Pontiac 301 Turbo

The Pontiac 301 Turbo, regular production option LU8, was a turbocharged version of the 301 cubic inch Pontiac V8 that Pontiac built for the 1980 and 1981 Pontiac Firebird. It was the first production Pontiac V8 to use forced induction, and it was developed to give Pontiac a performance engine while General Motors pushed its divisions toward sharing Chevrolet engines. The 1980 engine was rated at 210 horsepower and 345 pound-feet of torque, and the 1981 engine at 200 horsepower and 340 pound-feet, with a computer-controlled carburetor added for 1981. It had a stronger block with more nickel, forged pistons, an oil-cooled Garrett turbocharger and a knock sensor that retarded ignition timing under detonation. General Motors ended the engine before the third-generation Firebird arrived in 1982.