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ARTICLES AND STORIES
THE CAR THAT
RULES THE WORLD
by Brandon Karpowitz
this is an excerpt from the articles appearing in the EAGLE
That's what I
kiddingly refer to as my 1985 Trans Am. Ever since I was 12 years old I've loved
the third generation Firebirds, and with my mother working for a Pontiac
dealership, you could say I was brought up on them. My mother would always bring
me home sales literature, and posters of the past year. But my favorite was of
an '85 black and gold Trans Am jetting down a road. So when in 1994 the same car
was traded in at the dealership, it didn't take me long to come up with the
$2,500 to buy it. The car was in really good shape for having 126,000 miles on
it, with just a few tiny rust spots. It had the LG4 305, with a 5-speed, no air
or cruise, but every other option available, includin g
T-tops.
I drove it as
for about a year (no winters), but soon decided it needed a little more pep. So
out went the 305 and in went a new GM Performance Parts H.O. 350, which makes
about 335 horses. The stock exhaust also had to go, with Edelbrock Tubular
Exhaust System and SLP filling in on the job now. Other goodies include; an
Edelbrock intake, Hypertech chip and coil, and Mallory 8.8 mm wires. The
suspension is also all Edelbrock / Hotchkis in the rear and Energy Suspension up
front. Needless to say 'Vette owners are a bit surprised when I pull away.
But this isn't
just a happy story. In October of '95 it was stolen one week before I was
putting it in storage. The car was recovered but with extensive damage done to
the interior, not to mention the wheels and tops gone. But to my surprise the
engine wasn't even touched. Being that I couldn't afford full coverage insurance
on the vehicle at the time, I had no choice but to put it back together. Luckily
I found someone with an '85 TA for sale with a bad body and an excellent
interior. So I switched the interior from tan to black, even had to replace the
entire dash, seeing that the old one was broken from its supports.
Added to the new
interior is a serious sound system custom installed all by myself, plus a top of
the line security system (not that stupid twice). I hope to get her repainted
this coming year, and possibly some nice rims. I know it sounds like I have a
ton of cash invested in something that may not be worth it, but to drive it is
to love it and that's what is important right?
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