Pontiac raises heat in pony car wars with Firebird Trans Am in 1969

General Motors raised the heat in Detroit's pony car wars when Pontiac unveiled the Firebird Trans Am at the Chicago Auto Show on March 8, 1969.

The high-performance car, which came standard with a 400-cubic-inch Ram Air III HO engine with 335 hp, was meant to take on Chevrolet's Camaro Z/28 and the Ford Mustang Boss 302.

The Firebird was introduced in 1967, just months after the Camaro, in response to the spectacular success of the Mustang.

Fewer than 700 Trans Ams, including a few convertibles, were manufactured the first year.

The Trans Am rode on the Firebird's 108.1-inch wheelbase with a unit-body chassis that used a front subframe with independent coil-sprung suspension and rear leaf springs.

Pontiac's distinctive styling was developed by Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, the brand's general manager in the late 1950s, who prioritized a hipper image and younger buyers to differentiate it from Chevrolet and Buick.

Trans Am concept development started with a 1967-68 engineering project known internally as Pontiac Firebird Sprint Turismo. The program was largely influenced by John DeLorean, Pontiac's lead engineer and later general manager, who had a penchant for European sports cars. It was powered by Pontiac's overhead-cam six-cylinder with an emphasis on chassis refinement.

Herb Adams, lead engineer for special projects at Pontiac, produced the Pontiac Firebird Sprint Turismo mules and they became the blueprint for future Trans Ams. The cars incorporated a "shaker hood" — providing clearance for downdraft carburetors — high-effort variable-ratio power steering, as well as several suspension and braking changes.

Firebird buyers had a list of options to choose from: a tilt steering column, Rally II wheels, center console, remote mirror, Soft-Ray glass, power windows and a rally gauge cluster.

The 1960s marked the zenith for Pontiac behind young America's hunger for racing and unbridled performance with muscle cars such as the GTO and Firebird.

The Trans Am went on to enjoy a few moments of glory.

A 1977 Pontiac Trans Am LE starred in Smokey and the Bandit, the Hollywood tale of a smooth-talking Southern trucker blasting across Dixieland to deliver illegal booze.

And the Pontiac Trans Am served as official pace car for the 1989 running of the Indianapolis 500, marking the third and final time the General Motors brand was designated pace car for the annual race.

Pontiac's U.S. sales peaked in 1973 at 920,000, and at one point it was the nation's third bestselling brand all-time behind Chevrolet and Ford.