After a run of Trans Ams a while back, I hadn’t seen a good find lately until this one was found by our own Josh! It’s located in Dale, Texas and is listed for sale here on eBay. Current bidding has just crested $10,000 and all reserves are off!
The seller says this is a true barn find car from Texas, and that the 40,437 miles showing on the odometer are real. The ad says the seller has paperwork from the original sale, records of two family owners and some mechanical records from when the car was new. They also have some 2004 mechanical records showing that the car had only 39,000 miles at that point. What do you think?
I love the front end on this sub-generation of Firebird. It’s so much cleaner than the later ones, and more modern looking than the earlier ones. However, it does show some of the paint wear and discoloration present in the original finish. They tell us that there’s no rust through underneath and no body damage apart from paint chips!
Inside, it’s a similar story. Not mint, but not too bad either. Can you imagine a current “normal” car offering white upholstery now? The seller also tells us that the carpet on the driver side has a wear spot, but at least that’s readily available from a number of suppliers.
Under the hood is a little tired looking, reflecting the time in storage. All it took to get the car running again was to clean up the gas tank, put a new battery in it and put another muffler on it. The seller does mention wanted to rebuild the carburetor in the future, so I would plan on that. They also talk about needing to lubricate the odometer cable. That’s not much to ask for considering the age of the car, is it? So what do you think?
You don’t want to know what I think, but since you asked, sorry again. If it is 40K, it must have been a rough 40K. I know these weren’t driven easy. You could do “neutral drops” with these and not kill that automatic, missing window crank on pass. side, seat belt guide on drivers seat missing, and of course, the engine pics. We see cars with 140K miles, and go screaming in the night, but truth be known, that’s not a lot of miles for a 40 year old car, ( heck, 2 year old mini-vans have that kind of mileage now) Still, a very nice car, plenty of fun left in this one.
Yes I do, Howard (want to know what you think) :-)
I believe it was this year model that started the whole Smokey and the Bandit phenomenon. If I was a prospect on this car I would certainly need some solid documentation to substantiate the claimed mileage. I still find it hard to believe that individuals bid that kind of money based on some pictures and the Seller’s description.
After 1978, i think the front ends on these got ugly, which prefaced the 80s styling in general.
77 is when they changed the front end styling
77-78 are similar in design , 79-81 were different again
I have this before on the TA’s and they even state it about the speedometer cable. Very easy o disconnect it is on the dyivers side well whelp. This car has more mileage than 40k. That engine bay is proof.
You need to lubricate the odometer cable because it stopped working years ago.
D’oh! (and undoubtedly very true)
I don’t think 40K miles is enough to make this a good collector car. If I want a Trans Am after 1972 I want to see more options. This has the base interior, doesn’t have a ws6 suspension or a 4 speed. Power windows and locks at least. No this would be a great driver, just clean and polish or add these options and drive it.
It clearly has 140k miles. It had 139k back in 2004!
Really? You like the “Bandit” T/A over the 1970-73 models? That damn movie ruined everything for T/A owners…it turned our cars into a sideshow attraction. There was never a more beautiful F-Body design than the Firebirds of 1970-73!
concur
70 being the pinnacle of both design and performance
I agree with you and al8apex, but I will say, regardless of the movie, after 73, 77-78 looks better than any of the other model years.
Hi Mark, ruined is such a harsh word. Maybe altered. One thing for sure, that movie generated a ton of sales for Pontiac. EVERYBODY wanted to be the Bandit. Me, however, took the other road. That movie was the motivation for me to become a truck driver,,,,and I did. ( and I had a blast)
already bought by gas monkey garage, lol
Exactly like the one I drove in high school brings back a lot of memories…
I don’t know whether or not the mileage is accurate, but this car is rough. Add to that it’s a low option car. No tilt wheel, power windows or locks. Like the white on white though.
Mark I totally agree the bull nose sure are best looking
Pontiac’s
There is no “odometer cable” on these cars. It is the speedometer cable… My now deceased brother had an almost twin to this car back in the early 80’s. It was a 76, same white exterior, black interior, 400/ 4spd. I learned how to drive a standard trans in that car… I was spoiled. He swapped in an M21 and Hurst Super shifter. It nearly shifted its self! That car ran like a BOH. He and my brother dad and uncle rebuilt the engine, swapped some earlier model heads (I forget exact specs), cam headers and 750 Holley dp.
If Richard did but it, it was because he drove one in high school…..
Looks rough for 40k ! I bought a 1971 Grand Prix Model J 455 for 7K in May with 113 K miles and it’s in better shape then that Bird ..
I totally agree with mark and the others on the front nose. 70-73 are the best.I don’t mind the later square headlights,just the earler one was way better. Just look at how many thumbs up mark got.