1987 was a watershed year for Pontiac’s Third Generation F-Body platform; several new additions were made to the Firebird lineup from top to bottom, and the Trans Am model benefited from virtually all the additions.
Introduced as an higher-end performance/luxury option package for the 1987 Trans Am… and to highlight the Pontiac F-Body introduction of the GM 5.7L (350 cubic-inch) Tuned-Port-Injection V8 engine… the TRANS AM GTA debuted amid a flurry of activity in the entire Pontiac F-car lineup. Beginning as a specifically outfitted package in 1987, the GTA moved upscale in subsequent years… it was a fully contented model from 1988 on… and quickly moved into place as the flagship Third Generation Pontiac Firebird model. The GTA was aimed at the auto enthusiast who wanted a bit more “panache” from his car, both in style and performance.
During its six years of production, the “Gran Turismo Americano” edition of the Trans Am evolved into the “ultimate” luxury performance Third-Generation Firebird.
The GTA did not carry over into the Firebird’s fourth (and final) generation for 1993, even though there were engineering drawings and illustrations that have survived that show the GTA was on some designers minds during the development of the Fourth Generation cars.
For many years, the Third Generation Firebirds were much maligned but the truth remains that the GTA was one of GM’s hottest performers during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Only the Corvette (or the IROC-Z with a good driver) could