Camaros and Firebirds.
They almost always went hand in hand with GM, at least during my formidable days. Then came the Trans-Am. Pontiac was over took the Camaro arguably in performance but uncontested in folklore, I offer up Burt Reynolds & “Smoky and the Bandit” for support (you can count the Rockford Files, the Camaro there was not much more than a prop –cool no doubt but mostly a prop.
Camaro’s back (in case you’ve been living under a discarded intake manifold) with the Z28 soon to return and the SS and LT1 already burning up the streets. But the when the axe fell on Pontiac it took with it any chance to bring back the Firebird in any kind of configuration. So we are forced to back in time and watch old super 8 movies of Firebird/Trans-Am in motion. Or do we?
What if (and it’s a BIG IF) some where, someone started producing that iconic version of the Firebird – not a pre-made body – al-la Dynacores’ Mustang offering, but an up to date platform, like Mother Mopar did with the Challenger.
What if (BIG IF – again), they placed it on a new 2012 Camaro platform and soup-ed it up a bit? Something like this:
Awesome!
Yes , that is just what those innovative folks did at Lingenfelters. This is the 455 TA “lightly” (snicker) Camaro.
It sports a the Tran-Am trade mark split grille and honey comb wheels and blue and white paint schema. But under the hood is a power plant will make the hardest Camaro shake in it’s engine bay.
Oh…BTW…comes in drop top…love the wheels
The engine is a custom RHS Aluminum engine block at displaces 455 cubic inches. It has a 4.155” bore Diamond 11.5:1 compression ratio pistons, 4.200” stroke, Lunati forged crankshaft, LPE CNC ported and polished LS7 heads. Pair this up with LSX Fast 102 intake and Lingenfelter’s 6 bolt LS9 twin disk fly whee/clutch assembly and you get a 655 horse powered monster that can lay down 610 ft-lbs of torque to the 20×11 rear tires (front are 20×10),
MONSTER!!!!
OK…you can exhale now, but when the 455 TA does it uses a custom Corsa stainless exhaust and it sounds AWESOME!!!!
I caught this version at the Barrett Jackson Auction this past January.
The LPE concept body mods include front air dam and rear Firebird like spoiler and taillights.
You want one, I know you do!!!
Here’s a little more:
Thanks for reading.
Tim
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Interesting history on Jim Rockford’s Firebird. When I was a memeber of the Central Coast MOPAR Club (based in Watsonville, CA), we had a member that was a lot mechanic for Warner Brothers. Nash Bridges was being filmed in the Bay Area, and this guy worked on the set keeping the ‘Cuda and other cars running.
Anyhow, he explained that Jim Rockford’s Firebird Espirit had a Formula 400 hood, and was painted a non GM ‘metallic tan’ special paint so that body work could be easily performed.
Years later, I read that Warner Bros auctioned off ol’Jim’s Firebird. It was a base model Espirit with 350 2 barrel, dealer add on AC, and Turbo Hydormatic trans.
Another triva point, Jame Garner did 99% of the stunts on the Rockford Files, inclduing the driving. The show actually ended because James Garner had several back injuries performing stunts and asked the produces to ‘reduce’ the film schedule to accomodate his back injuries. Rather than hire a stunt man, or reduce the schedules, the produces decided to wrap up the show instead.