[1973Formula]

In looking at wheel photos, I found this:
http://www.trans-amseries.com/Driver...aMountanos.htm

The first Firebird of the assembly line in 1970 was for Jerry Titus' race team. Is this accurate. That is pretty cool that they actually have the first car, and that it is still being raced.

[keith k]

Only way to verify that would be with a VIN. I didn't see one noted in the article...

[eaglesan13]

Does it even have a VIN? If it was scheduled to go to a race team could it have been a pre-production car?

[2manyT/A'S]

Originally Posted by 1973Formula

In looking at wheel photos, I found this:
http://www.trans-amseries.com/Driver...aMountanos.htm

The first Firebird of the assembly line in 1970 was for Jerry Titus' race team. Is this accurate. That is pretty cool that they actually have the first car, and that it is still being raced.

What's NOT cool about that car is that I believe it it has a BBC under the hood.

What WERE they thinking?????

[RAFormulas]

Originally Posted by 2manyT/A'S

What's NOT cool about that car is that I believe it it has a BBC under the hood.

What WERE they thinking?????

What makes you think its a BBC?... no indication of this that I can see.

[Transamric]

I think we need to be careful not to read too much into some of these statements. First, there was not just one Firebird built for Titus' team use. So the car featured in the link can not be the ONLY Firebird Titus used, but may be one of them. Remember, one was destroyed in the accident that claimed Jerry's life. Second, the original Firebirds used by Titus' team were just that, Firebirds, not Trans Ams, as the restored/recreated #8 is today. As you can see in some of the vintage pictures in the link, a std. hood w/o shaker was used for a time, but the "wide-body" wheel arches do help give it that TA look. Did you notice that some of the original Titus FB's didn't use the fender air extractors either? And as Eaglesan13 pointed out, often the cars (or bodies) that were "given" to SCCA Trans Am racers did not have VIN's. Some were pre-production prototypes or engineering mules, that had been used to test fit certain options & accessories. And I've read that occationally, a production car that had been seriously damaged during final assembly, could be given (or sold very cheaply) to race teams.
But let me be clear, (jeez, I sound like Nixon!!) whether this #8 is a restored Titus FB or a recreation for modern Vintage TA racing, it is one cool car & is a fitting tribute to the memory of one of the main players in the original Trans Am series.

[2manyT/A'S]

Originally Posted by RAFormulas

What makes you think its a BBC?... no indication of this that I can see.

Thought I heard somewhere (a LONG TIME ago) that BF Goodrich bought the EX-Titus race T/A's & turned them into Tirebirds for a national advertising campaign on their newly released street radial T/A. (and fitted them with Rat Motors?)

I think Bossbirdta has the answers to this one. (perhaps he will chime in???)

[x-bird2]

eric is correct on the fenders lacking extractors early on. in stock form they weren't all that effective, i think they achieved a better result with raising the back edge of the hood up to allow more air out. however, the hood, as i pointed out in another thread is a t/a hood with the cutout, just screened over. look closely at thepics when it ran in the early part of the season and you can see the opening. later on they used the shaker too. only reason the shaker hood was created was to get a stock hole in the hood for a dual quad setup, which fell out of the rules anyway. bfg became the name sponsor of the remnants of the T&G racing team. i do believe the tirebird depicted in the same site---back up in the link's pages and click on the listing for both the husband and wife -- is the original one. the no 8 shown may have been a team car, i'm pretty sure it was not the one titus had the steering failure in. there is a home page (dont'[ have a link to it) for the mountanous (sp) that explains everything that went into their cars, rick titus was involved with their efforts.

[tom s]

the dual quad setups were X rams so the shaker would not have cleared anyway?Tom

[bossbirdta]

here i have a handout stating that this was the first 1970 production Firebird off the line. i also think i have that statement in print someplace else but have yet to find it.

the T/G racing team had a total of three cars one of which was destroyed at Elkhart Lake in july of 1970. the remaining car is the one we see today painted up like the BFG Tire Bird.

BFG also built a few 1971 street T/A's as replicas to showcase their then new Radial T/A tire.
one of those cars still exists today and although it dont look like it once did it is documented as one of the original cars. back in the mid 70's one of the BFG employes took it on a joy ride and blew up the original 455 H.O. and after the car went into private hands it did indeed recieve an 70 LS6 crate BBC like 2 many mentioned. and just to make it clear,BFG had nothing to do with the engine swap in the street car.

i'm not sure which one of the two original surviving T/G Firebirds was the first of the line as only the vin can provide that fact,but legend has it that the first 70 Bird was sent to the T/G Racing Team for the 1970 SCCA season.

the rest is history.

[Norwood]

I seem to remember the yellow bird being in a magazine back in the 70's showing the engine swap.

[Transamric]

Yes, pretty sure the mag was Car Craft, sometime in 1972. I have it, will see if I can dig it up.

[RicksGTO]

I remember that article well, I was a little too young to drive and I thought that TireBird was the coolest looking car ever built. I lost the magazine somewhere thru the years but came across a link last year to the article on Nasty Z28 that I saved. Here is the link to the post and the link to the Car Craft article on the car, the BirdMan article is half way down the 2nd link:

http://nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87187

http://www.pontiacregistry.com/membe...rticle_130.pdf

.

[keith k]

Originally Posted by RicksGTO

I remember that article well, I was a little too young to drive and I thought that TireBird was the coolest looking car ever built. I lost the magazine somewhere thru the years but came across a link last year to the article on Nasty Z28 that I saved. Here is the link to the post and the link to the Car Craft article on the car, the BirdMan article is half way down the 2nd link:

http://nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87187

http://www.pontiacregistry.com/membe...rticle_130.pdf

.

That's a cool car, and a neat piece of history!

[Norwood]

Now how cool is that ....

[71GP76TA]

I saw the BBC powered yellow BFG T/A at the downtown Livermore car show earlier this year. Intresting car with intresting history.

[2manyT/A'S]

Originally Posted by 71GP76TA

I saw the BBC powered yellow BFG T/A at the downtown Livermore car show earlier this year. Intresting car with intresting history.

It's a SHAME about the engine & the color.

[eaglesan13]

I agree. All early second gen trans ams should be blue or white and have a stripe. JMHO.

Originally Posted by 2manyT/A'S

It's a SHAME about the engine & the color.

[keith k]

I think had I acquired that car I would have had to take it back to its BFG Tirebird livery with 455HO Pontiac power. But I understand why the owner has done it the way he did - as a magazine feature car it had sort of a second life. His car -- he gets to decide

[Transamric]

Ok, call me thick headed, but after reading all this plus the links, I still don't see anything that shows me the White '70 was the first Firebird (or TA) off an assembly line, either Norwood or Van Nuys. I did see the notice in a letter that stated it's Serial #1. But what does that mean? Is it 223870N100001 or Fisher Body #00001? It could be 223870L100001. Is this info out there anywhere or is it a big secret?
Keith, I agree with your last comments. The formerly Blue '71 has a neat history for two reasons, as one of the street version Tirebirds & as a magazine feature car. I guess the current owner has decided which is the most significant. I think I would have chosen differently too.