Pontiac built and sold the most Trans Ams in history in 1979. However, most cars were equipped with the L80 403 cubic inch Oldsmobile V8 that came with an automatic transmission only. This was not a bad engine but it was mated to a high gears (2.41:1) so it was more of a cruiser than a bruiser. However, Sammy Hagar wrote a song called Trans Am Highway Wonderland that stated “In 79 it will be the end of the road, if you want horsepower overload…In my Trans Am, catch me if you can!” Sammy knew that 1979 was that last year for the 400 cubic inch V8 engine and so did 8,326 Trans Am buyers who opted for the 400 cubic inch V8 engine. This is one of the Z code cars built in 1979. It is listed here on eBay at no reserve and is currently bid to $5,100. There are 3 days remaining in the auction . The car is located in Nampa, Idaho.

The base engine in the 1979 Trans Am was the L80 403 cubic inch V8 that came with an automatic transmission. The VIN shows a “K” in the 5th digit for these cars. The L37 301 cubic inch V8 was a $50 credit option on Trans Ams and could be ordered with either an automatic or 4 speed manual transmission. These cars had a “W” as the 5th digit in the VIN. The 301 cubic inch V8 engine could not be ordered on Tenth Anniversary Trans Am but could be ordered on the SE cars or regular production Trans Ams. The high performance engine option that year was the L78 W72 400 cubic inch V8 engine. As stated earlier, only 8,326 Trans Ams were built out of 117,108 in 1979 with the 400 cubic inch V8 which was mated to a Borg Warner T-10 4 speed manual transmission and came with 3.23 rear gears, WS6 suspension and dual turbo mufflers. The W72 400 cubic inch engine was different because it was built with a 800 cfm 4 barrel Rochester carburetor, high capacity 60 psi oil pump, special cam, baffled oil pan, special piston rings, and 8:1 compression heads. The W72 400 cubic inch V8 engine that was manufactured in 1977 and stockpiled for installation in 1977-1979 Trans Ams.

This car is definitely a project and will need a lot of work. The dash is cracked, it has the wrong shifter, there is no console or door panels and it is missing the glove box. There is surface rust under the dash and on most of the metal parts. The seats are incorrect for 1979 and the dash bezel is out of a Esprit or early Formula. The seller is clear in the description that this is a project car and he or she is not sure about the engine other than it looks like its been worked on. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the engine compartment in the ad.

The car has T-Tops and 15×8 snowflake wheels. All Z code cars came with the WS6 performance suspension which included improved shocks, steering ratio and fatter sway bars. A buyer also got 15×8 instead of 15×7 aluminum wheels. This is the first year that the WS6 suspension came with 4 wheel disc brakes. There are additional parts in the trunk and the seller states that he or she took the car in on as a partial trade. I hope this car gets back on the road and is enjoyed by the new owner.