Let’s face it; no matter how small the horsepower ratings, 455 cubic inches give you serious bragging rights, especially in a vehicle as relatively compact as this 1975 Pontiac Trans Am in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Sadly the barrier of a $17,999.99 opening bid makes the auction here on eBay seem more like a fishing expedition, but even taking the car for what it is: a blue-blue car painted black, probably damaged in the rear, and sporting a non-original 455, there’s enough here to hope for a re-listing with a more realistic starting point.
Professional photographers might suggest getting the entire vehicle in the viewfinder before pressing the button, but credit the seller for his or her savvy use of mixed case typing. I’ve driven 45x cid V8s from this time period and, despite some weak horsepower ratings, they provide satisfying thrust and enough torque to incinerate the tires even with an automatic. With this one’s manual gearbox and posi-traction rear end, you’ll have no problem writing two black streaks with the 3.08 gears, and the latter will keep the RPMs reasonable on the highway as well.
Pennsylvania winters took their toll on the lower bits of this Pontiac. The doors and cowl vents (below) suggest a blue car with blue interior. The VIN decoder at transamworld.com describes a genuine Trans-Am with the S-code 400 cid four-barrel V8. As hagerty.com reports, “The blocks of all Pontiac V-8s from the 287 to the 455 are the same size and very close to the same weight, which can make it more difficult to identify the 11 different engine displacements produced from 1955–79.” Thus we never call Pontiac’s monster motors a “big block.”
The 1972 Y-code 455 wasn’t known as a fire-breathing monster, but if the Flowmaster exhaust, big-inch torque, and four-speed fail to elicit a grin, pull over immediately and check your pulse. “The car runs and drives fine,” according to the seller, and features an Edelbrock intake and carburetor. Some metal-work has been done, but, clearly, more remains. We’re lucky to live in an age where imperfect cars like this can be bought and enjoyed for a modest investment. Rare and special models of this vintage –across all makes– are going up and up. What would you do after twisting the key and bringing this 455-powered Pontiac to life?
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