The mid 1970’s were not a great time for muscle cars. The Challenger was gone, the Mustang had a 4 cylinder and the Z28 had been cancelled. Pontiac was still the performance leader and producing relatively powerful cars with great handling and looks. The buyer who ordered this one in 1975 knew what he or she was doing. This 4 speed 1975 Pontiac Trans Am can be seen here on eBay and has a Buy It Now Price of $29,500. The car is located in Mount Vernon, Washington and the odometer reads 37,034 miles.
The standard engine in 1975 was the L78 400 cubic inch V8 engine that produced 185 horsepower and 320 lb ft of torque. Later in the year, a buyer could opt for the 455 cubic inch V8 engine which Pontiac designated as an HO455 but it was the standard Y code 455 engine used in 1973-1974 (L75). The press took them to task on claiming it was an HO and this option was dropped after 857 cars were produced. The L75 455 cubic inch V8 engine producing 200 horsepower reemerged in the 1976 model year which was the final year for the 455 cubic inch engine before it was replaced with the W72 400 cubic inch V8 engine as the top performer.
This car was owned by the original purchaser until 2016 and looks to be very well taken care of. The car retains its original Code 75 Buccaneer red paint and the car is well optioned with black vinyl deluxe interior, rear console, 8 track stereo, rear defrost but no air conditioning. The ad states that it has the factory Muncie M21 4 speed transmission. While the order code remained M21, all 1975-1981 Trans Ams were equipped with Borg Warner T-10 manual transmissions. The last year for the Muncie M21 was 1974.
This is a really nice car that could be driven, shown or put in a museum. All 1975 Firebirds featured a new wrap around rear window. The front spoiler moldings look to have been replaced because they should be body color and not black. Over 84,000 Firebirds were built in 1975 and 32,000 were Pontiac Trans Ams. While not comparable in power to the Super Duty available the year before, this is a very nice car that should command a price in the mid $20’s.
Really BEAUTIFUL survivor, and good presentation! This is the first time I’ve ever seen the rear console in one of these, and now, having done so, it seems as though it should have been standard. Best wishes to seller & new owner. GLWTA!! :-)
Nice write up, Bruce! I learned more in this article on Pontiac Trans Ams of this era then I ever thought I could! Precise, and at least seven new facts to stick in the ol’ noggin. Well done! Thank you!
Incredible presentation and preservation.
My friend ordered a silver `76 with the 455 and the 4 speed.
It was a beast, and and as soon as it was out of warranty he had it professionally rebuilt by Bob Pioch a well known Pontiac racing mechanic in Northern Illinois.
It was then so fast I remember being a passenger when it beat a motorcycle on Lake Shore Drive.
Did a search and found the Z28 was only discontinued from `74-`76.
The Firebird and Trans Am success helped bring it back in mid `77 per the below link.
https://mikeduman.com/blog/history-z28
Sweet ride. Brings back memories of my late brother’s white 76 TA with a 400/ 4spd he had in 1980-85. He taught me how to drive a Standard in it when i was 12 or 13 y.o. (I already had “experience” on a 1974 yz80 and 1951 Farmall Cub. His TA was a running machine. He and my other brother dad and uncle rebuilt the 400 with higher compression headers aluminum intake crane cam an a big holley 750 dp. He also swapped the t10 for an m21 and hurst super shifter. He sold it to my uncle for my cousins first car. He later said it was too fast for a first car. Duh. I wanted it but was eight years younger and didnt have the coin yet.
Should have very little problem getting this price. Surprised how well the interior shows. Throw a set of gold honeycombs on this and hit the road. Very nice ’75.
Good looks, well kept, it’ll handle okay but stomp on the gas and it’s 1975 all over again. I give Pontiac a whole lot of credit for hanging in there anyways, catalytic converters and all. Oh yeah, they come right off.
I was just a kid then so I never understood why these became such big sellers later in the decade compared to the hot versions of the early seventies. Maybe folks had grew tired of their fuel sipping Datsun?
What you said, and gas prices stabilized. In the early 80’s through 90-something the price stayed the same $1.25 in Ohio where I grew up. Once it stabilized and ppl got used to paying more than 30-40 cents a gallon, ppl bought ‘gas guzzlers’. I remember pumping gas at a station where my dad worked in the early 70’s and ppl would get angry about a one cent rise. I also remember ppl buying by the gallon instead of by the price.
The popularity of the Smokey and the Bandit movies helped sell these cars in the late 70’s
It’s a Beauty!
Beautiful car !
I have a few on the stable
No red ones unfortunately…..
Have a stellar blue 455 HO
With 42 k
And an untouched 54K silver 400 car!
Both car from original owners
Love the 75s
A friends brother had one. The stock 400 got built, and it was transformed into the car it had wanted to be all along.
Only 15 more hp from an extra 55 cubes?! Ridiculous.
From the 1 pic here, i see what looks to be a seam running around the exterior circumference of the steering wheel, indicating a later model skinnier larger diameter steering wheel has been fitted. Seeing it in person, if that’s true, a red flag or at least Spock’s eyebrow should be raised.
My Father bought one brand new. White, with the blue chicken on the hood, and camel interior. 400 and auto. All show, no go. At the time, I drove a ’67 Belvedere with a 318 and 3 on the tree. My Plymouth would eat the T/A in a NY minute. But the T/A was a real looker.
If it was a ’75 or ’76, horsepower dropped 40 from ’74 due to a drop in compression to 7.6 to 1. Also less valve duration & smaller primaries in the quadrajet! & of course the new for ’75 single exhaust system with very restrictive flat pellet cat converter.
Worst of all with automatic for ’75, the 400 got 2:56 gears, vs 3:08 in ’74. In ’76 the automatic got 2:41 gears!!
It would have been best to get a manual trans & 455 back then that got 3:23 gears – & no options(including heavy radio) to save weight.
& soon after getting the car, open the hood scoop.
& maybe install a “test pipe” to see the difference.
The ’78 w72 400 got a bump in compression(using pont 350 heads) & 3:23 rear with auto & 3:43 with manual – the latter is the 1 to have after ’74(not avail in Calif, tho).
My 78 TA has a 2.56 posi with the auto and 400. I replaced the 400 with a 73 Olds 455 back in 1997. Really made a huge difference in performance!!
It could not spin the tires with the 400. Will break loose anytime I want now with the 455 Olds. Hard on tires, but great for smiles.