Talk about underselling your product! When we spotted this vintage Trans Am racing machine, we were baffled by how understated the advertisement was, "This 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am features a V8 engine. It is equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission. The vehicle is blue with a black interior." Rather, this is possibly one of the most impressive examples of Pontiac's Trans Am effort.
Images: AutoTrader Classics
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AutoTrader Classics, this Firebird was originally sponsored by BF Goodrich Radial Tires and driven by Canadian drivers John Cordts and Larry Dent, this F-Body participated in Trans Am, the Daytona 24, Sebring 12, and several SCCA and CSCC club events. Interestingly, BF Goodrich made special tires for the team, making them the first production car to win a race using radial tires. This also was the third of three cars built by Jerry Titus' TG Racing for the '70 Trans Am season. Titus' partner Terry Godsall secured BF Goodrich sponsorship for the team at the end of the 1970 season.
The team convinced the SCCA to allow this car to run with a Chevrolet engine instead of the Pontiac plant because Canadian Firebirds were delivered with Bow Tie engines. Entered in the '71 Daytona 24 hours as a Firebird, it was converted to a Camaro in time for Sebring. There, it remained in Camaro trim for the remainder of it's active racing carrier.
The car was sold to Alfie Ruys de Perez and raced in Trans Am in 1972 with assistance from Mo Carter's team and then to Don Clement who campaigned the car in IMSA and local CSCC events. This car has been restored to a very high Concours-standard by Mark Mountanos and his team. Tony Oddo rebuilt the original Chevrolet engine (which had only 12 hours of track time), and produced 485hp and 377 ft. lbs. of torque on the dyno. The T10 transmission was completely rebuilt by Tex Racing.
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