Third- and Fourth-Generation Performance Highlights
F-bodies have been the platform of choice for literally tens of thousands of GM performance enthusiasts since their debut in late-1966. It's certainly not hard to see why - the Camaro and Firebird have always represented tremendous value in the performance-car world. Champagne performance for a beer price, so to speak.

Even during the late seventies and early eighties, when vehicle performance fell way below emissions and fuel economy on the engineers' list of priorities, the F-body held its own very well indeed.

Of course, we're preaching to the choir here. Obviously you are an F-body enthusiast if you have this catalog and are reading this article, so let's get to the point of this piece: notable models from the third and fourth generations.

Okay, let's get this out of the way first. This article will briefly mention the best-performing Camaros and Firebirds as delivered by GM. This is not meant to be an historical overview of the entire third- and fourth-generation families - that would, and has, filled books. We've got space enough to mention a half-dozen or so models, so if your favorite isn't listed, it's not meant as a slight.
Let's start with the 1987 IROC-Z, Formula and Trans Am GTA models with the 5.7 liter (350 cubic inches to us old-timers) Tuned Port Injection engine. Sure, the TPI series debuted in '85 in 5.0 liter form, and added some much-needed punch to the F-car lineup. But the 305 cars still had trouble keeping up the with Joneses, which in this case were the 5.0 Mustangs, Turbo Buicks and 'Vettes of the day.
The 350 TPI engine added the power needed to round out an overall good package. The cars were stylish, handled well, and with the 350, would usually get into the 14's at the drag strip. The 5.7 TPI engine debuted at 225 hp, and progressed to 240 by the end of production in 1992. As a side note, it must be mentioned that the 5.0 liter TPI engine made 230 hp when mated with a 5-speed in '92, which represents a stout 40-horse increase over the 1985 model's 190 hp.


The high-water mark for regular production third-generation performance came in 1989. Pontiac released its 20th Anniversary Trans Am that year, and it was powered by a modified version of the 231 cubic-inch turbocharged Buick V6 engine of Grand National fame. Rated at 250-horsepower, the Turbo Trans Am was a consistent 13-second car at the drag strips.

Modifications to the 20th Anniversary car didn't end with the engine, however. The cars were fitted with brakes from the 1LE showroom stock package, and also received a Dana 44-based rear axle assembly. It's ironic that the only non-V8 Trans Am ever produced is one of the best performers. In fact, the 20th Anniversary TA paced the 1989 Indy 500, and was one of the few cars to do so without any drivetrain modifications whatsoever.

Although not a regular production car, the outright king-of-speed of third-gen cars has to be the Firehawks of 1991-92. Built by SLP Engineering and sold through authorized Pontiac dealers, the Firehawk package included a highly modified 350 TPI engine rated at 350-horsepower. The stout small-block was backed by a ZF 6-speed transmission borrowed from the Corvette. The cars were built for showroom stock road racing, and the option list reflected this fact. Racing-style Brembo brakes were available, as was an SCCA-approved roll bar and no back seat. Since the Firehawk was heavily modified for competition use, the cost of the cars approached the $50,000 mark. While expensive for an F-body, the Firehawk was quite a bargain as a race car. Only six Firehawks were built in 1991, and 19 made it out the door in 1992.
1993 saw the debut of the fourth-generation F-body, and a marked increase in performance. Camaros and Firebirds received a version of the 5.7 liter LT1 engine from the Corvette. This "Gen-II" small-block featured aluminum heads, reverse-flow cooling, and a redesigned intake setup that made good power all the way to the engine's 5800 rpm redline. The 1993 LT1 was rated at 275-horsepower, and LT1-powered F-bodies were good for low-14's at the strip.

Behind the new engine was an equally new Borg-Warner T-56 6-speed manual transmission, or a 4L60 (a renamed 700-R4) 4-speed automatic carried over from the previous generation. The rear-axle assembly remained basically the same as the third generation, albeit a tad wider. A new short/long arm (SLA) independent front suspension and aggressive, flowing bodywork capped by an extremely raked windshield rounded out the first models of the new generation.

The next big news came in 1996, and once again F-body performance fans can thank the engineers at SLP for the boost. This was the year the Ram Air Firebird and Camaro SS nameplates returned. The WS-6 Ram Air package was a development of the fourth-gen Firehawk package, which received a unique twin-nostril hood that fed a sealed air cleaner assembly in 1993. Another SLP fore-runner to the WS-6 and SS models was the 1995 Comp TA package. This car featured a version of the Firehawk's cold-air setup, along with specific suspension tuning and 17-inch wheels and tires.
The cars proved to be popular enough to prompt Chevy and Pontiac into reviving the famous Ram Air and SS names, and offering them as regular production options in 1996. Both cars got cold-air hoods, the Pontiac's being identical to the Comp TA, while the Camaro SS version looked to be a distant cousin to the Stinger hood made famous on '60s Corvettes. Ram Air and SS models wore 17-inch wheel/tire packages, and their suspensions were tweaked accordingly. The cold-air-fed engines in the WS-6 and SS cars were rated at 305 hp, 20 more than the standard V8s.

This brings us to the 1998 models, arguably the best-performing F-bodies of all time. Both Camaro and Firebird got a mild facelift for '98, but the big news was the new, all-aluminum LS1 V8 under the hood. This engine, launched in '97 in the new C5 Corvette, was a clean-sheet-of-paper design that replaced the traditional small-block Chevy - no small feat.

The LS1 engine was designed at the outset to be powerful, clean, and easy on fuel. It's two-valve, pushrod architecture belies what is undeniably a modern powerplant, a fact proven by the astounding performance of the 1998-later models. These cars are good for 13-second timeslips in the 104-106 mph range straight off the showroom floor. 12-second timeslips are common with a few basic bolt-ons and sticky tires. LS1 V8s are rated at 305-horsepower in standard Z28/Trans Am form, and 320 in Ram Air/SS trim. These figures are obviously underrated, as most LS1's will churn out almost 300 rear-wheel horsepower on a chassis dyno. Figure in the 15-20% driveline loss factor, and....well, you get the picture.

No one knows what the future of the F-body is, except, perhaps, for a few product planners at General Motors. But one thing is for sure, the third and fourth generations have contributed mightily to the overall F-car legend. A legend which is long, proud, and invariably shrouded in tire smoke.