Trans-Am trivia for the hardcore crowd: who won the 1971 manufacturers title? Not Ford, not Chevrolet, and not Dodge. It was AMC, the smallest of the Detroit automakers. Here are three Trans-Am champions that deserve […]
Trans-Am trivia for the hardcore crowd: who won the 1971 manufacturers title? Not Ford, not Chevrolet, and not Dodge. It was AMC, the smallest of the Detroit automakers. Here are three Trans-Am champions that deserve more respect.
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
Trans-Am champion in 1968 and 1969.
The Sports Car Club of America limited engines to 305 cubic inches, so Chevrolet built the Z/28 around a 302 cubic inch small block with a solid lifter cam and a high compression top end. Chevrolet rated it at 290 horsepower, a figure many enthusiasts believe was modest on purpose. The Camaro took the manufacturers title in 1968 and again in 1969.
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1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Trans-Am champion in 1970.
Ford built the Boss 302 so it could race, and the street version received the same big port cylinder heads that made the racing engine breathe. Ford won the manufacturers title in 1970, and the Boss 302 remains one of the most respected small block Mustangs ever built.
1971 AMC Javelin
Trans-Am champion in 1971.
Penske Racing prepared the AMC Javelin, and Mark Donohue drove it to the 1971 manufacturers championship. For a company that was a fraction of the size of the big three, it was a remarkable upset on the road course, and it gave AMC a place in muscle car history that its sales numbers alone never could.
Image credits: 1971 AMC Javelin, Golden Super Cruise 2026-05-02.jpg by Xnatedawgx (CC BY-SA 4.0) · 1971 AMC Javelin, black, Golden Super Cruise 2026-06-06.jpg by Xnatedawgx (CC BY-SA 4.0) · 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 (15696396653).jpg by Jeremy from Sydney, Australia (CC BY 2.0) · Flickr – DVS1mn – Chevrolet Camaro Z-28.jpg by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA (CC BY 2.0). Facts from Wikipedia.
Which champion gets your respect? Tell us in the comments.
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