The 1981 Turbo Trans
Am NASCAR Pace Car (Y85 Option).
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This is a very seldom seen pace
car. In fact, most people did not know it was ever made! Pontiac made 2000
of these pace cars which I happen to own one. This could be called the
first RECARO Trans Am as it had black RECARO front seats with red inserts.
It also had RECARO T/A stickers in the door handles. This car was
white with all the decals being black. There were no multi-colored decals.
The front and rear bumpers were black, as was the A-pillars, tops of the
doors and around the t-tops. It had white turbo wheels like the '80 Indy
pace car, and the trademark bird on the gas flap (which all '81 birds got.)
The engine was the 4.9 liter (301 cid) turbocharged V-8. Based on the turbocharging
system in the buick 3.8L engine, this engine produced 200hp. It was also
the first computer controlled turbo V8 engine GM produced. The '80 4.9L
turbo only had an electronic spark / knock controller, not the full blown
computer controlled carb. C-3 system.
Interior features (unique
to this model):
- Red backlit instruments (like the '79 Tenth
Anniversary Trans Am and the '80 Indy Pace Car)
- Stitched bird emblems in the door panels and
the center of the rear seat (like the '79 TATA and '80 Indy Pace Car)
- Engine Turned Trim plate for the automatic
shifter (like the '79 TATA and '80 Indy Pace Car)
- Black RECARO front seats with red cloth inserts
and "net" headrests (First application of RECARO seats in a Trans
Am)
- Matching rear seat color combination to the
RECARO seats.
- Special ETR auto-reverse 4-speaker stereo
system (Radio had red illumination like the dash instruments)
Exterior features (unique
to this model):
- White exterior with black decals and black
front/rear bumpers
- Black A-pillars, tops of the doors and around
the t-tops
- White Turbo finned wheels
- Small NASCAR decal under the Trans Am fender
decals
- Optional: Pace car door decals and Window
decals
- Optional: NASCAR decal for area behind the
rear wheel wells, above belt line
Mechanical features:
- The mechanical parts of this car were just
like regular production Turbo Trans Am's.
- Engine: 4.9L Turbocharged 4BBL V8
- 200hp
- 3-speed TH350 automatic transmission
- 4-wheel disk brakes
Production figures:
Standard Equipment:
- AK1 - Custom Seatbelts
- AU3 - Power door locks
- A01 - Soft-Ray glass, all windows
- A51 - Bucket Seats
Optional Equipment:
- A90 - Remote control deck lid release
- C49 - Electric rear window defroster
- K05 - Engine block heater
- UQ3 - Audio power booster
VIN decoding:
- Vin example: 1G2AX87T1BN100001
- 1 - United States origin
- G - General Motors
- 2 - Pontiac division
- A - Restraint type (A=manual belts)
- X - Body series (X=NASCAR Pace Car, S=Base,
T=Esprit, V=Formula, W=Trans Am)
- 87 - Body style (87= 2 door coupe)
- T - Engine code (T=4.9L Turbo)
- 1 - Check digit, which varies
- B - Model year (B=1981)
- N - Assembly plant (N=Norwood, L=Van Nuys)
- 100001 - Consecutive sequence number
- Location: On plate attached to left side of
dash, visible through windshield
Other information:
- I own one of these rare beasts
- Very seldom seen
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Copyright © 1998 by Carl Miles
Last modified: Feburary 17, 1998
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