This Forgotten '80s Pontiac Was Quicker Than Nearly Every Other Car On The Road

When you think of the fastest cars on American roads back in the 1980s, you probably think of the Ferrari Testarossa, the Porsche 911, or the Buick Regal Grand National. However, there is a Pontiac from the same decade that could keep up with some of these better-known models: the 1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Trans Am. 

Only 1,500 of these Trans Ams were produced, all with a turbocharged Buick 3.8-liter V6 under the hood, allowing it to rocket to 153 miles per hour. It was even more of a menace on the drag strip, reaching 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and a quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds at 101 mph in Car and Driver's testing in June 1989. 

"That means, as we go to press, that the turbocharged Trans Am is the quickest 0-to-60 sprinter available in any U.S. production-car showroom — at any price," the review emphasized. The 1986 Buick Regal Grand National hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, and the Trans Am was also faster than the 1987 Buick GNX's 4.7 seconds. However, the 1989 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 had it beat by 0.1 seconds. Still, the Trans Am was easily one of the fastest cars from the 1980s. 

Despite being just a fraction of a second slower than the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 of the same year, the Pontiac 20th Anniversary Trans Am seems to have faded into the background of American culture. It's a bit of a shocking outcome after being the official pace car of the 1989 Indianapolis 500 — nearly in its stock form. Its powerful performance wasn't enough to keep it in the spotlight against more popular American muscle cars from the 1980s, like the Buick Grand National GNX or Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z — even though it had similar horsepower (maybe even more). 

This is likely due to the limited number of 1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Trans Am models that were made. With just 1,500 ever made, the 20th Anniversary Trans Am is a rarity at car meets and not as commonly featured in American pop culture, although earlier Trans Am models appeared in plenty of movies back in the 1970s.  

Now, the 20th Anniversary version's rarity — along with its incredible performance — has made it highly desirable with muscle car collectors. However, in 2025, this special Trans Am could be found at auction for around $35K, even with low mileage, likely due to its unassuming looks (it doesn't look much different from the GTA model) and "you gotta know ball" status compared to iconic muscle car names.