Lucas Bell 
Muscle cars are just plain cool. They exude a certain level of attitude and aggression that make them a perfect representation of American automotive excellence. There is no denying the fact that the muscle cars for sale today are the most capable and accessible that have ever roamed the street, but they lack a certain style factor that their ancestors carried in droves. Cars like the Pontiac Firebird, which managed to keep its cultural status late into the oil-crisis fueled Malaise era of the 1970s. Despite Pontiac’s ultimate demise at the hands of General Motors financial troubles, the famed nameplate has found a new home with the folks over at Trans Am Depot, who have produced this awesome documentary about the legendary muscle car.
While Pontiac lived on until 2010, the Firebird nameplate ended with the production of the F-body platform in 2003, which also underpinned the Chevy Camaro at the time. Back in 2011, brothers Tod and Scott Warmack joined forces with partner Jim Dowling to embark on a single mission: recreate the Pontiac Trans Am in the modern era. The group’s avid love for the muscle car is shared with a number of people, and since acquiring the rights to the Trans Am name in 2011, Trans Am Depot has made a business out of resto-modding, restoring and recreating Pontiac Firebirds.
The documentary titled “GOLD RUSH” shows us that the brother’s love for the model began like so many of our own car stories: with a little help from their old man. A 1978 Firebird Trans Am finished in gold came rolling up to their home one day, after their father purchased the car without giving the family a heads up. Trans Am Depot Director and co-founder Tod Warmack says in the documentary that from that point it was an instant love affair.
The whole documentary is well done and heartfelt, featuring plenty of muscle car action from cars new and old alike. While we will let you watch this enjoyable family story for yourself, we do suggest dusting off that old Jerry Reed tape to help set the scene.
