Celebrating special birthdays and milestones is nothing new, and in 1979, Pontiac decided to do that with a limited edition of their mighty Trans Am. This was the Trans Am 10th Anniversary, and a total of 7,500 of these classics were built. This is one of those cars, but making it more desirable is the fact that it is 1-of-1,817 examples that featured a 4-speed manual transmission bolted behind that legendary 400ci V8. The owner has decided that the time is right to part with this spotless survivor, so he has listed it for sale here on Craigslist. It is located in Nassau, New York, and the sale price is $47,500. Our eagle-eyed Barn Finder Ikey H, has an eye for an interesting classic, so thank you so much for spotting this one for us, Ikey.
The 10th Anniversary Limited Edition was available in a single paint combination. This was a combination of Silver and Charcoal paint, with Red and Black accent lines. The iconic Screaming Chicken grew in size, with the tips of its wings now reaching out onto the fender tops. This Trans Am carries all of those features, along with the distinctive 15″x8″ aluminum “turbine-style” wheels. It presents superbly, which is hardly surprising since it is a low-mileage example that has been carefully preserved. The paint shines beautifully, the graphics look crisp and flawless, while there is no damage or staining on the wheels. The panels are laser straight, and there isn’t a spot of rust anywhere. The T-Top is clean and clear, and the lack of water damage inside the vehicle indicates that the seals are in good order.
The Trans Am’s interior isn’t perfect, but it is still impressive. I think that the plastic backs on the bucket seats might be discolored, although this could also be a trick of the light. The distinctive Silver leather upholstery on the seats show no evidence of wear or damage. The driver’s seat cushion’s outer edge has compressed slightly, but it isn’t enough to be a concern. The carpet on the same side has some small marks, but I’d be inclined to try cleaning these before considering any more drastic action. The rest of the trim and plastic looks flawless, which means that this is a classic that is ready to be enjoyed. There is an aftermarket radio/cassette that someone fitted in the past, but the dash hasn’t been cut. That means that the buyer could source a correct component and have the interior looking showroom fresh once again. As well as air conditioning, the 10th Anniversary brings power windows, power locks, a power trunk release, a rear defogger, and a leather-wrapped wheel.
If you look at what performance car enthusiasts had to choose from in 1979, Pontiac was the last man standing in the pony car field. All of the other manufacturers had ditched their large capacity offerings as tightening emission, and average mileage laws bit deep, but Pontiac soldiered on with its might 400ci V8. This motor might not have been pumping out quite the power that it did in days of old, but 220hp was still a respectable figure at that time. When combined with the 4-speed manual transmission, that allowed the Trans Am to gallop through the ¼ mile in 15.9 seconds. This Trans Am is numbers-matching, and its originality is mighty impressive. It rolls on its original tires, and the only components that have been replaced are the battery and the alternator. Everything else, right down to the exhaust, is as it left the factory. The owner claims that the Trans Am has a genuine 12,600 miles showing on the clock, but he doesn’t indicate whether he holds verifying evidence. However, he indicates that the Pontiac runs and drives as well as it did right back on day one.
This 1979 Pontiac Trans Am 10th Anniversary Edition appears to be a spotless survivor, and if the mileage claim can be verified, that makes it something a bit special. The drivetrain package is the most desirable available, and it marked the last hurrah for large-capacity V8 performance classics for many years. It might not be the lowest mileage example that you can find today, but the odometer reading is well below average. It also isn’t the cheapest American classic that you are likely to come across, but it isn’t unusual to see pristine examples of the 10th Anniversary sell for more than $55,000. With that last thought in mind, maybe this is one that deserves a closer look.
For that price, the engine bay should be nicely detailed.
Shouldn’t take much “detailing” on a 12,000 mile engine if it been kept up from day one.
Presentation (appearance and cleanliness) are very important when you’re selling a vehicle on any sort of online format. The lack of effort to make what is a fairly rare and desirable car makes me wonder if the seller has been equally lax about maintaining/servicing/general care for this vehicle. And a seller is certainly NOT going to reach the sort of clientele on Craigslist that would be interested in a collectible, 40-plus year old car with an asking price of nearly $50,000 — which I think, based on selling prices on similar (but much better presentation) cars on Bring a Trailer is at least $5,000 too high,
The seller started listing it in Sept on CL for $50k. Had pics of it in storage with a $2 plastic sheet as a cover and showing some surface rust in the engine bay likely from not having a real car cover. So that’s not encouraging. Now he’s at $47.5K and doesn’t look like he’s made an effort to detail it and get rid of the rust. He also calls the car an “amazing example of the last GM big block built” which we know, Pontiac didn’t make “Big Blocks”. So, I agree, he’s questionable. This car needs detailing and have restoration under the hood done and put up on BAT where it would probably sell for around $40-$42K I would estimate. IF he really wants to sell it at market price and not go fishing on CL
Shouldn’t take much “detailing” on a 12,000 mile engine if it had been kept up from day one.
Seems 10-20% too steep to me. It lacks the WS6 special handling package which is the most desirable combo in my opinion.
FWIW, the Price Guide has this valued at around $52K in #2 condition – a personal inspection would confirm if this hits the mark.
Low mileage doesn’t mean a thing on a car this age, except maybe more to go wrong that would’ve been fixed if the o o had drven it more.
All of these had the WS6 package. It was standard on the 10th anniversary. Anyway, when new, this cost about $37,000 in today’s money. And very likely more with dealer markup. So even if the seller gets his ask, this doesn’t seem like it was a particularly good investment.
Ok…I thought that the snowflake wheels were part of the WS6 package in these years…
Speaking of which, I was watching an auction of a black/black TA with low miles like this one a few months back and it sold for $40k. That’s why i’m guessing $40k is what the market would pay for this one. Real world sale. BTW, that one definitely had the snowflakes and was listed as a WS6
The snowflake wheels were on all the other 1979 Trans Ams except for the anniversary edition which all had these turbine style wheels. I’m not sure if the snowflake wheels only came on 1979 Trans Ams (non anniversary edition) with the WS6 package or if they came on the ones without it too.
The 10TH Anniversary had the wheels shown!
Came for the silver interior, left satisfied.
Plus a Manta as a bonus! Nice.
These cars are real strong right now and I bet he gets real close to that asking price.
These cars offered only two options: 4 speed or auto trans (which drove Pontiac or Olds engine) and 8 track or cassette radio. Everything else was standard. As I recall, they also came with floor mats that matched the carpet. I don’t see them on this car.
I kind of hate to say it but I at least for awhile would make it reliably road ready and not change anything! Normally I would pull the engine change cam, heads and induction bit because of the weakness in these cars with “T” tops I think I would just leave things alone it’s a beautiful vehicle!
For 79 this was the fastest car you could get as long as you got the 4-sp 400 Pontiac engine. At the asking price you would not do anything to hurt the originality of this car. Drive it and enjoy it but keep the miles low to retain value.I had a 79 T/A in gold but it had the 403 Olds engine. Not very exciting to drive but looked good.
I would think a 1979 L-82 4-speed, 3.73 Rear end ratio Corvette might have been quicker
The 79 Corvette did not have the torque of the T/A 270 for the Corvette and 320 for the T/A. The T/A was the faster car in 79 being even the Corvette. The early eighties saw the HP go to nothing until the 86 Grand National came out. Buick ruled the streets for two years but Pontiac took back the honers in 89 with the Buick powered Trans Am.Corvette finally came back to the King in 1990 with the ZR1
The WS6’s recessed snowflake 15 x 8 wheels you’re probably thinking of were only available with that package. You could still get snowflake wheels on the regular Trans Am but they were flatter and 15 x 7.
The 15 x 8 “Air Flow” wheels on this car were only available with the 10th Anniversary Package in ’79. They then became standard on 1980-91 Turbo Trans Am and Formula, in 15 x 7 size or 15 x 8 if the car had the WS6 package.
Correction, 1980-81.
I’m pretty sure all N89 turbo (air flow) wheels are 8″.
Are these worth more than the late 70s silver pace car corvettes now? Madness! Ps, i have a model of these t/a’s in every scale available. The true ones didn’t have snowflake rims. Back then, though, you could order your car pretty much any way you wanted it built. Miss those days. Now days its which package do you want and which greyscale paint are you buying out of our inventory
What gives? Am I the only one who saw the Manta?