The Pontiac Trans Am was once the king of pony cars. It boasted a big-displacement V8 engine and brash looks that signified muscle under the hood.
However, two brothers took the performance even further in the late 1970s. Even as American cars were being hit with new regulations, the Trans Am soldiered on with a 400 cubic-inch V8 engine in 1977, though that was down from the massive 455 ci engine. Dennis and Kyle Mecham hatched a plan to bolster the cars. They created the Pontiac Macho Trans Am, and it earned its name with flying colors.
To restore performance to 455 ci levels, the Mecham brothers swapped in new headers, opened the intake, increased the fuel curve, and more. This unlocked another 50 horsepower from the 400 ci V8 engine. The chassis was also treated to some love with Koni shocks and retempered front springs.
To get around the regulations, the Mecham brothers sold the Macho Trans Am as a “used car” since federal regulations didn’t allow modifying new cars and then selling them as new again. In all, 325 Macho Trans Ams were built until 1980, when GM fitted a 301 ci V8 to the car in 1980.
All five Macho Trans Ams sold at Mecum Dallas and it’s unlikely this much macho will ever be in the same room again.
Comment
The Macho´s TA and Mecham Racing TA`s are the same tuner?