The Pontiac Trans Am hit its peak production in 1979 with over 117,000 Trans Ams built. Over 55% of all Firebirds built in 1979 were Trans Ams. In its first year of production, less than 8% of all Firebirds (697) were built. That is quite a difference and shows the amazing demand for these cars. This example is a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am located in Orlando, Florida. The car is painted in Atlantis Blue with an Oyster white vinyl interior. It was listed here on Craigslist for $49,900 just 9 days ago and is still available. We appreciate Rocco B. for sending us this listing.
This Trans Am has a light blue deluxe interior which includes upgraded seats and door panels. The condition of the interior looks mint. Even the white seats that tend to get dirty or turn yellow over time look immaculate. The car is heavily optioned with T-Tops, power windows, air conditioning, rear defrost and power locks. While the car claims to be a Pontiac 400, that is apparently not its original engine. The shop receipts posted in the ad show a W Code in the VIN which indicates the car left the factory with the L37 301 cubic inch V8 engine. The Pontiac 400 had a Z code in the VIN.
The engine compartment shows well. The base or standard engine for the 1979 Trans Am was the L80 Oldsmobile 403 cubic inch V8 that only came with an automatic transmission. When powered by the L80 engine, the hood scoop designation was 6.6 Litre. This engine was rated at 185 horsepower and was a smooth running cruiser that still had a respectable amount of torque. Pontiac offered two other optional engines. One for economy and one for power. The power option was the W72 Pontiac 400 engine that only came with a 4-speed manual transmission. The W72 Pontiac 400 cubic inch V8 engine was rated at 220 horsepower and came with chrome valve covers and a hood scoop designation of T/A 6.6. The WS6 suspension handling package was also required with this engine option. As you can see below, this car is equipped with the 15×7 inch Pontiac snowflake wheels and not the 15×8 inch version which was part of the WS6 package. Sometime over the past 45 years, the wheels could have been swapped out but the car also does not state that it has 4 wheel disc brakes which was part of the WS6 package. There were a few WS7 cars produced that did not have rear disc brakes (WS7 was the WS6 package without rear disc brakes). Most WS7 cars were built late in the year and were L80 equipped Trans Ams.
The L37 301 cubic inch V8 was rated at 150 horsepower and was the economy option for Trans Am buyers. This engine could be ordered with a 4 speed or an automatic transmission. This car has been fitted with a built Pontiac 400 that was stroked to 480 cubic inches per the seller. The receipts show a cost of $17k for the rebuild and another $3,800 for the transmission and clutch rebuild. Was the transmission rebuild necessary because the engine makes so much horsepower? This car shows like new and should be a blast to drive.
This would be fun with that drivetrain combination and bound to have more HP now than a Prius Hybrid which has the same HO as the original engine this came with.
Pretty car tho never cared for that front end, but if you’re inside wearing a grin it doesn’t much matter what the outside looks like.
Going to leave all the factory Bandit T/As in the rearview bigtime. 🏁
Just because there was a lot of money spent on the engine, doesn’t mean it was spent wisely. Many customers end up paying double what the shop was charge for parts, plus the labor to install it. The receipts only show what it cost, not what parts went into the engine, for $49,900 I’d want to know exactly what I was buying. You don’t know what heads were used, or what was done to them, the engine oil used is listed as having high zinc content suggests hydraulic flat tappet cam, in a high end build you should expect a hydraulic roller. If a seller is asking a premium price, it needs to be a premium product, this car is hard pressed to fill that bill. There is a lot of competition at this price point, potential buyers need to make sure they get the best value if they are going to lay out that much money.
Steve R
Point well taken, Steve. We forget about the less professional out there that are in the business just to pad their pocketbook. Having been spoiled out our way by friends like Harold Long and the Yuill Brothers we tend to forget about the shyster mechanics. We of course had them here too but they didn’t last long once the word about their shoddy work attitude got out (small town back then).
My god that is one sweet ride. PERFECT color combo, and unique. I drove a formula back in the day with a stick. That was more fun to drive than any muscle car made. It could handle, and had enough power to bring a grin to your face. Think for a second. A used SUV these days is this cost. It’s nothing in the grand scheme, and if you drive it well, will get your money back. And the SUV???? Its a state of mind. Man oh man, I would so get the babes with this. Is there room for a walker? Asking for a friend.