Talk about a car with far-flung aspirations! The Pontiac Tojan (I always want to call it the Trojan) was positioned as a cheap Ferrari Fighter when GM commissioned the project to an aftermarket builder, but I’m not so sure it ever quite did the job it was assigned. Regardless, they didn’t make too many and examples like this one here on eBay are getting harder to come by. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Colin M. for the find!
Said to be one of only 136 ever made, the Tojan is pretty darn striking in appearance and certainly lived up to its exotic aspirations in the visual department. GM farmed these conversions out to an aftermarket company, and as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, they provided the manufacturer with GTA frames, 305 engines and 700R4 transmissions. This example doesn’t wear the Lambo-style wing found on other cars.
On this particular car, things look pretty great inside. The Recaro cloth buckets remain in fine shape, as does the Tojan-specific wood dash. The uninspired GM shifter assembly looks like an oversight compared to the rest of the upgrades and doesn’t fit with the exotica on the outside. The good news is this fancy Firebird has only 11,700 miles from new, which explains the impressive cosmetic condition.
Interestingly, this Tojan has made its way to the UK where it’s listed as a classified ad for £12,995, or about $16,300 U.S. today. I wouldn’t be surprised if the seller is correct that it’s the only one that made it over the pond – in fact, I’d love to know how a car rarely seen stateside somehow ended up here. Of course, the bigger question on my mind is where does it end up from here: back home or locked away overseas?
Ugh! Talk about blind spots in the rearward view! Personally, there is nothing about this example that appears exotic to me. It looks more like a bad kit car. I’d rather just have the regular Firebird! :-)
It’s a rare car, one of only 136 ever made over a 6 year period. Once it catches on the sky will be the limit on the value. Go ahead and buy a Firebird one of 350,000 made and will never go up in value!
Oh. Sorry. Read the blurb too fast and thought it said Tojam.
The nose looks like 300z just altered a bit.
And GM supplied the 305, really..? All of that exterior effort and all they could come up with is a 305 no wonder they sold less than 140 cars. Ferrari fighter…with what, a 305?
The 350 wasn’t available in the F body platform until 1987
Epitomizes so many of the wrong kinds of thinking going on at GM during this time. Horrible styling, crappy power train, and the arrogance to think you can take something like this, and compete with a true automotive icon.
I’d be very surprised if this is anything but an exciting package with not much inside. To be considered an exotic, there’s quite a bit more involved as far as powertrain and handling characteristics. I’ll bet if this Tojan tried to keep up with a Testarossa of the same vintage around a track, someone would end up in the weeds.
This one that sold at Barrett-Jackson at least has the 350 and sold for $16,500
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1986-PONTIAC-TOJAN-GT-COUPE-91682
Well, the Jackson one looks a little better with wing. Hard to imagine someone paying 65 large for that in 1986. Thanks for the link Vin.
A guy showed up at a couple of our car cruises with a white one of these, I had never seen one or even knew of their existence until then. In person it still looks strange with all that fiberglass beltching from the Firebird it held inside.
If a Toyota Supra and a Pantera had a “relationship”…this could be the offspring!
looks like a toyota!
I have a hard time believing GM sanctioned this body-kit-conversion. Just think of the product liability exposure. Were these actually titled and registered as Tojan’s or as Pontiac Firebirds with more fiberglass crap than normal??
I’m certain this was BOT a GM effort. There were plenty of kit cars made from the early 3rd gens, this was just another one …
If it is equipped wiht a Tuned Port 305 at least that would help. That engine was only 10 hp less than the same year Tuned Port 350. Those are not Recaro seats. They are the available two tone cloth standard seats. I could never understand the black squared off paint treatment behind the wheel openings.
The 87-88 Pontiac “Mera” Fiero was a better seller and much better looking. 247 were sold before a certain Italian car maker took offense and sued both Pontiac Motor Division and Coorporate Concepts who did the body conversion on the new Fiero’s for Pontiac.
Geez, not a lotta love here for the ol’ Toejam, is there? I must be the only one who thinks that body looks good on it.. Course I did own an 85 Trans Am and not a lot of people thought that was a good looking car either. To each his own.
I think there’s a lot immature comments spewing around because people are jealous and ignorant. Keep in mind that the Edsel was a bomb but now is a collector. I think once the word gets about the limited production of these cars regardless of looks it’s going to be a high dollar car. That’s because it was an actual production car.
If only it had a longer front overhang, larger flying buttresses, a smaller rear window, more body areas painted black, and was named Trojan this would probably have been pretty successful.
I worked for the company in Omaha Nebraska back in the mid/late 80’s that built these and as far as I know GM wasn’t involved at all, not all had the 305 and most had the 350 and some even had some other non GM performance mods done to them.
What info if any could you give me on the car? I have a 1986 Tojan and am very interested in the fact that only 24 TTop versions were ever produced. Thanks john
A buddy and I worked at a car dealership back in the 1980s when one day we came to work and there was a Tojan sitting in the back lot. My buddy knew a guy with a IROC Camaro that needed new tires and was willing to pay $500 for them. When he saw the Tojan, my buddy immediately started trying to convince me that we should steal the tires off of it. “C’mon man, $250 for you, $250 for me! We’ll come back and do it tonight!”
“No, not doing it,” said I.
“Why not? You want some money, right?”
“Yeah, I want some money, but it’s not worth it. We’d get caught,” I argued, “AND lose our jobs”.
“I don’t care about ths job. We wouldn’t get caught! I’d do it myself, but I need some help. Come on, let’s make some quick bucks!”
“No! Not doing it. Period. N-O!” I declared, as we walked through the back lot, heading home for the day. At the other end of the lot, a sales manager appeared, walking up towards us and the main building. He couldn’t have heard what we were talking about. But as he got a little closer to us, he said jokingly, “Ohhhhhhhhhhh, looks like we’ve got some ILLEGAL SH*T going on back here!!” My buddy and I looked at each other and both laughed nervously.
After we went past the sales manager, I turned to my friend and said, “Wouldn’t get caught, eh?”
The Tojan was left unmolested.
I think it would be great if you removed the body and turned it back into a Firebird .. also you might want to check your research, GM doesn’t seem to have been involved in this at all.
Actually I was in contact with Knudsen, and the car a special order from Pontiac only and it was from only four Pontiac dealerships. New Jersey, Florida, and it had to be ordered through the dealership.
It is kinda weird looking, but that’s what makes it kinda cool. The car is a. Actual production car and had to be ordered through a Pontiac dealership. Only four dealerships offered it. One was in NJ. I think once the word gets out about the very limited production of the car, no matter how ugly some people think it is? Well, what’s one mans junk is anthers treasure. You’ll all wish you had one.