Today in Automotive History
1969 Firebird Trans Am Debuts
The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was introduced. The Firebird Trans Am was just one in a series of muscle cars released by Pontiac in the 1960s, including the Grand Prix and the GTO.
It all began in 1959 when Pontiac hired a young car designer named John DeLorean. DeLorean's designs increased sales for Pontiac by 27 percent between 1962 and 1968. The Grand Prix and the Firebird accounted for half of the gain. On the basis of its muscle cars, Pontiac ruled the youth market of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Trans Am, originally a limited model Firebird, would become a symbol in the muscle car niche of automobile manufacturing
.