So what do you get for $80 to $85K? Well, for starters you get a supercharger atop the big LS engine under a newly-crafted hood, a shaker scoop atop that and a killer graphic package. You'll also get a 1"-4" lowering kit with sway bar and some Pirelli Pzero's with Gold or Silver machined face snowflake wheels — complete with Phoenix T/A logo. Skraw!

Other exterior embellishments include the fender extractors, an exhaust conversion with splitter tips, a rear fascia clip with tail lamp lenses and bulbs and oh, yes, the sweet rear spoiler.

On the inside, an embroidered head rest and console lid, turned aluminum door panels and inserts along with a matching instrument cluster trim. Combine that with a hurst shifter and a real Pontiac steering wheel and you've got yourself one screamin' Trans Am. Want one? Head over to the folks at TransAmDepot.

CarandDriver has the full scoop and a whole messload of photos above and beyond these couple live shots here. We'll get a more detailed look ourselves when we head to SEMA tomorrow.:

Given the company's penchant for pumping up horsepower, of course Lingenfelter would rework the engine, too. Under the striped hood-there's no huge screaming chicken as of now-sits an aluminum 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V-8 block with a lofty 11.5:1 compression ratio, ported-and-polished Lingenfelter heads from the Corvette Z06's LS7, a forged crankshaft, and high-flow intake. The custom stainless-steel exhaust comes courtesy of Corsa. Power output is quoted at 655 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque, up significantly from the 426 hp of a stock manual Camaro SS. Also present are a new twin-disc clutch and flywheel assembly and tougher rear half-shafts to withstand the extra grunt. Handling alterations are limited to the addition of Nitto tires.

[CarandDriver]

You can read the good news in the press release in the next image and scroll through some of the formative design work Kevin did on this project.

Like its mythical namesake that rose from the ashes to a new life, the Trans Am of yesteryear has been born again... the Phoenix T/A. If it is true that good things come to those who wait, then we have surely been rewarded for our patience.

Trans Am Depot is pleased to announce our partnership with designer Kevin Morgan in turning a three-year dream into reality. We, like many of you, have lusted over Kevin's retro interpretation of the '77 - '78 Trans Am based on the 2010 Camaro platform. We began early last year discussing the idea of how we might work together to bring this vision to life.

Phoenix T/A Currently, we are completing a one-off Kevin Morgan "Trans Am" Concept, which we intend to unveil at the 2009 Trans Am Nationals. The concept will be followed by the first production conversion later this year. It will vary from the concept car but will be an exact version of the conversion kits we will hope to be offering this fall. We are working closely with a Detroit auto design firm to bring this kit to market. We will be offering everything from the body conversion only to the limited Phoenix Edition. The kits will be available as an installed conversion only.

The Phoenix conversion will include:

Exterior

* 1' - 1.5' Lowering Kit w/sway bar handling upgrade
* Wheels & Tires
* Front: 20x9.5x120 CB-66.9 Gold or Silver Machined Face Snowflake Wheels. PIRELLI PZERO 275/45ZR20
* Rear: 20x11.5x120 CB-66.9 Gold or Silver Machined Face Snowflake Wheels. PIRELLI PZERO 305/35ZR20
* Hood
* Shaker Scoop
* Fender Extractors
* Exhaust Conversion w/ splitter tips
* Rear Fascia Clip w/tail lamp lenses and bulbs
* Rear Spoiler
TA Graphic Package

Interior

* Embroded Head Rest and Console Lid - KM Graphic Punch
* Turned Aluminum Door Panel
* Turned Aluminum Dash Inserts
* Turned Aluminum Instrument Cluster
* Door Panel Badges
* T/A SN Badge and Designation

[via Trans Am Depot]

Yesterday we dragged Johnny Cash through the bondo-crusted mud and came away with 79% of you wanting to give that crazy cavalier a life sentence. Today, we're going to look at something with a bird on its hood.

Nineteen seventy seven was a grand year to be alive- Jimmy Carter made passivity hip, CHiPs lit up TV screens from coast to coast, and a little film called Smokey and the Bandit made movie-going fun again. While Burt Reynolds method-acted his way through this high-octane comedy, his Pontiac-powered costar stole the limelight. The black and gold Firebird Trans Am evaded a regional stereotype-playing Jackie Gleason, and fulfilled the testosterone-fueled fantasies of many an American male that year, with its daring deeds of constable consternation.

What we have here is a '77 Trans Am, however not in the black and gold of the film car. No, this one is blue and gold, and also lacks the desirable T-tops, denying your lady friends the opportunity to air out their chesticles in homage to Sally Field's bug-catching stunt work.

The seller, who is asking a bandit-like $12,000 for the screaming chicken-emblazoned coupe, claims that the rebuilt motor is rocking 400bhp. That is more than likely a typo- as the the T/A 400 cid engine was rated was at a more modest 200 bhp, but that didn't stop Burt from jumping his over that moleberry bridge! Yee-haw!

With 68,745 built in '77, the Trans Am isn't a rare Pontiac, but that just means parts availability should be pretty painless, and you'll never be wanting for friends at the Pontiac car shows. And you'll want to drive this bird to those shows because Pontiac's advertising of the time claimed it had precise, sports car handling and outstanding road performance. Here, see for yourself:

So, it's not going to fully fulfill your Burt Reynolds fetish, but it will keep that Pontiac flame alive, at least in your garage. And for only $12,000. What do you think, is it worth that to keep smokey at bay? Or is Buford T. Justice doling out the Crack Pipe along with the speeding tickets?

You decide!

Orlando Craigslist or go here if the ad jumps a creek. Hat tip to engineerd!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip.

We don't have much more to go on than a few renderings we've gleaned from the folks at DUB, but we've already put a call into ASC to make sure we're involved when this moves from rendering to reality. Because in all seriousness — Do. Want. Now all we need is a screamin' chicken version. [ASC via DUB via Autoblog]

Each of these photos is a link to the car's original DOTS page, where you'll find its complete gallery for your enjoyment. Maybe bringing back the illuminated Indian-head hood ornament might have saved Pontiac? We'll never know now.

10) 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT

A Pontiac which never got much love till the end of its life was the Fiero. Burdened by the sluggish 2.5-liter "Iron Duke" four-cylinder and suspension bits from the lowly Citation, the Fiero started off with lead weights around its neck. By 1988 though, GM had seen the light and given it a proper suspension, eye-catching styling and improvements to both the four-cylinder and V6. It also gave the car the axe once it reached desirability. Seems there are parallels between the Fiero and the Pontiac brand.

9) 1956 Pontiac Star Chief

Pontiacs of old could be reliably counted on as the stylish, more sporting brother to their more staid Chevrolet counterparts. The '56 Pontiac Star Chief lineup can be considered the pinnacle of the Chieftain line, with a selection of sedans, convertibles and wagons all bringing the heat with beautiful body work and powerful V8 engines.

8) 2002 Pontiac Trans Am WS6

The 2002 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 was the final F-Body muscle car to come out of Pontiac, with a 325 HP LS1 V8, six speed manual and the last iteration of that famous "Ram Air" hood, it was a performance bargain at $28,000. The final year got the special yellow and black livery and if you've got one, it just went up in value.

7) 1978 Pontiac Trans Am

If you were a boy growing up in the 70s or early 80s, the '78 Pontiac Trans Am in the black and gold "Bandit" livery, complete with the flaming chicken vinyl on the hood, sat right next to the Lamborghini Countach in your fantasy garage. For '78, the compression was bumped in the top-line V8 and this end-of-malaise era automobile made a stout (for the time) 220 HP. Burt Reynolds, along with that repressed little redneck inside all of us, will miss the '78 Trans Am.

6) 1969 Pontiac GTO "Judge"

The second generation GTO picked up right were the first generation left off, adopting a more modern fastback styling language and hugely powerful 400 cubic inch V8's rated all the way up to 370 HP. The Judge package was kinda hokey but also pretty cool, with wild color options, matching decals, spoilers, a Ram Air hood and a T-handle Hurst shifter. Bring on the Judge.

5) Pontiac Bonneville

The Bonneville was Pontiac's longest surviving nameplate, running from 1957 to 2005 when it mercifully got the axe. As lackadaisical as the car had been for the last 20 or so years, there were some gems throughout its history. The 1999 SSEi had woeful build quality, but when it held together the FWD 240 HP supercharged V6 was a hoot (as was battling torque steer). The monstrous '71 Bonnie wore a 455 cubic inch V8 and four barrel carb good for 325 HP and the '59 model wore outrageous quadruple fins.

4) 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe

The 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe solves the main problems we have with the Solstice/Saturn Sky twins with actual cargo space and no more pain-in-the-butt convertible top to operate, while keeping the 260 HP Ecotec inline-four and a six speed manual driving the rear wheels. It's a targa-topped Miata competitor and faithfully re-interprets the awkward little British coupes we love and loathe. Buy one now as the take rate is so slow you could park it in the garage and sell it for a profit.

3) 2010 Pontiac G8 ST

They say to have loved and lost is better than to have never loved at all. We call baloney on whoever says that. GM tantalized us with the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST ahead of the 2008 New York Auto Show and our dreams of a modern, tire-smoking, truck-car, mullet-machine were so close to reality. A year later GM squashed the G8 ST under the force of the Carpocalypse, and now Pontiac follows it to the grave.

2) 1964 Pontiac GTO

The 1964 Pontiac GTO was little more than a hot-rodded LeMans, but the 325 HP, 389 cubic inch V8 with a Carter four-barrel carb, dual exhaust and a three-speed Hurst manual transmission ignited the original muscle car wars. It lit a fire in Pontiac showrooms, selling three times the projected annual sales and it will always have a special place in every car guy's heart.

1) 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

Finally America had gotten it right — by importing a car from Australia. The 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP had everything — raucous styling, a 415 HP 6.3-liter V8, six speed transmission and rear wheel drive. Our own Wes Siler posited GM should be saved for no other reason than to put the G8 GXP on the road. If you've managed to get your hot little hands on one, hold onto it, like an artists painting, it'll be worth much more once Pontiac is dead.

HONORABLE MENTION: Pontiac Aztek

We will miss the Aztek for two main reasons: First it was a breath of fresh air in a then-burgeoning SUV market, with incredible functionality and great features, the Aztek pointed out how underfeatured many of the more expensive entries were. Of course, that breath of fresh air was tainted by its fart of styling. Not since the Edsel was a vehicle so universally panned for the stylistic abomination it was. So the second reason we'll miss it is because it was so easy to make fun of. In many ways, that's what the Pontiac brand's been all about. We'll miss it.

UPDATE: NPR Questions Jalopnik 's Inclusion Of Pontiac Fiero In Top Ten List

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

It's fairly common knowledge that a $100,000 Corvette ZR1 shares much of its steering wheel with a $20,000 Chevy Cobalt. You can also find a VW key fob swabbed with leather when you ignite the W16 in a Bugatti Veyron, but we wanted to know more. Our friends at The Car Lounge helped a great deal by showing us some of the lesser known "common parts" between the cars below and their more exotic and luxurious brethren.

1. Opel Tigra	2. VW Passat	3. Ford Focus SVT	4. Rover 200
5. VW Scirocco	6. Nissan 300ZX	7. Merkur XR4TI	8. Toyota Trueno AE86
9. VW Corrado	10. Hyundai Sonata	11. Volvo V70	12. Pontiac Trans Am

These lesser-known examples have us wondering what we may have missed. So now we ask you, our faithful Jalopnik commentariat, what unexpected part sharing are you aware of?

[via TCL]

Rednecks and drag racers alike, view the Pontiac T/A as one of the most badass rides around and while it doesn't handle worth a damn, it certainly does kick some ass. So, if it kicks so much ass, what's it doing sharing tail lights with the freakin' Wienermobile?? Sorry guys, this is just too much.

Go Back To What Unexpected Parts Have These Cars Shared?

(Photo Credit: Flickr)

The balloon/car is the work of installation artist Guy Overfelt and it will be displayed at the Emeryville, California art exhibition starting this Friday, March 6th. What won't be displayed are all the hikinks we can dream up for this beast. Fist and foremost, fill it with hydrogen, tether it alongside a highway bridge and stage a right and proper Smokey and the Bandit freeze frame. Then when enough onlookers stop to look, trigger the ignition and blow the whole thing to bits in a glorious mushroom cloud of flaming-chicken awesomeness. Of course, this scenario has it's drawbacks, namely the one time use, but we're more than open to suggesstions. [BoingBoing]

Photo credit Guy_Overfelt

This R/C car features the famoous KITT strobing lights and is capable of going forward, backward—and using its turbo boost! It makes whooshing sounds and yes, it will even talk to you. No word on whether archived Hasselhoff chest hair is also included. The original Knight Rider KITT remote-control car is available for a relatively modest outlay of $50. [Firebox via Gearlog]

..."because of new legislation requiring vehicles to reach a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020, Pontiac might not end up as GM's performance division." So wait — if Pontiac's not going to be GM's performance division, then what purpose does it serve? We mean, GM needs a brand providing cheap-ass cars with no go and no show like it needs a hole in the head. But hey, dealers in the Buick-Pontiac-GMC sales channels should look on the bright side — they'll be getting six new or special-edition vehicles this year. That's right — like the special-edition GMC Sierra pickup called "Pro Grade." Oh yay. [via Automotive News]

[SpoilerTV via AICN]