1970 Pontiac Trans Am 'Ram Air' Coupe (LHD)

Description

In an attempt to cash in on the success Ford was having with its Mustang 'Pony Car', General Motors used 1967 to introduce two rivals in response, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird. They shared the same 'F-body' platform but differed in styling and each ran division specific engines, the top Firebird motor displacing 400ci and producing 325bhp in the 'Formula 400' specification, or 330bhp with the now-famous 'Ram Air' system. In 1968 Pontiac bored out its 326ci V8 to a Chevrolet matching 350 cubic inches for the base model Firebird. It generated 265bhp with a two-barrel carburetor or 320bhp through a single-quad. 1970 saw the introduction of the second-generation body-styling that gave both Camaro and Firebird a more European feel. Along with the new look came a significant improvement in handling and a lift on the GM restriction that disallowed motors over 400ci in 'intermediate' vehicles. This ultimately meant that the 455ci motor became available in 1971 to join the existing Formula 350 and Formula 400s, though a change to 'net' power figures (which saw power 'as installed' become the industry norm) and the pending oil crisis stripped the headline grabbing advertised outputs of 1970. The ultimate Firebird was its high-line Trans Am model in both coupe and convertible forms, and there were two ‘Ram Air’ 400ci (6.6 litre) engine options for 1970: the 250 kW L74 Ram Air 3 and the 257 kW LS1 Ram Air 4, both carried over from 1969.