Even though Government regulations were beginning to be felt by 1972, it was still possible for enthusiasts to buy cars that offered decent levels of performance. This 1972 Trans Am is a perfect example of that, and the opportunity has presented itself for someone to now lay their hands on a nice piece of American automotive history. Located in Collierville, Tennessee, the Trans Am has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Pontiac has now reached $26,789 in a No Reserve auction.
The 1972 model year was not a great one for the Trans Am, because industrial action resulted in only 1,286 cars rolling off the production line. This marked 1972 as the lowest production year for the life of the 2nd Generation cars and very nearly spelled the death of the Trans Am. Thankfully, they soldiered on, but that makes cars like this particular Trans Am more of a rarity. It has undergone a repaint at some point, but this was completed in the original Cameo White with Blue graphics. The car presents really nicely, with no signs of any rust problems. The panels appear to be extremely straight, with no evidence of any dings or dents. The external trim and chrome look perfect, while the honeycomb wheels fitted to the car seem to be free of stains or curb strike. As an aside to the earlier reference to the strike action that decimated production totals for both the Firebird and Camaro, it eventually resulted in a manufacturer move that would be enough to make a grown man cry. By the time the industrial action had ended, there remained 2,100 unfinished vehicles between the Firebird and Camaro lines. Because these cars could not be modified to meet the upcoming 1973 Government regulation, all of those cars were eventually scrapped.
There’s no substitute for cubic inches, and you get plenty of those with the Trans Am. Under the hood is the 455ci H.O. engine, along with a 3-speed Hydramatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. The 1972 version of the H.O. produced 300hp, which was enough to propel a Trans Am from 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds, and through the ¼ mile in 14.3 seconds. The great news here is the fact that this is a numbers-matching car, which means that both the engine and transmission are original. Interestingly, while the owner provides us with a lot of information about the specifications and equipment levels for the car, he neglects to tell us how well the car runs and drives. Whoops! Still, if presentation is any indication, then it should be pretty decent in those areas.
The black interior of the Trans Am looks to be as good as the rest of the car, with no signs of any aftermarket additions. There are no signs of any rips, tears, or stains, and the only real faults appear to be some minor stretching of the vinyl on the front seats, and possibly some wear or fading on the carpet. The rear seat appears to be in as-new condition, as does the headliner, and other trim items. The Trans Am also comes equipped with working air conditioning, an AM/FM Delco radio, and a tilt wheel.
When you combine great presentation, impressive performance, and a No Reserve auction together, then it is a guaranteed recipe for buyer interest in a classic car. That has been the case with this Trans Am. Bidding has been quite solid to this point, and there are 132 people who are currently watching the listing. This is a car that is now set to head to a new home, but I wonder whether it will be the home of one of our Barn Finds readers.
What a beautiful car.
Nice car! Does anybody know if the white license plates on this car are original for 1972? I think this is an original Tennessee white plate car.
classic T/A colors.
love it.
would bid if it was a 4-speed
It’s Poncho week here at Barnfinds and I’m all in.
Over 2000 TA’s scrapped because of a strike? Someone pass a Kleenex….this grown man needs a good cry.
Wow. Almost exactly how I would’ve built one of these. What a ride. Somebody buy it and drive it every dry day for me.
Great looking car. Someone will get a car that everyone will ooh and aah over.
I can see Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges) behind the wheel, wooden leg and all ! Thunderbolt (Eastwood) riding shotgun.
Absolutely one of the best trans am firebirds ever built!!! The only thing that would set it off for me is that 4 speed transmission!!!
My best friend in college had a 72 TA in 1982. It was very fast. He sold it like a dope. Regrets it. He now has a 69 GTO conv in Matador Red with Parchment interior and a 66 442. He paid $800 for the GTO in 1989. Just finished restorstion. Drives it regularly. Yes GM did destroy many 72 cars on assembly lines because they would not meet 73 bumper standards. Stupid government.
More like stupid pontiac!
How hard would it have been to swap ’73 & ’72 bumpers & put on the ’73 leaf spring(lol) fender to radiator support connectors??!!
My friend disassembled his rust free ’74’s front end bumper & brackets in like 10 minutes!
& pontiac could have stockpiled the ’72 endura bumpers for future over the counter sales!!
So what if these ’72 to ’73 converted t/a’s still had ’72 racing stripes on them? EGR was already in place too.
I had a 73 Buccaneer red 4 speed A/C Honeycomb TA no screaming chicken hood with the heated rear window, and in my opinion, the last of the best T/A’s due to the bumper changes. The worst part was the unitized ignition with the 1 piece spark plug wire setup and the ignition coil that frequently went bad, I replaced it with an HEI and never looked back. I would love to acquire a 70-72 Lucerne Blue T/A… I just built a new shop, so I have the room, but not the cash!
I believe unitized ignition was an option. Odd Pontiac did not test it thoroughly b4 releasing it. & also odd that GM did not come up with a clone of super simple pertronix to put inside its standard pts & condensor distributors. I believe pertronix came out in ’72. Maybe cause it was patented?
Odd the sd-455 took a step backwards with no electronic ignition option. & odd no 455 pontiac engine ever got factory chrome valve covers!!
I’ve seen posted quarter mile times in the high thirteens on the ’72 TA with the 455 HO. Stock, but who knows when it comes to magazine test cars. I don’t think there was a quicker American made car in dreaded ’72.
Not really.
Yes, Lucerne blue with a white scoop no screaming chicken and the 455 HO…. gotta go.
Everytime I see an early Trans Am with the blue stripe on a white body or blue body & white stripe I dislike the flaming chicken more and more,
I agree moosie the flaming chicken never did it for me either!! In fact I see it as nothing but an attractive emblem for cops to spot to pull you over!! I’ve always been more of a sleeper kind of guy!! Clean paint with no emblems at all!! I had the mailman come to give me a registered letter the other day and he asked me what kind of car it was I my driveway!!! I told him it was a 65 mustang fastback!! He said to me that it had cool lines but he didn’t know what it was cause all the emblems are gone!! Just a shinny red paint job!!!
I am a bit suspicious as to the validity of this auction. Case in point is that the exact same car was SOLD FOR $51,000 ON 6/4/19 through Bring A Trailer’s website. Here is the link to the same car. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-pontiac-firebird/ Please note that it is the EXACT same pics, and same text, was used before. I tracked the car then as I was interested in it. I went through Ebay and asked the Seller how long he has owned it. He replied 4 years. According to to BaT this same car sold 4 months ago, NOT 4 years ago. I used Ebay to ask the “Seller” to share a picture of the title with me. If he produces a Title then I will study it and see if I can verify. If I do not see a response I would really worry for anyone that sends $ to this “Seller”. Another clue is that this car did Sell for $51,000, and I asked what would it take to buy it now and the “Seller” said $35,000 to end the auction. Notice how there is NO reserve, and the “Seller” is asking for someone to make an offer to end the auction. My question is if this is the same owner as the one that just bought the car 4 months ago for $51,000, why would he end the auction now for $35,000, especially when it is almost there on the bidding. I believe that based on what I have discovered, and am sharing, this IS A SCAM. Ending the Ebay auction, then sending $ Ebay will not insure the transaction. BUYER BEWARE!!
I have placed a message out to the Buyer that bought it on BaT 4 months ago to inquire if he is selling it on Ebay. Stay tuned… Hope he replies ASAP. I will follow up if he does.
Greg, I’m a member of BAT also and there’s definitely something fishy going on here.
From Ebay:
“Our records show that you recently contacted or received messages from jawbraker1313 through eBay’s messaging system. This account was recently found to have been accessed by an unauthorized third party, who may have used the account in an attempt to defraud other members.
We’ve taken action to restore this account to the original owner, but wanted to let you know to be suspicious of any communication you may have received from them. Nothing is wrong with your account at this time – this message is just being sent as a precaution. If you have received any messages from jawbraker1313 that appears suspicious, please feel free to forward them to us at spoof@ebay.com for review.”
There you go. He was a fake, a thief, and as I mentioned BUYER BEWARE. Hopefully I may have helped others in this community.
There you go. He was a fake, a thief, and as I mentioned BUYER BEWARE. Hopefully I may have helped others in this community.
Greg this is @Treepeddler from BAT. Thank you for your due diligence and helping out the community. John
You bet. It was crazy, I saw the message from EBay and then this theif relist the exact same car with the same account (not his account). I reported that one too. That add was removed as well.