Most Famous Cars: 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
The 1982 Pontiac Firethorn Firebird Trans AM is widely known as THE muscle’ car. There are many others, but none of them will ever live up to the sexy, well-known Firebird Trans AM. This car was drooled over and wanted by every young man between the age of 5 and 35 during the 1980s. This desire was increased when Hollywood itself fell in love with the Firebird, using it as the image of the popular Knight Rider series. Nicknamed ‘The Goat,’ The Pontiac Firebird Trans AM continues to be a holy grail in muscle cars even for car enthusiasts today.
The 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans AM was fitted with a V-8 engine. It showed off as a sexy, sleek, fast and sporty car for those with the need for speed and good looks, but it also was an affordable option for those who could not afford the Chevrolet Corvette. The various models introduced were clearly targeting younger drivers. Due to all these aspects, sales probably grew by more margins that Pontiac ever thought possible. The company decided to take advantage of the notoriety and stopped making the car in 2002 with a collector’s edition.
Besides its sleek looks and powerful engine, it is no reason why this car has so much lingering notoriety and popularity, even for today’s car buffs. The Firebird’s prominent role in the hit series Knight Rider burned its image into car fame. In the series, the car was presented as a talking mode of transportation named K.I.T.T. and voiced William Daniels. K.I.T.T was teamed up with crime fighter Michael Knight, played by David Hasselhoff. The car featured things that only Hollywood can come up with for a vehicle. For the role, the Pontiac Firebird Trans AM was made to be bulletproof and could shoot fire on command. The car was also presented as the fastest on the road, extremely fuel efficient and operating on microprocessors. Between the hot car, hot star and enticing music, the show was a hit and was on air more than four years, from 1982 to 1986. The Trans AM’s image just became more engrained in the minds of car enthusiasts with every episode.
Despite its prominent role in car history – and its halt in production – any car enthusiast can acquire one of these models if they do their research. Most recently, one model was sold in mint condition for a mere $23,000 on eBay.
As part of the famous car era, the 1982 Pontiac Trans AM will continue to be one of the most famous muscle cars of all time. With its connections to power, speed, class and Hollywood, this legend will never die.
