Robert, better known to you as FoxGTR, sent us these photos of his 2001 Chevrolet Camaro SS and 2002 Pontiac Trans Am. Here is what he had to say:
Thanks for finally putting up a segment where readers can post their own vehicles. I've been curious to see what the readers and commenters of Inside Line personally owned. It's great to see a lot of people passionate about their vehicles.
My two vehicles are truly a part of the Long-Term Road Test. One is a 2001 Chevrolet Camaro SS, purchased in 2002 used when it had about 11,000 miles and currently has 78,600. The other is a 2002 Pontiac Trans Am WS.6 with 62,800 miles, also purchased used, with 22,200 miles in 2004.
More photos and story after the jump...
The GM F-body has always been one of my favorite cars (of those that were affordable and could be obtained by those in the working class). What turned me on to these two vehicle was the way people seem to always have respect for them. Other owners will give a wave, a nod, even pull over to say hello if they see you drive what they do. It happens a lot more in the Trans Am compared to the Camaro though.
The Trans Am WS.6 is my daily driver. I take it everywhere, although I only drive about 7,000 miles a year. That's why the mileage is so low compared to its age. It is completely stock, has not been modified mechanically in any way. Only upgrade is a K&N air filter. Still has the much-hated Skip-Shift feature!
The sound, response, and shake of the LS1 5.7L V8 is the second reason I so love both these cars. There is not a more versatile, ancient engine like the LS1. The Hurst shifter makes shifting easy. Like a well oiled bolt-action rifle it snicks mechanically into each gear with force and confirmation. There are no missed shifts, you have to be deliberate. And even when you skip a gear, you don't have to downshift. There is so much low-end power that you can stay in the gear and still accelerate with force. It's my favorite for going everywhere, especially when the weather is nice and the T-Tops can be removed. I wish they never got rid of that feature on modern cars. So nice to have.
The Camaro is my toy. Heavily modified under the hood, as the pictures will show. The 5.7L LS1 is blown with a Stage 2 Vortech Centrifugal Supercharger, front under bumper mounted intercooler, underhood max air charger, upgraded fuel injection system, second fuel pump, modified air intake system, MAF sensor, SLP headers, High-Flow Cats, and Flowmaster 40-series muffler. The ECU was custom programmed by Vortech to match the upgrades and the increased boost pressure. (Max 8.5psi @ 6,300 rpm). Still uses the stock wheels, rear end gear, clutch, transmission, and LSD. Power was dyno tested to be 429rwhp @ 6,300 rpm, 417rwtq @ 4,350. Look at that torque plateau. So flat for so long.
There is so much power off the line, it's hard to find sufficient traction. Grab second gear at 40 mph near the top of first gear, and you can lift the front tires off the ground if the tires grab. Scared a few co-workers doing that coming out of a turn onto the highway. The visceral sound coming from the exhaust, matched with the whine and shriek of the supercharger can be heard a good distance away when having fun. Everyone looks, smiles, and wishes they had something that could match it. The intensity is unreal. All this power, and it still maintains 18 mpg in the city, and 29 hwy @ 1,750 rpm and 79 mph. Saves me on gas as well.
What's great about both these cars is their reliability. Neither one of the cars has left me stranded. Neither has needed any major work done. The Trans Am had to have the headlight actuators replaced, a window motor and regulator, and a bump stop for the hood. Oh, and tires every 15K or so. The Camaro hasn't even needed that much work. A window motor and a center console cover. That's it. With what other cars can you have this much fun and not have to worry about things breaking? The F-Bodies will stay in history forever. And I'm glad I can have the last year of the Trans Am, and the final model of the Camaro, before it became what it is. (That is left to you to interpret.)
Thanks for sharing your story and photos with us, Robert.
P.S. If you want to participate in the Reader's Long-Term Car segment, click here to read the submission guidelines.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
wrinklebump says:
08:36 PM, 10/13/10
Beautiful cars, mate. Always love the sound the LS1 made -- went on a road trip during my formative years in an 02 Camaro and loved it. It's also nice that other F-Body owners always appreciate well-maintained examples of the cars.
s197gt says:
08:50 PM, 10/13/10
$129 per headlight assembly for your camaro on amazon. seriously clouded over. with all that power you need to be able to see down the road at night!
super_ongoy says:
08:59 PM, 10/13/10
Do you have a mullet?
The last time I was in Florida, I saw a dude with a bald top and a mullet. That might be a bullet.
notabigdeal says:
10:02 PM, 10/13/10
I do not agree with your style of cars but I greatly respect it. It is still definately cool.
bankerdanny says:
10:04 PM, 10/13/10
I always liked that era Firebird, The Ram Air 5.7 just kicked the Mustang's butt. But even as a tall guy it seemed like I was sitting in a black bathtub everytime I got in one and so was never interested in actually owning one.
wizard8873 says:
05:28 AM, 10/14/10
Nice. Always like the last gen Trans Am. While I know they're the same car, still like it more than the Camaro since the styling seems more appealing.
foxgtr says:
05:32 AM, 10/14/10
@s197gt -- Since that picture they have been replaced. Much better now.
@superongoy -- No mullet, more of a crewcut. I have seen a bald mullet, and a bullet is the perfect way to describe it.
@bankerdanny -- I'm 6'2", and as long as I'm in the drivers seat, it's absolutely perfect for seating position. The sills are low, the dash is low, there is plenty of headroom because of the T-Tops, and the seat can be moved back far enough. The passenger seat is tight, and the back seats are habitable, but it's not a comfortable place to be at all. (Been back there a few times in other F-Bodies. Not fun) Also, the only thing the mustang has over the F-Body is exhaust sound. Ford tuned those sounds so nicely.
eclogite says:
05:37 AM, 10/14/10
Very cool. You're right - I wish I had them, too. Thanks for sharing.
DLu says:
06:46 AM, 10/14/10
Nice pair of monsters! I remember drooling over the WS6 ... That mullet comment was freaking random, but whatever. Thx 4 sharing
06scooby says:
06:48 AM, 10/14/10
I've always liked the trans ams... not sure I could have one as a daily driver, but I could definitely have one as a toy. A buddy of mine in college had a black 02 WS6 with the 6 spd with the black & khaki interior... it was so cool and he drove it like a cadillac... haha.
coxwill says:
07:01 AM, 10/14/10
I have always loved the WS6...
Nice cars!
dmos says:
07:05 AM, 10/14/10
The WS6 package made the Firebird into the epitome of Pontiac styling in the early 2000s. I love it. I also miss the T-Tops - my first introduction to them was in a friends IROC-Z that I'll never forget.
I always called the balding mullet a "skullet".
ocramidajzj says:
07:36 AM, 10/14/10
Was never a fan of the Camaro but always liked that vintage of Firebird. That beak has some serious menace to it.
stress83 says:
07:44 AM, 10/14/10
Add the T/A to the Z4 on my list of most interesting readers rides. While I'm sure the SS is blazingly fast, it lacks the character of the Firebird.
yellowbal says:
08:11 AM, 10/14/10
This might be a silly question, but once you get your car heavily modified, where do you take it for maintenance and repairs?
stress83 says:
08:15 AM, 10/14/10
@yellowbal: Most people modify and work on their cars themselves.
bodyblue says:
08:18 AM, 10/14/10
Nice rides, thanks for sharing them with us! Those were the days when Camaros looked really nice..(and T/As as well)
foxgtr says:
09:23 AM, 10/14/10
@yellowbal -- I do almost all of the maintenance myself. Some of the things I can't do are done at my local dealer. I have a technician there that handles all of my major work.
@stress83 -- The Camaro just doesn't get the looks from passerbys like the T/A does. For some reason it blends in a bit more, isn't as noticeable. I think that may have to do with the fact they built 10x more Camaros than they did T/A's.
inlinesix says:
09:29 AM, 10/14/10
The T/A looks clean and well cared for. Nice to see someone who takes care of his stuff and even does some of his own work!
felonious says:
10:50 AM, 10/14/10
"I have always loved the WS6...
Nice cars!"
+1!
lmbvette says:
12:31 PM, 10/14/10
I had a modded 2000 TransAm WS6 convertible in the Pewter Metallic color. It was a great car. The interior was 10 years behind behind I always loved the exterior styling.
I also modified the RamAir system to actually work. Even cooler!
I sold it and moved on to a Vette and now own a CTS-V. I'm a fan of GM V8's. ;-)
ttopjohn says:
01:54 PM, 10/14/10
Great looking cars - I like the one stock, one modded thing you have going on there. Of course that could be your excuse to go even further with the Camaro at some point down the road with internal engine mods...a gen IV block fits right in there and gets you to 402 cubes pretty easily.
Re the "sitting in a bathtub" comment above from Bankerdanny: When they were new, they did seem to have a high beltline, relative to what else was available in 1993-2002. But now in 2010 they really don't feel that way anymore, thanks to the increasingly high beltlines on everything else.
yellowmiata says:
02:28 PM, 10/14/10
Amazing work on your Camero! Great stock Firebird.
I am amazed at your Camero's MPG. My Z, which has WAY less hp doesn't return as much mileage. No way will my Nissan pull its front wheels off the ground even in first! Man I'd love a ride in that beast. What's your trick for such good gas mileage? It seems the gearing is in your favor, running 1750rpm @ 79mpg, but even in the city! I'm not a Camero or a Firebird fan, but I completely respect the work you've done to that engine and the power under-the-curve available from the LS engines, modded or not.
Thanks for sharing your rides.
Kevin
joefrompa says:
02:31 PM, 10/14/10
Growing into my mid 20s, I never got v8s. More things to break, poorer gas mileage, tended to require all sorts of sacrifices in cars I didn't care for....
Then when I hit a certain age and started to appreciate some of the finer things, and drove some really fine v8s, that's when I "got it"....
Massive torque plateaus, no engine stumbling ever, any gear any time acceleration, and the ability to make your over-drive gear SOOOO tall it gave you good mileage.
What's interesting to me is that American car companies have built phenomenal v8s for an incredibly long, long time. It became kinda a mantra in my household growing up:
1. Japanese car makers make the best 4s
2. Germans make the best 6s
3. Americans make the best 8s
4. Italians make the best 12s
But aside from lower volume sports cars OR trucks, American companies never pushed the fact that they made the best v8s. Even Caddy's were all about the branding "Northstar", and that was never a great engine. Why didn't they leverage this perception about American v8s more?
mustang5507 says:
04:22 PM, 10/14/10
On Need For Speed: High Stakes, I always preferred the WS6 over the Camaro. It just seemed more raw, loud, and it was much better looking on that game. The rarity of the WS6 makes them more appealing in person too :). Nice F-bodies though!
super_ongoy says:
09:39 PM, 10/14/10
Skullet? That's a good one!
With all that much power in the Camaro you didn't have to put in any new breaks or other parts pertaining to handling? What's the 0-60 time?
foxgtr says:
05:29 AM, 10/15/10
@super_ongoy -- Upgraded brakes are in the works, trying to decide on what I want to go with. Same with the clutch. Haven't taken it down to the drag strip to time it yet, want to make sure all the components that I need to keep the car together after a few passes are installed.