‘Translammed’ Corvette Is a Super Cool Monster in Firebird Garb
Creation of ‘TreadWear’ Trans Am Firebird takes all the coolness of IMSA style, with a new drivetrain.
There was a time when Vette Kart builds were becoming a bit too common. But that’s only because there was really no ingenuity in taking the body off, and just leaving the bare shell underneath. But TreadWear took a totally different approach. They wanted to create a “what if” of sorts. The question being, what if they could create from scratch their vision of a Trans Am Firebird that would have competed in IMSA races?
Built as a promotional tool for TreadWear‘s main product – custom and ready made tire stickers – this Vette kart was built for one purpose. It is meant to look totally badass. And we’d argue it pulls it off perfectly. According to MotorTrend, the car was also built for just $17,000. All in.
The Firebird Formula parts car was found for just $500, and the C5 that lay under it was scored for just $6,000. And it’s not just any C5. It’s a Z06. But don’t worry, purists. It was a salvage title example, so it was either going to be saved and made into this car, or likely sent to the crusher. We definitely prefer this outcome.
But of course, the C5 and Trans Am are two very different machines, with different proportions. The answer for how to shorten the Pontiac came from an interesting observation. The doors are just way too long! So this is really a stubby Trans Am.
Of course, part of the name is “slammed,” which it is. Aldan American shocks have adjustability, so they would be able to account for the additional weight of the Trans Am’s metal body. Now of course, the look of being slammed is accentuated by the extra wide body work. Squared off edges (but not quite box flares) and exposed louvers and vents really highlight an aggressiveness we’ve never seen from a Trans Am before.
And of course the wheels only add to the look. They are made to look like original Pontiac turbo fan wheels, but unlike the ones on the production car, these actually are functional. Combined with the multi-color livery carried over from the car into the aero disc, it makes for an awesome ride. We still can’t believe they did it for $17,000!!
Photos: MotorTrend
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