Tag Archives: Pontiac

SEMA 2024: 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am “The Hammerhead”

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With more than 2,000 vehicles on display, the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas was a sea of custom builds and cutting-edge performance machines. One car stood out at the Hot Rod magazine booth in the Central Hall, not just for its aggressive styling, but for the sheer audacity of its engineering. Plus, it’s nickname is “Hammerhead,” so there’s no way I could not write about this car.

This 1973 Pontiac Trans Am isn’t just another restomod car with an LS crate engine (and SEMA has plenty of those!), it is a complete re-imagination of what a classic American muscle car can be in the modern era. The Camerons set out to build the ultimate time attack machine, and from what I saw, they have set the bar extremely high.


At the core of the Hammerhead lies a 400 cubic inch LSR V8 engine from Concept Performance, buried deep under the firewall and pushed 28 inches rearward from its factory position. This all-aluminum beast produces an eye-watering 1,800 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque, thanks to twin Garrett G35-900 turbochargers feeding a custom LME dual throttle body intake manifold. Fuel is delivered by high-flow Injector Dynamics ID1700 injectors, which ensures the 6.5-liter engine has adequate fuel when the pedal is mashed to the floor.

Backing that engine is a unique transmission: a Reynard Champ Car six-speed transaxle, originally sourced from a 2001 IndyCar. Shifts are handled by a Motec pneumatic paddle system, bringing F1-style responsiveness to the Trans Am platform, which is a sentence I never thought I would hear.


The Hammerhead rides on a full custom tube chassis from Horizon Motorsports, designed to handle the extreme forces of time attack racing. The driver and passenger seats have been relocated 8 inches rearward, helping the car achieve a finely tuned 47/53 front-to-rear weight distribution. Despite its giant engine and massive widebody kit, the car tips the scales at a surprisingly lean 3,100 lbs.

Visually, the Hammerhead is a lot to take in. Every body panel has been reworked for function and aggression, with only the cowl, roof, and original VIN tag remaining untouched. It’s almost a caricature of the Trans Am form, with the exaggerated wheel arches, massive front air dam, and mega wing in the rear. It looks every bit a race car, even standing still on the convention center floor.

What I love about this car (besides the fact that it’s an F-body) is the story behind it. Cavan and Russell Cameron didn’t just build a car, they executed a vision. As a father and son team, they combined decades of experience and passion into a custom car that blends different generations of performance. At SEMA 2024, this car drew a lot of attention from passersby.

The 1973 Trans Am “Hammerhead” is more than just a showstopper. It’s a purpose-built track weapon that shows what’s possible when old-school muscle meets cutting-edge race technology.

For more, follow @horizon_motorsports_llc on Instagram.

SEMA 2023: 1969 Pontiac GTO by Detroit Speed

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Founded in 2002 by Kyle Tucker, Detroit Speed and Engineering has grown into a manufacturer of performance suspension parts and kits for American muscle cars and trucks. Indeed, it seems that every other car at SEMA has some part on it made by DSE.

But the Mooresville, North Carolina company does more than just make parts – they are alsoa full hot rod shop that does custom cars for clients. At the 2023 SEMA Show, DSE showed off this gorgeous 1969 Pontiac GTO restomod owned by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
The Detroit Speed website has 6 galleries of build photos of this car, and they are well worth a look. This is an all-star build using the best components available.

The A-body chassis has been upgraded with a Detroit Speed X-Gen 595 suspension up front and a custom DSE QuadraLink suspension in the rear. Ride comfort is achieved through JRi adjustable coilover shocks at all four corners.

The GTO rides on a set of HRE Wheels “Valkyrja” that measure 20×9.5 up front and 20×12 in the rear. They are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires. The wheels look great with gold spokes behind the polished lip.
When it comes to performance, the original GTO was no slouch! It was offered with a 350-horsepower or 360 horsepower engine back in 1969, and could hit 370 horsepower with the Ram Air IV option package. This GTO has been upgraded with a Chevrolet Performance LT5 6.2L supercharged crate engine producing a whopping 755 horsepower! It is coupled to a Bowler Performance T-56 six-speed manual gearbox with a Hurst shifter. It’s more than you could have imagined back in 1969.

Additional performance upgrades include a Holley premium mid mount accessory drive system, Baer disc brakes with massive 15″ R-Spec rotors and Baer XRT 6-piston calipers, and an aluminum battery mount from DSE.

The team at Detroit Speed spent a lot of time getting the body of the car just right. Nearly every panel has been modified including the front and rear bumpers, hood, front valence, spoiler, and much more! The car was painted in Mercedes Mystic Brown Metallic, which is a unique choice. I know it doesn’t fully come across in pictures, but it really looks great in person.
The car’s stunning custom interior was the work of Avant-Garde Design in Palm City, Florida. The car received a full interior treatment with Recaro Specialist seats upholstered in two tone white and brown to match the exterior of the car. Additional driver comforts include an Ididit steering column, Classic Instruments Gauges, and a VintageAir GenIV HVAC system for heating and air conditioned comfort.

The car is a real head-turner and great showcase of the top-tier work that Detroit Speed and Engineering and their partners are capable of.

Check out the 1969 GTO build gallery: https://www.detroitspeed.com/blog/post/kevin_s_gto_assembly_and_fitment/

1966 Pontiac GTO – Barrett-Jackson 2023

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Being an Oldsmobile fanatic, I subscribe to the theory that the 1949 Rocket 88 with it’s 135hp, 303 cubic inch OHV V8 is the original muscle car. To many others the original muscle car is the Pontiac GTO, and I can’t say that I have a good reason to disagree. The formula is simple: Take a mid-sized car and stick the larger engine from the full-size car in it. Add a couple extra go fast parts and a stick shift and you’re literally off to the races.

The Pontiac GTO began life in the early 60’s as a trim model of the Pontiac LeMans/Tempest. Using a creative loophole that circumvented the rule GM had about maximum displacement in midsized cars, Pontiac utilized the 389 V8 and offered it as the GTO option. I think that the Hurst 4-speed manual and tri-power carburetor setup on the 389 is the epitome of factory muscle car, and this 1966 model is the last year you could get this pairing. It was good for a gross rating of 360hp, and that could get you to the end of the 1/4 mile in 14 seconds flat.

Speaking of options, the ’66 GTO was also the first production car with a plastic grill, and this particular model came optioned with a 3.55:1 limited slip differential as well as the “Ride and Handling” package.

The GTO peaked in 1970 with the 455HO model and performance would be downhill until the GTO was relegated to a trim package on what was a badge-engineered Chevy Nova. The X-body platform Ventura took on the GTO name in 1974. An unceremonious end to the spark that ignited the muscle craze, this model would option the car with a 3-speed manual and 200hp V8.

Pontiac would then shelve the name, reviving it decades later for the Holden Monaro imports that lasted a couple years. Say what you will about the exterior styling, even the lesser 350hp 2004 GTO would lay waste to any prior car to bear the namesake. However it only remained in production in the US market until MY2006. Pontiac itself was retired not too long after in 2010.

This particular Goat was retired from the auction block at $66,000.

SEMA 2017: 1967 Pontiac LeMans by The Custom Shop

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John Wargo from The Custom Shop in Flanagan, IL takes a few moments to show us around their latest build: a resto-modded, pro-touring 1967 Pontiac Lemans nicknamed “GTLS3.” This car is loaded with custom touches, from the LS3 engine swap to the unique paint and interior. This car was displayed at the Optima Batteries booth at the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

1969 Farago CF428 Coupe – The Italian Pontiac

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There are no shortage of beautiful American-made cars, but I believe that when Americans and Italians combine their talents to build a car, the results are truly magic. There are numerous examples from history such as the Hudson Italia, an American car that wore a body designed by Carrozzeria Touring. Another example is the DeTomaso Mangusta and the Pantera, designed by Ghia and powered by Ford V8 engines. Though they were not hugely successful, the Stutz Blackhawk and the Chrysler TC by Maserati also paired American powertrains with Italian-designed bodies.

At the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, I discovered another car that followed the “American powertrain + Italian design” formula. Designated as a 1969 Farago CF428 coupe, this car was a one-off prototype created by Paul Farago and Sergio Coggiola, formerly of Ghia. Coggiola and Farago were two designers who formed Carrozzeria Coggiola in 1969.

Their first project was from none other than John DeLorean, who was at the time head of the highly successful Pontiac division over at General Motors. DeLorean wanted a concept car that would grab attention for Pontiac, something exciting that could be used to promote the brand. A 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix with a 428 cubic inch V8 was appropriated for the project.

Though it maintains its Pontiac drivetrain and chassis, the resulting coupe is a low-slung, wedge-shaped car that looks like a more refined, sophisticated Pontiac that just spent a semester studying abroad. The extreme angle of the windshield and seamless integration of the roof into the rear deck reminds me of the Ford Mustang Mach I with the Sportsroof body style. Though the sheet metal has been changed dramatically from a Grand Prix, the car retains its Pontiac door handles, tail lights, and interior.

The car was displayed at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance by its owner Frank Campanale of Michigan, who is a relative of Farago. The car captured the 3rd Place win in its category of “American Dream Cars of the 1960s,” a well-deserved honor.

After this project, Paul Farago went on to work with Virgil Exener from Chrysler on the Stutz Blackhawk, which also used a Pontiac drivetrain. He also worked on the Maserati Ghibli, which bears a stunning resemblance with its long hood and short deck.

This car never made it into production, but I find it fascinating to see what a 1970s collaboration between Pontiac and Italian designers would have looked like.