the pontiac 301 turbo is an engine that pontiac produced for the 1980 and 1981 trans am. it was a v8 engine with a displacement of 301 cubic inch which produced an officially factory rated and of torque in 1980. in 1981 it underwent some changes and offered a conservatively rated and of torque. the turbo trans am was first added to the pontiac model lineup in 1979 as a 1980 model year, and was the first production pontiac v8 engine to utilize forced induction; in this case through an exhaust-driven turbocharging system. it was only available for two years, in the 1980 & 1981 model year, which were also the last two years of this body style of the trans am, before it was succeeded by the all-new third-generation f-body in 1982.