1967 EX TG Trans am Firebird driven by Frank Eggers

[OHWOWBill]

I am a friend of former Trans Am Racing Driver Franks Eggers. I am trying to find Frank Eggers 1967 Canadian Trans Am Firebird he purchased in 1970, one of the ex-Jerry Titus Terry Godsall (TG) Trans Am Racing Team Firebirds, and hoped that someone in the Camaro Research Group (CRG) may have come across this Firebird in some of their research. Frank and I are great friends and I would like to at least locate the car if it still exists. Frank Eggers raced his ex TG Firebird during the 1971 and 1972 trans am seasons. After the 1972 Trans Am season ended, Frank painted the Firebird red and traded it for a Formula 5000 Lotus 38 from an individual. The individual purchased the ex TG Firebird along with several other Trans am cars, and sent the Trans Am cars to Japan to be raced there. The missing link is the former owner of the Lotus 38 and what he did with the cars going to Japan!!! Attached are photos of Frank Eggers' 1967 ex TG Firebird he raced in 1971 and 1972. I would appreciate any information from CRG members regarding this Trans Am Firebird.

[Bruce302]

Great question, I think you will find it is a '69 Firebird backdated to look like the previous model as they had to do to run the 302 Chev engines.

I have a T/G sister car (in New Zealand) and they were very well built cars.  I swapped a few emails with Frank a while back, and I made an attempt to track any of these cars in Japan but with very limited Japanese language skills (none) I came up blank.

It may have been converted to a Camaro as was the typical response from non Pontiac people back in the 70's and 80's.

[group/7]

Thanks for posting, interesting story on this car !

You could try inquiring here, this is a Facebook site, but it's open, one can look at it, but if you want to post you have to belong to

Facebook and join the group. It's worth a try.  When the site opens, and they ask if you want to join just say no, and you can view.

Might be able to find some info there ?

Mike

https://www.facebook.com/JPNHM/?tn-str=k*F

[Bruce302]

The Historic Japanese Racing Cars is a great site, Thank you.

[stovebolt]

You could try the Facebook group "Remembering Circuit Mont-Tremblant St. Jovite". You don't have to be a group member to read the posts but you need to be a member to post.

[OHWOWBill]

Three additional photos of the 1967 EX TG Trans am Firebird driven by Frank Eggers:

1. Rear photo 1967 EX TG Trans am Firebird painted red when Frank Eggers sold the car with No. 34.
2. Photo one of 1967 EX TG Trans am Firebird when Frank Eggers purchased the car with No. 3.
3. Photo two of 1967 EX TG Trans am Firebird when Frank Eggers purchased the car with No. 3.

[OHWOWBill]

Another tid-bit that is interesting !!! Frank said that he had to replace the rear bumper after a race and went to a junk yard and got one off a stock firebird and it was 6 inches to short They had apparently widened the the car and he had to graft 6 inches in the middle to get the bumper to fit !!! Looking at the Red car from the rear the spoiler dose not go out to the end of the fenders Was this done to all the cars   Has anyone seen this modification
Thanks again we are trying to follow up on some of your leads !!! I have 2 very good friends in Japan and have put them on the sent but I'm not sure now that they raced in Japan and may have ended up in New Zealand

[Bruce302]

The rear quarters on some, not all, of the T/G cars were widened to allow wider rear wheels.
 It showed most in the gap between the outer part tail lights and the side of the car. That is why the stock bumper was not wide enough, the spoiler looks to be a Camaro item and they came in an early narrower, and later wider version.

I see there were "Stock Car" races at Matsu Bay Japan opening in 72's but due to the fuel crises then they were a short term thing, closing in '73.
Buying a year or two old but well built race car can be a good way to get into racing.

My Firebird came to NZ in late '71, Ron Grable had raced F5000 and Trans Am (Javelin) and it was a fully paid gig during the US winter. He bought the car from Rick Titus and it was sold to a local NZ racer after a couple of weeks racing. 

[group/7]

Bruce302, here's a photo (may have been posted here before, probably by Jon ?) give an idea of the widening of the rear quarters

as mentioned by you.

Mike

(photo: no credit given)

[group/7]

Here's a photo of an Trans-Am Firebird (I believe this could be a prototype ? ? I think Jon had posted this before also) just to give

 an idea between the race car quarters and a standard car.

I've taken the liberty of flipping the image just so the perspective is better 

Mike

[Bruce302]

Great photos, The one with the T/G team car and the Hol-Arc (customer) cars really shows the difference between the widened and non widened cars.
Mine is not one of the widened cars, but it has every other T/G hallmark modifications.

The prototype was, from memory, a Gene Winfield exercise.

[crossboss]

Interesting on the T/A prototype, as the rear 'wing' has a Judge and (later) Buick GSX vibe to it.

[Trans Åm]

Interesting on the T/A prototype, as the rear 'wing' has a Judge and (later) Buick GSX vibe to it.

Way off topic here, sorry gents, but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRy2qLeaX5E

[crossboss]

Interesting on the T/A prototype, as the rear 'wing' has a Judge and (later) Buick GSX vibe to it.

Way off topic here, sorry gents, but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRy2qLeaX5E

That was awesome, thanks for the link! A bit off topic...Oh, btw, as I now remember, the 1969 Cougar Eliminator prototype had a similar type of wing. Maybe it was the sign of the times (late 1960s), that this style was the 'in' thing? Either way it was cool.

[169INDY]

OMG that sound Good!