Camaro Z28 vs Firebird Trans Am: the 1970–1981 F-bodies

The second-generation Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird are the same car underneath. Both sit on General Motors' F-body platform, both arrived late, in February 1970, which earned them the "1970½" nickname, and both stayed in production until 1981. The sporting versions, Chevrolet's Z28 and Pontiac's Trans Am, became rivals inside one showroom family and outlived almost every other muscle car of the period.

In short: the Camaro Z28 relied on Chevrolet's 350 small-block, and the Camaro range was the bigger seller. The Trans Am used Pontiac's own large V8s, including the 455 Super Duty of 1973–74, and after the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit it reached a record 117,108 cars in 1979. Read more about each in our catalogue: second-generation Camaro and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.

Camaro Z28 vs Trans Am: engines by year, sales and size

One platform, two engine programmes

Chevrolet and Pontiac shared the body structure, but each division used its own engines. In 1970 the Z28 got the 350 LT-1 V8, rated at 268 kW (360 hp gross). The Trans Am started with Pontiac's 400 Ram Air III at 250 kW (335 hp) and the Ram Air IV at 257 kW (345 hp), the latter exclusive to the Trans Am. Chevrolet still offered the big-block SS 396 in the Camaro until 1972, when only 970 were built.

The emissions years

Lower compression and the switch to net ratings cut both cars' figures. The LT-1 dropped to 246 kW (330 hp gross), or 205 kW (275 hp net), in 1971, and to 190 kW (255 hp net) in 1972. In 1973 the Z28's 350 produced 183 kW (245 hp). Pontiac took the opposite route with displacement: the 455 HO followed in 1971, and the 455 Super Duty of 1973–74 was rated at 216 kW (290 hp net) with 536 Nm (395 lb-ft). Only 252 Trans Ams received the SD-455 in 1973, out of 4,802 built that year.

• 1973 Camaro Z28: 350 V8, 183 kW (245 hp net)
• 1973 Trans Am SD-455: 455 V8, 216 kW (290 hp net), 536 Nm
• 1973 SD-455 Trans Am weight: 1,746 kg

The Z28 break and the Bandit boom

Chevrolet sold 13,802 Z28s in 1974 and then dropped the option for 1975. The Z28 returned in spring 1977 with the LM1 350, rated at 138 kW (185 hp), or 130 kW (175 hp) with California equipment. That same year the Trans Am special edition appeared in Smokey and the Bandit, and Pontiac sold 68,744 Trans Ams out of 155,735 Firebirds. Its W72 "T/A 6.6" 400 produced 149 kW (200 bhp). For 1979 the Trans Am reached 117,108 cars, its best year, while Camaro sales as a whole peaked at 282,571.

Size and weight

The Camaro of this generation is 4,775 mm long on a 2,743 mm wheelbase and 1,890 mm wide, with a curb weight of 1,501 kg in its basic form. A 1978 Trans Am measures 4,999 mm in length on a 2,748 mm wheelbase and 1,864 mm in width. The Camaro grew seven inches longer for 1974, and the Firebird gained weight that year with 5 mph bumpers.

The last years

For 1980 and 1981 Pontiac replaced the big V8s with a turbocharged 4.9-litre 301 using a Garrett turbocharger, rated at 157 kW (210 hp) and sold only with an automatic gearbox. Chevrolet kept the 350 V8 in the Z28; by 1981 most US cars had 130 kW (175 hp) and an automatic, while a four-speed manual came with a 305 of 123 kW (165 hp).