The 1989 Pontiac Firebird, Formula, Trans Am & GTA
Lot#1

This is a very unusual convertible red Formula. There were 16,670 formulas produced in '89. That's more than the total number of TAs and GTAs produced together. Convertibles, however would not be offered until 1991 so this is either a special one-off or an aftermarket conversion. The Formula continued to be a big seller due to its lower price, lighter weight and the same hi-performance engine options that could be had in the Trans Am. The HiTech Turbo wheel continued to be the standard rim installed on Formulas. This particular Formula sports a set of aftermarket custom rims that really set it off.

Anthony Blankenship owns this modified Firebird. Anthony writes:      "This is my 1989 Firebird "BlackBird" it currently has a 5.0L 305 cu. in. TBI engine with about 205 horses underneath her hood!!! It has a Flowmaster exhaust, Hypertech thermomaster power chip module, and is K&N Filtercharged....I haven't been to the track in about a year but this car will run around high 15's low 16's in the quarter."

This screaming blue Formula belongs to Ron Harris. Options Include: Maui Blue Grey interior T-Tops All options for Formulas 350 Paxton supercharger Hooker "shorty" headers B&M shift kit plus Mega shifter Flowmaster cat back exh American "Star" mags South Side lift bars Grant GT steering wheel GTS tail light black-outs Ron writes:      "Its an `89 Formula 350 T-Top ,Medium Silver Blue Metallic (Maui Blue is the same color on Camaros). It has all the factory options except for the hard cover for the rear cargo (it has the roll-up cover, to which I added a grey vinyl insert of the old style Pontiac Indian Head) and electric seats .Grey cloth interior( Leather was only available on T/A's & GTA's). It even has the grey cloth shades for the T-Tops( they Velcro in place on the inside). Under the hood I added a Mr. Gasket chrome kit (Master cylinder cover, air cond. comp. cover, valve covers, strut tower caps, hood latch catch, covers for the hood support cylinders, under hood padding is removed, scoop cover replaced with rain gutter screen and an Edelbrock strut tower brace. The engine is stock inside with a Paxton supercharger, MSD-6 ignition (with boost retard) Accel Super coil and 8.8 wires, TPIS flow charger, MAF sensor screens removed air filter can opened up K&N Filter Hooker "shorty" Headers ,FlowMaster cat back exhaust with Megs (minus the dual cats). Underside: Southside frame connectors & lift bars. Out Back: GTS tail light black outs Inside: Grant Formula GT steering wheel, AutoMeter boost gauge, Blaupunct speakers, B&M Mega Shifter and a B&M shift kit. Rolling on American Racing Equip. Star Mags and BFG Comp T/A's.  The engine is stock inside with a Paxton supercharger, MSD-6 ignition (with boost retard) Accel Super coil and 8.8 wires, TPIS flow charger, MAF sensor screens removed air filter can opened up K&N Filter Hooker "shorty" Headers ,Flowmaster cat back exhaust with Megs (minus the dual cats). That's about it. Oh, and remember to be kind to 5.0 `Stangs, they suffer from P.M.S. Pontiac Motor Sports don't ya know!"                                                                                   See Ya,                                                                                   DIRTY BIRD (Ron)

Mike Brunner owns this masterpiece of Pontiac Engineering. Mike writes:      "This 1989 GTA was my uncle's. He bought it new. He thought so much of it, he actually left it to me in his will when he died last September. So I am the 2nd owner. It has only 29,000 miles on it. Engine/Tranny: completely stock as is the rest of the car. It has the original 5.7l. No goodies have been added. Its fast enough the way it is. Interior: Camel Gray leather with every option except the CD player, articulating seats, graphic equalizer etc... Paint/Body: When I got this GTA my uncle had several scratches and dents on it (he was 71 years old) and the paint was fading. I had all the dents removed and a complete 2 stage stock black paint job performed. I also replaced all the gold GTA emblems with new ones. One of the T-Tops had a crack in it so I had them both replaced with the glass ones. I also replaced the original Gatorback tires which were dry rotted. I replaced them with what GM said they use on the new vettes (Goodyear Eagle F1GS  245/50ZR16. I joined the NFTAC (National Firebird and Trans Am Club) and obtained a window sticker and vehicle invoice and all the other information you get from PHS (Pontiac Historical Society). I have ALL service records from my uncle as he took very good care of the car. It even still has the original disk brake pads on it. I'm 51 years old and was really never into this type of car. My true hobby is shown at the rear of the GTA in one of the pics (my Harley Davidson). I was as the country song goes, "A pickup man" where the bed is always made. I did have my Harley painted to match the GTA. I also tried to have a trailer hitch installed to pull the bike but could find no one and I mean no one that would install one. I know towing is not recommended but I've heard as long as you don't use the overdrive there shouldn't be a problem. Anyway I'm now a GTA guy also and I don't ever see me selling this car with only 29,000 miles on it. Its too much fun to drive and its a real eye catcher around the Cincinnati, Ohio area. It stays in a special garage and only comes out for cruising on Fridays and Sundays. I've never tried the ¼ mile, just don't want to abuse it. All in all it took about a year for me to complete the work on it. I've never entered in into any shows but who knows? I've never seen one like mine at any cruise-in in this area." E-mail: Michael Brunner

This GTA is owned by Ralph Michaels. His son sent in the pics. Brian writes:      "Here are some pictures of Ralph Michaels (my dad) 1989 Pontiac trans am GTA. It has a L98 5.7liter engine, 240hp@4400rpm, A4 transmission, dual cat's, headers, 345@32000 torque, the induction is TPI, Alpine head unit, Pioneer eq., 2 Sony amps., 2 punch 12" subwoofers, and a viper alarm system."

This GTA is owned by Steven Rusch. Steve writes:      "Hi, I'm Steve and I'm from Cheektowaga, N.Y. This is my 1989 Trans Am, GTA. I have owned this car now going on 4 yrs, 2 original owners. This car is extremely clean and if I must say so, 1 in a million!!. This car comes equipped with 5.7L, V-8 TPI fuel injected, 235 HP in this bird!! Hypertech chip for added speed, as well as changed the rear end from 323's to 345's for more power on take off. This baby is black, with tan leather interior, T-Tops, Custom CD player, viper alarm, to be honest, no expense spared on my GTA. Many more plans for this, but nothing to cut into the integrity of this Trans Am, GTA!!! This car has never seen a winter and since I have owned her, never a rain drop. Any questions, feel free to email me at Ruschboy67@hotmail.com. I hope all you GTA lovers enjoy the pics as much as I love driving her!!!!"

Sven Voss owns this customized GTA. Sven writes:      "Here are some pics of my '89 Firebird Trans Am GTA with Ram Air. I bought my car (Eleonore) two years ago and it was love on first sight. I just love the curves the power and the character of this wonderful vehicle. The Ram Air is fully functional and a wonderful addition to the car cosmetically and performance wise. The first pic is when I bought it and the last three are current. I put about $12,000 into my car after the purchase. And, I am still not finished. As soon as I can I will give all the technical info on my baby. But that will take a while. So far on the new pic with the Ram Air intake: Stock 305 V8 (rebuilt) and stock transmission 255 HP Primes Rims 16" T-Tops Car Alarm Ram Air Intake with Knn Airfilter and Highflow Airfilter High Performance suspension AR Racing Steeringwheel 12 Disc CD Changer High Performance shocks and struts Aftermarket Airblow Horn Soon I am getting a new 360 V8 with 420 ft of torque and 360 Hp plus a supercharger which bring me with all other components to 500 HP. "East bounded down loaded up and..." Thank you very much for putting it on your website which I enjoy very much. Best regards Sven

Mike owns this mod'd '89 Formula. Mike writes:      "Hello, great site you have, just wanted to add my car to it. Not enough 3rd Gen Formulas! 1989 Firebird Formula 350. Highly modified. Driven to car shows and weekend cruising. Most of my mods: 355 SBC SLP Intake Runners SLP 1 3/4 ceramic coated headers ZZ9- TPIS Camshaft 1.6 Crane Gold Race Rockers (nice lumpy idle) Edelbrock E-Tec 170 Aluminum heads SDPC Vortec TPI Intake KYB-GR2 Struts/Shocks Poly bushings Sub-frame connectors Wonder bar Strut Tower brace Refinished 16" rims (correct for 87 Formulas and 85-87 Trans Ams--it had GTA rims but I wanted a new look) Recently added stock decal package Brand new Firestone Firehawk Widow Oval Tires Paint and body are show car quality! I have talked to lots of people who know about body work and paint and they all say the same thing..."some one took a lot of time when painting this car and they did it right". The car is pretty fast for a 350 NA car that still had the TPI. Spins the tires hard on the 1-2 shift and the car goes sideways a little. But later on I want even more power. The fits 3 pics show a nice progession of how I have changed the exterior---form when I got it, added decals and then rims. Shows a nice transformation I think." Thanks, Mike