Nightwatch Blue is one of my favorite colors available on the 1981 Pontiac Trans Am. The Code 29 color was also known as Dark Blue Metallic, which is not as cool a name but may be more descriptive. This example is located near Phoenix, Arizona and is listed for $34,000. The car reportedly only has 54k miles on the odometer. This 1981 Pontiac Trans Am has been well maintained and is stored in a pretty neat man cave. When the Trans Am was introduced in 1969, it was only offered in one color. By 1981, a buyer could order their Trans Am in 13 colors.
The Pontiac turbo V8 engine was only available in the 1980-1981 Firebird Trans Am and Formula. The turbocharged V8 engine was designated LU8, and I remember when Pontiac introduced this engine as the performance option and its first turbocharged V8. The turbo 301 cubic inch V8 engine (4.9 liter) was rated at 210 horsepower in 1980 and 200 horsepower in 1981. The LU8 had a Garrett TB305 turbo and a Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel carburetor. While the horsepower and torque were comparable to prior years, the road tests showed the car was much slower. This was due to only a 3.08:1 rear gear ratio, and it took a while for the turbo to spool up and generate the peak horsepower numbers it was advertised at.
The quarter mile times for the Turbo Trans Am were 1.5 seconds to 2.0 seconds slower than the 1979 W72-equipped Trans Am. However, it sure looked good. This car has a base cloth interior with manual windows and an aftermarket radio. The blue interior looks new and is well-maintained. If you want to improve the performance of these cars without replacing the engine, TTA Performance in Kenosha, Wisconsin, makes performance parts that perk these cars up and make them respectable and much more fun to drive. While this car does not have T-Tops, it is equipped with the WS6 handling suspension, which comes with 4-wheel disc brakes.
Here is a picture of the Turbo Trans Am outside its man cave. It features its factory turbine wheels with aftermarket BF Goodrich Radial TA tires. The 1981 Turbo Trans Am is listed here on Craigslist and is worth a look not only for its great condition but to check out the seller’s man cave. It looks like he is a 1986 or 1987 Buick Grand National in the garage, too. This car comes with some paperwork and its owner’s manual as well as its original keys.
These car continue to grow on me. Growing up in the late 1970’s as a driver many had the Bandit TA etc. This color is great and gorgeous plus the low miles. Not having T Tops is a blessing for not worrying about the infamous leaks.
Good luck with the sale. If I didn’t have 2 collectors in the garage and two in a double deep storage unit .. I would get this one for the collection. Its a beauty…
FYI: I wish I could go back to an old news print back in 1979 from KY where it showed a TA with T Tops out and the back and the front facing the same way. Evidently it left the road fast and hard into a deep ditch probably no after market sub frame connectors which split the car to both face the same way. I know a freak accident but made the front page of the local news. LOL!
Good luck with the super clean low mileage Pontiac.
Oh those turbo cars were terrible.
Carburetors and turbos don’t mix.
” Cops and dope don’t mix do they Mr Lahey? ”
“Like sh*t 💩 and strawberry shortcake Randy “
One of the nicknames these had was a “Turbo Trash Can”.
Always interested to know who submitted the tip to BarnFinds.
34k……? Uhmmmmmm Nope.
I always wonder, when a guy has a few cars in a collection, how he picks any particular one to sell. It could be innocent, like he’s now collecting only Buicks, or it could be that the car he chooses is a lesser car. I like Trans Am cars and would love to own one but after reading test drives of the turbo written back in the day, I will pass, low mileage notwithstanding.
These cars actually run a lot better with modern premium fuel. It was very difficult to get unleaded with anything better than 87 octane in 1980 (and a LOT of service stations that DID sell premium often filled the tanks with regular). Since these engines used a knock sensor the computer would retard the ignition timing and kill their output. Many current owners claim these run well with modern 91+ octane fuel.
Now i wonder if anyone back then put leaded regular into unleaded underground tanks. & if anyone has since put regular unleaded into premium unleaded underground tanks
What didn’t make sense was introducing a car with high speed performance in an age of 55 mph speed limit. Only Sammy Hagar and municipalities made bank off of that one. Clearly the car would make more sense today on the open road at speed.
pull the turbo and drop a 455 in and really make do some business.
Send them to TTA Performance his 301 Turbo T/A Runs 12’s in the 1/4 mile – Fuel Injection – upgraded Turbo etc. :)