In a matchup that seems unlikely, is a ’88 Pontiac Trans Am GTA that goes toe-to-toe against a new European supercar. In an ongoing series put together by Hoonigan, called This vs. That (which we’ve covered before), it’s an episode made special for those who love Italian cars, and cars that Italians love. Leave it to Hoonigan to see it through, though. What appears to be an unlikely situation becomes more clear once you dig a little deeper under the hood of the Trans Am.
Sporting an LSA out of a 2014 ZL1 Camaro, and backed by a sequential gearbox, the Trans Am is said to crank out 610hp. Naturally, an 8.8 rear end out back stuffed with Moser axles is certainly an upgrade over the old GM 10-bolt, and the entire suspension has been upgraded with hardware from Detroit Speed.
At all four corners, sit 315mm wide rollers that cover aftermarket gold lace wheels, that at first glance, look strikingly similar to the original 16-inch GTA wheels from Pontiac. The owner elected to stick with much of the regional aesthetic of the car, including the interior, which still maintains its button filled steering wheel and OEM tape deck, complete with Bob Seger cassette.
So with over 600hp to the tires and a curb weight of 3400-pounds, you have to wonder what this car is going to be up against to make things “fair.” As it turns out, a new Ferrari 488 Pista. One of the latest and cutting edge supercars on the market, the Pista cranks out 700hp from the Italian factory of which it was produced. With a curb weight that comes in at 400-pounds less than the throwback Pontiac’s, a weight balance that obviously gives it a handling and off-the-line traction advantage, and a sticker price that cost nearly 20-times as much as the GTA’s did in 1988, one would have to wonder who the heck dreamt up this shootout.
As it turns out, things didn’t go so well for the F-body, but before we tell you exactly what happened, you’ll have to watch and see for yourself.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
