1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD455

This particular car has Hooker headers and a functional hood scoop.Factory radio and 8 track tape player (non-functional) are installed. All gauges except for clock work. Heater works; this model did not come with A/C. The car is a matching numbers, authentic SD-455, registered with the PHS and SD455 registry.

That the SD-455 was produced at all was a miracle, given how quickly high-performance became politically incorrect by the early 1970s. Installing it in the Firebird was another challenge because the F-Body line was very nearly canceled after 1972. Sales for ponycars dropped precipitously as younger buyers sought more fuel-efficient cars. Consequently, Firebird sales plunged more than 56 percent between 1971 and 1972, to less than 30,000. Only 1,286 of them were Trans Ams.

Fortunately Pontiac was filled with passionate people, and they pushed the Super Duty 455 project along. It helped that the engineers were deep into the project when the market turned against high-performance cars, so it seemingly wouldn't take much to push the SD-455 over the line.

Pontiac introduced the engine to the press in the summer of 1972, during the brand's annual model line preview. Unsurprisingly, the response was enthusiastic. There was much to be excited about.

Almost every element of the engine was unique, from the block and heads to the rotating assembly, intake manifold, carb, and more. It was announced at the introduction with a 310hp rating, along with plans to make it available at the start of the 1973 model year. That didn't happen. Creative interpretation on Pontiac's part of EPA's emissions test for certification didn't go as planned, which pushed back production.

After Pontiac stopped producing the SD-455 engine, it was 1989 before Detroit was able to produce a stock automobile (Corvette) that could beat these cars in a 1/4 mile race.