Dark gray 1996 Pontiac Trans Am coupe, front 3/4 view. "95 produ…

INSIDE PONTIAC'S 'I'OY CHEST This Is no Firehawk! Tom Goad IS experimenting with the Ram Air (ontept on several of his engi- neering prototypes, inrluding this Firebird. The Ram Air hood is made of a composite that is 12 pounds lighter than the 0.E. steel hood, and those new nostrils feed on air- box that flows straight Just about every automaker has a toy department tucked away among its engineering staff. Run by enthusiast gearheads Gust like usl), these special vehicle groups spend their time playing with engine and vehicle combinations that are a lot more excit- ing than your typical breadand-butter sedans. Some of these oneoffs, like the Viper and Impala SS, even make it into production On a recent trip to Detroit, we were treated to a glimpse inside Pon- tiacs toy department, which is headed by Torn Goad. A racer and long- time enthusiast, Goads love for cars shows in his prototypes. Here are just a couple of Toms toysDrew Hardin This special Fire- - bird is also equip- ped with an independent rear suspension system borrowed from a Corvette. Good Is playing around with a dual-wishbone IRS setup that he says pro- duces a better ride than this one. The Bon- nevilles ' e II g i II e , bay is tidy. That 1 black tank at the upper Ielt corner of ' the photo feeds the intercooler. Since the cooler adds only about 2 inches to the engines height, it fits under the stock hood with no modications. For a front-driver, this car was a blast to drive! into the UV: intake plenum. The car is shod with 40-series Goodyear GS-(s. Those wheels are l7x9-inch, magnesium ver- sions of 95 production Pontiac , wheels. The use of magnesium makes them lighter than the 16x8 g production aluminum rims. Here you can see the Bird's new airhox. The Ram Air system is worth 15 horsepower, Good told us, since the incoming air doesnt have to make the 90-degree bend it does in a stock application. Opening up the exhaust system to 2.5 inshes and adding a tree-flowing cat and new muttlers were good for another to horsepower, making this a 300hp LTI with no internal mods whatsoever. You can spot a Tom Goad prototype, even one with no exterio mods, by the big tires Goad likes to put on his cars. Other tho the 245/4SZRI7 Goodyear Eagles on Boyds rims, you woul be hard pressed to tell that this Bonneville is anything specia But lurking under the hood is a supercharged 3800 V6 with water-to-air intercooler that is good for 275 horsepower. tie ter yet, you low a live-speed stick to control the Bonne.