1992 Pontiac Trans Am

The goal of any flat-out freak is to go fast, not quick. Unlike squirt-racing where low elapsed times rule, land speeders stand on it for 5 flying miles. Naturally, there is a universal goal: to run 200 miles per hour (or even the speed of sound). But the real “tuffy” is to go fast with pistons and driven wheels in a body produced on a Detroit assembly line. During the late ’50s, two stock-bodied passengers cars—a ’32 highboy and a ’53 Studebaker coupe—became the first of their genre to break the 200-mph barrier.

Although Perris and Eaton’s ’29 roadster (295) and Mike Cook’s ’89 Thunderbird (298) have come tantalizingly close to the magical 300-mph mark in the years since, neither has realized the goal. There are a number of reasons why the 300-bill barrier is so elusive: Bonneville’s badly deteriorated surface, mechanical failures, instability of the platform, financial woes, and poor weather have all contributed to keep the OEM racers out of the club.

For fear of putting the evil Baskerville hex on Jeff and Joe Kugel and their ’92 Pontiac Trans Am (I had predicted that Cook and Perris would be the first to break the 300-mph barrier), I’ll simply state that there’s a better-than-even chance the kids will be the first to do the number at Bonneville.

You might say the quest for 300 mph started the instant Jerry Kugel—street rod “komponent” king and part of the HRM family since the late ’60s—set eyes on former HRM staffer John Baechtel’s ’90 Trans Am. The sight and sound of that yellow and blue Poncho breaking an existing FIA record on the salt got Kugel’s attention.

Jerry’s familiar ride, a brilliant orange ’29 highboy, powered by a turbocharged 258-inch small-block, was tired. During its 20-year span, the spin-free trainer clocked a best of 250, and put both Jeff and Joe Kugel in the 200 MPH Club. But the boys wanted their own car. When he observed a small “for sale” sign on the windshield of Dave MacDonald and Lionel Pitts’ 295-mph Trans Am—a move prompted by Pontiac’s desire to see the team running a current model—frugal Kugel stepped way up.

The switch was solidified by what MacDonald and Pitts’ Steve Schmalz-built Pontiac represented: a proven package that had been upgraded three times as the boys went faster and faster with their nitrous-sucking big-block. “We started with a flexi-flyer,” remembers MacDonald, “so Steve stiffened it up by tying the unibody clips together with rectangular rails augmented by a 1¾-inch, mild steel, perimeter-style rollcage. We also moved the strut towers back to increase caster, and played with different loadings to get the 4,800-pound car’s front-to-rear weight balance ‘working’ (46 percent front, 54 percent rear).

“And the front-to-rear stance is critical, too. We found that the Trans Am needs to ride straight, and that its angle of attack be neutral—anything else and the front end gets light and wants to fly, or the back of the car unloads and wants to come around. Anything over 275 is uncharted territory, too. We discovered that each 5-mph increase changed our combo, with the front end getting very light at 290. Moreover, it’s a 5-mile drag race. If you don’t go 260 in the quarter [cars are given a flying, quarter-mile time after a 2-mile buildup] you’d better hang it up.”

These truths were not lost on the Kugels. They merely took M&P’s Pontiac, gave it a shave (a Mike Lefevres–prepared, Garrett twin-turbocharged, Fel-Pro/BDS EFI, 1,265 hp 368-inch small-block Chevrolet) and a haircut (added weight, tightened seams, lower ride height, heavier springs, and…new paint).

The Jeff & Joe Show went to Bonneville in August. Naturally, the old man had to make sure the latest “komponent” was safe at any speed before he turned it over to the kids. Two 264-plus passes (exit speed of 274) later, Jerry judged the Trans Am ready for some really serious salt shaking. Unfortunately, new-car bugs—a throttle-linkage failure, a boost tube come adrift, and a dead battery caused by the 30-amp fuel-injector draw—delayed their march on the triple-buck. However, the Utah Salt Flat Racers Association conducted its World of Speed trials during the latter part of September, and Jerry’s kids appeared ready.

But Baskerville’s curse remains intact, and Mother Nature didn’t help. The Ol’ Witch rained on Jerry’s parade, and kept his kids from making a full pass. So the cry is, “Wait until next year!”