It is that time of year when many people’s thoughts turn to celebrations. Family Christmas get-togethers, Christmas parties, and New Year festivities are the order of the day. Pontiac threw its own party in 1979, and the Trans Am was the guest of honor. A decade had passed since the first Trans Am graced showroom floors, and the company released a 10th Anniversary Edition to mark the occasion. This Trans Am is a tidy one-owner survivor with minor cosmetic shortcomings, leaving scope for visual improvement for those considering a DIY approach. The listing indicates that it must sell, suggesting that the seller may be keen to negotiate. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Mitchell G. for spotting this Pontiac listed here on eBay in Santa Ana, California. The seller set their BIN at $23,700 with the option to make an offer.
Pontiac aimed to make the 10th Anniversary Trans Am stand out, electing to finish all cars in a stunning combination of Code 15 Platinum Silver and Code 16 Gray. By adding 15-inch “Turbo” wheels and a mirrored-glass T-Top as standard equipment, it guaranteed this version would command plenty of attention on the street. This Trans Am is a one-owner survivor that presents quite well for its age. Close inspection reveals minor paint imperfections, but the fact that it hasn’t become severely patchy or developed a matte appearance suggests the seller has done their best to protect the car from long-term UV exposure, which often exacts a high toll on this paint shade. There are no visible dings or dents, and the lack of apparent rust is unsurprising considering this Pontiac’s location. Some wheels are missing their center caps, although the wheels themselves are in good order. The glass is clear, and the rear window louver is a period-correct touch that will appeal to many.
Pontiac didn’t hold back when developing the Trans Am 10th Anniversary, loading its interior with almost everything in its Toy Box. Buyers received air conditioning, power windows, power locks, cruise control (except on manual-transmission models), a tilt wheel, a rear defogger, and unique Silver leather trim. This car also scores the optional AM radio/8-track player, and its presence is a victory since many have disappeared over the years. There are no visible aftermarket additions, but the exterior theme continues inside this classic. The seats are in good condition, with no significant shortcomings. The same is true of the dash and pad, further reinforcing my belief that this Pontiac hasn’t spent long periods in the blazing sun. However, the carpet along the outer edges shows wear and dirt marks, the wheel exhibits discoloring, and the door trims are beginning to warp and fail. The buyer may need to swallow hard in their quest for perfection, because while replacement door trims are available, they typically cost over $700 per pair. The wheel may not be so challenging, because I think it would respond favorably to attention with appropriate dye and a treatment compound.
Buyers ordering a ’79 Trans Am 10th Anniversary Edition could choose from two engines to power their new purchase. Only 1,817 buyers selected the company’s iconic 400ci V8, teamed with a four-speed manual transmission. The remaining 5,683 drove away with the “Olds” 403ci V8 under the hood. Ordering the 403 brought no manual option, with buyers receiving a three-speed Hydramatic transmission and power-assisted steering and brakes. There is plenty of good news for potential buyers, because this classic is in excellent mechanical condition. The listing indicates a potential odometer reading of 67,000 miles without mentioning verifying evidence. However, the car runs and drives beautifully, allowing the buyer to fly in and drive it home.
Pontiac was onto a winner with its 1979 Trans Am 10th Anniversary, easily finding buyers for the 7,500 examples that rolled off the line. Good examples are highly sought, although it is worth noting that those with the Olds V8 under the hood command a significantly lower value than cars featuring the company’s 400ci V8. The market hasn’t treated those examples kindly during 2025, with “Olds” variant prices dropping by around 6% across the board. The situation has stabilized, but we can only speculate whether that is the first sign of a market rebound. The seller’s BIN is probably realistic, but the situation could be significantly better if they are flexible when negotiating. With that thought in mind, what would you be prepared to pay for this Trans Am?
I believe the window louvers are aftermarket, but otherwise it’s all stock. This isn’t my favorite Firebird what with the hog nose, but I’d consider this one as it looks in good shape, and it’s got the Pontiac engine.
It has the Oldsmobile engine, which is why these never appreciated over the years. The Pontiac engine only came with a manual transmission. These space age rims never worked on these years either.
The 403, Olds’ biggest “small block,” was a puzzling choice for the Trans Am. It was designed to power luxury barges like the Custom Cruiser, 98, and Electra. And it was good for that purpose.
But it had shortcomings in a performance application. Hollow main bearing webs made the bottom end weak and the huge bore necessary to make this much displacement with the 350’s stroke meant no coolant passages between the cylinders. So you really can’t pile on too much power via mods or drive them particularly hard, as Trans Am and Formula owners would be much more likely to do.
I like it..
The color is so retro iconic with interior to me.
If I had room in my stable (manger) then I would pick it up.
Who knows someday one could be thought of as a wiseman and its actually worth gold, frankincense, and myrrh 😎
DarthVader nose, lots of rat in this one …
I had a 79 with the 403 “boat motor”. While they pull fine they don’t have near the poke of the 400. The other reason that they are unloved is that they had the Turbo 350 transmission behind that big 403 motor. I went thru the first transmission under warranty. When the second one started leaking I took it to the quarter car wash and cleaned the underside well, let it dry off and took it to the dealer to trade it in, the car was only two and a half years old and didn’t have that many miles on it, but got a good trade in on a 81 RX-7 that the Pontiac dealer also sold.
Build quality was miserable, lots of issues in the first month to get fixed, slit weather stripping on one door, trunk didn’t fit, they bent the hinges to get it close, leaking wheel (casting porosity meant filling it every day) and every time you put it into reverse it would blow the fuse for all the lights on the back of the car (pinched backup light wire under one of the tail light standoffs that the dealer couldn’t find in 3 visits) that I fixed myself. These were the height of Detroit’s “malaise” years and Lordstown was the worst plant for quality in the entire company. And lastly the nose is the ugliest of all the Firebirds, so there’s not much to love about that years cars.
I had a 1978 Z28 back in high school. It wasn’t new, but it was pretty close in proximity to its original build date.
This has been all been lost to history or filtered out through rose colored nostalgia. But indeed, these things were not built very well. My door handles pulled off at the top (they all did because they were made out of cheap plastic), the air conditioning compressor froze, and the power steering pump failed.
My side view mirror glass fell off, my driver’s door was sagging, and it was starting to develop significant rust in the rear quarter panels on the wheel lips and at the bottom of the front quarter panel after only a small handful of winters. These are just things I remember off the top of my head. It was a fun car, but not built very well as you observed also.
Most obviously wrong are the “foilers” that were added behind the wheels. Not stock, ugly, and dumb. The ones in front of the wheels did nothing aerodynamically but they’re more acceptable inasmuch as they were on every T/A from 1971 through 1981. I never was a fan of louvers on the back window, but I accept that it’s a matter of taste. And speaking of the back window, the surrounding pinstripes are missing, indicating a less than meticulous repaint.
I happened to love the turbine wheel look (even if they leaked, which I’d never heard of before today). Again just a matter of taste. I also like the ’79-’81 shovel noses as opposed to the ’77-’78 Batmobile snouts. The first gen ’67-’68 front bumpers are the best – so much better than the unimaginatively bland fronts on the Camaro cousins.
I love the TA T/As (take that any way you like) and would own one if I were a rich man. This one would take a little work and some thoughtful resto-modding. The asking price is not bad, but it’s no bargain considering the shortcomings.
Overpriced. When you look at the poor body work under an obviously poor and cheap paint job and the cost to make it correct it, you’re losing money at this price. As far as the rear window louvers, perfect for the era and one of the first things I put on my ’79 TA.
SOLD – Best Offer Accepted.
Clean Drivers car but I believe the odometer has rolled once making the price on the higher side
Very nice just fix the drivers door panel and left rear bumper damage. Still a nice Pontiac.