‘Gold Rush’ 455 SD Trans Am Is a Heartfelt Family Tribute
Trans Am Worldwide founders Tod and Scott Warmack discuss the car that started it all—their dad’s gold 1978 Pontiac Trans Am.
If you were to ask us which legendary auto brand we’d love to revive, Pontiac is the first to mind. It introduced America’s (and the the world’s) first “muscle car” with the 1964 Tempest GTO. More importantly, it helped usher in General Motors F-Body platform alongside Chevrolet in 1967. And while the 1967 Firebird was an important car in the first golden age of American Muscle, the 1969-70 Firebird Trans Am was arguably the most important flagship performance car for Pontiac.
Today, Trans Am Worldwide (TAW) manufactures the spiritual successor to the legendary car. Back in 2012, GM licensed the nameplate and logos to TAW (Trans Am Depot at the time). TAW is allowed to use Camaros as a base structure for their version of the Trans Am. The above video from the carmaker’s official YouTube Channel chronicles a special version of their custom 455 Super Duty called the “Gold Rush,” directly inspired by the founders’ father’s gold-colored second-gen Trans Am.
The documentary officially starts with brothers Scott and Tod Warmack showing Tod’s son, Ben, family photos of his grandfather and his cars, and they single out the gold Firebird. “That was the car that started the whole Trans Am fever with this family,” said Tod. “1978 gold Trans Am…it was an instant love affair.”
Their father, Ted, unfortunately passed away on September 12, 2018. So this project serves to honor his memory.
Base Vehicle
As you can imagine, the base vehicle is indeed a sixth-gen 2SS Camaro. One of the first things they did was cut the roof to accommodate a targa top. From there, rebuilding the LT1, plopping a Magnuson TVS2650 on top, then dyno time. For them, the Magnuson delivers lower IATs, allowing them to push steeper degrees of ignition timing and more fuel.
As a result, the TAW team broke 944 HP and a whopping 1108 lb-ft of torque on their third run. This is an incredible feat for GM motor rated at 455 horsepower from the factory.
The paint team color matched the Gold Rush to the original Warmack Trans Am as closely as possible. The carbon fiber door trim also sports the iconic “rising phoenix,” which is superimposed to look 3D-like.
But while they’ve made great strides in making the Gold Rush resemble their father’s vehicle, there is one thing they can’t live without, drivetrain-wise. “One thing I have to change is that I can’t do automatic,” said Tod, chuckling. “I can’t do automatic.”
What’s more, they are also made a “single-axle” Gold Rush, too.
Trans Am Motorcycle
Tod and Scott grew up on their grandfather’s gigantic dairy farm. And as a result, everyone living there got their own cycle. Tod remembers pulling out of the barn doors in his bike as his dad pulled off in his Trans Am and it gave him an idea. “I think it’d be pretty cool to create a modern motorcycle to go along with the modern Trans Am,” said Tod. “It reminds me of what [Orange County Choppers] did when they built the bikes for us about eight or nine years ago.”
While their father never got to see this masterpiece in person, the Gold Rush serves as a heartfelt tribute to him and a shining throwback to one of the most popular Firebird models of all time.
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