In 1980, Pontiac manufactured 50,896 Trans Ams and, of these, they produced 5,700 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Turbo Trans Am replicas, featuring distinctive paint, decals, and the oyster hobnail interior. This particular vehicle, that was sent to us by Curvette, is listed here on Craigslist with an asking price of $29,500. This Pace Car is located in Vancouver British Columbia and was posted for sale just a week ago. The seller states that they are the third owner of this car.
The white paint looks pretty good but it is obvious that the grey paint on the hood and roof have not fared as well. The seller has the original build sheet and states that everything works even the original A/C that has been converted to R134A. In 1980, Pontiac launched a turbocharged 301 cubic inch V8 engine to enhance its performance lineup since it was reducing cubic inch displacement. Despite the model’s appealing design, Trans Am sales declined during this period. Nevertheless, Pontiac continued to offer vehicles recognized for their handling capabilities. The turbocharged V8, designated as LU8, was exclusively available in the 1980-1981 Firebird Trans Am and Formula models. The Turbo 301 cubic inch (4.9 liter) engine produced 210 horsepower in 1980 and was rated at 200 horsepower in 1981. The LU8 featured a Garrett TB305 turbocharger and a Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor.
The interior looks nice but the pictures are limited. The Trans Am Pace car came with red lit dash lights and a special ETR digital radio which is still in the car. The car appears to be well optioned as all Pace cars were with air conditioning, power windows, power locks, rear defrost, T-Tops and tilt steering. The seller states that the engine has some performance goodies from TTA Performance located in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The body looks to be in good shape and the Pace Car decals are installed on the door. All Pace Cars were equipped with the WS6 Performance Handling Package which included 4 wheel disc brakes, bigger sway bars, 15×8 wheels and improved power steering turning ratios. With a little paint work, this car could be a real nice driver.
Thanks BJ. Love those wheels. I always thought it would be cool if someone dropped in an intercooled 3.8 Buick turbo motor in one of these. Talk about adding some go ↩️ to the show. 🏁
I think this was my fathers in laws car on Vancouver Island in Qualicum Beach.
At least the Metric Speedo makes it look faster
Stan’s idea could be cool actually, the 3.8 was the base Firebirds powerplant although i’d wonder how to fit the turbo and hoses. I’d get two kinda donor cars though, a Regal and a Riviera as the turbo’s were mounted differently. For as much as i would keep it stock i would be curious to try one of the multiple TBI conversions available to see the results.
Nice clean unmolested survivor! With decent documentation and pictures! Someone should save this one.