Originally Posted by
6376vette
I don't think anyone is arguing that the early birds were not a big part of the trans am series, sure they were. That's why there is a demand for 67-72 Firebird bodies that hpi should have released. however the 77/78 body style just released by hpi was not and thus should not be a vta legal body. In fact the only reason Chevrolet built the 302 you referred to was so they could run it in trans am.
Exactly
The first Chevrolet 302s were 327 blocks with 283 cranks and were specifically built for SCCA Sedan A & B racing (Trans-Am racing) and were built because the class required a production engine. Ford did something with their 302 (stroked the 289 from 2.87 to 3.00). These engines were specifically produced to homologize them because SCCA Trans-Am racing required production engines. Custom 305s were built for Dodge/Plymouth when they entered the fray in 1970 (when the rules for production engines were changed to allow non-stock displacements). I agree about the Batmobile Trans-Am body not being legal. I was addressing JCarr who said Trans-Ams never raced in the Trans-Am series.