There was a time when a gold-colored anything was very much in style. From gold badges to gold “editions,” automotive manufacturers were not afraid to give a car the bronze treatment. Of course, like most fads, gold went out of style and there was an abundance of cars and trucks left on the automotive landscape wearing paint jobs no one wanted. Well, nostalgia has a way of wiping the slate clean, and plenty of iconic 80s models have come back onto enthusiasts’ radar even when wearing a once unloved color scheme. This 1985 Pontiac Trans Am is offered with no reserve and is said to be running, driving example with a carbureted 5.0L V8 and cold A/C.
I’ll probably catch some flack for saying this, but I actually think this is a good color on a Trans Am. It has a lot to do with the taillights, which were traditionally smoked or blacked out, like we see here. That looks great against the gold paint, and the same can be said for the alloy wheels with the black inserts. Overall, this Trans Am presents well for a driver, with no apparent rust or bodywork concerns and straight body panels wherever you look. The factory aero kit looks sharp as well, with a rear spoiler, side sill extensions, and a front and rear valences under the bumpers. I believe this is referred to as the “Aero Spoiler” option.
The interior definitely shows some signs of wear and tear, and while the tan cloth upholstery and carpeting isn’t too filthy, you can still tell this car needs a good cleaning. The Trans Am was available with a manual gearbox, but like so many others, this one has the automatic transmission. 1985 was a year of changes for the Trans Am, and the cabin was refreshed with a revised dash design, steering wheel, and center console. The seller reports that the air conditioning still works on this southern born-and-raised T/A, and that the glass is all in good shape.
Carbureted models made anywhere from 165 to 190 horsepower, and examples with the “Tuned Port Injection” 305 made a respectable 210 horsepower. Still, I think most Trans Am fans would rather have 20 fewer horsepower and the carbureted setup for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the known ECU issues that came with the early fuel injection cars. The engine bay looks clean and while the seller doesn’t report any major recent maintenance, he also doesn’t recommend driving it a long distance home due to what he thinks is a sticking brake caliper. The Trans Am looks like an affordable project in good shape, so check it out here on eBay if you don’t have an aversion to gold.
Agree w/the author. I think 2nd and 3rd gen Trans Ams have always looked good in gold and partially because of the smoked tail lights I can think of worse trends out there today in finishes…such as paying extra for a dull matte black or charcoal finish. This TA would be great with a 5spd and L69. Minus the t-tops. If youve been in an F body without them after being in one WITH them, you’ll understand
Sad to say by 1985 Pontiac wasn’t itself anymore so why not put a LS in it? You could drop a 400 or 455 in it, knew a army buddy do just that a 400! Shame upon GM thinking no one would notice they killed Poncho! I drive a Ram now days & sleep better for it
A Ram? Is that what used to be a Dodge product? Now owned by Fiat/Chrysler? Oh wait Chrysler is now a subsidiary of Stellantis. See what im saying? 😉
Very toite body. Yeah baby.
The ad says “no computer garbage”. It may be carbed but it still has a computer that limits adjustments you can make. Unless it was taken out. Years ago a buddy had an ’84 T/A with the base 305 four barrel….not the L69 high output. He took out the computer,which meant he had to change the carb and distributor.He claimed it really woke it up.
Gold is still a great color! I had a white gold 2012 Jeep and nobody else had that color. It is beautiful. There are a lot of pretty blues, greens, reds these days. Anything but gray!! Gray is not even a color. It’s a very depressing color gray. Good looking Firebird.
Wow! It went cheap! I would have bid on it had I seen it in time.
Well, it has the t-tops that I hate, so I will say that I’m glad I didn’t buy it. Lol
I agree with Wademo, $3,650 was a good deal for a running, drivable T/A.
Plenty of used interior parts out there from specialists, so putting in back in cosmetic shape should not be a big issue.
As for Pontiac letting its customers down maybe the public let Pontiac down. In ’85 it was nearly impossible to build a performance car that didn’t live in the shadow of their predecessor. I for one would like to know where Chrysler would be had Robert Eaton not sold them out to Daimler. I hope that man has a nice warm second life.
These T/A’s are great cars for the money, I had a 1985 but dark blue over silver ended up selling so I could go to college. Worst part was keeping the keys away from my Dad. LOL.
Ordered this exact car when I left for Ft. Benning as an after basic gift to me. Some problem with the 16″ wheels on the gold one and I ended up with it in silver/grey. Mine had T-tops which I learned to hate and the fuel injected LB9 tune port 305 which never gave me a minute’s problem unlike the crossfire setup in the previous cars. It made 205hp in the T/A and 210 in the Z28, something about the air inlet more restrictive due to the T/A hood. The way this car sits is how they came as there wasn’t anything called an “Aero” package on an ’85 though I think the ’86 could be had with something they called an Aero wing. Wide open, on the floor, slight downgrade to level straight at 3am, 144mph courtesy of a friendly trooper I knew that wanted to get one himself. Really liked this car but my ’77 with the T/A 400 is still favorite.