The response to Pontiac’s Limited Edition black and gold Trans Am that was produced in 1976 to celebrate the car company’s 50th anniversary was overwhelming. In 1977, Pontiac followed that up with producing a Special Edition Trans Am designated as the Y82 package. The barn find has been sitting in a garage since 1988 and is listed for sale here on eBay. The Trans Am is located in Littleton, Massachusetts and there is less than 24 hours remaining in the auction. The car is currently bid to $9,600.

The build sheet shows that this Special Edition was equipped with the W72 400 cubic inch V8 engine and a Borg Warner T-10 4 speed transmission. The Y82 Special Edition package added $1,143 to the MSRP and $891 to the invoice price. Other options included power windows, air conditioning, AM/FM stereo radio and an electronic rear window defroster. An option that I have never noticed before is the $6 Pedal Trim Package. I wonder what that option got you. The total invoice price of the Trans Am in 1977 was $6,797.

The Y82 Trans Am could be ordered with any of the three available engine options in 1977 but the most powerful engine was the introduction of the W72 400 cubic inch motor which matched the 200 horsepower rating of the previous year’s 455 cubic inch V8. The W72 engine is usually identifiable based on the factory chrome valve cover. Pontiac designed the W72 with a special cam, an 800-cfm four-barrel carburetor, a high-capacity 60-psi oil pump, special piston rings, and 93.78cc 6X-4 heads, which raised the compression ratio from 7.6 to 8.1. For 1978-1979, W72 engines came with larger air cleaner duct adaptor, baffled oil pans, and dual turbo mufflers.

This car looks original and the build sheet verifies that it is a Special Edition car. One unique feature is that this car has the Hurst Hatch T-Tops which were notorious for leaking but were improved compared to the 1976 design that came only on a few Limited Edition models. With prices soaring for Special Edition Trans Ams, this might make a great project.