1997 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

Performance
The thing about Matt's dog was that it grabbed me right by the throat. Throttle response is instantaneous, and the engine pulls smooth and strong from a standstill all the way to wide-open throttle. Despite the somewhat lumpy cam, the engine idles decently, and under the whip that wicked-looking 4-inch Mufflex exhaust system drowns out everything but your conscience. The engine runs very cool; water temperature never crested 185 the entire day, including a half-hour stall at a one-lane bridge in 80-degree sun. Matt explained that the venting of that notoriously cramped engine bay provided by the cowl hood and the high-temp coating on the Hookers was enough to reduce operating temperature by 50 degrees.

We cruised the interstate at a steady 75, while the tach needle rested on 2,600 rpm (with 28-inch-tall tires). Since we were limited to public roads and a relatively short driving day, the Pontiac was unable to provide me with any empirical data. Matt says he's gone "at least 160" on those S-rated (112-mph-max) Dunlops, though. At the track, where the car's terminal velocity and elapsed time is not punishable by law, it runs 10.32 at 135 on spray, blowing the tires off. The fresh engine he's building now will be infused with a 300hp nitrous unit, and according to the computer calculations, should put the Trans Am into a 9.20s groove. This is with a nearly 3,800-pound piece that is 700 pounds heavy for the class!

On the street, the T/A behaves like a hot-rodded Trans Am, not a nervous racer. If you're used to driving modified street cars, being in the Pontiac is no less disturbing. The automatic bumps gears like it means it, the exhaust is raucous when you tromp it but not during steady-state mode, and ring-and-pinion make more noise than usual.

What It Is
What about that drive-it-to-the-track bravado? Has it ever left Matt with a broken leg and no crutch? Of course it has. "I raced in Virginia last weekend and hurt the engine bad. I limped it home and spent most of this week getting it back together for the Tour. Another time I was at an NMCA race in Rockingham (North Carolina) and trashed a bunch of lifters. I couldn't find any there, so I drove the pile back to Indiana the way it was ... at 50 miles an hour. And it took two and half days to get home! I've never had to walk back-yet."

I asked Swindle how far he intended to take the doghouse. "I'll continue to see how unmanageable I can make this thing and still keep driving it. I mean it still has the 4L60E, and it has some expensive parts in it. I know guys with 11- and 10-second cars that can't make 'em live. What I'll probably do is find a six-cylinder car and make that the racer. Then, I'll turn this one back on the street."

Matt Swindle has made that old saw about having your cake and eating it come true. It's about having a positive attitude, getting the most for your (and your wife's) hard-earned bucks, and not caring if the rest of the world thinks you're nuts just as long as you're having a good time and not wasting it. Thanks, Cathy.

Quick Inspection
Matt & Cathy Swindle
Mooresville, IN
'97 Trans Am