1975 Pontiac Firebird Trans AM

In what had been a sea of pony car competitors, the Pontiac Firebird and Trans AM were all alone for 1975. The Camaro Z28, AMC Javelin, Plymouth Barracuda, and Dodge Challenger all were discontinued. The Ford Mustang was now offered on a Pinto platform and boasted a top engine offering of a 105 bhp 2.8 liter V6! The 1975 Pontiac Firebird featured a new front end (it's third in three years) and a much improved rear window, which greatly improved visibility. The instrument panel stayed the same, but the old 160 mph speedometer was replaced by a new 100 mph unit, to better reflect the new times. The base 400 cid V8 Trans Am engine put out a pitiful 185 bhp, but still cranked out 310 lb-ft of torque. But the big news was what was lost: No Super Duty 455 engine, no Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission, no Muncie Four-Speed Manual Transmission, no true dual exhausts. The main culprit: the new Federally mandated Catalytic Converters. The 455 V8 was re-introduced mid-year in "H.O." guise, but it was just the 455 engine from the Bonneville and produced only 200 bhp.

1975 Pontiac Firebird Trans AM Production: Trans Am: 27,274
                    Formula:   13,670

1975 Pontiac Firebird Trans AM Engines:
350 V8 155bhp.
400 V8 185 bhp, 310 lb-ft.
455 V8 200 bhp @ 3800 rpm, 330 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm.
455 (HO) V8 200 bhp.
1975 Pontiac Firebird Trans AM Performance:
455/200: 1/4 mile in 16.1 seconds @ 89 mph