Lingenfelter Performance Engineering’s 2010 Trans Am

Since the end of Pontiac has come, there will be no Trans Am thrown into the mix of the vintage-looking sports cars on the road today. The Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Charger are all competitors in a group that the Pontiac Trans Am would have fit right into.

Lingenfelter Performance Engineering couldn’t leave that scenario alone, so they made their own Trans Am. Beginning with a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, the performance company reworked the body, interior and engine into a modern day Trans Am with the looks from a classic 1971 Pontiac Firebird. Complete with fender vents, raised white-letter tires, honeycomb wheels, twin-port front grill and a duck-tail spoiler, the car looks like a real modern day Trans Am.

Built using the body of the current 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, (not to be confused with the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering’s 2010 Camaro) the TA doesn’t look anything like the Camaro it was born as. It has been referred to as the Lingenfelter T/A, the LTA 455, LPE TA or the LPE 455 TA. With Pontiac gone and no “real” Trans Am on the market, the car doesn’t have an official name.

The interior of the car now sports blue woven vinyl seats, a metal gauge cluster and other updates to give it the feel of the original Trans Am. The exterior includes custom molded body parts like the extended rear fenders, front fascia, shaker hood, headlight and taillight housing and rear spoiler. The paint is bright in an icy white with an electric blue racing stripe running from hood to trunk.

Under the hood is where this car shines. Producing 655 horsepower and 610 foot pounds of torque, Lingenfelter’s 455 cubic inch, 7.5 liter V8 engine is what pumps the life through the one-of-a-kind TA. The engine is made using a custom Racing Head Service aluminum engine block, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering-brand CNC ported and polished LS7 cylinder heads, an LSX FAST 102 intake, Diamond pistons, a Lunati forged crank and a Corsa stainless steel exhaust to finish the package. For keeping all the power going down the road, a Lingenfelter 6-bolt LS9 twin disk flywheel and clutch assembly work with heavy duty Driveshaft Shop half-shafts.

The car is to debut at the 2009 SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas in the Nitto Tire booth. The TA is riding on Nitto performance tire - 275/40ZR20s in the front and 315/35ZR20s in the rear, bolted to custom 20-inch honeycomb wheels, which are a trademark of the Pontiac Trans Am.