Pontiac ushered in the muscle car era when it introduced the mid-size 1964 GTO with a 389. So it was fitting that Pontiac made the last legitimate muscle cars of era: the 1973 and 1974 Trans Am Super Duty 455. As a second-gen F-Body car, the Trans Am featured refined styling, handling, and ride, but still retained brutish power. However, because of rising gas prices and insurance costs, these cars were not produced in great numbers, so they are extremely rare and valuable today. In Volume No. 6 of CarTech's In Detail series, author Barry Kluczyk goes behind the scenes to reveal how a cadre of dedicated personnel at Pontiac refused to relinquish high-performance, forged ahead, and built the last great muscle car, the 1973 and 1974 Trans Am Super Duty 455. He retraces the design, development, and manufacture of each major component of the group. He also covers engine development and special equipment of the Super Duty 455 engine. In addition, covered are the high-performance chassis and suspension parts, so the TA could effectively apply and control all of the power. All In Detail Series books include an introduction and historical overview, an explanation of the design and concepts involved in creating the car, a look at marketing and promotion, and an in-depth study of all hardware and available options, as well as an examination of where the car is on the market today. Also included is an appendix of paint and option codes, VIN and build-tag decoders, as well as production numbers.

Pontiac Firebird: 50 Years chronicles the Firebird's rich history, from its inception in 1960 to its continued popularity today.

“Just what is a Muscle Car?” Road Test magazine asked in June 1967. The answer: “Exactly what the name implies. It is a product of the American car industry adhering to the hot rodder’s philosophy of taking a small car and putting a BIG engine in it. . . . The Muscle Car is Charles Atlas kicking sand in the face of the 98 horsepower weakling.” Unconcerned with such trivial details as comfort and handling, the vintage American muscle car was built for straight-line speed and quickly became the ride of choice for power-hungry racers and serious gearheads. In a country where performance was measured in brute force, a quarter mile at a time, the muscle car was the perfect machine. In the intervening years, these down-and-dirty, high-performing beauties have earned their place in the automotive pantheon. As prized by collectors and aficionados as they are by denizens of garages and drag strips, classic muscle cars now fetch upwards of a million dollars at auctions and feature in any story of America’s automotive glory days. The icons of muscle car art—including Camaro and Chevelle SS, the Hemi and 440-6 ’Cuda, Challenger, Roadrunner, Super Bee, GTX, Super Bird, Daytona Charger, Super Cobra Jet and Boss Mustang, Talladega Torino, Buick GSX and W30 Oldsmobile 442, and AMX Javelin—are all here, on full display in this lavishly illustrated volume, each described in a detailed essay followed by a gallery of portraits and special gatefold presentations that capture the art of the muscle car at its finest.

The Rochester Quadrajet carburetor was found perched atop the engine of many a classic GM performance vehicle. The Q-Jet is a very capable but often misunderstood carb. This book, How to Rebuild and Modify Rochester Quadrajet Carburetors, seeks to lift the veil of mystery surrounding the Q-Jet and show owners how to tune and modify their carbs for maximum performance. The book will be a complete guide to selecting, rebuilding, and modifying the Q-Jet, aimed at both muscle car restorers and racers. The book includes a history of the Q-Jet, an explanation of how the carb works, a guide to selecting and finding the right carb, instructions on how to rebuild the carb, and extensive descriptions of high-performance modifications that will help anyone with a Q-Jet carb crush the competition.

Following Ford and Chevrolet, Pontiac entered the pony car market in 1967 and came up with one of the best and most successful muscle cars ever produced. Though based on the Camaro chassis, the Firebird offered unique features and high performance, and over its nearly 40 years of production it continued to wow drivers--as it does today. This book details the Firebird’s long and illustrious career. With high-quality, detailed color photographs of some of the finer models--both originals and faithful restorations--the book is at once a unique history and a restoration guide to all four generations of the Firebird. Pictures and text profile the correct parts, finishes, options, and trim pieces for various models. The book also covers the vehicle’s wide variety of engine options, along with all special editions and model variations from the Firebird’s introduction in 1967 to the final model in 2002.

Take an in-depth look into the second-generation Firebird and Trans Am with the ultimate guidebook that includes production figures, option codes, running changes, model-year changes and variances, rarity, collectability, interviews with engineers, and more. Pontiac expert and historian Rocky Rotella examines each production year of the second generation of Firebirds. Complementing the data and year-by-year analysis is a combination of archival photography from the development of these cars as well as beautiful color photos of original and restored examples today. After the extremely successful debut of the first-generation Firebirds and Camaros, General Motors had a tall task ahead: create an equally popular yet radically different version of the groundbreaking pony car it was replacing. Enthusiasts picked up on the radically different part as soon as they saw these cars. Over time, we have come to appreciate how successful these second-generation cars were. They include the early models that had an emphasis on performance along with the continued development of the Trans Am, the 455 Super Duty cars of 1973 and 1974, and the lightning-in-a-bottle popularity of the Smokey and the Bandit editions. During their production run, these Firebirds and Trans Ams were truly the only real performance cars out of Detroit, and for many of the model years, they eclipsed even the mighty Corvette. This book tells the entire story of these immensely popular cars, whether you are into the second generation of F-Body regular models, Formula 400 performance models, the Super Duty Trans Ams, or the cars of Smokey and the Bandit fame. It is an excellent addition to any pony car, muscle car, or any enthusiast's library.