17th Annual Trans Am Nationals

Dayton, Ohio

August 24-26, 2001

 

Welcome to our 2001 Trans Am Nationals Page!!  Right now we have posted only some of the digital pictures Robert took at the Nationals.  Joe and I are developing our film and will scan and post more pictures in the future....so check back!!

Team Hoghead managed to make it to the Trans Am Nationals this year!!  We were able to bring our 1977 Black Special Edition Trans Am and 1978 Gold Special Edition Trans Am and join in the FUN!!

Joe, Robert, and I began our big adventure on Friday morning.  Since Joe or I haven't driven our T/A's hardly at all over the past 5 years, we didn't know what to expect.  Joe and I had just completed an intense two week "thrash" to get our T/A's ready for this trip.

We stopped in Mount Carmel, TN to look at a '79 Black S/E T/A.  We got some good video footage of our T/A's at speed on Highway 25E and going through the big tunnel on 25E on our way to Corbin, KY.  We then stopped near Corbin, KY to look at a 1981 Black S/E T/A for sale in front of a small repair shop.  We pooled our money to see what we could offer for it.  We were going to have Robert drive it to the Trans Am Nationals where we would sell it, but that idea went out the window when we found out they were asking $3500 for a $500 T/A!!  We stopped for lunch at Burger King somewhere between Bean Station, TN and Corbin, KY. Joe and Robert got into a Whopper eatin' contest to see who could eat the fastest.  Robert lost in more ways than one...seeing how we had to stop at a rest area on I-75 to keep Robert from having a gastro-intestinal explosion and potentially ruining the Camel Tan velour interior in my T/A!!.  We were hoping to run into a pack of T/A's going to the Trans Am Nationals, but that didn't happen.  We did meet up with a guy in a 2000 Firehawk in Cincinnati during a fuel stop and we finished up the trip to Dayton together.

Let's start with the first generation Firebirds.....NICE.  The Ralley I wheels are a nice touch. A convertible is like biting into a York Peppermint Patty ....get the sensation!!
I can only imagine the conversation here..."Yeah, I had one of these....it was RARE with a Holley that was bored 0.030 over, 12 bolt mains, cross-drilled brake lines, turbo 400 4-speed with his-n-her 1/2" drive ratchet shifter....all from the factory....."  Check out this clean '68 Firebird.
This '69 was a trophy winner even before the judging started!! I just want to know how this black '69 managed to get into Stock Class with that Trans Am spoiler on the deck lid!!!!
This '69 Firebird was for sale and it sure was nice!! Check out those Hurst wheels........COOL....real COOL.......
1969 Trans Am.....need I say more? I say it's a clone, replica, etc.  What do you say................
Two hogheads in hog heaven!!!  Come on over here and check out these SD-455's.............. We'll probably never own a 1-of-only-43 SD-455 1973 Formula, but we can say we've drooled on one!!  If the owner saw our Killed Trans Am page, he'd NEVER let us stand so close to this beautiful Formula.
We've got one of these....of course it's 1:18 scale and made by ERTL.... WOW!!  They didn't look this good new!!  The owner told us he's put 3000 miles on this T/A since it was restored!!
How 'bout this 1976 50th Anniversary Trans Am... there's one of these T/A's with a 455, 4-speed, no t-tops only 3 miles from my house...we're talking 1-of-319!!  It needs a LOT of work....  Now here's something you don't see everyday... a 1977 Skybird.
The paint on this '77 T/A was exceptional.  The color combination was AWESOME!! Here's a 1978 Black Special Edition....AND it's a 4-speed!  Well, I certainly know what I want for Christmas.............
I always enjoy looking at this beautifully restored Gold Edition.  It makes me want to restore mine, but for now I'll enjoy mine as an unrestored T/A. Well, here I sit in the Heavy Modified Class.  I didn't think a set of headers, yellow spark plug wires, and a set of vintage Jensen rear speaker grills would put me here....wonder what class I'd be in if I tubbed it, took off the shaker scoop and put a blower on it???
This beautiful '78 T/A was a "sleeper."  It looked pretty much original until you find out it's packing a 455 under the hood and time slips to prove that it turns the quarter mile a lot quicker that 15 seconds. Here's a nice collection of 1979 10th Anniversary Trans Ams.
Joe and I paused for a moment of silence when we saw this beautiful T/A.  It made us remember "Whitey", a T/A we killed that would have looked just like this T/A. Another T/A with a nice color combination.
Another neat aspect of the Trans Am Nationals is that you have an impromptu car show at the surrounding motels and hotels.  We walked through the parking lot of our motel in the evenings and looked at Trans Ams and talked with their owners.

We felt right at home in our motel room...the condensate drain on our air conditioning unit was pouring out on the carpet...so our room smelled just like one of our junk T/A's that had been out in the weather and rained in  for several years!!

Trans Am Mini Nationals!!!!!!

This mini car show was held inside the Dayton Airport Inn.

This mini Trans Am show was a GREAT idea!!

I've got to warn you from personal experience...collecting die cast cars is VERY addictive!!

Here's a few general pictures of the Tipp City Show and Cruise.  This was a GREAT cruise and show that lasted from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  We registered our T/A's in the show and went to Paddy's for a nice meal....thanks to our GREAT friends who reserved us a table!!  We then walked around and enjoyed talking to our fellow Bandit Trans Am Club members, friends, and looking at Trans Ams!!  The Knight Registries Trans Ams put on a good show of their own with their high tech dash electronics and exterior strobing lights!!

The weather was really nice....until 9:00 p.m....when a thunderstorm came through and soaked everything.  I've never seen cars STOP in the right lane on the interstate before!!  We managed to get our T/A's safely back to the motel without incident.

Well, it's time to head back to East Tennessee.  That's the problem with having so much fun...the time goes by way too fast.  There's not enough room in the trunk of a Trans Am to change your mind!!

Joe, Robert, and I loaded up Sunday around noon and headed home.  Our trip home was going really good until we made a fuel stop a Speedway gas station in Dry Ridge, KY where Joe got a tank full of water-enriched fuel.  Then, the adventure began...  Joe's mighty 400 was now sputtering and coughing from all of the water in the fuel.  We had to ride in the emergency lane on I-75 while attempting to climb any grade.  We managed to get to a Shell station in East Bernstadt, KY.  The exit off of the interstate stopped at the gas station and the road turned into an access road up into the hills where folks were slinging mud and dust with jeeps, 4-wheelers, and motorcycles.  EVERYTHING was covered in dust... looked like something you'd see in the movie, "Race With The Devil," or something.  We did a fuel pump check here and found fuel the color of Mountain Dew with a large bubble of water floating on the bottom.  We put a dose of fuel dry (alcohol) in both T/A's, filled up the gas tanks...after checking the fuel from these pumps, and headed back out on I-75.  I really got to take in the scenery while driving with my emergency flashers on so Joe wouldn't get run over by motorhomes traveling at 38 mph!!  We did make it home around 9:00 p.m.  So that's the way it was....can't wait until next year!!!!  REALLY!!