20. Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition
The late ’70s were sad times for muscle cars. All the available models had diminutive horsepower ratings and heavy bodies that made their performance embarrassingly slow. The Firebird/Trans Am range could not escape this, as well. However, Pontiac still managed to produce some memorable cars through its Special Edition models. They simply dressed up the Trans Am to transform it into a street icon.
The main model was the Trans Am they equipped either with a 4.9-liter turbo engine or 400 NA V8. However, neither of those power plants produced more than 220 HP during the 1977 to 1981 production run. The main aspect was the design with its signature graphics and appearance package. Affectionately called the “Screaming Chicken,” due to a highly stylized flaming bird logo on the hood, it was extraordinarily modern and hip by standards of the day.
It started as a relatively small sticker in the middle of the hood in the early ’70s, only to grow to a big sticker covering the entire hood. Soon, it found its way to the B pillars, rear end, and front fenders. The 1977/78 Firebird Trans Am gained international fame by appearing in the cult movie, Smokey and the Bandit. That helped triple the sales numbers, turning the Trans Am into a movie legend, as well as a muscle car icon.