Carport Find: 1977 Pontiac Trans Am

Thanks to a widely popular movie, a long-standing muscle car found its sales taking off in the 1970s. That movie was Smokey and the Bandit (from 1977), and that car was the Pontiac Trans Am. Within two years, sales of the performance machine doubled as everyone wanted to be like Burt Reynolds. At one time that may have included the seller of this ’77 Trans Am, but it’s been neglected so long that you have to wonder if it can make a comeback, too. Located under an awning in Opelika, Alabama, this one menacing car is now a project and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,000.

The ’77 Trans Am in the movie was black, while this one is silver. But they all had the distinctive Firebird logo on the hood, a shaker for air in the middle of it, and T-tops for the roof since convertibles were no more. The hottest engine available was a 400 cubic inch V8 that managed to produce 200 hp with the optional W72 package (remember, everything was detuned after 1971, and output was measured in terms of SAE net). While you could still get a 4-speed manual, many of the Trans Ams (including this one) had an automatic transmission.

We don’t know the history of this car or why it has fallen so far out of favor. Instead of the “shaker” for air induction, the engine now has “Flowerpot Induction”. And some of the engine parts have been liberated, though the seller says the carburetor has been professionally rebuilt. Yet this is a two-owner vehicle that is approaching its 50^th birthday. The silver paint is long gone, and rust is present in many places. The red interior likely looked great against the silver at one time, but the upholstery will need to be redone.

The seller says the car is “pretty much” unmolested (so what parts have been changed?), and it needs a restoration. The comeback trail will be a long one that won’t come cheaply. Or you could opt to use the Pontiac as a donor for a black Trans Am project of the same vintage. And then don your cowboy hat and red shirt and keep a safe distance away from Sheriff Buford T. Justice. Thanks for the cool tip, Barn Finder “PRA4SNW”.