1987 Pontiac Trans Am

1987 Pontiac Trans Am GTA

1987 PONTIAC TRANS AM GETS MINOR CHANGES
The ’87 model year remained relatively unchanged from the ’86, other than the usual minor trim and detail differences. The center high-mounted brake light moved to just below the rear spoiler lip. This was possible since all ’87 Firebirds now had the flat rear wing spoiler from earlier Trans Am models. The large Firebird hood emblems were gone for good. The old Trans Am power bulge hood was inherited by the Formula. There was a new wrap-around spoiler on all Trans Ams and Formulas. 140mph speedometers became optional on Trans Ams and Formulas.

1987 PONTIAC TRANS AM GTA DEBUTS
A new package, the Trans Am GTA is introduced as sort of a high-end Trans Am. They came either with the LB9 5.0 (305) V8, or with the new 5.7 TPI V8 making 225hp, automatic (all 5.7s would be autos). It had its own unique wheels, a 16-inch BBS-style gold ‘wire-mag’ diamond-spoke alloys. GTAs got their own special badging, striping and body-colored ground effects. Inside, they had their own unique seats with adjustable, inflatable lumbar and side bolsters, special door panels and a special horn button.

1987 Pontiac Trans Am INTERIORS

1987 Pontiac Trans Am ENGINES

1987 PONTIAC TRANS AM ENGINES
The 5.7L (350) V8 is introduced to the Firebird line, straight from Chevrolet. Of course, Firebirds and Camaros are being built side-by-side on the same assembly line in Ottawa, Canada, and they were designed to be interchangeable, so lots of parts swapping was done. All V8s now had roller cam followers (lifters) that added about 5hp to everything they touched, bringing the 5.7 up to 225hp, with 330 lb-ft of torque. All 5.7s were bolted to automatic transmissions as GM didn’t have a 5-speed manual box capable of handling the 5.7’s torque. There was one carbureted V8 left, the 5.0L (305) LG4, making 165hp or 170hp, depending on transmission. The LB9 was a Tuned Port Injected (TPI) 5.0 (305) V8 making 190hp with the automatic and 215hp with the 5-speed.