cars news 10: 1,000-HP 2017 Trans Am 455 Super Duty Bows in New York

Although the 840-hp (on 100 octane race fuel) 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon has been blowing up the internet, another high-powered American muscle car was also introduced at the 2017 New York auto show. Florida-based Trans Am Worldwide revealed the 1,000-hp Trans Am 455 Super Duty this week. Just 50 examples of the 455 Super Duty will be built.

Where previous Trans Am Worldwide cars were based on the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro, and GM’s Zeta chassis, the new Trans Am 455 Super Duty is the first model built around the sixth-gen Camaro and the lighter Alpha chassis.

Power for the Trans Am 455 Super Duty comes from a 455-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) version of GM’s current Generation V LT1 V-8 engine topped off with a Magnuson TVS2300 supercharger that provides 14 psi of boost — that’s 0.5 psi less than the new Challenger SRT Demon. A cold air intake and ceramic coated headers and 3.0-inch exhaust brings power to 1,000 hp and 1,046 lb-ft of torque, or 160 hp and 276 lb-ft more than the Demon on race gas and 192 hp and 329 lb-ft more than the Demon on 91 octane.

Trans Am Worldwide says the engine is built in conjunction with an unnamed premier NASCAR engine builder from Martinsville, Va. A quick Google search suggests it could come from Arrington Performance owned by NASCAR racer and team owner Joey Arrington.

2017 Trans Am 455 Super Duty motor specs

“The new model is a complete redesign that features sleek body lines with masculine proportions and traditional retro styling,” said Tod Warmack, co-founder of Trans Am Worldwide, in a release. “We are also offering optional glass T-tops this year but perhaps the most notable element of this historical accomplishment is that we now join the ranks of an exclusive few who offer a 1,000-hp performance package in a production vehicle.”

Like the previous car, the exterior of the Trans Am 455 Super Duty is styled after the Pontiac Trans Am of the 1970s, but features lots of carbon fiber body panels including the front fascia, shaker hood and scoop, carbon fenders with heat extractor vents, rear fascia, and decklid. Other redesigned exterior bits include custom fascia grilles, a side ground effects package, and unique taillights. A custom painted graphics package includes the “screaming chicken” hood decal, and fender and rear spoiler details. T-tops are optional.

Curb appeal and handling are further enhanced by 1.0-inch lowering springs, an anti-roll bar package, and three-piece 10-spoke Crawler Race Wheels measuring 20.0 x 10-inch up front and 20.0 x 11-inch in back wrapped in 285/35R20 front and 305/35R20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Factory brake calipers are custom coated, while a Brembo brake upgrade is available. The optional Brembo brake package consists of massive 15.0 x 1.3-inch front and 15.0 x 1.1-inch rear cross drilled rotors clamped down by six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers.

Inside, the Trans Am 455 Super Duty features a Trans Am Super Duty shifter handle, restyled vintage climate vents, custom leather seating with “455” embroidered head rests and an “SD” embroidered seat back, embroidered floor mats, painted door panels, custom gauge cluster, and painted door sills.

For the fifth-gen Zeta-based finale, Trans Am Worldwide built the black and gold Bandit Trans Am Tribute Car signed by Burt Reynolds himself. The car, which paid homage to the cult classic film Smokey and the Bandit, was limited to just 77 examples. Power came from a supercharged LSX 454-cu-in V-8 engine cranking out 840 hp and 790 lb-ft.

Source: Trans Am Worldwide