| Mr. Ram Air's Website |
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| Last Updated May 12, 2006 |
| My Photo, Story and Informational Pages |
| My Recent News, Updates and Information |
| Click on the photos or Icons below to go to the various Photo, Story and Informational Pages within this website. |
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| My 2000 WS6 Trans Am Story |
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| My 2000 WS6 Trans Am Photos Page |
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| Car Show Pictures |
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| My father-in-law's 20th Anniversary Trans Am (Turbo Trans Am) #862 Story |
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| 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am #862 Photos |
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| Turbo Trans Am Press Relase Package pages |
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| Our 1987 Firebird V6 Page |
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| Our 1998 Grand Prix GT Photos (Traded) |
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| Not-So-Recent Updates & News (Archives) |
| Please click here to access the past updates page... |
| About this Website... (The Standard Story!) |
| As you can tell by this site's name, I am the proud owner of a 2000 Pontiac Trans Am with the WS6 Ram Air Performance and Handling Package. You saw a picture of it at the upper left-hand corner when you entered the site. As Pontiac used to say, "The Muscle Car Lives!" Then they went ahead and killed it. After the 2006 Car Show circuit, hopefully GM will at least be bringing back the Camaro, and hopefully not in the oh-so boring way it brought back the GTO. Not that the GTO did not have muscle and handling, but who wants to pay $32,000 for a sleeper? This is my tribute to the F-Body! This beauty is rated at 320 horsepower stock from the dealer. What I have heard is that it actually dynos at closer to 340 hp. The powerplant is Chevy's lauded LS1, shared with the C5 Corvette and Camaro Z28. The only modification, if you even want to call it that, was to put in a K&N filter. It is the one that fits the stock Ram Air box, so technically it is not even a mod... But that is the way I want her. She will be a summer, good weather fun & show car. As of this update (July 2003), she only has 4200 miles. I must credit Diane, my wife, for allowing me to fulfill this dream. I have wanted a Trans Am of my own, new, ever since I saw Smokey and the Bandit. (I was in seventh grade when it came out in the theaters!) She has Firebirds in her blood. A friend's sister got a new 1976 TA, and she thought it was the coolest car on earth. When she turned 16 (early 1980), she had a left-over new 1979 Firebird (305 cid) in the driveway, waiting for her to get her license. She bought the 1987 Firebird in early 1989, and sold the 1979 several months later. (Diane had a rough time parting with her old 'Bird!) We have five cats who own us - Princess, Cinnamon, Boots, Snow White and Shelby. We three cats who have passed on (Pumpkin, Spankly and G.G.) and can be found in the In Memoriam pages. Music is also a passion. I have a diverse taste for music, and I blame (credit?) this on my classical voice training in high school. My favorite group of all time is Yes, but Tesla is a close second. Other favorites include Blue Oyster Cult, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Rush, Sammy Hagar, UK, AC/DC, Moody Blues, the Doors, etc. A recent favorite is John Mayer - I saw him on HDNet and loved his jazz guitar styles, and have become a big fan. We live in Cranberry Twp., a community north of Pittsburgh, PA. |
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| Cat Photos Page 1 - Links to Princess, Cinnamon & Grey Guy |
| Cat Photos Page 2 Links to Boots, Snow White & Shelby |
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| Go to my URL Links Page to see my favorite sites by clicking on the above. I have links for Firebirds &TA's , Automotive Parts & Accessories and Entertainment & Misc. |
| My Information: |
| Name: Chris Beckwith |
| Email: yesman@zbzoom.net |
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| Diane's 1979 Trans Am 6.6 Liter Photo Page |
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| First Generation Emblem |
| Second Generation Emblem |
| '79-'81 Hood Bird (Silver w/Red Accents) |
| Third Generation Emblem |
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| 2000 Pontiac Trans Am with WS6 Ram Air Performance and Handling Package |
| Fourth Generation Emblem |
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| FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 13 & 19, 2002 With a very heavy heart, I must report that my special girl, Pumpkin, had to be put down on Labor Day... She had gotten into a fight on August 2nd and her wounds were taking an exraordinarily long time to heal. On the third trip to the vets in as many weeks, she was diagnosed with feline leukemia virus (FeLV). This totally shocked us - she had been immunized and received annual boosters. What nobody ever told us was that the vaccine is only 70-85% effective. We gave her every chance to fight it - but in the end it was too much. We could not allow her to waste away in pain and agony. She is sorely missed - she was the lap cat that I always wanted. Her personality was so strong! We shared six great years together. We took her in when she was six or so - she would have died in late 1996 had we not gotten her medical attention, food and love. Pumpkin has been interred in the Rosedale Pet Cemetery in Penn Hills, PA. Click here or on the photo below to go to her Memorial Photo Page. The other cats have been tested - no others have the deadly virus! We were very concerned about this. I also saved a four to five week old red mackerel tabby kitten the day before Pumpkin was diagnosed. He has been sequestered for both his and the other cats sake until all testing was complete. He has been integrated into the "pride." I found Shelby on the highway where my company is located. It was fate that I found him. He was less than a pound and I was doing 45 miles an hour downhill. He was in the middle of my lane - I saw him as clearly as if he was a full grown cat! We named him Shelby for Carroll Shelby - he was found on the highway and he is a fast one! We could not come up with a Firebird related name that tripped our trigger... Please see his page - accessed through Cat Photo Page 2 below. |
| IN MEMORIAM Pumpkin, Spanky and Grey Guy |
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| FROM OCTOBER 29, 2002 With a continued heavy heart, I must report that Diane's boy, Spanky, was put down on Sunday, October 13. He had a flare-up in his ongoing battle with arthritis the Saturday after Pumpkin died (Sept 7, 2002). We came back from the Pitt Football game to find Spanky wailing in the living room. We rushed him to the emergency vet's in Shaler, PA, and found out it was acute pain from his arthritic back, hips and rear legs. The treatment for this was aspirin and prednisone, both of which attack the kidney. He was already in renal failure and we had been treating him with potassium and subcutaneous fluid therapy since March. We had to decide to treat the pain and shorten his life or allow him to suffer. We chose to keep him comfortable... We were resigned to the fact that he probably would not make it through to Christmas, but we were not prepared for his quick deterioration. What a terrible six weeks. He was with Diane longer than I have been - he was 1-1/2 years old when I got to meet him! He is sadly missed by all. Click on the photo below to go to his memorial page. |
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| FROM JULY 24, 2003 OK, I finally added all of the new cat pictures! Many new photos of Shelby and Snow White, as well as several of Princess, Boots and GG. I think Cinnamon is the only one without any new pictures. There are several new photos in the In Memoriam section as well - showing the grave markers for Spanky and Pumpkin. I have also started a new page for foster cats that we have housed. Only pictures of one so far, but I think I have some of the other two as well. I just need to find them. Unfortunately, no new car pictures at this time. I do have quite a few glamor shots of the '87 Firebird, but that is about it. I may need to scan them, too. Because of our new sunroom project and the Seattle-esque weather in western Pennsylvania this summer, I have only been to one car cruise. Diane has not made it to any so far... I have added several pictures of the new sunroom as well! - Chris |
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| Foster Cat Photos Page - Sweat Pea, PJ and Mr. Whiskers |
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| Sunroom Photos Page |
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| NEW AS OF OCTOBER 17, 2003 Just a quick update today. Added new pictures to the Foster Cat Photos Page. A woman Diane works with had a female kitten brought home to her by her two daughters. Several neighborhood boys were tormenting the kitten. Being dog people, they asked us to take her in and find a home for her. Luckily, a friend of mine, Stacey, a former co-op student at Compunetix was looking for a kitten. Stacey took her for a week while we were supposed to be in Virginia Beach on vacation, even though Isabel wrecked those plans. Stacey still took "Turbo Micro Squirt" for a week to see if her roomates would allow her to keep her. They did, and "Squirt" is now Dinah! |
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| NEW AS OF MAY 12, 2006 My first update in two and a half years! Lots has changed since then - new job as a manufacturer's rep (hence no spare time) in the UPS and Power Quality market. We have two new vehicles - a 2004 Chevy Tahoe and a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix and traded in the 1998 Grand Prix. We are selling the 1997 Bravada now. I finally got a digital camera for Christmas, so new pictures should be more readily available. Our 1987 Firebird was published in Pontiac Firebird: The Autobiography by Marc Cranswick (you can get it through Amazon and B&N). Oh, and the Steelers finally won their 5th Superbowl! Finally, Grey Guy passed away in late April. He had a stroke just before Labor Day. He was quite the trooper and fought to hang in there well beyond his prognosis. We miss you, buddy! I will try to make more changes this month. |