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Year One Teams With Detroit Crew on ‘69 Trans Am Vintage Racer
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| 1999 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Pontiac Trans Am, and as part of the celebration we’re proud to announce our involvement in the building of a ‘69 Trans Am vintage race car. The car is being built in Detroit, Michigan, by a group of racers that includes Jim Mattison, owner of Pontiac Historic Services, along with Dave Tiera, Doug Wesch and JP Mattison, Jim’s son and the lucky guy who gets to drive the beast. |
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| The car should be ready for the 2000 vintage race season, and will hit the various racetracks as part of a Pontiac Motor Division display. The ‘69 is much more than a display-only piece, however. The car is being built to run, with motivation coming in the form of a John Lingenfelter built small-block Chevy. This choice of powerplant mimics what the Firebirds ran back in the heyday of SCCA Trans-Am racing. Since Pontiac didn’t have an engine that met the SCCA-mandated 305 cubic-inch displacement rule, with destroking strictly prohibited, Pontiac racers such as Jerry Titus campaigned “Canadian” Firebirds with 302 cubic-inch small-block Chevy engines. |
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| As you can tell from the photos, the car is undergoing a complete rebuild to make it suitable for racing. Heavy chassis modifications are taking place to ensure the Trans Am is safe, and stiff. The body panels are being flared for tire clearance, and once complete the metal panels will serve as bucks from which molds will be made. Once the molds are made, fiberglass panels will be formed and used on the race car.
Year One provided such parts as floor and trunk pans, fiberglass Trans Am hood, fender air extractors, deck lid and rear wing. Year One will also provide certain interior parts, such as door panels, although much of the interior will be pretty bare. It is, after all, a race car. |
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Shortly after these images were taken, the chassis work was completed and the car was sent to the paint shop. It'll be white with twin blue stripes, of course, in keeping with the overall Trans Am heritage theme. The car will be ready for testing soon, and rest assured Restoration Review Online will be there when the car hits the track.
Stay tuned! |
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