I just seen a video earlier of Comedian Sam Kinison and he passed away in one of those 1,555 '89 Trans am's back in '92. He was too young and so was that car! Thank you for the video, R.I.P Sam.

Just another tidbit about this engine. The modification they did to make it fit in the F body platform was using the (Then) brand new 3800 heads on the old 3.8. 3800 heads flow way better than 3.8 heads so this incarnation of the engine was also way underrated in horsepower.

I bought one in 1995 with 36,000 miles on it for $13,500. They lost value VERY QUICKLY but later seemed to have regained it back. I've also owned 4 Grand Nationals, 4 T-Type's and a GMC Syclone. The Grand National's was the car that got the most compliments.

Don't forget how that motor was used with supercharger on them! The 3800 is the motor that keeps on motoring..keep up the good work!

@artz9643

3 жыл бұрын

That was a nice motor. I had a 1997 Buick Park Ave Ultra. It was a heavy car but it MOVED with that motor under the hood.

@shadowopsairman1583

3 жыл бұрын

Buick Series 1, 2, 3, fix the intake sealing problems and the engine is flawless whether NA or Turbo/Super

@shadowopsairman1583

3 жыл бұрын

@@artz9643 Used in gen 4 F bodies

@artz9643

3 жыл бұрын

@@shadowopsairman1583 I'm pretty sure that GM didn't use the supercharged version in the F-bodies.....

I own a mint condition 89 trans am my dad got new when I was a teenager. He couldn’t find a turbo TA so he bought this one. I’m saving it for my son who’s 12 right now but he wants my new challenger more.

The '73 455SD, the '92 Firehawk and this '89 Turbo Trans Am are the three Firebirds I really want to own. And maybe a late era ram air...

@RossC-md9dn

7 ай бұрын

Definitely the 2002 ram air LS1 5.7 325 Hp

I have one of these precious monsters and she happens to be a Festival Car that was at Indy in 89, number 124 production number and number 96 for her track status. All of these cars came with cloth interior but not all cloth interior cars went to Indy. Only the low production numbered cars went and that totaled 150. Their were 187 cloth cars built and 15 cloth hardtops, and 1 convertible so the rest of the field were the leather T-Top cars which totaled 1550. The other 5 were mule cars that were plucked off the line to be beaten and cut on to get that turbo v6 in the engine bay. What most people don't realize is that this setup doesn't have Buick heads. It has Pontiac heads with the GNX goodies on it making 301HP. Couple adjustments here and there will give you a 12second car without hurting the pocket book. What an amazing vehicle and although she is almost 30yrs old, THIS Trans Am definitely gets the respect and any car gathering.

@Texas_Cruiser

5 жыл бұрын

John Delvisco that's incredible. I bet it's a joy to drive. I wonder where that 1 convertible is at now.

@johndelvisco4528

5 жыл бұрын

Yes Sir,,,it sure is a joy to drive. I've always wanted a Grand National and especially the GNX but I never can get away from the Birds. This satisfies both habits at the same time. As far as the Convertible, it was made for the owner of the PAS corporation that did the work on the engines but it's in other hands now.

@Toxic2T

5 жыл бұрын

@@johndelvisco4528 awesome

I remember when the 89 TT/A was hot people put a spin on Pontiacs slogan “Driving excitement; Excitement brought to you buy Buick.”

There was an image of the Indy Pace Car ad for the TA in the video, but most people don't realize how big of a deal that was. Before then the pace cars were specially prepared cars often with completely custom engines. The '89 Turbo TA was the first time a stock production car was able to pace the Indianapolis 500 without any performance modifications.

@2007deadeye1

5 жыл бұрын

Correct

Fastest car on the showroom floor in 89. Only the 90 ZR-1 was able to dethrone it.

Cinderella story indeed. What made this interesting is that they took an ancient motor and developed it for several years, nearly under the radar by associating it with the G-Body in an era when midsize muscle cars were basically dead until Olds, Chevy and Pontiac looked up and realized Buick had something interesting. And then, "all of a sudden" it was the best GM had for a shining moment. Turbocharging aside, I remember back in the day how unusual it was for one division's car to have EFI while the others still had carbs.

@stoneylonesome5826

11 ай бұрын

The constant refinement of the 3.8 turbo also flew in the face of GM’s practice of building something, then dropping it if it doesn’t succeed immediately.

seen a TTA at a track back in the day, all stock, run a 13.2 on a cool day. was very impressed with that. i love the 3rd gens. still have my Formula 350

@331Grabber

6 жыл бұрын

Back around 1999-2000 I used to street race with a guy who had an 89 TTA. Also was a guy out there with an 87 GN. I was running a 1986 SVO Mustang.

@jjs777fzr

4 жыл бұрын

Here in the NorthEast the GN’s and a buddy with his 89 TTA would really wake up in the cool New England fall weather. During the warmer days they were beatable. Cool weather ? Forget about it.

N/A Engines: There's no replacement for displacement Forced Induction Engines: Well excuse me.

@shadowopsairman1583

3 жыл бұрын

Too much boost blows stuff up and requires higher octane gas t prevent the engine from failing.

No replacement for displacement. Turbo.. hold my beer

I had one, Loved it! Pure quickness, and I've own lots of other muscle cars, 13.4 was easy, NO HYPE, I ran straight pies and changed the chip, K&N Filters and could bet 13.2 ALL DAY, with no icing of the turbo.

The old saying was "There is no replacement for displacement." Buick's Turbo 6 proved them wrong. Should also do a video on Dodge's stage III turbo 4 engine that went into the early 90s Dodge spirit. That was quite the sleeper muscle car bone stock.

@strtngfrsh

5 жыл бұрын

That old saying didn't mention a turbo with the displacement.

@Lucille69caddy

5 жыл бұрын

strtngfrsh EXACTLY. The Napoleons of the car world make me chuckle😆

@fitfogey

5 жыл бұрын

The Dodge Spirit R/T was a fast little ride. Hella FWD torque steer though.

@colinsdad1

3 жыл бұрын

How about the Omni GLH or the limited edition Dodge IROCs with that same drivetrain?? Pretty cool.

@stoneylonesome5826

11 ай бұрын

Wasn’t that the engine that led to the SRT4 in the 2000s?

They used to ice the inter coolers and then it made huge power. I was so sure that they were going to offer it in subsequent years that I held out... my mistake! Owned an 87 GN and it was deceptively fast

I own a 2015 Regal Turbo GS simply beCause I am a fan of BuickAs legacy in muscle car history.

I love my 3.8 Buick lacrosse. 2008. Just added a pint of ATF to the transmission today. Last week, I changed my own disc&brake pads. The turbo would help acceleration time from speeds 50 mph+ 70. But it's very fast off the line. I use it for Uber most everyday

@hanskinslo326

5 жыл бұрын

Awesome, keep that car on the road!

@colinsdad1

3 жыл бұрын

That's great, but, didn't that car have the 3.8L Supercharged engine in it? Those supercharged engines had great low end grunt! Keep that car driving- well done!

@missingremote4388

3 жыл бұрын

@@colinsdad1 yes. Some did have a supercharger. "Pontiac Grand Prix GT" +++Mine don't. Mine is naturally aspirated 3800 V-6 It's a Buick Still it's pretty impressive, off the line. Tourqey. A Chevy LS4 V-8 (5.3 liter) was optional in the 2008-09 Buick,"lacrosse Super" & 2008 Pontiac "Grand Prix GXP" Pontiac had the 3800 Supercharger

@colinsdad1

3 жыл бұрын

@@missingremote4388 I absolutely LOVE Buicks! Actually, from the time I was a wee lad until I was in College, BOTH of my folks drove Buicks. My Dad drove this Slow As A Glacier 1985 Century and my Mom drove an 86 Regal station wagon with the 3.8 (or 3800 Series- whichever you prefer) that you were referring to. I learned how to drive on both cars. My Mom's station wagon saw more air time than the General Lee on a regular episode of Duke's of Hazzard 😂🤣 You're ABSOLUTELY right about that 3.8: GREAT low end torque (I think it was around 250 Ft-Lbs), decent with fuel (18 MPG) and, most important, freaking bomb proof!! Oh, and my son just installed that 5.3 V8 in an old suburban his Mom and Stepdad gave to him. THAT'S a great motor (327 C.I.D., BTW)!

One of my all time favorite cars TAT! Thanks for posting this

Thank you for your work in bringing us these nuggets of muscle car history

Thanks for the great series on my favorite cars in the world and the ones the changed my life forever. ;)

Thanks for the videos. I've learned way more than I knew already. And enjoyed the history some cars I never knew existed 👌

The 1989 3.8 turbo V6 used in trans am pace cars was a 3800block and crankshaft but cylinder heads were derived from a 1985-88/3.0mfi V6 3.8.sfi V6 engine 1986-88 because the 1987 LC3 was out of production at least 2 years by 1987, both rear drive V6,s were gone 3800,s was the new flagship engine,a 1988 engine with 1985 wedge heads.

@claytonhaske

Жыл бұрын

So, if I were going to upgrade an 85, what factory heads would be best? I heard fwd heads from a 88.

Love these reviews and this channel. Thanks. Jeff

I've always loved this era of the F body cars. Th TA's were the best looking of them. There is a guy with one of these pace car TA's in my town. I see him cruising in it now and then. Love them!

@bobcrow1462

6 жыл бұрын

I like mine - just fine. My favorite in my little "fleet".

@toyoscio

6 жыл бұрын

Even with the 4 cylinder?

@cybertrophic

3 жыл бұрын

toyoscio I had the 4 cylinder with a manual gearbox. Handled well, good in-gear torque, fun to drive, sounded good and got 43mpg on a run. Loved it. Still want a manual v8.

Nice job, enjoyed all 5 episodes.

Love the information on all cars really enjoy this site

1LE cars with a/c, fog lights,T-tops, and mostly leather interiors. I've seen the RPO codes and worked on a couple. Australian 9 bolts, that 2004R bracket for the torque arm in the later cars? Only 1,550 were released to the general public. 5 were kept in reserve as "prizes" through GM management. Back when cars were something cherished. Cover the 10 red Marlboro Syclones when you do that video. Nice work so far. My toys have cost me nothing if I really think about it.

Never heard of this till now! Awesome car..

Back in the 80's, a girlfriend of mine had a turbocharged pontiac. I loved driving her car more than mine. It was really quick and handled well. Once in a while the turbo tube came off and it was back to normal acceleration, but once i reattached it the car was a blast again.

@2007deadeye1

5 жыл бұрын

Turbo TA 80-81 or pontiac sunfire Se turbo or there was a pontiac GP. Turbo which was it????

Always great Videos!

The actual saying is"there's no replacement for displacement" , but I'm sure you know that. Just going back to some of your older vids and want to say Thank You! You have one of the greatest car shows on the internet.... no, period.

Great video! :)

The fastest Pontiac that Buick ever built!

0-60 in 4.8 seconds was lightning quick in those days. faster then the LT1 cars that came out in 93. i have a 96 camaro LT1 and they are a bargin because there were so many produced. these turbo trans ams are expensive relatively speaking. i daily drive my 96 because its not like its going to loose any more value, its fun to drive...... i keep it out of the salt.

@briancenti5423

6 жыл бұрын

have a '95 and love it. true the '89 TTA was incredible and just as quick as a LS1 T/A.

@firstgenerationoffthefarm4647

6 жыл бұрын

Why keep it in the garage in the winter? They're mostly plastic. My 02 Z28 gets driven every day it's not slick out!!!

There's no substitute for the sound of a V8.

What a lot of people don't know is, the block was a modified version of the 1988/3800engine but the heads dates back to 19853.0mfi/sfi, this is not the same engine from the regal t type and Grand national, that engine was killed off with the car in 1987.

That engine in that TA is a GNX spec motor not a standard GN set up. I really had around 300hp.

Slap a Turbo on that 455 Trans Am and get back to me LOL!

@YGSpider

6 жыл бұрын

And slow it down? lol na

@Bricklinsv1970

6 жыл бұрын

Highly doubtful!

@reneortiz7392

4 жыл бұрын

yeah, and then take two cylinders off, just to make even!

@trevoncowen9198

4 жыл бұрын

Meet emissions with that engine

@Bricklinsv1970

4 жыл бұрын

@@trevoncowen9198 You dont need to if it comes in a 1971 chassis or older. Next!

Just bought a reatta with a stage 2 3800. Can't wait to take it to the track so i can compare it to the turbo.

This car will Beat cha in the quick ness whooping every thing nuttin nice

It’s a shame the 87 Camaro didn’t get this engine for it’s 20th anniversary.

In the time it took Chevy to release its “king of the hill Corvette” response to Buick’s GNX, another GM division beat Corvette again with the same engine!

Just imagine if the 3.8 was still in production with 4 valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, and direct injection. This was a great motor that should have been developed and updated further. Front wheel drive and the promotion of it was responsible for killing the 3.8 off. What a shame.

That was a stupid fast car. I had an opportunity to buy one in 1994 and regretted not pulling the trigger - on a test ride it easily hit 130+.

@toyoscio

6 жыл бұрын

That's nice.

4.3 cyclone & Typhoon

@bobcrow1462

6 жыл бұрын

Those were nice too. But trucks don't stop and steer as well as a TTA.

@andrewbartleman9169

6 жыл бұрын

Bob Crow they performed great!

@toyoscio

6 жыл бұрын

Were they reliable?

@markbrinton6790

6 жыл бұрын

John Work completely different motor.

@scottsmith6571

6 жыл бұрын

4,3 ,s are good for slinging rods out the block

Love my 2

No my cousin had a 1989 RED/ORANGE One! I was forever fixing the body. The Pontiac dealer where she bought it and also worked were still using lacquer spot repair, it never matched. You could only get the 5 speed manual trans and the 3.8 turbo in the Trans Am!! No Regal..

Best ta ever

When Buick stopped making the rear wheel drive Regal after 1997 they still had 3.8 liter turbo motors that were built with no car to put them in so GM put them in the Trans Am.

actually, the 3.8 buick sfi turbo engine did make it into the 1988 fwd cars.....just without the turbo. ive got a 1988 olds cutlass ciera with the "lg3" 3.8, which is a turbo trans am engine without the turbo. let me tell you....for being n/a, good lord does it pick up the front of the car and torque steer.

Still take the 69 Ram Air IV....

the callaway turbo v8 corvettes were the fastest cars from the 80s, people could buy them at chevy dealerships but they were much more expensive than the normal corvettes. they were faster than any of the european cars at that point in time

@doomusrlc

6 жыл бұрын

passtime79 the Sledgehammer, right? Another car I'd love to own.

@passtime7911

6 жыл бұрын

yes, one of them went over 250 mph on a test track which set the land speed record for street legal cars. i dont remember what car eventually broke the record

@jeffnorbert1871

4 жыл бұрын

Twin Turbo 5.7 on at least some of them. Talked to owner of one and saw the car. He said 200mph was no problem at all. Said he had it on race tracks a couple times and saw that speed without taking it to its limits.

@reneortiz7392

4 жыл бұрын

watch Black Air, the grand national documentary. The callaway turbo vette was NOT the fastest car of the 80s!

They did it secretly it has fwd heads to fit in between fenders an made more hp than the 89 vette

@DavidR-ub2dp

3 жыл бұрын

Yup the G body heads were taken out so the turbo 3.8 received front wheel drive heads so it can fit in the f bodies engine bay

@scottsmith6571

3 жыл бұрын

Same intercooler as gnx on ttas also .. I have a stock 299 an moded 1397

@scottsmith6571

3 жыл бұрын

I got 13.20 out of my stock tta with 34k miles

I really wanna turbocharge my 04 Monte Carlo with a N/A 3800 Series II. I wanna see if the engines actually got better or if I'd find disappointment.

Awesome engine by GM that's a hard choice to make a Grand national or a Turbo Trans Ams I think the Formula was nicer then the T/A because of the older hood scoop n was lighter the T/A were heavy cars do to all the options

@analogkid4557

6 жыл бұрын

Actually back then it wasn't GM powertrains designing and making engines. Each division had their own design team. Buick designed this engine. Especially since this engine was based off of Buicks 215 V-8 from 1961 and was first put into production in 1962.

@terrysmith6315

5 жыл бұрын

It just depends what you want to do with the car. The Grand Nationals are awesome but they don't handle or stop as well as the T/A.

Do I heard Steve Magnate? A voice from the 90's

🤘🏻

Should had made it available in more numbers

I had an 87 LeSabre with the 3800 Fuel Injection and that motor had some great umph and was a rock for them. Chevys version, not so much. Odd.

Great informative show but I'll take my 87 Regal T-type over the screaming chicken lol. Just kidding, now it if had a 5spd behind it :)

GM couldn't have anything else besting the Corvette. You couldn't get those times with an 1989 Corvette.

@blackhawk7r221

2 жыл бұрын

Syclone

Only thing I would mention, is that Pontiac cut a hole in the inner fender for the turbo exhaust.

@bobcrow1462

6 жыл бұрын

Gee. Not in my TTA. Maybe mine is rarer than I thought...! Actually, as an owner, I can verify that there is no hole cut in the inner fender for the exhaust.

@donbishow5497

6 жыл бұрын

I saw one a a car show and the was a hole. Maybe tje owner did it for a bigger exhaust.

@bobcrow1462

6 жыл бұрын

I have seen holes hacked into the inner fender if a guy installs an aftermarket wastegate and is too cheap to blend the wastegate exhaust back into the main down pipe. But the factory never put that hole there. Cars hacked up like that blow exhaust into the wheelwell when the wastegate opens which finds its way into the passenger compartment. Not very healthy for the occupants.

@andrewbartleman9169

6 жыл бұрын

Bob Crow and exhaust tends to rust cars if not aimed to get past the outer edge of the car. I never thought about it until my dad showed me some cars that had the rail pipe about a foot away from the bumper of a mini truck. You could see the exhaust path condensate against the underside of the car which is kind of acidic , everything it touched rotted away including the heavy pipe for the bumper.

@bobcrow1462

5 жыл бұрын

@@andrewbartleman9169 yes. All correct. Pontiac never cut a hole in the inner fender for the wastegate output.

From car and driver...Darth Vader, your car is ready..

1989 Pontiac Firebird 20th anniversary turbo Trans-Am official pace car of the Indianapolis 500 it went 250 horsepower and 340 lb foot of the torque 0 - 60 miles per hour 4.8 Seconds flat they were total 1555 built less than 2 years later 1991 GMC syclone fastest all wheel drive truck

If the shoe fits

GM in the 80's made bad financial decisions... "Meeting EPA and still making power.... Yeah let's cancel production".. Good Idea!!

Ford 2.7 ecoboost is the new small turbo v6 king.

@331Grabber

6 жыл бұрын

325 HP in the Fusion Sport. Not bad. The secret is the same slightly larger 3.0 twin turbo V6 version in the Lincoln version makes 400 HP :) Need to find one of those in the wrecking yard.

@blackericdenice

6 жыл бұрын

I want to see one in a 1970 F150.

@331Grabber

6 жыл бұрын

blackericdenice That would be glorious

I think you forgot the 88 Buick LeSabre GN cpe, if I recall that had the Regal GN turbo V6. Also if I recall the 3.8L was bored to 4.3L and that had a turbo version that ended up into the GMC syclone & typhoon. Then as you know the 3.8L turbo was gone but it morphed into the 3800 supercharged engine that ended up in so many of GMs performance cars of the 90s and early 2000s. But all in all this was a great series, good job

@originalpunkSxE

6 жыл бұрын

I think the Cyclones and Typhoons used a turbocharged version of the Chevy 4.3L V6 that was already available in the S-15 body. But the 3800 was an awesome engine that powered almost everything GM made. I read about a guy with a 1999 Grand Prix and he twin charged it (turbo blowing into a relatively stock Eaton M-90 supercharger). He was running 10 second quarters in a front drive car lol

@2007deadeye1

6 жыл бұрын

Elizabeth Cherry. The laSabra GN was a appearance package with the GN like interior it was fwd and nonturbo wasn't fast at all.

@ad356

6 жыл бұрын

i can tell you certainty that the 3.8 turbo and 4.3 turbo were completely different engines. the 4.3 is a 350 minus 2 cylinders, the 3.8 was actually a Buick division engine. they both had garret turbo systems.

@analogkid4557

6 жыл бұрын

The 3.8 was a 215 Buick V-8 with two cylinders less. Chevy got the idea from Buick along with the turbo charging.

@331Grabber

6 жыл бұрын

Can't be since 215 is already smaller than 3.8 liters. The Ford 3.8 is 232 cubes. I think the Buick is 231.

So what were the actual horsepower numbers from these engines?

I think there was a Toronado turbo that had 200 hp 3.8 transverse turbo.

@2007deadeye1

5 жыл бұрын

Umm.your wrong 1984-85 buick riviera TType is the car your thinking of oldsmobile toronado never used that engine olds 307ci.only

O guys.. I don't race the car anymore. I beat what the car will beat. I'm fast enough.

GM had a successful history with turbochargers starting in the 60's with Pontiac, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile. Perhaps they should've continued consistent development with it but as with all things GM in the 80's and 90's the only thing consistent was blandness and junk. The demise of the revered Pontiac and Oldsmobile divisions and close to corperate bankruptcy was the result. Not saying blowers are the end-all but look where that technology is today throughout the entire international automotive Industry. Reminds me of the Polaroid corp and Kodak companies that HAD the digital technologies...nah...we're good...

I think you meant to say "there's no replacement for displacement"

Not the 455.... 403 olds in the 1977 TA was the ultimate!

@iwaswithyourmom9410

6 жыл бұрын

true to dat!!

@analogkid4557

6 жыл бұрын

I am an Olds guy but in no way could the 403 SBO come close to a 455 SD Pontiac. The 455 was rated at 310 hp but I have seen them built to factory spec and dyno tested to 480 hp. The 403 was rated at 185 hp and that is about all it made. Sure, you can make power with them but the 455 SD was way ahead.

@MichaelRCarlson

5 жыл бұрын

But a Pontiac 400 4spd car was faster in 77 than the Olds.

Those times are hype! The typical 245-250 hp 3.8 turbo Trans Am ran about 14.0 at 95 mph in the quarter, I've seen dozens of stock GN's do about this.

Tiny V6 lol. My '89 LeSabre T type begs to differ

Put to shame until the twisties.

I had an exceptionally well-off classmate in high school who's folks actually bought one of these for him. It did GREAT holeshots, but, this kid was an imbecile, as he had ZERO driving ability otherwise. We used to get on backroads, and he had a REALLY hard time keeping up with my 86 IROC in the corners (which was good, because his Turbo T/A would SMOKE me in a straight line).

31k was sticker price

3.8 isn’t tiny. And corvair says his kid could drink by the time the 3.8t came around.

The name is very long turbo trans am gta se pace car 20th anniversary

I wanna swap one onto my wife's NB Miata....

So... how was the fuel consumption vs a V8? After all, that's why they were born. By the way... the real beginning of downsizing ?

Burt Reynolds FAR WIN

250hp. Cough...cough...

its a no JIVE , 1,555 CARS

When are you going to do a video on the real performance leader of the late 80's? The 89-93 LX 5.0 Mustang coupes and fastbacks? At less than $14000 they destroyed the overbloated and over priced F bodies and Corvettes of the era with ease at a price people could actually afford . Unlike GM's offerings , a manual transmission could be had easily on the lot without special order. The 2 time Motor Trend bang for the buck winner was faster than the Mustang GT of the same model years as it was lighter and more aerodynamic than the GT.

@alexkennedy183

6 жыл бұрын

lol

@camclarke2663

5 жыл бұрын

mustangs destroyed what? with there 15 sec quarter mile times they were not fast at all more noise than power

GM. Kills every performance car not one of the 2 C's.

@martinmccomb5462

4 жыл бұрын

because GM is run by a bunch of "C's" do you see? LOL

1st gen 3.8 Buick is such junk!!! Even worse the ford 3.8

@bobcrow1462

6 жыл бұрын

The 3.8 turbo engine is indeed fussy - 3 times harder to build correctly than a small block chevy. I know that for a fact. I've done it. But when you get them right, the 3.8 turbo is a great performer - very satisfying.

@frigglebiscuit7484

6 жыл бұрын

i mean, if you have no idea what you are doing....sure.

Saw a navy officer buy one brand new, and got a refund because it couldn't be insured....