The 1983 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was the performance base of the Firebird border of cars produced by the Pontiac Division of Universal Motors. The 1983 mannequin was belongings of the 1982 to 1992 third date Firebirds that shared enhanced mechanical components with their sibling, the Camaro, than preceding generations. In 1983, the Firebird was no longer equipped with Pontiac engines, nevertheless with Chevy powerplants.
History
The Pontiac Firebird debuted in 1967 alongside the Camaro. The Firebird Trans Am appeared in 1969 and continued until the Firebird ended Industry in 2002. The moment begetting Firebird's lifespan was principally lengthy, running from 1970 to 1981, and was gangling in the tooth by the era Pontiac state definite on a oppose alternate, according to Transamworld.com and Edmunds.com. To trim Industry costs, on the contrary, bounteous than 60 percent of the components were shared with the Chevy Camaro, which distanced the Firebird from is roots and led to its gradual loss of its own ego.
The Trans Am
The Trans Am was the top flat design of the Firebird path. There was besides the representation Firebird and the mid-level Firebird S/E. The Trans Am was once all approximately performance, on the contrary by 1983 Pontiac focused on protest interpretation and handling and ignored faculty. The leading characteristics that differentiated the third hour Pontiac Firebirds from preceding models were the consummate 60-degree slope of the windscreen, the all-glass hatchback and the pop-up headlamps. The all-new 1982 Firebird got off to a active birth with a complete of 116,364 produced, including 52,962 Trans Ams. Sales fell off in 1983 with a complete of 74,884 Firebirds produced, including 31,930 Trans Ams.
Under the Hood
Looking under the 1983 Trans Am's hood was not a appealing Place. Out was the extensive Pontiac 200-horsepower 6.6-liter V-8 father in moment begetting Trans Ams, and in its situate was Chevy's 180- or 190-horsepower 5.5-liter V-8. The saving grace was the 190-hp legend, with the in-house identification of L69, that came with a four-barrel carburettor.
Daytona Edition
Buyers had come to expect that they were getting less bang for the buck in terms of power, but the fresh body styling and solid handling on the corners and the open highway allowed the 1983 Trans Am to post solid sales numbers. The trend continued through the mid-1980s when Firebird sales began to fall and Trans Am numbers dropped like a rock. By 1992, the last year of the third generation Trans Am, less than 1,000 Trans Am coupes were sold. It was powered by the fuel-injected or carbureted 5.5-liter V-8.
Performance and Popularity
The 1983 Trans Am helped revive the Firebird line.Highly sought among collectors is the Trans Am Daytona Edition. The 1983 Trans Am was selected as the walk car for the Daytona 500. Only 2,500 1983 Daytona Editions were produced. The Daytona Edition was equipped with full body ground-effect skirts, molded plastic panels replacing traditional front bumper grilles, special "Trans Am" script on the right panel, a charcoal-and-white paint scheme, Recaro leather seats, interior leather accents, backlit red gauges and "Daytona 500" graphics.
