The LU5 (5.0 liter, 305 cid cross-fire fuel injected V8) will not go down in history as one of the fastest V8s ever produced, however it does have its place in automotive history.  Let's rewind back to 1982 when this engine first made its introduction in January 1982 in the 1982 Trans Am and Camaro Z28, the auto industry's first concern was not performance.  It was still spinning from the second fuel crises which hit in late 1979.  Efficiency and fuel economy were the buzz words that every manufacturer was reciting.  And to make matters worse when the federally mandated C.A.F.E. standards hit in the late 1970s, it looked like it could be curtains for the V8 all together by the mid 1980s.  A few persistent folks at GM insisted that the 3rd generation f-body (Camaro/Firebird) platform which was release in 1982 have available V8 power propelling the rear wheels.  

       What you see here with the LU5 is what the engineers at GM (working in a Chevrolet run engine facility) came up with when their hands were tied.   Considering this they came out with a masterpiece.  From a performance standpoint the early 1980s was the lowest point in the last 40 years however the LU5 helped keep the Trans Am in 1982 and 1983 at the top of the heap of the performance cars for the early 1980s.  From 1982 to 1983 the LU5 equipped Trans Am was among the fastest and powerful American production cars.  Even the 1982 Mustang GT and its H.O. 5.0 liter (302) V8 produced 8 less horsepower  than the 1982 LU5 Trans Am.  And the Corvette the fastest American production car for 1982 was powered by the L83 motor which was a 350 cid (5.7 liter) cross-fire fuel injected motor.  Both the '82 and '83 LU5 and the '82 L83 share similar similar air filter covers which look all hot rod.  The only difference between the '82 L83 and LU5 air filter covers was they used different size snorkels.  Both had a black filter assembly  which housed twin round air filters that filtered air for the twin Rochester 400 TBI units (Rochester 401 TBI units where used on the L83).  The LU5 used the same camshaft as the 350 L83 which gave the LU5 a very high performance 9.5:1 compression ratio.  Since the LU5 has a high compression ratio, 92 to 94 Octane unleaded gas will give a stock LU5 its best performance.  

      When viewing the Cross-Fire engine it has such a great look which was borrowed from the racing cross-ram Chevy 302 V8 (an engine only used for racing applications in the late 1960s).   The LU5 when viewed at car shows and other venues always get lots of positive comments from passer-bys.  The LU5 could only be had with an automatic transmission.  The LU5 in 1982  had a TH200C (3 speed) automatic transmission and in 1983 it had the beefier 700R4 (4 speed) automatic transmission.  The '82 and '83 LU5 V8 were identical with the exception that the '82 LU5 was painted GM Corporate engine blue (which all GM engines were painted from mid 1977 to 1982) and the '83 LU5 is painted GM engine black which all GM engines have been painted since 1983.  All LU5 V8s came with a free flow dual resonator exhaust system (from the catalyst back) that exited out two pipes.  Motor Trend back in 1982 mentioned that this system sounded "tough as nails" which meant it had the tradition deep muscle car exhaust sound.  

      In retrospect the LU5 kept performance alive in 1982 and 1983 in the Trans Am lineup until the release the more potent L69 which led later to the even more potent TPI motors.  Maybe the theme song of the LU5 should be the Bee Gees' song "Staying Alive" because that is what it did for the Trans Am lineup, and for that a debt of gratitude is owed to the LU5. 

1983 - 1986 L69 H.O. 4bbl 305 V8

The L69 replaced the Cross-Fire fuel injected LU5 as the top motor in the Trans Am, it was introduced the Trans Am as a July 1983 option (very late 1983 option).  For those collectors reading this, that amounted to only a few hundred 1983 T/As with the L69.  In 1984 a lot of T/A buyers realized its performance potential and were in line waiting to buy with money in hand.  With 190 horsepower and 240 lbs/ft of torque the L69 provide plenty of punch.  And to top it off the L69 came standard with a 3.73 rear axle ratio (great for off the line performance).  The L69 came standard with a Borg and Warner T5 (5 speed manual) transmission and also could be had with the optional 700R4 (4 speed) automatic transmission for 1984.  For 1985 and 1986 the L69 could only be had with the T5. 

1985 - 1992 (305/350) TPI fuel injected V8

Here is group of engines that need no introduction, from the mid 1980s to early 1990s GM's TPI (Tuned Port Injection) V8 motors were the hottest combinations on the street.  These motors allowed the Trans Am to compete with even the best of exotic performance cars in its day.  The 5.0 liter (305 cid) TPI V8 was released in 1985 on the Trans Am lineup where it remained up through the 1992 Trans Am model year lineup.  The 305 TPI V8 produced 190 to 230 horsepower and 270 to 300 lbs/ft of torque during its 8 model years in the T/A lineup.  While the 5.7 liter (305 cid) TPI V8 borrowed from the Corvette was released in the 1987 lineup and remained through the 1992 lineup.  The 350 TPI V8 though hampered by the available of only a (700R4) 4 speed automatic still was the performance king of the Trans Am lineup with horsepower ranging from 210 to 240 and lbs/ft of torque ranging from 315 to 340.