Schwartz Performance Builds the Ultimate 2nd-Gen Trans Am!

Thanks to the current trend of classic musclecars being transformed into corner-carving powerhouses these days, a lot of us in the automotive media are quickly becoming more difficult to impress. Whether it’s a ’69 Camaro, a ’70 Chevelle, or a ’65 GTO, we appreciate them all – but we’re always on the lookout for a something just a little bit outside the mold.

Enter this 1981 Turbo Trans Am you’re looking at on this page. It started out in life with a turbocharged 301 CI Pontiac motor that produced a whopping 205 HP when it was new. With 1/4-mile performance in the low-16 second range, it was unbelievably slow – even by early ’80s standards.

As a result, many of these cars have undergone an engine swap of some type over the years; whether it was a small- or big-block Chevy engine, a traditional Pontiac mill, or something else, not many enthusiasts get aroused by these anemic 301 engines.

Recently, Schwartz Performance took one under their wings to transform the former image car into something truly amazing. It wasn’t easy, but thanks to Schwartz’s craftiness, the GM LS-series engine family, and Forgeline‘s excellent wheel packages, pretty much anything is possible!

Since this car started out in life turbocharged, then it only made sense to replace it with a with another boosted engine. In this case, it’s a twin-turbo, dry sump LS9 pumping out over 1000 horsepower! Backing that potent alloy mill is a Bowler 4L85E gearbox and a Winters/Moser 9-inch rear axle stuffed with 3.70 cogs.

The entire Trans Am was rebuilt from the ground up starting with a Schwartz Performance, bolt-in full-length frame that stiffens up the car better than any OEM unibody construction could. RideTech triple-adjustable coil-overs keep this F-body planted in the corners, while Baer Extreme-Plus 14-inch rotors and 6S 6-piston calipers bring this beast to a halt.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper late 2nd-Gen without a set of snowflakes and a hood bird. Obviously a car of this caliber wouldn’t be sufficient with a set of 15-inch WS6 wheels and reproduction decals, so that’s where the Forgeline TA3P, powdercoated in red, came into play with a custom phoenix to match. While the late second-generation F-bodies never got much respect in the past, cars like this ’81 “Full Force Trans Am” are certainly changing that.