Maybe it’s from spending a week at the Scottsdale Auctions and seeing every shade of muscle car just sitting all too pretty, but we’ve got a hankering to see what it was like when these were the main attraction at road courses across America every weekend. Ask, and YouTube will deliver. This vintage Super 8 footage has everything but the soundtrack
The 1982-1992 Pontiac Trans Am needs little introduction. It embodies the ‘80s as much as the DeLorean and MTV. For the uninitiated, the Trans Am is the top dog of the Firebird lineup. If you wanted all the flair, performance, and technology you had to go with the Trans Am. It was the real star of “Knight Rider” after all, sorry Hoff. While the Camaro was more popular at the time, the Trans Am better embodies everything that is cool from the era, like denim jackets, Van Halen (not Van Hagar), and wild hairstyles. And if you like Van Hagar, that’s okay. As our readers pointed out in the comments, Sammy Hagar wrote Trans Am in 1979, so he’s good our book.
This 1973 Ford Mustang was built to race in the Trans Am series, with a heavy duty tubular frame developed by the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 veterans at Kar Kraft, a highly modified Windsor 351 V8 built by Jack Roush, a close-ratio 4-speed transmission with a Hurst shifter, and a 4.11:1 locked differential.
From a historic perspective this car is quite significant, it’s one of the very last chassis Kar Kraft designed prior to Ford terminating their factory-supported racing program.
KAR KRAFT – FORD’S UNOFFICIAL SKUNKWORKS DIVISION
Although Kar Kraft was technically an independent company, they were essentially a de facto Ford racing division. When Ford’s plan to buy Ferrari fell apart at the last minute they decided to take the fight to the Maranello racing and sports car manufacturer by challenging them at the most important race in Europe – the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1979, Steve McQueen began filming what became his final motion picture, The Hunter, which tells the fictionalized story of real-life bounty hunter Ralph “Papa” Thorson. While the film’s chase sequences are nowhere near as memorable as those in Bullitt, two 1979 Trans Ams were used (wrecked, technically) in filming, with a total of six Pontiacs provided from the brand’s show fleet. One of these Trans Ams — possibly the last surviving example from the film — was recently liberated from an Illinois barn, and new owner Calvin Riggs, owner of Carlyle Motors in Katy, Texas, is seeking additional information on the car from former cast and crew members.
Former Shelby driver John McComb’s interesting 1967 Mustang Fastback to be auctioned at Owls Head Transportation Museum.
You can find the listing of this interesting car which is a combination of real back in the day racing parts and a correctly restored 1967 Mustang Fastback. McComb describes the car as a “hot rod” and an absolute animal! See the listing here
Share this:
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Cookie Policy