Here’s a rad image. Fresh and fly. Sorry, it’s hard to resist the ’80s slang with today’s photos, but if you lived back then, these were the cool wheels to have if you were into GM’s youthful offerings.
There’s no date attached to this image, but the aero kits suggest these Camaros and Firebirds hail from the late 1980s, perhaps the early ’90s. We do know the photo was taken in Southern California, with the cars riding aboard a PMT truck based in Van Nuys.
Let’s move to the earliest of today’s images, a group photographed in 1985 or ’86, according to the image notes, near Carlisle, Pennsylvania. These F-bodies were hauled out of GM’s Norwood, Ohio, plant.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in a post featuring 1980s Camaros on dealer lots, there’s quite a range of F-bodies to spot among these truckloads. From “plain” Firebirds to Trans Ams, T-tops, and plenty of other options, there’s a little bit of everything here.
No date came with this image, but it looks like another late-’80s shipment, this time heading out of Ohio along I-78. Since most of today’s photos appear to come from the latter part of the model run, you’re unlikely to spot an Iron Duke-powered example in these truckloads. The four-cylinder made sense in the economy-minded early ’80s, but it was dropped from the lineup after 1985.
Moving further into the decade, the Firebirds above are riding on a Delavan 2300 carrier. According to the image notes, the photo was taken in Albuquerque sometime in 1989, putting these Pontiacs well into the second half of the model’s 1982–1992 run.
Here we’re nearing the end of the third-generation F-body’s run, with this image dated December 1991. That likely makes these 1992 models, the last of the line before a new generation arrived. A lot had changed since the 1982 models first came about. Back then, buyers could choose a 90-hp 2.5-liter Iron Duke four, a 102-hp 2.8-liter V6, or a 305-cubic-inch V8 producing 145 or 165 hp. By 1992, the lineup had evolved to include a 140-hp 3.1-liter V6, 305 V8s rated at 170 or 230 hp, and a 240-hp 350 V8, along with the rare Formula package.
An entirely new generation would arrive for 1993–2002. Despite its evolutionary improvements, I’ve never warmed up to those. So, drawbacks and all, the 1982–1992 F-body remains my generation one. Impractical, perhaps even pointless, yet low-slung, eye-catching, and with subtly seductive lines. Pretty rad, indeed.
I drove for The Ryder Car Haul Division. Started at the GM rail head in Jackson, Mississippi in1982. Retired at the Flat Rock, Michigan terminal in 2008. In between I drove out of Houston,Tx. then Bowling Green, Ky.
As you can see from the photos, ease of maintenance on the transport trucks was the last thing on anybody’s mind.
Capacity is king, and there was just enough clearance to open the flip front hood. Now an engine rebuild might require removing the over cab ramp. Modern car haulers are equally packed, although most do a add a flat top sleeper
The engines could be repaired with the headrack on.
Ryder shops hated us car haulers.
So did everyone else that had to work on them!
You are correct about that.
There used to be a GM assembly plant in Van Nuys; those Camaros must have come from the plant.
Yes, that was the last product assembled there before it closed. Rework area was supposedly 1/8th of production space. Not a labor issue, engineering and management incentives were to blame. Plant management got full credit for each car that could drive off the line under its own power. Giant glass rear hatch was the engineering fail that led to much of the rework.
The Brigadier was a great truck for car hauling, the cab roof was low and hood was short, but you could still spec. decent power in them. Car haulers need more power than you think because of the bad aerodynamics. I used to see P.M.T. haulers a lot, they handled GM Van Nuys and Southgate plants. P.M.T. also had a lot of the GM ‘Steel Tilt’ haulers, they were special models with 6V-71 Detroits and twin-screw rear axles. Some even had 8V-71’s in them.
I was surprised to see a car with a rear window louver in the last picture – I thought they were dealer-installed accessories. But I just looked it up, and louvers were a $210 option for 1992.
Nice catch. What’s the white car that looks like a 91 Firebird convertible with black top? It has black wheels? No Firebird came with black wheels?
If I’m not mistaken, ASC handled the 3rd gen f-body convertibles, so likely something they installed.
I did 11 years with Anchor Motor freight (Leaseway Transportation). The only Camaro’s I hauled would have been from the various railheads in the system. St Therese Quebec also built the F bodies at that time. and I think that plant was closed at the end of Gen 3 production.
11 years with Anchor? You have my deepest sympathy!
The first photo with a Firebird GTA (the black one on top of the carrier) would have been taken no earlier than late 1986 as the GTA was introduced as a 1987 model. Photos 3 shows the Firebirds high mounted brake light at the top of the rear window, which indicates it was a 1986 model yr car, when the light was introduced/ mandated. It was then moved to under the rear spoiler for the 1987 model year (as seen in photo #4).
You beat me to it. This is mix of ’86 and ’87+ models. That goofy 1986 quick fix pod just looked all kinds of awful. I guess Pontiac and Chevy didn’t have enough time to figure out what to do about a permanent design solution for the third brake light and slapped that thing on to satisfy for one year.
Correct. There were two Camaro/Firebird plants in the US to the end of the third generation (1992 the last model year). One was in Norwood, OH, and the other in Van Nuys, CA. Both were closed after the last car rolled off the assembly line (it was a Red IROC-Z at Van Nuys, a story with pics is out there on that – can’t find info on Norwood’s closing). The new 4th generation 1993 Camaros and Firebirds were made in eh Quebec plant only until their last one in 2002.
There are some interesting spots here. In September 1986 I ordered a 1987 Trans Am GTA (flame red metallic which was like a dark candy apple red) and it was built in Van Nuys. When delivered all the way across the country to the panhandle of Florida in mid-October, the paint was still so fresh that I could put my finger nail in a hidden area and it would sink in. Loved that car to 120K plus miles and seven and a half years!
As mentioned by Brian above, one trailer has 1986 models with those stupid pod third brake lights on the top of the hatch glass. That just looked so wrong even back then. The rest are 1987 and up models with the (what should have been all along) third brake light integrated into the spoiler. Now on to the spots:
The first trailer that GTA almost looks like a dark teal, but it has to be black as Pontiac didn’t have that color for Firebirds then. A dark teal would have been awesome! I see two white Formulas on the second and fourth trailers. The first one is a 1986 with those N96 16″ wheels, and the second is a 1988 or 1989 with cool newer 16″ wheels (RPO PE0 for Formulas only). Formulas were the real sleeper deals for a bargain below the cost of an IROC or WS6 suspension performance TA or GTA. You’d get all the IROC/GTA performance and handling for thousands less optioned right. The 350 auto was a Mustang GT eater, especially in handling a road course.
The last photo shows either 1991 or 1992 models (1992 was the last model year for this generation). I can tell because the Firebirds got new snouts in 1991 which was a hint on what the new 1993 4th generation Firebird nose would look like. That convertible white Trans Am has that nose. The Camaros as well got new lower aero skirt fake “NACA” ducting both front and rear in those model years. And new wheels as well. I find the burgundy Camaro RS on that last trailer having louvers installed from the factory interesting. That must have been an option in the last years of production. Most people chose tint over those things (I had them on my 1984 Z28 and didn’t like them).
The amount of base GTAs, IROC-Zs, and base Camaros also is an indicator of what was in demand. Not many Formulas, regular Trans Ams (as the blue 1986 one in the third pic) or regular Z28s. Lots of RS Camaros in the last pic as well. Anyway what a great spread and fantastic memory reminder!
I toured Norwood assembly with the cub scouts around 1977…lots of black T/As with the screaming bird decal. That’s about ALL I remember, except we did go to McDonald’s afterward, which was a rare treat.