ONBOARD - Original 1971 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am/Formula Race Car I 6.4L V8 Sound at Hockenheimring

Brief History of the car:

This 1971 Pontiac Firebird is an original race car from the 1970s. It raced first in britain and then in france and now in germany. It has a formula hood but contains also trans am parts. So it‘s a wild mix between Firebird Formula and Firebird Trans Am. The car was disqualified on Saturday mornings practice session because it exceeded the maximum allowed loudness of 98dB. Therefore I got only one shot of this car on Saturday morning. On the back straight it reached a speed of 133.83km/h and set a time of 2:03.036

The other Practice Session on Saturday evening and the race on Sunday were rain soaked. The car set the 17th fasted time in the wet but becoming first in their class. Before Sundays I met with the owners. Rain was forecasted but the arrival time would be crucial. 30min before the race the cars must enter the pre-grid in the pitlane where tire changes are forbidden. The car stood prepared in the paddock with slick tires on one side and cutter slick tires on the other side. The owner and I looked on the radar. He told me that I should decide wether to put the slicks on or the cuttet slicks (no wet tires available). I suggested to go on cuttet slicks. So they changed tires quickly before the pre grid. The car then rolled to pitlane in the dry. 5 min before race start it started to rain quit heavily. All cars on drys had gone on to the wrong strategy (but couldn’t change tires at all now or only with a penalty). That’s the reason why this car made some amazing progress in the beginning of the race. After a spin in the last corner and some wild slides the car finished the race in P2 (based on time not position) and P1 in class handing victory to the owner.

Engine: Naturally Aspirated
Configuration: Chevy Smallblock V8
Power: +500 HP/368 kW (7500 RPM)
Displacement: 6.4L
Chasis: Rear engined
Weight: 1450 kg

About the Trans Am Series:

Fifty years later, racing fans still talk about the original Trans-American Sedan championship, better known as the Trans-Am. For seven seasons, the series pitted a new generation of American “pony cars”—led by the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro—in closely fought racing at top road circuits across North America. The driving talent ranged from technically sophisticated sports-car driver Mark Donohue to Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones and all-around driving aces Dan Gurney and Peter Revson.

This video recaptures the speed, intensity, and intrigue of the golden years of the trans am era (1966-1972). Famous cars were Ford Mustang, Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, AMC Javelin, and Dodge Challengers.

At its peak in 1970, the Trans-Am series featured teams backed by Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and American Motors. With money, marketing, and prestige on the line, the competition was intense, both on the track and behind the scenes. Sheet metal and paint were shredded, while rules were stretched to the limits as teams dug into an ever-growing bag of technical tricks to produce more power and performance.

The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am made it's debut in the 1971 Trans Am season. In it's debut season it scored only 7 points becomming 4th in the over 2.5L class behind American Motors, Ford and Chevrolet.

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Time staps:
0:00 - 1:06 Start up
1:07 - 3:21 ONBOARD
3:22 - 3:51 Practice Session Footage
3:52 - 4:48 Car Details
4:49 - 6:25 WET Race Action
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Onboard footage with explicit authorization from:
   • GLPpro Preis der Stadt Stuttgart 2024 Hock...  
Make sure to check the full onboard on there channel.
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#pontiac #pontiacfirebird #transam #musclecar #v8engine #carsounds #motorsport #racing #scca #uscar #usa #1970s