Don’t be fooled by the sad exterior condition, because below that faded and ruined paint-work lies a nice, solid car that is ready to be driven and enjoyed right now. A 1978 Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition is a car that always seems to be a car that can generate interest when it comes onto the market, and this one is no exception. Located in Oxford, Mississippi, you will find the Trans Am listed for sale here on eBay. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $16,100, but the reserve hasn’t been met.

Time and the elements have given the paint on the Trans Am a fair old hammering over the years, and the original gold decals are also nothing but a faded memory. However, if you take a really close look at the car, you will notice that not only is the exterior complete, but there are no visible signs of rust. The news gets even better if you take a peek under the car because that is absolutely spotless. It appears the owner has commenced a restoration on the Trans Am, and the underside of the car has already been finished. It is about as clean as you are ever likely to find on a Trans Am of this age.

The restoration process didn’t end when the underside of the car was completed, because then the owner set to work on the interior. The original black deluxe trim was completely restored. It is all completely original, with the exception of the aftermarket temperature gauge that you can see under the dash. Apparently, the owner wasn’t confident about the accuracy of the factory unit, so had this one installed. All of the factory fittings are still present, so the new owner can choose to return it to stock if they desire. The only other item that isn’t working is the cruise control, so that might need some attention. Otherwise, you get a tilt wheel, a factory AM/FM radio/8-track player, power windows, and air conditioning that blows ice cold.

Looks pretty clean under the hood, doesn’t it? The owner says that he believes that this Trans Am is a numbers-matching car, but there is something a bit odd about the stamping of one digit on the engine serial number which might make some people question this. Leaving that aside, the 400ci V8 is freshly and professionally rebuilt, as is the transmission. Both have only around 5,000 miles on them since this was completed, while the same is true for the completely new fuel and braking systems, the new exhaust, and the tires. The owner took the car on the 2017 Bandit Run after the work was completed. He clocked up 1,000 miles, and the car never missed a beat.

Now, do you see why I said not to be fooled by the exterior appearance? While the owner doesn’t give any real indication of what the reserve might be on the Trans Am, he does state that it is realistic. As we’ve seen in the past, when it comes to the Special Edition pack, it does have a marked impact upon the overall value of a Trans Am. If you take a Trans Am in any given condition, you can expect that whatever that condition is, a Special Edition will command at least a 30% price premium. I’ve decided not to stick my neck out to suggest a value on this one, because I’m going to be interested to see what our Barn Finds readers think that this will sell for.