This 1976 Pontiac Trans Am is more than a pretty face. Not only is it a rust-free survivor, but the original 455ci V8 under the hood has been breathed upon. That means that it should get up and moving when the driver buries the right boot. If that sounds like a winning combination to you, you will find the Trans Am located in Schomberg, Ontario, Canada, and listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the BIN at C$34,200, but there is the option to make an offer.
The Goldenrod Yellow Pontiac presents exceptionally well, and its beauty is far more than skin-deep. The good people at Ziebart waved their magic wand over the car when it was new, and it has remained rust-free ever since. There is no evidence of any problems in the supplied photos, and combine the Ziebart treatment with the fact that the car has been well cared for since new tends to paint a pretty rosy picture. The paint shines beautifully, with no evidence of any significant defects. It isn’t clear whether the paint is original or whether it has received a refresh at some point. The Screaming Chicken and other graphics look crisp and clean, with no signs of cracking, crazing, or edge lift. The original 15″ Rally II wheels and trim rings are in excellent order, as is the glass. A fantastic period-correct addition is the rear window louvers. This adds the perfect finishing touch to an exterior that presents so well.
If you walked into a Pontiac dealership in 1976 and slapped down your cash for a Trans Am, this was about as good as it got. What we find is the 455ci “HO” V8, which would have pumped out a healthy 200hp. This V8 is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission that feeds the power to a 3.23 Posi rear end. Add in power steering and power disc brakes, and this would have been a pretty pleasant ride when new. It was also one of the most potent American cars that money could buy in 1976. Point it at a ¼ mile, and the journey would be over in 16.4 seconds. I know that is a figure that falls far short of the Trans Am in its prime, but this is where things take a positive turn with this Pontiac. That 455 has been breathed on and should be punching out considerably more than its original 200hp. It has been fitted with Stage 3 cylinder heads, along with a Super Duty intake and carburetor. That gets the air/fuel mixture into the engine more efficiently, but there’s no point doing this if spent gases can’t exit the V8 just as efficiently. The original exhaust has been replaced with a set of 2½” headers and a matching 2½” full dual exhaust. I’m no betting man, but I think the original 200hp figure is probably a distant memory. The owner has gone through the entire car from end-to-end, and it appears to be mechanically perfect. He says that it runs and drives beautifully, with no issues or problems.
The good news just keeps rolling in with this Trans Am because it features an interior that looks spotless. The original radio has made way for a period-correct radio/cassette player, and a matching graphic equalizer is mounted under the dash. Beyond those two items, the interior is original and unmolested. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, but the buyer has no pressing reason to spend money on this interior. The upholstered surfaces are immaculate, as is the dash. I can’t spot any issues with the carpet, while the beautiful machine-turned gauge surround looks crisp. The interior isn’t loaded with optional extras, although power windows, a tilt wheel, and a rear defroster should all help to make life more pleasant on the move.
There’s something about the 1976 Trans Am that I really like, and I’ve never been able to define what that is. I have wanted that model since I first laid eyes on it, and this is coming from a man who is passionate about his blue-oval products. This looks like a beauty and the modifications that the owner has made means that it promises to deliver an enjoyable and entertaining driving experience. This is a classic that would seem to need nothing, and for all that it has to offer, I believe that the asking price looks hugely competitive. If you are in the market for a classic car that you can drive and enjoy immediately, maybe this Pontiac deserves a closer look.
I wonder how the decided which beautiful machine in the garage to sell? I personally prefer the quad headlight 77 nose to this one, but I’d make some space for this! First thing I would do is remove the stickers from the dashboard, pet peeve of mine..
I like quad headlights too….but they look like an “afterthought” in the 77 and up grills (to me )…..
Odd that Camaro stuck with round headlites through ’81, considering the Monza had rectangulars in ’75!
Interesting place to mount door speakers.
Inner fenderwells under hood should jave a smooth black shiny finish
So was this a 455 HO that was upgraded to SD status? I’m not a Pontiac guy, but I thought they were different engine packages?
Torque is king and a warmed up 455 poncho has plenty. Love everything but the color.
I want that 69 Mustang!
The Bronco would ba a hot commodity right now!
I’ll take the matching Bronco!
The ad is wrong, the intake is an aftermarket single plane with a Holley dual feed carb, not factory Super Duty. Stage 3 cylinder heads meant different things to different engine builders, the one thing that’s certain is they are generic D-port heads.
“Mistakes” like these should make potential buyers question the accuracy of the entire ad. They need to do their due diligence, this car is not inexpensive. It up to them to make sure they get what they are paying for.
Steve R
This guy is just hoping that some sucker from the States with a fat wallet steps up and buys this car. The car won’t pass the visual emissions test in Ontario and it certainly wouldn’t pass in any major city in the states.
why is the back license bracket painted yellow ? shouldn’t be black or stainless
According this article the SD 455 was only available in 73 and 74….
https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/muscle-cars-you-should-know-pontiac-firebird-super-duty-455/
I retract my statement…..read too fast….
Last year for the 455 in a Pontiac but a good running 1970 350 2bl lemans would blow the doors off of that 455 trans am.Even with all those parts bolted on unless that compression ratio was raised up from 7.6 to 1 to a level that was vintage Pontiac it was money wasted on parts.
Very nice interior. Sweet garage /shop. Question on the engine ,what are stage 3 heads ? and I thought the pcv valve was is the valley pan not on the valve cover, just wondering
67 and older Pontiacs and the 73-4 Super Duty had the valve cover PCV valve. Stage 3 heads are I am guessing he meant Ram Air 3 heads but with what is going on in this seller’s ad a big no way. People in Canada have a different way of explaining things.
Thanks Keith, never new that about the pcv valve location , if the seller of this 455 installed RAIII heads with a lot smaller CC chambers than the stock heads just that alone would raise the compression a lot and make it perform . Would be nice to know if the cam was changed tho.
The 73/74 SD 455s were a completely different motor than the regular Pontiac 455.
The air scoop decal is not correct. The ’76 decail only said “455”. No “SD”, no “HO. I had one.
If he didn’t upgrade the original smog motor cam, then its still a slug. I don’t care if the intake and ex. flow more. Its not getting past that junk cam.
It’s the heads that are the problem.
The cam in the regular (Non Hi Perf) 4bbl Pontiacs didn’t really change over the years.
Change the heads to raise compression, put a non egr stock manifold on and open up the exhaust
That will make it go. If you can put a set of 3.42’s in then it’s even better
35K? Nice but no way from this wallet. I had a 74SD which other than looks was a different car. Wish I had that one back.
I think these originally had 7.6:1 compression ratios so one key mod one might want to do is shave the heads to raise that up a bit. That’s not very good for performance potential.
I have a soft spot for 76 TA’s. My late brother taught me how to drive a standard trans in his. It was white with black interior, 400 and a 4 speed. He and my uncle rebuilt the engine and raised the compression ratio and installed some better flowing 389 heads, IIRC. Headers, crane cam, aluminum intake and holley 750 dp as well as opening up the rear of the shaker, and that car was FAST!
A true Super Duty from 73 and 74 is completely different than a base 455. One small example is the unique PCV in the driver side rocker cover. A 76 boat anchor 455 struggled to breathe through a single exhaust. GM gas always put chintzy crap exhausts on its cars. Goldenrod Yellow is cool, but I prefer the 77 and 78 front end.
The 455 in my oldsmobile was putting out 310hp and 475 ftlbs torque in ’72 so this Pontiac 455 if desmogged with higher compression and breathing should liven things up alot, my mother’s ’77 had the quad headlights and at the time I preferred it but the round looks pretty good.
The HP rating on a 72 W-30 442 was rated at 300 the highest that Olds had that year.The torque was rated at 410ft/lbs for the same engine.These numbers were the new net rating system that was as installed in the car with all accessories and air cleaner on.
To me this is a car you would have to inspect in person. I’d much rather have an A/C car. But if fit & finish of the interior and exterior is a good as the photos show, than anything about that 455 really doesn’t mater to me. At least it doesn’t have a Olds Engine. I know nothing about importing this car into the U.S. or what would need to be done to deal with compliance, except that’s a ’76 so it would be a major PITA for a California resident like me.
Had one of these. Silver tho.. different cam, headers and holley 750 along with steeper rear gears.. ran 105 mph at 13 flat screaming at the finish line.lol
Rust coating scares me.First thing mentioned. 45 year old car from Ontario with no rust.
This reminds me of my 1978 Yellow Firebird Formula. I worked so hard to get that car my senior year 1984. I wish I still had it.