Ah, the 1960s. It was an era of growing hope and prosperity and a time when customers could buy some of the most potent high-performance models released by American manufacturers. Tightening emission and safety regulations seemed a world away, and nobody could have envisaged the misery awaiting enthusiasts during The Malaise Era. Cars like this 1969 Pontiac Trans Am embodied what the performance scene was about, and this one has a rare trick up its sleeve. It is due to head to auction in Kissimmee, Florida, on January 12th. This Pontiac is listed here at Mecum Auctions with No Reserve and an auction estimate of $375,000 – $450,000. Unsurprisingly, the auctioneers consider it one of their star classics.
General Motors was late to the pony car sector, which is understandable considering nobody envisaged the success of the Ford Mustang. Its offerings were no less impressive in the form of the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird. For Pontiac buyers seeking additional performance credentials, the 1969 Firebird Trans Am WS4 offered the ideal solution. This is one of those cars and retains the features that defined that model. These include the spoilers at both ends, the functional twin hood scoops, and the unique but non-functional front fender scoops. The car recently underwent a meticulous restoration, but the owner retained as many factory parts as possible to maintain its originality. It presents superbly in a combination of Cameo Ivory with Tyrol Blue highlights. The paint shines beautifully, while the restoration work means it is rust-free. The panels are as straight as an arrow, with tight and consistent gaps. It rolls on spotless Rally II wheels, with immaculate trim and Soft Ray glass rounding out its exterior presentation. However, that is just the entree. It’s time we moved on to the main course.
Pontiac produced around 697 Trans Ams in 1969, although figures vary across different sources. All featured the iconic 400ci V8 under the hood, although some were more equal than others. If buyers had the available finance, they could tick the box on the Order Form next to the firebreathing Ram Air IV variant. The standard V8 produced 335hp, but the “IV” included a more efficient aluminum intake, cylinder heads with more efficient inlet ports and round exhaust ports, and a different rocker ratio to increase lift. That combination should have produced a significant power improvement, but the company quoted an output of 345hp. Nobody believed them because they felt that such upgrades would net far more than 10hp. Many journalists in 1969 felt the figure was at least 380hp, although some thought it could be higher. Manufacturers were coy during this time, so the conservative output number is typical of a trend within the industry. This Trans Am is 1-of-55 ordered with the Ram Air IV, which makes it a rarity. This is increased because of its originality. The seller claims that it is 1-of-6 that retains its 100% original drivetrain. Backing the V8 are a four-speed close-ratio manual transmission and a Safe-T-Track rear end, while power assistance for the steering and front disc brakes form part of the package. Other improvements as part of the WS4 option include a 1″ rear sway bar. In this guise, it should storm the ¼-mile in 13.7 seconds. It may only have a top speed of 113mph, but it’s a sure bet it would get there quickly. The engine bay presentation is all you might expect given the car’s recent history, and the numbers-matching drivetrain helps push its potential value to the highest level.
I was surprised when I read that the recent restoration of this Trans Am left the interior untouched and original. If that is true, its condition suggests it has been pampered throughout its life. The Blue upholstered surfaces look excellent, with no wear, physical damage, or stretching. The dash, pad, and carpet are similar, while a Hurst shifter should make ratio selection crisp and precise. There are no aftermarket additions, and although the original owner was focused on outright performance, they selected the factory AM radio with the optional rear speaker.
I often reflect on the demise of Pontiac with sadness. The company was a significant part of the heart of the General Motors’ high-performance empire, and it would have been fitting if it closed its doors with a bang. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. Pontiac gave the motoring world such classics as the GTO and Trans Am and was at the forefront of the muscle and pony car era of the 1960s. Pontiac has gone, but rare cars like this 1969 Trans Am survive so that future generations can appreciate what has been lost. The auction estimate means this classic will probably spend most of its time squirreled away in a heated garage or a museum. I hope its new owner occasionally takes it out on the road and enjoys it as its creators intended. Anything else would be an injustice. Do you agree?
Best looking of all the Trans Am cars Pontiac produced.
Didn’t sell well at all back in the day!
Beautiful car. I grew up a Pontiac amd MoPar lover.
ive been a pontiac fan for 50 years. i like chryslers also . i just never liked the sound of a chrysler starter sounds like my grandmothers old blender. you got to respect what chrysler built to propel these land yachts at sportscar speeds.my uncle was a chrysler engineer . he helped design the steering wheel horrn ring . the only problem with it was if you squeezed the steering wheel to hard the horn would sound…also in fighting about cancer allows cancer to take hold and win…give everything you got to fight the bast,,d and kick cancers as,, …
How can the guarantee for all that money there are no made in China parts on the car? Do you bring a specialist to the auction to verify the car. That’s a lot of money if not GM parts or am I wrong?
Given the fact that the interior was left untouched during the restoration and is as nice as it is, its probably safe to say that the restoration only required minor body work, paint, and replacement of normal wear parts with only minor parts replacements here and there. While it may have some aftermarket pieces, it would make sense that it was nothing too significant and wouldn’t be a big deal to change again if you so desired. Awesome, rare car. Best of a breed.
If you took all of the stuff made in China out of your house and garage today you would probably be sitting on your living room floor buck naked.
Agreed. Besides, not everything made in China is bad, much of it is top notch. Why would a Chinese replica part that is good, lower the value of the car? Are people deep inside lamenting the demise of the American manufacturing base, and along with it the American Middle Class? If so, they need to think more deeply and eventually put more time and discussion about this versus subjective car values. That in the long run might bring back the good times had here, not just automotively, that most associate with these cars. (at least the ones who are not just in it for the money to be made)
At least there’s no Red hoses under the hood.
This I proclaim is one of the finest small blocks to every come out of Detroit ! Most people don’t understand pontiac never put a big block on the road and this voodoo screamer is the pinicle of poncho power as the SD 455 was very close but I believe was slower because of the rarity & thoughs sweet ram air iv heads & curb weight I have a hard time believing this is eclipsed by any small block remember this is a 400 so I’ll have to see what the publications of the day say but I would bet someone with authority can straightening this out ! Until then I will crown this the ultimate small block screamer with close ratio 4 speed!
It’s not a small block or a big block, it’s a Pontiac V-8. Stop it…
Pontiac never made a small block or a big block. And that is the truth.
Not a “small block” pal!
“Meticulous restoration” means that the car is no longer original.
They are only original one time. You can say it has the original drive train.
GTO judges also had RAIV as an option.
RAIV was available on any 69 or 70 gto. Didn’t have to be a judge.
Funny, a 1969 Trans Am for sale in a junkyard soured me to Barn Finds a few years ago. I found it for sale on the internet being sold as a regular ’69 Firebird project car, but I’d noticed a few small items that proved it to be a Trans Am. I was so excited that I immediately emailed Barn Finds to feature it on their website. But the end result was no reply from Barn Finds and a story about a 1975 Chevy Vega in its place.
People will stop using cell phones when they realize why everyone around them is catching cancer…
Even if that were remotely true, most of us have gone to some type of Bluetooth anyway.
@TomP- Better add a few more layers to your tin-foil hat. And your dumA$$ comment is extremely offensive to anyone who has dealt with cancer.
Frank: Wrong answer. I’ve worked in the telecom/wireless industry for 17 years. I know a little more about harmful RF than you. Go up onto the roof of a building and stand in front of a cell antenna for ten minutes and report back how you feel.
Admin, please remove this thread from the page. It is not relevant to the discussion about the ’69 Ram Air IV Trans Am.
But until then, from Cancer.gov:
“Is the radiation from cell phones harmful?
Cell phones emit radiation in the radiofrequency region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Second-, third-, and fourth-generation cell phones (2G, 3G, 4G) emit radiofrequency in the frequency range of 0.7–2.7 GHz. Fifth-generation (5G) cell phones are anticipated to use the frequency spectrum up to 80 GHz.
These frequencies all fall in the nonionizing range of the spectrum, which is low frequency and low energy. The energy is too low to damage DNA. By contrast, ionizing radiation, which includes x-rays, radon, and cosmic rays, is high frequency and high energy. Energy from ionizing radiation can damage DNA. DNA damage can cause changes to genes that may increase the risk of cancer.”
SteVen, believe what you read on the internet or believe what’s going on outside your door, in the real world around you…. It’s your choice.
Some people also think the remotes for the TV cause cancer. But they still use it.
Yep folks, you can either believe what some guy named named “TomP” wrote on the internet or from real doctors and scientists who are the acknowledged leaders in the field. Your choice. A very easy one.
Earth calling Admins. Come in Admins.
SteVen, put your valuables in a suitcase and get on the train at the train station. An acknowledged leader said to do it..
Please tell me you didn’t just use the Holocaust and the imprisonment and murder of millions of innocent people to attempt to justify your crackpot ideas. And to mock and denigrate those victims as if they were somehow culpable for their fates and that they willingly took direction to “put your valuables in a suitcase and get on the train at the train station” is beyond contemptible. Shame on you!
Wake up admins!
Ok, let me break this concept down to a more understandable level: Please step away from the computer, open the front door, walk outside, and start thinking for yourself… I can’t make it more clear than this, because obviously this concept is not getting through, and feelings are getting hurt..
Godwin’s law.
You’re done, TomP. Time to stop digging and and at least have the sense to leave.
As the survivor of Stage 4 Colon Cancer, I can personally tell you that your comments have no business being here. Please go argue on some other forum. This is for car enthusiasts.
There is a reality of making a car “too perfect”. These cars NEVER came with perfect gaps and lines. And to make them perfect requires basically destroying original parts to make it happen. In my opinion the value drops drastically to make it “perfect”.
my buddy has one of these, its a ram air III thou not IV. Its been sitting in his body shop for 20 yrs. He bought it 20 yrs ago for 2500. Had under 500 miles on the odometer, had been a drag car all its life at new england dragway. had BB chevy, 4spd and 12 bolt with 5:13 gears when he got it, no idea what became of the original drivetrain. body was mint, as would be expected, except for the rear wheel wells which were enlarged for slicks. it was black, with a non ram air hood and no rear wing when he got it. As we looked over the car when he got it to his shop I started noticing a few things, although it was black there was places that showed white paint, checked the paint code and it was originally cameo white. the interior was blue which was standard 69 trans am color, lifted the trunk lid and you could see body filler in spots where a wing would attach and it had the side front quarter air scoops. We sent all the info to PHS and it came back as 69 trans am, ram air III, 4spd. He’s lived here in Maine for 40 plus yrs, but grew up in Lynn Mass, ironically when he was in high school there, it was sold at a dealership less than 10 miles from his house. He has put new rear quarters on it, wing and proper trans am hood, although both aftermarket, painted it cameo white and the blue stripes and blue rear trunk insert. It has SBC and 3:73 gears now and he drives it now and then. I keep trying to get him to find date code 400 if possible and 10 bolt rear and get it as close to how came from the showroom, he keeps saying yah,yah sometime. we’re both closer to 70 than 60 so probly never happen. He has one daughter who has no clue about cars, rest of his family passed on so this car and the 68 road runner he moved here with will probably be just sold off and the discovery of a 69 trans am will just be lost to time…….
you lucky dog. wish i could have been there
The Ram Air 4 was one of Pontiac,s best engines and way underrated at 370 HP.I have owned two ram air Pontiac,s and both were never beat street racing. Have to say the rear end gears in these cars were meant for 1/4 mile blasts. My 68 GTO Ram Air 2 car had 4:33 gears and my 70 GTO had 3:91 gears very stiff gears for a engine that only ran up to 5500 red line.
I know of one that got wrecked in a rollover. 1975 Ramsey NJ.
Grail car. If the auction doesn’t run into the headwinds of the current economy this should get all the money
Cool 1969 T/A – Round Port RA IV 400 – 1 of Pontiacs Best Engines in NHRA Stock and Super Stock Class Racing – John Angeles 1969 Super Stock Firebird RA IV 400 Runs 9’s in the 1/4 mile – Cool if Pontiac had had a High Compression – Forged Internals etc. 428 RA IV and later in 1970 a 455 RA IV as options :) but that seemed to Wain when John Delorean left in early 1969 moved to Chevy by GM :(
John Delorean had the best engine ever for Pontiac and it was the Ram Air V but when he left for Chevrolet it was canceled. There would have been no car that could have beat a Pontiac with this engine in it. Also there was in the works a Ram Air 6 and and Ram Air 7 that were just larger cubic inch Ram Air 5 engines. He was amazing in what he knew Pontiac should be to bad GM had no clue on how to make money with each division in there company.Just like today.
also a dual overhead cam on a 400 pontiac engine
General Motors was too big. Had too many different divisions. It is a shame they had to cut some lose. But the writing was on the wall. People don’t know but in the mid 60’s GM sold about 54% of the cars sold in the US. That is why they would not get into NASCAR big time. They were afraid the Federal Government would file an anti trust lawsuit against them.
BTW the Pontiac tunnel port program was about Pontiac’s interest in returning to NASCAR. The resulting Ram Air V engine was by necessity a solid lifter motor, and thus even under DeLorean there was no chance of it becoming a production street engine.
John recently “passed” away!
Many moons ago i got a call from an older gentleman about selling his transam , i didn’t believe him until i saw the car !
I checked the vin with a specialist
Parked outside for decades in a slanted parking
It was absolutely rotted
Floors, frame ,sheet metal, roof , it had desintegrated right where it sat for decades !
A canadian car that had winter tires
He wanted 5k in the 90’s
Someone bought it or it was sent for scrap metal
I didn’t see any usable parts and didn’t know of anyone that could tackle such a restoration
Gorgeous ‘69 Firebird worth very strong money….always loved these!
I think I did ok,I paid $5500.00 in 1993 for my R/A IV T/A.
Good for you.
That is a nice looking 69 Trans Am I own Jim wanger69 Trans Am 400 Ram Air automatic that car is mint and beautiful
I recently saw a video on Haggerty’s YouTube channel about that car. You sir have a great collection!
The 69 T/A was one of Pontiac’s best cars and the $5 for everyone sold that went to the Trans Am series helped fund that organization for years.Hard to believe that all of the 8 Trans Am convertible’s are restored and in collection for some one to enjoy. One collection has 4 of them.
There is one serious error in the write-up nobody has commented on. The 1969 Trams Am didn’t have a rear sway bar.
Beyond that, there is some history that might help the debate over which was the best motor. Here goes:
Anybody interested in the history of the Pontiac V8 should be able to find a two-part article set that was originally published in High Performance Pontiac, now defunct, but it just got reposted at MotorTrend.com. Search for: Pioneers of the Pontiac V8
Pontiac did considerable (considering they didn’t have close to Chevrolet’s budget) race engine dynamometer development for 303 CID (SCCA Trans-Am and NASCAR Baby Grand) and 366 CID (NASCAR Winston Cup).
The cylinder heads used for those engines were RAM-IV, modified according to specs developed by Herb Adams’ group, specifically, Tom Nell and Jeff Young. The head modifications were based on results of an informal bake off they conducted using outside head porting specialists, which was won by Warren Brownfield at Air Flow Research.
Jeff Young was largely responsible for the port design of the production SD-455 heads. Herb’s opinion is that the SD-455 heads were better than the Ram-IV heads. What makes it hard to compare is that there were way more steps watering down the SD-455 than any published depiction I have seen. The development was transferred from Herb’s group after DeLorean was promoted to Chevrolet general manager. Herb’s understandably bitter depiction of the process was the SD-455 got progressively weaker. At the time it was handed off, the cam had enough overlap that the engine didn’t need an air pump to meet emissions regulations.
Herb Adams and Tom Nell both told me they could never get the Ram-V heads to work on the race motors, but obviously people are getting competitive power out of large displacement with them today.
I wasn’t a Pontiac engineer, but I worked with those guys in 1971-1973 as a member of the team that raced the Gray Ghost 1964 Tempest in 1971, and a Firebird that finished 2nd in the Trans-Am series in 1972 (both 303 CID), and a Pontiac Grand Am (366 CID) in NASCAR Winston Cup.
More underside pics would help.
Nice to see proper floor mats in a classic car.
IMO, can’t beat a blue interior – good luck finding anyTHING new this color inside.
I would imagine with 2 resonators(or turbo mufflers back then?) A N D a big heavy sideways mufflers, the exh system is sapping quite a bit of hp. Was it too loud with just the 2 resonators in ’69? I would imagine many single sideways mufflers were removed back in the day.
Imagine a ’69 camaro sharing this much better looking dash.
Was a hood tach available? – maybe dealer installed only, when no dash tach ordered?
Please go away. Hate mongers like you have no place here. We’re car enthusiasts and your political prejudice and unpatriotic rhetoric are better suited for some bar.
Please get an education in integrity, with your libelous narrative. You are the hate monger, as a hypocrite.
Former SWAT Nuke Team Leader US Army
Retired Economist
Objective Systems Analysis my Profession
You are low integrity
There was 2nd Lieutenant going through pilot training where I worked in about 1980 who drove one of these, but with a drop top. Turns out convertibles are pretty rare. It was Ram Air III, auto.