Over the years, we have seen our fair share of rare quarter-mile pairings, from diesel Class 8 trucks to little Smart cars. And everything in between. Yet, we still get something fresh every time.
The latest odd skirmish comes from the videographer behind the Race Your Ride account on YouTube, who brings us the dragstrip tale of a rare premium model and how it fares against modern oomph. It is a story of clashing views of automotive life, indeed, shared in the latest video (as of March 9, 2022) embedded below.
It all went down at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois – a home for legendary dragstrip events, including from the National Hot Rod Association. There, an original Pontiac Grand Am (1975 model-year) turned heads with its rare apparition. According to the description, this example is powered by the top 455ci (7.5-liter) Pontiac V8 with 250 hp, and the four-barrel engine sent all ponies through an equally rare four-speed Muncie M20 wide-ratio transmission.
Note the quirky name has a very direct explanation. The car was derived from the luxury of the Grand Prix series, while the Firebird Trans Am provided the performance touches. “Those with a keen eye will note this grand am appears to have '75 front fenders along with honeycomb trans am wheels mounted on a pair of hefty rear tires,” so it is the tiny details that always make up a world of difference.
Speaking of contrasts, in the left lane sits a car that is worlds apart. Both geographically and as far as the performance vision is concerned. The modern VW Golf GTI has about the same looks as a nimble hot hatch “rabbit” that is ready to fight off a much heavier (yet powerful) tortoise. This time, though, despite the spectacular Grand Am effort, it was the hare that snatched an incredibly narrow victory...
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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