GrumpyCatStevens t1_j9s54m7 wrote on February 24, 2023 at 4:05 AM

Reply to comment by Reptarticle in My dad and I on his Firebird circa 1989 by Kenn_d

Yeah, I like the '77 SE just because Smokey & The Bandit made it a cultural icon - plus it sent Trans Am sales through the roof. If I were looking for a performance model, I'd pick either an LS-1 powered 4th-gen or a '73 with the SD455.

I can still remember when Ford introduced the 5.0 HO engine in the '82 Mustang, and the car rags were so excited that it made 157 hp (which to be fair was a big improvement over the outgoing 4.2L V8 that made about 120 hp and couldn't be had with a stick).

Reptarticle t1_j9s6155 wrote on February 24, 2023 at 4:13 AM

That front end of the 73 you mentioned took me a while to get used to. It’s grown on me now, but if I’d still choose the Camaro or the TA for 73.

The 82 GT was a big deal. First year of the GT moniker. The 2.3L turbo 4 cylinder nearly made the same power as the V8 until 1985 when the 5.0 jumped to 210hp. Wild to think a minivan has 100 more hp than that today.