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If you dare drive a sports coupe with a little muscle under the hood you first must make some concessions–if not outright sacrifices. You must:

– Enlist a dentist because the ride will be so stiff and harsh that every time you pass over a tar mark in the road you will lose the crowns on your teeth. Youth lose their fillings, the elderly their dentures.

– Hire a chiropractor to put your bones back in place after the coupe has rearranged your inner workings.

– Get a urologist. No explanation needed.

Corvette has long been known as America’s sports car, but truth be told, unless you positioned stuffed pillows under your seat and above your head, America’s sports car mugged its occupants. A buckboard was smoother.

Ditto the Pontiac Firebird–until now with the arrival of the Ram Air WS6 performance and handling package on the 1996 Firebird Formula and Trans Am.

Sports cars typically promise–and deliver–bumps and bruises and jarring and jostling. In general, they offer the most sadistic form of discomfort known to motoring in the interest of being able to travel from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 8 seconds.

Pontiac for 1996 added 10 horsepower to its 5.7-liter, V-8, boosting it to 285 h.p. and then added Ram Air to kick it up to 305 h.p. Yet despite all that power, with the Ram Air WS6 for 1996, you experience a feeling unknown to those who traveled in sports cars–pampering.

The 1996 Trans Am with Ram Air we tested comes with suspension tuned to the car, including larger front and rear stabilizer bars, higher front and rear spring rates and special shock valving to control body motion and vibration.

It means the engineers came up with a formula for providing stickum in corners and turns. The result is a car that sits flat with minimal lean, sway or roll. You sit fastened in the seat whether the road is filled with twists and turns or peaks and valleys. You have comfort and control of the type usually reserved for the larger Bonneville SSEi sedan. Don’t be surprised if after taking a Ram Air Trans Am for a spin, you find yourself walking around the machine to ensure it is a Firebird and not a Bonney. You exit the car feeling refreshed, not abused–and want to hop back in for more.

The suspension system alone is the reason to have a Ram Air Trans Am in your driveway, and the 305-h.p., V-8 is a bonus.

The Trans Am we tested with the Ram Air WS6 package will travel from 0 to 60 in a blink. By third gear with the unusually smooth shifting standard 6-speed manual, you are beyond pleading, “But, officer, I thought I was only going . . .”

Ram Air is a blast, literally and figuratively. Ram Air means the air that usually would flow up and over or around the nose of the car is directed into a massive air filter under the hood. Cool air is dense and the cooler and denser the air, the more punch it pa cks as it flows through the filter and into the engine to boost horsepower. Call it air injestion.

A turbo uses exhaust gases to spin a blade to provide a power boost and a supercharger uses a little add on-motor to do the same. Ram Air simply uses air that normally passes over or by the car as a shot of adrenalin.

The beauty of Ram Air is that the quicker you travel, the quicker the cool air is pulled through the filter and into the engine and you gain power.

At low speeds Ram Air feels like a turbocharger with a bit of a lag between pressing the pedal and experiencing the power boost. At higher speeds, say faster than 65 m.p.h. and definitely 80 m.p.h., there’s no hesitation, just a burst of horsepower.

In addition to traveling side highways, we had the opportunity to do some hot laps at Michigan International Speedway here. While Pontiac says its 5.7-liter, V-8 will deliver 305 h.p. with Ram Air, officials admit they haven’t been able to calcula te just how much it will deliver at higher speeds.

We get the feeling that when the 4.6-liter, 305-h.p., V-8 in the ’96 Mustang Cobra meets the Ram Air Firebird . . . well, let’s just say it should prove more exciting than Kirk Kerkorian taking on Chrysler.

Adding to Ram Air’s appeal is the decor package, from the scooped composite plastic hood with “Ram Air” decals up front to the spoiler in the rear. Completing the package are 17-inch, speed-rated radial tires mounted on alloy wheels. But be advised that those wide-profile tires tend to dance into and out of the deep grooves left by heavy truck traffic on the interstates. Opt for the flattest lane.

A great toy, but Pontiac still needs to make a few improvements. Though the Formula or Trans Am with Ram Air offers dual air bags and anti-lock brakes as standard, traction control is not available, even as an option. With 305 h.p., traction control should be standard.

The other problem is that before you get too enthused about this car, you better call your insurance agent, who probably is standing by with pin in hand to burst your bubble.

Another concern is that only about 3,000 Ram Air cars will be built in 1996. If you aren’t in line to order one, you should be.

>> 1996 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 coupe
Wheelbase: 101.1 inches Length: 197 inches Engine: 5.7-liter, 305-h.p., V-8 with Ram Air induction Transmission: 6-speed manual EPA mileage: 16 m.p.g. city/26 m.p.g. highway Base price: $21,414. Price as tested: $27,135. Add $2,995 for the Ram Air package including hood scoops, 17-inch aluminum wheels, 17-inch, speed-rated tires, dual exhaust outlets, sports-tuned suspension specific to the car and Ram Air hood decals; $970 for removable T-Tops; $829 for leather seats; $395 for rear spoiler; $135 for keyless entry; $125 for radio controls in steering wheel; $115 for AM/FM stereo with cassette/clock/CD wiring/10 speakers; $90 for an alarm; and $85 for a power antenna. Add $505 for freight. Pluses: The sports-tuned suspension makes the car worth buying even if it didn’t have Ram Air. A high-power coupe with the road manners of a Bonneville SSEi. Ram Air is one potent system and the faster you go, the better it performs. The 6-speed is exceptionally smooth. Dual air bags and ABS standard. Minuses: Hope you can afford the insurance. Hope you can find a place to drive the car without attracting a crowd. Traction control not available with the WS6 package. >>