of even 2 degrees can affect horsepower and torque by several units. So when it comes to attaining maximum performance from your particular Pontiac, you simply need to know exactly what’s going on inside your distributor.

Warm memories and feelings of nostalgia provide passage back to what many of us see as a more idyllic time. To escape the trials and tribulations of daily life, we gravitate towards anything with the potential to take us away from them—like Pontiacs.

The last time Project Pure Pontiac (aka The Mule) was on the dyno at RaceKrafters it made approximately 647 horsepower with the 3.6-inch (medium sized) pulley on the Gear Head Designs supercharger. If you recall we had no luck getting the engine to run with the intercooler. The carburetor went very lean and thus, the engine bucked and could not take the load. Bob Wise was running the dyno and quickly aborted the pull.

Being the perennial underdog has forced many Pontiac fans to take innovative approaches to getting the job done. When there was a lack of aftermarket support for the tried and true Pontiac V-8, racers learned to port their existing heads to flow as much air as the competition, substitute forged big-block Chevy connecting rods to replace the flimsy cast rods, and build headers where suitable units were not available.