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12k Original Miles: 1979 Pontiac Trans Am 10th Anniversary

Hidden under this cover is a Pontiac Trans Am that has led a sheltered existence. It spent part of its life as a museum piece but has been in private ownership for the past 11-years. The owner has only accumulated 500 miles behind the wheel in that time, but the Trans Am is roadworthy and is ready for a new owner to enjoy. It is located in Lindenhurst, New York, and has been listed for sale here on craigslist. You can drive this classic home today by handing the owner $50,000. I have to say a huge thank you to Barn Finder Pat L for spotting the Trans Am for us.

Hiding under the cover is a 10th Anniversary Trans Am, looking resplendent in its original combination of Platinum Poly and Dark Charcoal paint. This has retained a beautiful shine, while the panels look straight and clean. All of the usual 10th Anniversary features are present, including the T-Top with reflective glass panels, the special version of the Screaming Chicken, and the distinctive “Turbo” alloy wheels. The Pontiac has been parked in this garage for the past 11-years and has only emerged on rare occasions. Before this, it spent time on display in the Volo Auto Museum in Illinois. This has allowed it to remain well preserved and rust-free. Cosmetically and physically, this Trans Am would seem to need nothing.

The 10th Anniversary Edition brought some notable upgrades to the interior trim and equipment. Seats were upholstered in unique silver leather with hand-embroidered birds on each door panel and the rear seat. The Formula wheel was wrapped in gray leather, while the instruments featured red lighting. The interior of this Pontiac is mostly original. The radio has made way for a radio/cassette player, but this occurred before the current owner took possession of the vehicle. There is some minor wrinkling of the outer edges of the front seats, and the seat-backs look like they might be discoloring. However, this could also be a trick of the light. Beyond those few possible items, the interior condition is above average for a Trans Am of this age. The owner states that all of the interior equipment functions as it should. Comfort appointments include ice-cold air conditioning, power windows, and a tilt wheel.

When we delve below the surface of the Trans Am, what we find is some pretty good news. This car comes equipped with the 400ci Pontiac V8 engine, a 4-speed manual transmission, power steering, and 4-wheel power disc brakes. This V8 should be producing 220hp, and while it is far from a fire-breathing monster, it still allows the Trans Am to cover the ¼ mile in 16 seconds. The owner claims that the Pontiac has a genuine 12,000 miles showing on its odometer. It appears that he has a decent collection of documentation, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he can confirm this claim. Included amongst the paperwork is PHS documentation. If you want to talk about originality with this classic, we’ve reached that point. Every hose and belt on the vehicle is original, as are the tires. The spare and bottle are untouched, as is the jack. The owner has only clocked 500 miles in the Trans Am since he purchased it, but it is registered and ready to hit the road.

This 1979 Trans Am 10th Anniversary Edition is not a cheap car, but it is a bit of a rarity. Pontiac produced 7,500 examples of the 10th Anniversary, but only 1,817 featured the 400/4-speed combination. When it comes to values, it is these cars that tend to command the big dollars. This one isn’t a cheap car, but its value isn’t unprecedented. There have been a few recently that have sold for around the same sort of money as this vehicle. However, a lower-mileage example did nudge $70,000. Values have been creeping up slowly over the past 3-years, so that might make this classic a pretty reasonable buy.

Comments

  1. Avatar FordGuy1972 Member

    Low mileage cars present quite the dilemma, do you drive it or do you do what the current owner has done with this Trans Am for the past 11 years; park it and just look at it. Of course, you’d want to keep the speed down if you do drive it as 41 year-old tires are probably well past their prime. I’d certainly want to thoroughly inspect the mechanicals/perishables on a car that’s seen so little use for over a decade.

    It’s a really nice car with a desirable engine/trans combo; the color is eye-catching and it’s well-optioned. I know a lot of folks love these cars and covet them but I can’t get past that homely front end. Don’t get offended, that’s just my take. This is very nice car that’s probably worth the ask but will the new owner drive it or will it remain a static display for an audience of one?

    Like 10
  2. Avatar CJinSD

    I think it would be more fun to have a nice one that isn’t so perfectly preserved as to preclude efforts to bring performance up to V6 Camry levels.

    Like 6
  3. Avatar Ted

    Too bad it is worth so much, because maybe then you could drive it.

    Like 3
  4. Avatar Classic Steel

    Plastic is not smart..
    Sweats and holds moisture even in a dry garage.

    Either get a full zip up baggy or get some nice car covers.

    Problem cannot drive it….

    Like 17
  5. Avatar Mike

    How much does the asking price have to be to get a seller to take the cover off? Here are the levels:

    BaT – Car outside in a great location shot with a professional photographer. Over 100 pictures taken. Multiple paragraph description with comment section.

    E-Bay – Car pulled outside for pictures. Unnecessary contents pulled out of the interior and trunk. Owner spends an afternoon making it presentable. Approx 20 pictures taken. Two paragraph description.

    Craig’s List – Cover still on car. No cleaning. Less than a dozen cell phone pics of car where it was last parked. Four sentence description half of which is caveats about what the seller will or won’t do or what they will tolerate.

    FB Marketplace – Cover still on car. Dark, weird angle, hard to identify flash pictures in garage. Four or less pictures. Two sentence description. Take it or leave it vibe.

    Like 19
    • Avatar Ike Onick

      BF- Car is allegedly under that pile of boxes and lawn furniture over in the corner of the carport. If you squint really hard you can just about make out a corner of a taillight, but it might just be a 1966 Xmas ornament.

      P.S. Relax guys. I know you don’t take the pictures of the cars you post.

      Like 6
    • Avatar Pops

      The way I see it, if I had toy money to afford to buy this then you can bet your a@@ I’d be driving the wheels off of it!! Awesome car

      Like 2
  6. Avatar Karl

    It’s a beautiful car but like was stated it’s going to be some expensive miles you put on it. I would much rather find one that I could drive make engine changes to increase HP without it destroying the investment in the car, I decided long ago I can’t own a car that I can’t drive and have fun with!

    Like 3
  7. Avatar Ron

    Not a $50k car, ever…

    Like 7
  8. Avatar md

    My ’79 has the same discoloration on seat backs and rear trim which I was going to correct. Mine does not have 12k miles – but maybe I should leave it alone with all this originality hype??

    Like 3
  9. Avatar Bob Mck

    Somebody already mentioned this, but I freaked out when I saw the car under plastic. It will soon show the effects of moisture. This is one of the worse things you can do to a car in storage, even dry storage.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Max

    Car still in cellophane . Cannot write description , without placing simple punctuation where it belongs . Makes me wonder , where they leaned that ? Very odd , indeed !.

    Like 1
  11. Avatar Wade

    I wasn’t aware any Trans Ams came stock with a chrome vave cover. But they left original stuff like hoses. That would be my biggest secret if I were him.

    Like 0
    • Avatar TMH

      All W72 – 400ci (220hp) Engines left the factory with Chrome Valve Covers. The OLDS 403ci and Pontiac 301ci Engines had blue painted valve covers.

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Michael

    The T/A 6.6 engines (400) had chrome valve covers. That’s stock.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar md

    Do your homework: all trans am’s with the W72 engine came with chrome valve covers.

    Like 1
  14. Avatar Jeff Wobrak

    Seriously if you’re going to take awesome cars and put them away for an investment, go play the stock market or collect porcelain dolls or something. Awesome cars are meant to be driven and loved then redone and loved some more.

    Like 0

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