A freshly restored 1971 Pontiac Trans Am 455 H.O. is listed here on Craigslist out of Camas, Washington, carrying an asking price of $137,000 OBO. The seller posted it nine days ago and is open to trades for select classic muscle cars. For a model year that Pontiac built in genuinely small numbers, this is a rare car brought back to better-than-new condition. The seller describes a full frame-off restoration, with new floor pans, quarter panels, trunk components, and hardware throughout. The 455 H.O. engine was rebuilt by Summer’s Machine in Vancouver, Washington, and the seller says it was built to a 4-bolt-main specification. The seller also states this is 1 of 855 produced.
For 1971, General Motors capped compression ratios at 8.5:1 across the board so its engines could run on the low-lead and unleaded fuel coming to gas stations. Pontiac’s answer for the Trans Am was to make the 455 cubic inch V8 standard equipment, built with round-port heads and an 8.4:1 compression ratio, and given the High Output, or H.O., designation. It was also the year GM switched from gross to net horsepower ratings industry-wide, a more conservative measure that made every performance car’s numbers look smaller on paper even where little had changed underhood.
Pontiac offered the 1971 Trans Am in only two colors, Cameo White with blue stripes or Lucerne Blue with white stripes, both standard rather than optional. This car’s white-over-blue scheme matches one of those combinations. Interiors came in black, blue, saddle, jade, sandalwood, or ivory, in standard or custom trim, and the black upholstery shown here lines up with Pontiac’s documented black interior code. Pontiac built 53,124 Firebirds for 1971, and the Trans Am was by far the rarest of the bunch at just 2,116 units, all equipped with the 455 H.O. Of those, factory records show 885 were built with a 4-speed manual transmission and 1,231 with automatics.
The interior was completely redone, including new upholstery, carpet, and a dash restored by Just Dashes, paired with a Hurst competition shifter for the 4-speed manual. The car wears a new coat of Factory Correct Cameo White with a blue center stripe, one of only two correct color and graphics combinations Pontiac offered on the 1971 Trans Am. The hard work is done on this car. It is ready to drive and enjoy.
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