Car Of The Day: June 29, 2011

Today's car of the day is Jada Toys' 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.

The Trans Am was a specialty package for the Firebird, typically upgrading handling, suspension, and horsepower, as well as minor appearance modifications such as exclusive hoods, spoilers, fog lights and wheels. In using the name Trans Am, a registered trademark, GM agreed to pay $5 per car sold to the SCCA. Four distinct generations were produced between 1969 and 2002. These cars were built on the F-body platform, which was also shared by the Chevrolet Camaro.

The second generation was available from 1970 to 1981 and was featured in the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, the 1978 movie Hooper and the 1980 movie Smokey and the Bandit II. The third generation, available from 1982 to 1992, was featured in the 1983 movie Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 and the 1984 movie Alphabet City. KITT, the automotive star, and its evil counterpart KARR, of the popular 1980s TV series Knight Rider, was a modified third generation Trans Am. The fourth generation Trans Am, available from model years 1993 to 2002, offered between 275 bhp (205 kW) and 325 bhp (242 kW).[/quote]

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

Another American car???  From Rob???  Well in an unusual twist that trend will continue...go figure!  I will let you in on a secret here though...it's the color that got me to pick this one up!  Along with the other 4 cars in the 5-pack.  Yes, I am sucker for about anything bright blue.  I feel it works exceptionally well here, with the silver window detail and black birds matching the chrome on black wheels perfectly.  The casting is decent too, with good detail and separate pieces for the headlights, which never hurts, but what I love about this one is that it is so LOUD!

You can even see how the paint thins around the body panel lines.  Some may see this as a detraction, but somehow it works with the overall package and makes the car stand out even more.  This one is a perfect example of how the right paint and wheels can make a merely decent casting attractive to those who wouldn't normally give it a second glance.  And that screaming chicken doesn't hurt either!