[ponyakr]

This car has probably been brought up here many times. I just did a quick search & didn't find it. Not gonna waste any more time trying.

So, for those who know about this car, please post all that info here, so I'll know about it too.

While doin research on the 1972 NHRA Stock Eliminator season, I ran across lots of pics of this early 2nd gen T/A. The captions seemed to indicate Indy '72. But The track was obviously not the track where the US Nats was held.

The car had SD-455 on the shaker. It appeared to have a trunk mounted fuel tank, maybe, since there appeared to be a filler neck which came right up thru the trunk lid.

I just ASSUME that maybe this was some sort of test car for the SD-455 engine ?

Those who know, please post all the info you have about this car & it's performance.

Thanks !

Will post 10 of the pics I downloaded of it. The numbers & captions I put on each pic are just so I could have 'em in some sort of order.

[ponyakr]

Five More Pics

[ponyakr]

Trunk lid area.

There is also something on each side, beside the tail lights. Looks like a bunch of holes. But it may have been decals of some sort.

Can somebody tell us what those are ?

[Transamric]

Interesting pics. Noticed; two different shakers, one without decals, odd added on rear wheelwell lips, no quarter panel flares, and if this is a '72 body, no front plastic valance, and no front bumper bird decal.
I don't think I've ever seen these shots before.

[giles]

PMD-owned car. 13M386 Michigan manufacturers plate

[napster]

If my memory is correct. That car is in Rocky Rotella's 2nd gen book in the SD section.

I looked at it just now. A back end 3/4 shot is on page 108.

['ol Pinion head]

Black & white pics of the rear of that particular car were in numerous early publications from CSK Publishing. Think writers Joe Oldham, Cliff Gromer, as well as early Thunder Am magazine articles.

[SD455DJ]

Yes, this was the SD-455 mule car that PMD allowed magazine writers to 'test' for there pre-production articles. The rear filler panel had 'vents' cut into it next to the tail lights.

Dennis

[jerry455]

It looks like it was at MotorCity Dragway, possibly. I remember pictures of that car in one of the magazines on Black Lake at the GM Milford Proving Grounds.

[keith k]

I've seen a few pictures of the car before, but not most of these. Pretty cool.
The pics I'd seen years ago were one of the things that inspired me to chase down a set of Motor Wheel Spyders for mine - one of my favorite vintage wheels.

[Formulabruce]

This car is now in Australia?
see post # 5275
https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...16#post5881316

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

I think its a 71 Body car - by the grills and front valance.
Has 1972 Mfg plates
Also has an interior roll bar

Must have been an ongoing test bed type vehicle
Not a TA color either

Have never seen or heard anything about this particular car before, that I can recall.
Thanks for finding all those pictures Ponyakr

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

This car is now in Australia?
see post # 5275
https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...16#post5881316

no, that is a different car in Australia that belongs to 007.
But his was also pre-SD-production and used in magazine tests.
Was a general stock 73 Y-Code production car.
No body mods or special pieces, just an engine transplant.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A tire in 1972
Never seen that lettering style before

iirc 1973 radial tire option were white stripe sidewalls
Those RWL BFG's would have been a Big Hit on new TA's

[Transamric]

Is there a chance we are looking at pics of two similarly modified Firebirds? Not only are there two different shaker treatments, but some pics show both fenders with the typical '70-72 Trans Am decals and others show no decals in those places. Or just a different day at the track with a few mods?

[PAUL K]

Cool pictures!

[bluebird455]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

This car is now in Australia?
see post # 5275
https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...16#post5881316

Not in Australia, not the same car. this SD test car/prototype/test mule was destroyed.

[johnta1]

That car is in Rocky Rotella's 2nd gen book in the SD section.

I looked at it just now. A back end 3/4 shot is on page 108.

Page 108 also has the front/side view in color.
The car is gold like Coronado Gold.
Pages 108/109 describe the test cars.

I have seen the gold car before, possibly in HO Racing's monthly flyer?

[Rocky Rotella]

This car has intrigued me for years and I have been following the history of this car very closely for some time. I can say with absolute certainty that it was indeed a test bed for Pontiac’s SD-455. The car started life a R/A IV-powered ’70 Trans Am in Polar White. Pontiac’s Special Projects group began modifying it in an attempt to create Pontiac’s version of a Mark Donahue Javelin. It was painted gold, received body and interior modifications, and had various engines underhood during Super Duty development—including a SD-366.

Here’s what I wrote about it in my Definitive Firebird book:


Those present at Pontiac’s long-lead press preview in June 1972 seem to agree that there was a gold Trans Am was equipped with the 366-ci race engine that day. In a recent discussion with Herb Adams, he confirmed that the car was a rolling test bed for the SD-455 program and that several variations of that engine were installed during its tenure as an engineering mule. “We had a modified SD-455 in it for a while and blew it up during testing. We just took it down to the engineering garage and had the mechanics drop in another modified SD-455 and off we went. It was that easy back then!

Special Projects engineer Dan Hardin was intimately involved with assembling the vehicle. “The car was originally built as a proposal for a specialty model of the Firebird Trans Am Firebird, maybe even a Jerry Titus signature edition like the Mark Donohue Javelin,” he explained. “The base car was a 1970 Trans Am with the Ram Air IV and a 4-speed. I can’t recall its origin but we had access to press cars, engineering fleet cars, and mules for our proposals. The build started in 1970 after I returned from California where we were fine tuning the chassis on Jerry Titus’ 1970 race car at Willow Springs. We continued into 1971 and beyond as we were always changing things to keep the proposal cars fresh.”

The aftermarket wheels were produced by Motor Wheel Corporation. “They did OE work but was also were trying to diversify into the aftermarket. Its ‘Spyder’ wheel was a two-piece design that contained an aluminum center and chromed-steel rim that could be produced in a variety of rim widths and offsets to fit just about any car. We used 15 x 8-inch units for this project and flared the rear wheel wells much like Titus did on his race car.”
Hardin recalled front racing seats as part of the original build. “They were aftermarket blow-molded plastic and we ordered the optional covers. The car was equipped with racing belts and a tubular roll bar. We stripped most of the interior out to reduce weight and emulate the look of a real race car. At one point we explored mounting the spare tire in the back seat area, but getting it in and out with the roll bar proved almost impossible.”

In a letter Herb Adams penned during the late-1970s, he wrote about a weekend trip to North Carolina he made in the gold Trans Am with Tom Nell. They regularly traveled at speeds in excess of 100 mph when conditions allowed. “The car was one we used to test the SD-455,” he wrote. “I remember thinking ‘This is what it must feel like driving a Ferrari,’ because I hadn’t driven one at that point. I promised the car to John Schinella who was going to use it for some of his own design ideas, but they scrapped it without telling me.”



Since my Firebird book was published, I found a binder that Pontiac distributed to media outlets attending the 1972 Long Lead Press Preview. It contains details on all the vehicles that Pontiac had there—both stock and engineering mules. The Trans Ams Pontiac had there that day included black example with a production SD-455, a red example with a SD-366, and the gold Trans Am, which was described as “special offroad package” and an “offroad Super Duty 455.”

I’m certain the “offroad SD-455” was the high-compression example generating 575-600 hp that Pontiac engineering was so proud of. It was on hand to demonstrate the SD-455’s incredible potential. Joe Oldham told me that he remembered driving the Super Duty-powered Trans Am and said the high-compression version was unreal. He said his experience with the SD-455 test cars at the 1972 Press Preview is what led him to recommend the 1973 GTO with SD-455 as Cars Magazine’s car-of-the-year award.

In looking at the photos pontyakr posted, we clearly Herb Adams driving. You’ll see in one photo what appears to be other 1972 Pontiacs (possibly 1971?) near the starting line in the background. That suggests it may have been some sort of arranged press event. While I can’t explain why it wears a black hood scoop in some photos and body color in others, its possible that Pontiac may have attempted to make the shaker looked more pronounced. Maybe something like the argent or black colors MOPAR used on its shakers.

Regardless, what a time it must’ve been to work at Pontiac!

[necdb3]

This car is also pictured in the book "The Fabulous Firebird".