The original Trans-Am was part and parcel of one of the things that made the Golden Age golden. Many of the best U.S. drivers and teams participated, as well as most of the carmakers. One aspect of its huge success was that fans and aficionados drove and identified with the very same models they saw racing. In 1966, the Sports Car Club of America inaugurated a new professional series, the Trans-American Sedan Championship, or the Trans-Am as it was called….

Jerry Titus in the Shelby Trans-Am Mustang is shown leading John McComb’s Mustang in the 1966 season-closing Riverside 4-hour race. Jerry won, clinching the manufacturers championship for Ford, while the McComb/Brad Booker car finished 4th. Note the rudimentary rollover protection.
Photo: David Friedman