During the early years of the SCCA’s Trans-American Sedan Championship, fans could cheer for factory-backed entries from all the major U.S. manufacturers — Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros, Plymouth Barracudas, Mercury Cougars, Pontiac Firebirds, Dodge Challengers and AMC Javelins — driven by the top drivers of the day, Mark Donohue, Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, Jim Hall, George Follmer, Sam Posey, Peter Revson, Bob Tullius, and more. The Trans-Am’s five-liter “Pony Cars” were a good indication that Detroit believed in the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” mantra, but alas, after those rivalries lifted the series to its pinnacle in 1970, the realities of head-to-head competition meant all of the carmakers eventually decided to forsake the series.
This year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, scheduled for August 18-21 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, will host three dozen original Trans-Am cars that will perform for the crowd on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of race weekend. The Trans-Am thus joins the Can-Am, another SCCA series born in 1966, on the Rolex Reunion schedule as this year’s 43rd annual event unfolds. For complete information please visit www.mazdaraceway.com
