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Gallery: Trans-Am’s Golden Era Shines At New Track
Quiz time. Which manufacturer won the first ever SCCA Trans-Am race?
Javelin? Mustang? Camaro? ’Cuda?
Shocker, it wasn’t any of those. Rather, it was an Alfa Romeo from the Under 2.0-Liter class that took overall top honors in the inaugural Trans-Am race. Well, back then the racing series was called the “Trans-American Sedan Championship.”
The first competition was a four-hour battle at Sebring. At the conclusion of time, it was an Alfa GTA driven Jochen Rindt that crossed the line first, beating a Dodge Dart driven by Bob Tullius and Tony Adamowicz. It was 1966, just four years before Rindt delivered Lotus the Formula 1 driver’s championship posthumously, after dying in the 1970 Italian Grand Prix.
If you ever want to nerd out, you can look up the race results on Historic Trans-Am’s website (more on them in second). The score sheets from that first year of competition contains models like Mini Cooper, Chevrolet Corvair, Saab 850, and BMW 1800—a far cry from any muscle-bound racing series. The field was divided into two classes: one under and one over 2.0-liter engine displacement. An Alfa GTA and a Mustang won their respective first-year titles.
By 1967, the rosters looked drastically different, with Camaros, Cougars, and other sports coupes joining the over 2.0-liter class. Porsche lobbied to reclassify its 911 as a sedan so that it could compete in the under 2.0 class, and then promptly won its class that year. Oh, and the name was shortened to Trans-American Championship.
More household names joined Rindt as winners. Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Mark Donohue, David Pearson, Peter Revson, George Follmer—the list goes on. Factory money and corporate sponsorship rushed in as well. Money from Ford, Chrysler, Hot Wheels, BF Goodrich padded paddock pocketbooks. This was the beginning of Trans-Am’s best years.
It’s largely accepted that the golden era of Trans-Am ran from 1968 to 1972. Mark Donohue drove for Penske in a blue Z/28 Camaro before moving over to the AMC camp to drive a mean-looking Javelin. Parnelli piloted a Mercury Cougar and then jumped to race in school-bus-yellow Mustangs for Ford.
Earlier this month, these cars joined the rest of their stablemates in the Historic Trans-Am Series at Ten Tenths Motor Club in North Carolina to christen the newly-built club track in Concord. The series tours together like a rock supergroup. This year, they’ll race on five different weekends, from Sebring to Sonoma. (We’ve covered their thundering presence at Monterey’s Rolex Reunion extensively—you can get a taste here, here, and here.)
Cars carved Ten Tenths’ fresh pavement for two days. The tight confines tested the agility of these V-8-totting muscle cars and their drivers. Driver Ken Adams pointed out you don’t have the speed that you might have at other tracks like Sonoma that help drivers overcome the lack of power steering—an option that much of the field does without. “It’s a workout,” said Adams.
A couple dozen of the most iconic Trans-Am cars packed the pits. Sam Posey’s high-impact green Challenger, Gurney’s striped ’Cuda, a star-spangled Camaro—Trans-Am’s golden era looks like a bag of Skittles.
And the V-8 symphony is just as sweet. If there was any reason for me to switch from still photography to video, it would be to capture a field of Trans-Am cars at full rip.
Check out some of my favorite shots from the exhibition at Ten Tenths. Then do yourself a favor and look up the Historic Trans-Am field to find out where and when you can see them next.
Although I’m and old drag racer and I’ve always favored open-wheeled cars on road series, I’ve got to admit that I really enjoyed watching the Trans-Am racing of that golden era. It featured cars that we saw on the road and in the dealerships (much like the older NASCAR stuff). The drivers were personalities that we could relate to – mostly people who spent as much time under the hood as behind the wheel. The courses were exciting and challenging. The O.E.Ms were involved, as well as major sponsorships from products we knew and used.
Glad to see these modern-day returns to what was a great time in road racing.
I too was and still am a drag racer at heart, but from 1967 to 1971 I helped a friend in Formula V races at SCCA events. So I was there for Trans Am, and Can Am races in Southern California. Unforgettable times. Watched all the great drivers of that time.
I’ve seen these late 60s early 70s Trans Am cars at vintage events. They’re really cool but I’d love to see a Cougar, Tullius Dart or included instead of just the usual cast of characters. Something like an 80s Tom Gloy car would be appreciated too. He, and that era, seem to be overlooked unfortunately.
You need to go to the vintage sportscar races at Watkins Glen, road America and Mid-Ohio to see a good variety of T/A cars. Especially when the historic group comes. I’m sure other tracks in the central and western part of the country have similar vintage race weekends.
Since Mark Donohue won three Trans Am championships, perhaps his name could be spelled correctly in future stories.
You are right, thank you for bringing this to our attention.
To be pedantic in the extreme, Dark Monohue won no TA championships. Chevrolet, Chevrolet and AMC won in the “Manufacturers’ Championship” era.
The “New Track” was teased in the title but it was seven paragraphs until any mention was made of it and then, not a lot.
Some great pictures in this collection!
Thanks Gary!
Shouldn’t the 1.1 mile track be called “eleven tenths”?