Typical comments from the "small block mentality" crowd. Those turbos were hard charging cars when they were new. Lets see what else had 210HP back then? Vette-NO!, Z/28-NO! Trans Am NA-NO! Yep the turbo TA was the domestic horsepower champ for 1980-1981. I had a 76 455 TA back when I was a senior in HS and if I had to replace it I wouldn't want my TA with anything other than a Pontiac under the hood. Lets see what the other TA engine selection was back in 80-81. Yep, Chevy and Olds. A properly tuned carb turbo could hold its own on the streets.
Here is a bit of trivia for those of you who weren't of driving age back in the disco era. Chevrolet considered putting the 301T in the Z/28. It was nixed at the last minute as the guys in marketing thought no one would buy a Z/28 unless it had a SBC under the hood. I have to agree on that decision. I also have an old paper parts book from late 1979 that has the part numbers for a special turbo hood and all of the different colors of decals that say "turbo" for it. I've never seen a picture of what this car was supposed to look like but I believe it was also a bulge hood very simular to the TTA. One book I have says it was the 80-81 style "air induction" hood with the bulge moved over to clear the turbo. And it also was to have the "turbine" style wheels used on a lot of Camaro concept cars of that era. If you ever saw a picture of the 80 "Ultra Z" you get the idea.
