This issue’s featured car is the ‘71 “Tirebird” Trans Am of John Motroni. Here is his story:
Back in 1971, BF Goodrich introduced their then new BFG Radial T/A Tires. To promote their new tires BFG bought and modified six ‘71 Firebird Trans Ams, calling them BFG “Tirebirds”.
One was raced by Jerry Titus in the SCCA Trans Am series and five were used to promote the tires around the nation at tire stores, car shows, etc.

In 1972 BFG sold or demolished all the promotional cars. The real race car which is owned by Mark and Linda Mountanos of Utah is still campaigned on the vintage racing circuit today.
In 1972, famed engine builder, Dry Lake Hall of Fame member, and magazine columnist (Car Life, Popular HotRodding, etc.), Tom Senter bought the ravaged Trans Am Tirebird promotional car that I own today. The original 455 HO was trash as were the suspension, brakes, etc. Too many tire store yahoos driving too hard and too fast.
For the next two years, Tom rebuilt and restored the Tirebird’s interior, suspension, etc,. and asked Pontiac for a 455SD to replace the HO. Pontiac said none were available, so Tom called his friends at Michigan’s Berger Chevrolet, famous for their COPO Camaros, Chevelles, and Novas, and asked if they had a “grand rodent” for sale, the historic LS6 454, rated stock at 450hp/500lbs. of torque.
They did, and they sold it to Tom for $750.Tom wrote several car magazine articles about the car and about it’s transformation from a blue BFG Tirebird into a Ferrari Fly Yellow Trans Am that regularly turned 11’s in the quarter mile.
After Tom died, the “Tirebird” was briefly owned for a couple of years by Tom’s close friend before it was sold to a Fresno real estate agent who took out the M21 and installed a Turbo 400 so his daughter could drive it to high school. After a year or so, he sold the car to Fresno area almond farmer Tom Gejeian in 1983. Tom Gejeian put the Tirebird in his barn, only taking it out once or twice a year around his large farm to keep it running.
In 2004, I bought the Tirebird from Tom Gejeian after seeing his ad in the GoodGuys Gazette.
Since that time, I’ve rebuilt the suspension, brakes, cooling system, electrical system, and replaced every rubber seal, hose, and clamp, as well as rebuilt the engine, transmission, and differential. Re-painting the Tirebird in Tom’s Ferrari Fly Yellow is my next project.

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The May 2008 issue of the National Firebird & T/A Club Eagle (the club member magazine) is the ‘98 WS-6 of Lee Adanti. Here is the story:

My ’98 WS-6 Convertible was noticed on the truck in May of 1998 as it was being delivered to Dearborn Pontiac in Dearborn Michigan. I happened to be out of town and my wife was getting our ’96 Grand Am serviced. She inquired about the car because it looked very unique to her. To make a long story short, she put a down payment and I completed the transaction once I came home and saw and drove it!

I have managed to do some research into it because I know the SLP/ASC did not do convertibles until later in the year. So here are some of the facts on its exclusivity:

Of the 3083 WS-6s built in 1998 360 were convertibles of which 86 were Red (confirmed through ASC). Only 18 of the red convertibles were made with the Taupe top and interior (most were Black).

Also, as you will recall, the SLP dual-dual exhaust system was available on the Camaro SS but to get it on a Firebird you had to order a Firehawk. That was the way SLP decided to make it exclusive. So as far as I know and can tell, I have the only Red ’98 WS-6 Taupe Convertible with the dealer installed dual-dual Firehawk exhaust.
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 Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealers will get 12 new or special-edition vehicles over the next 20 months — but they won’t get a Pontiac Trans Am.

Pontiac had lobbied for a sibling vehicle to the Chevrolet Camaro, which is scheduled to arrive in February 2009.

General Motors’ plan to make Pontiac a rear-wheel-drive performance car division is likely to be scaled back because of fuel economy regulations, GM leaders told dealers at the make meeting.

One dealer said the business case for the Trans Am didn’t compute.

“It was an economic situation,” said Lynn Thompson, owner of Thompson Motor Sales in Springfield, Mo. “It would cost $200 million to bring out the vehicle.”

Pontiac will remain a car-only brand for the foreseeable future, dealers were told. But because of new legislation requiring vehicles to reach a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020, Pontiac might not end up as GM’s performance division, dealers said they were told.

“The plan is being tweaked because of the gas situation,” Thompson said. “I hope they don’t give up on performance because they don’t have to. You can use four-cylinder engines to achieve incredible power.”

B-P-G will give dealers six new or special-edition vehicles — such as the special-edition GMC Sierra pickup, called Pro Grade — this year. They will get another six next year, dealers who attended the meeting told Automotive News.

If you want to see a new Trans Am and Firebird let GM and Pontiac know at General Motors Corporation, Box 33170, Detroit, MI 48232 or 480-210-701 or http://www.gm.com/utilities/contact_us/contact.jsp?deep=contact.

 THE NATIONAL FIREBIRD & T/A CLUB

The National Firebird & T/A Club was founded in 1984 in Chicago to serve the interests of Firebird, Trans-Am and Formula owners throughout North America. The NFTAC offers, magazines, emagazines, technical advice, member recommendations on service, body and parts sources, registration of your Firebird or Trans Am, a tradition of service and FREE member classified ads that appear in the EAGLE club magazine, the eEAGLE club member email newsletter AND on the Internet  on the website and on the club message board.

MESSAGE BOARD at board.firebirdclub.net
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