A Small Florida Auto Shop Took The Chevy Camaro And Turned It Into A Modern 1970s Trans Am

Pontiac was one of the United States' most beloved auto brands, with a history that dates back decades and a back catalog that boasts some of the most venerable muscle cars ever produced. For many gearheads, it was a sad day when General Motors (GM) announced the Pontiac brand would be discontinued for good as part of its Chapter 11 reorganization in 2009. Enthusiasts of the brand have kept the old models running, but no new Pontiac models have come out since — even though there have been many rumors of a Firebird revival over the years.

One auto shop in Florida didn't wait for GM to revive the brand and instead took matters into its own hands. At Trans Am Worldwide (TAW), the team makes specialized vehicles inspired by classic muscle cars, including, as the name suggests, the Trans Am. Instead of using the technology from the Firebird's golden days, however, this modern reinterpretation is based on the recently discontinued Chevrolet Camaro platform.

While TAW has since moved on from the Trans Am-inspired model, and instead now focuses on its Chevelle-esque 70/SS muscle car, the older Pontiac reinterpretations are still worth revisiting. A number of special editions were offered, including the Super Duty Racing, Hurst Trans Am, and 70 Trans Am — plus a cool "Smokey And The Bandit" Edition modeled after Pontiac's original "Bandit Edition" Trans AM.

These creations are not just low-effort bodykits with a few stickers stuck on to resemble the models they are designed after. The team begins by developing a 3D CAD design, using a modern platform to capture the essence of the classic muscle cars. The vehicles are bespoke machines with every little detail thought of, from embroidered seats to custom floor mats to retro paint jobs. 

The Trans Am-inspired graphics you see on these creations are hand-painted and sealed underneath six layers of PPG Glamour clear for a deep and lasting shine. TAW claims the paintwork alone can take up to 90 hours, but a show-quality finish is achieved. Of course, the bodywork is of huge importance here, too. Custom bumpers, redesigned fascias, and new lights work well to capture the look of those classic Pontiac models, while still managing to appear decidedly modern. 

It's not just the cosmetic side that gets addressed, either. Pontiac's Trans Am was always designed to be a proper muscle car and a real handful, so these reinterpretations are no different. Numerous engine packages are offered, including supercharged variants that can boast north of 1,000 horsepower. Oh, and drop-top models are available, too. All of this work is custom and no doubt the result of many hours spent fiddling with various designs before deciding on a final form.

Getting your hands on a brand-new Trans Am conversion is no longer an option at TAW. The site still advertises 70/SS models for brand-new builds, but all Trans Am models are now only found on the sold-out section of the website. However, pre-owned examples do come up for sale, including the supercharged 455ci Super Duty models, of which only 50 were ever made. These are the 1,000-horsepower iterations, too. 

The TAW site requires you to call for pricing for specific vehicles, but if its cars are priced anywhere near what one of the original Trans Am models would cost these days, they're probably not going to come cheap. A used TAW example did come up for sale last year, with an initial price of $234,900, although this was then dropped to $197,900. For reference, you could have an authentic, restored, matching numbers original example for that sort of money. Still, you'd be slower and perhaps less comfortable. Not to mention, you'd be missing out on all the modern additions of the TAW creation.