1989 Trans Am Turbo

[jetsetter]

[MattD1zzl3]

1500 limited edition?

Isnt that car the "Trans am GTA"? or was that later? They only made that gen for another 3 years after that. Still, do fucking want

[_HighVoltage_]

Thanks jetsetter! Really good read.
I never figured out why they didn't keep the idea and had to go back to the 350 again as their flagship.
I just realized something - 1989 was a year when the American car industry produced a lot of excellent engines...that were ruined by other factors.
This Turbo Trans Am, the Turbo Grand Prix, the SHO, the Z34 was being developed during that year, and the Probe GT...

[jayhawk]

By far the Best Trans Am since the original, IMO not even the 4th gens. can touch that performance.

For people wondering how in the world a 250HP car could achieve a 13 second 1/4 mile, the reason is the turbo. GM used a HUUUUUGE Garrett turbo (T80 I think?) that took forever to spool; once it did, it knocked you painfully into your seat, gasping for air. My friends father has a 1987 Buick GNX, and that thing was a psychotic monster.

How I described the acceleration on a Buick turbo V6 is no joke, either. That is exactly what I felt.

[MattW]

Or the fact that it had way over 250bhp. Look at that torque figure!

[tigger]

Originally Posted by MattD1zzl3

Isnt that car the "Trans am GTA"? or was that later?

The GTA was a seperate package and wasn't turbocharged. 350/auto or 305/5 speed. Basically the eqivalent of the IROC, it got all the nice handling gear (different springs/shocks, chassis stiffening bits and those gorgeous BBS-esqe gold snowflake wheels.) Some tests put their cornering ability, like the IROC, over 1g on a skidpad.

Originally Posted by jayhawk

How I described the acceleration on a Buick turbo V6 is no joke, either. That is exactly what I felt.

It's a fantastic engine. I've had the pleasure of riding shotgun in a lightly modified turbo Regal, first turbocharged vehicle I rode in. I think my thoughts went something like this, "Well this isn't so fasss ... FUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK!" .

Originally Posted by MattW

Or the fact that it had way over 250bhp. Look at that torque figure!

I wouldn't be surprised at all if it's a little underrated, but probably not by much. What that peak 340ftlb doesn't tell you is that the torque curve in this car is flat as a table. GM took that into consideration with appropriate gearing, and the results are fantastic.

Third gen F-bodies are without a doubt my favorites (partly because I can't afford a first gen ). You've got the classic SBC drivetrain in a fairly modern chassis that's just begging for modification. Plus they're cheap, damn are they cheap.

[thedguy]

Originally Posted by jayhawk

GM used a HUUUUUGE Garrett turbo (T80 I think?) that took forever to spool; once it did, it knocked you painfully into your seat, gasping for air. My friends father has a 1987 Buick GNX, and that thing was a psychotic monster.

A not particularly large T3 actually. Well the GNX may have been a bit bigger, but running anything much larger would be running the turbo way out of its efficiency range for that size engine.

[Jimi Hendrix]

The acceleration numbers are very good, but apart from the performance they don't seem to like the car too much.