SEPTEMBER 1989 **

"One of the most pertinent questions we're asked - in the mail and on the PM hotline - is whether a high-performance car with a big V8 engine is still practical for everyday use.  It's a question we can answer once and for all with the latest long-term test car in the PM stable."

PONTIAC TRANS AM GTA

  "The GTA is one of the fastest cars produced in America. Its big (350-cu.-in.) engine is rated at 235 hp and 330 lb. -ft. of torque, essentially the same engine you get in a Chevrolet Corvette. The Trans Am breathes through tuned aluminum ram tubes, dual exhausts and is fed by direct port injection. Backing up the engine is a 4-speed automatic transmission and a 3.27 rear axle with limited-slip differential.

That’s a lot of hardware. When you put it all on the pavement, you’re rewarded with a 0-60 time of just 6.5 seconds. Our testing at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, resulted in a best quarter mile of 14.78 seconds at 95mph.

As we said, this is one of the fastest cars you can buy. But can you live with such a beast over the long haul? That’s what we’ll be finding out as we use the GTA in normal daily service. So far, we can tell you that the GTA’s interior is extremely comfortable for a low, sporty car—providing you’re one of the front-seat passengers.

All controls are well marked, and as easy to use as those in any family sedan. In fact, this test car has steering wheel-mounted radio controls, which sounds gimmicky, but they’re actually easier to use than the controls on the radio itself.

Driving the Trans Am GTA can be a real pleasure if you’re a hard driver. Or it can be no more taxing than a drive around the block in a Pontiac 6000 sedan. The GTA’s personality all depends on how much pressure you apply with your right foot. With a light foot, it’s a docile pussycat. But punch your right foot down hard and the GTA turns into a snarling, shrieking beast, capable of devouring anything you’re likely to meet. We eagerly look forward to these encounters."

JANUARY 1990 **

"The question was, can a high-performance sports car serve satisfactorily as daily transportation? The answer is:

Yes, if you’re willing to put up with some headaches and annoyances.

  On the positive side, you have the car’s performance. It’s there in spades in this 350-cu. -in., fuel-injected roadburner, every time you punch down the throttle. As we said in our first installment, the Trans Am GTA is one of the fastest cars you can buy. Just as exhilarating as the Trans Am’s straight line performance is the superb handling and responsiveness built into the chassis. Now here’s the downside.

You can fit a couple of kids comfortably in the back seat, but that’s about it. Adults are limited to rides of 5 minutes or less duration. After that, you’ll have a screaming basket case on your hands. Capacity for luggage, grocery bags, or whatever isn’t bad. Another disadvantage of a high-performance car in daily use - fuel mileage or lack of same. In just under 10,000 miles, we averaged 19.1 mpg. But here’s the real bummer. Own a car like this and, sooner or later, you’re going to come out of someplace and find that some moron has tried to steal it.

It happened to us when we had about 3000 miles on the clock. The car was left in a busy supermarket parking lot in midday. We came out 20 minutes later to find the door open and the entire steering column ripped up with wires hanging everywhere. We called the local Pontiac dealer, Sun Pontiac in Wantagh, New York, and explained the situation. We asked to have the car towed in and repaired. The rude person on the other end of the phone told us to call back in two weeks to make an appointment.

The next closest dealer was Benjamin Pontiac in Rockville Centre, New York. Mike Reed, the assistant service manager, was very cooperative and courteous. He had the car flatbedded to the dealership that afternoon. For a mere $711.36, the car was back in service about a week later.

So, should you buy a high-performance sports car to use every day?

Hey, how much are you willing to put up with?"

**  Whereas most cars in the PM test fleet receive three entries in their logbooks during a long-term test, the GTA received only these two reports posted above.  The Source Page has obtained and scoured through all the remaining PM issues for 1990 and found no further mention of the car in any other test update articles.