This 1977 Pontiac Trans Am stands out in its in Code 75 red paint and factory aluminum snowflake wheels. TJ found this Trans Am here on Facebook Marketplace. The car is located in Odessa, Texas which is in West Texas next door to Midland. The car has been listed for 2 weeks and the seller is asking $39,900. The seller states that the car has less than 33K miles. What most car enthusiasts are unaware is the Pontiac used the Oldsmobile L80 403 cubic inch V8 engine to power the Trans Am in 1977 and 1978 in addition to 1979.
The Trans Am is a little dirty in this picture of the engine compartment. If you have ever been to Odessa, the wind and dust is a constant most of the time and it is hard to keep a car clean in such an environment. The standard engine for the Trans Am in 1977 was the L78 400 cubic inch V8, rated at 180 horsepower. Pontiac introduced the W72 400 cubic inch engine option as the high-performance engine after the demise of the Pontiac 455. The performance engine option, the W72 400 cubic inch V8, was rated at 200 horsepower. The W72 engine featured chrome valve covers and 6X heads from the factory. In California, emissions regulations limited the Trans Am to only the Oldsmobile 403 cubic inch V8 engine, rated at 185 horsepower. Demand for the Grand Prix and Firebird were so great in 1977 that the company used Chevrolet and Oldsmobile engines to fill orders.
The black vinyl interior looks brand new. The car is equipped with the custom interior option, air conditioning and tilt steering. The air conditioning system has been converted to R134 and the fuel tank and sending unit were replaced in the last year. The original AM/FM Cassette stereo still resides in the dash. With 32,850 miles, this car looks to be in exceptional condition. The engine is backed by a 3 speed automatic transmission.
The seller has much of the original paperwork to go with the car and the seller states that he or she is the third owner. The car rides on factory 15×7 aluminum snowflake wheels and Goodyear tires. I wonder how old those tires are or if they are aftermarket replacements. The seller posts a picture of the window stocker and it shows the car was built in Norwood, Ohio and delivered to Quality Pontiac in Albuquerque, New Mexico when new.
Looking for a 1973 white Pontiac Grand AM 455 C.I. runner. Not a trailer queen but a runner.
I’m not big on red cars, but this one with the bird on the hood, black interior, and the wheels looks good in red.
It’s a pretty car,but that engine..a 403 with 185 HP?……. That’s sad!
The 403 Oldsmobubble mill became the corporate BOP motor for a while. It supposedly has the perfect bore stroke ratio, and for several years, there was a sad following for the big/small block who believed there was some magical untapped power in there somewhere. Never really hit its stride though.
It still floors me that people have a car that they are expecting to get north of $30,K for and can’t be bothered to clean it before they take pictures.