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« on: August 13, 2012, 04:26:42 PM »
This is a Great forum! Does anyone know or have information about the Motor Trend article "The Great Conspiracy" and picture of Jerry Titus and the TG racing Trans Am and the Silver Trans Am in that picture? I and trying to get as much information about the Silver car as I can. I found that car in Simpsonville Ky 2 years ago. Here is what I know.
1969 Trans Am ....#2 vin 223379U109398 Silver Prototype
The origin for this car starts when John DeLoren picked this Lordstown built high option Palladium Silver(his favorite color according to Gene Winfield the designer of the first silver prototype Firebird Trans Am with a 4speed)Firebird 400 automatic to create the TRANS AM. Pulled from the pool it went to GM Engineering. The team of engineers headed up by Herb Adams & Bill Collins went to work by first removing the 400 engine and installing the new RA IV 345 HP 400 and the PQ coded transmission, Then they installed the rear pedestel spoiler, prototype fiberglass “Trans Am” hood, frt. fender ectractors, 1 inch sway bar, removed the dash and install the "stacked gauges and tachometer" then put it out for press testing and development. Under pressure and being behind of the GTO Judge that was tobe introduced for the 1969 Pontiac line-up along with the Trans Am, John DeLoren called his friend at Hot Rod magazine Steve Kelly and asked if he would do a "test drive" article on the NEW Trans Am. According to Steve Kelly, John D himself delivered the car to him in California. While Steve Kelly had the car he took it to Riverside Race Track for press exposure and testing twice. After two weeks with the car Steve returned the car to Royal Pontiac. From here I am not sure of the events or time lines other than the articles that appear of the Riverside test are in December of 1968 and the Steve Kelly test had tobe done December 1968 and by January 1969 tobe in the March 1969 Hot Rod article. The Silver TA also appeared in April 1969 Car Life magazine. Testing was done at Riverside Raceway in the winter with the writer referring to the RA IV engine and the 1 inch frt. sway bar. The most significant connection comes from the June 1969 Motor Trend article written by Eric Dahlquist. Eric and Jerry Titus where friends and the articles focus was on the racecar and the new 303 engine that Al Bartz was working on. The article made No mention of the Silver TA at all but on page one, the first picture shows Jerry Titus(Trans Am racing series superstar) standing between the Silver Prototype and his Trans Am racecar. According to Rick Titus(Jerry's Son) Jerry bought 6 cars from Royal Pontiac in early 1969,5 cars that TG Racing turned into race cars that would be sold and raced. The Silver TA was in the group and wrecked in the left frt.wheel area and it is unknown how or when that happened. According to Rick Titus, Jerry himself repaired the car and evidence of that is his signature "welded washers" to the subframe that bolts the steering box to the frame was something he did to the race cars to keep the 3 bolts from pulling through. This is present and welded subframe damage as well as the steering box that has the "p" (prototype) stamped not cast into the box as well as the blueprinted internatels. Doug Innes an TG Racing employee from 1969 - 1972 says that Jerry would weld washers to the subframe and change steering boxes on the race cars. Sometime after Jerry purchased the car Paul Lamar of Paul Lamar Engineering took the car to areo test it. Paul says that he took the car to El Miarge drylake in Mojave California and to Star Dust Raceway in Las Vegas as well as the TG racecars to test areo lift & downforce of the spoilers. Sometime after that the car was used as the dailey driver by Jerry Titus. According to Rick Titus he drove the TA to his Senior Prom. Something he recalls in the summer of 1969 is Annie Titus(Jerry's wife) traded the TA to Hollywod Datsun(the first Datsun dealer in the United States) for $2500 for a new Datsun. Rick said that made him so mad when he would drive by and see it sitting on the Used car lot and was upset that Annie did that. Thats when it went from a "Prototype ..Test Car..Trans Am Superstar's dailey driver" to another used musclecar sitting on a car lot.
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