Originality can be a key consideration when assessing a classic car’s potential value. Overall condition, rarity, and desirability also factor into that equation. This 1972 Pontiac Trans Am is not 100% original, but returning it to that state may not prove challenging. Alternatively, a new owner could drive and enjoy it as it currently stands, reveling in the performance it offers. The Trans Am is listed here on eBay in Mineola, New York. The bidding has raced past the reserve to sit at $32,600.
This Trans Am makes a positive first impression. The seller admits it received a repaint around twenty-five years ago in its original shade of Lucerne Blue. It continues to shine well for its age, but they state that there are the usual chips and marks you might expect for a vehicle of this age. However, its beauty is more than skin-deep. The Trans Am has been garage-kept for the past two decades, allowing it to remain one of the most solid and rust-free examples you are likely to find in the current market. The panels and usual trouble spots like the area around the back window and the rear valance are clean. When we delve below the surface, the floors are rock-solid. It appears that the new owner can leave the grinder and welder in the cupboard on this one. The chrome and tinted glass look excellent, while the wider Rally wheels add a sense of purpose.
The first thing you notice when examining this Pontiac’s interior is the collection of Autometer gauges occupying the cluster. They won’t appeal to some people, and the removed gauges come with the car for those potential buyers craving originality. The rest of the dash appears okay, although there is a hole where the factory radio should reside. There is no crumbling plastic, and the seller includes a new seatcover kit and a carpet set that would lift the presentation to a higher level. The vehicle originally featured air conditioning, and while some components are intact, the buyer will need to shop for a few pieces. The original owner also selected power windows and a tilt wheel to improve occupant comfort.
The first factor to consider when assessing this Trans Am’s drivetrain is that it is no longer numbers-matching. That isn’t all bad news because not only is the V8 occupying its engine bay a gem, but the original long block on a stand comes with the car. What we find occupying this engine bay is a 400ci beauty of 1967 vintage. It features the desirable “62” cylinder heads and, depending on the camshaft specifications and a few other factors, it should be pumping out somewhere around 330hp. The power finds its way through a Turbo 400 transmission to a 3.73 disc brake rear end. Speculating on its ultimate performance requires an educated guess, but I see a mid-14-second ¼-mile ET as a possibility. The owner hasn’t spent much time behind the wheel of this classic recently, but they have kept it in a running and driving state. They suggest that the buyer have the vehicle thoroughly inspected before hitting the road, which sounds like a wise suggestion.
By 1972, time was running out for the American performance market. New emission regulations waited in the wings, and nobody could know how profound their impact would be. That effectively makes cars like this Trans Am the last of a breed. Returning it to a factory-fresh state is one option for potential buyers to consider, although retaining it as a tidy driver is another. If you were the winning bidder, what would you do?
Beautiful car, nice mods.
Looks like a 4 wheel drive it sits so high! Closed shaker attached to the hood, no longer a shaker. It will be interesting to see what it sells for.
Beautiful car, but why would anyone bastardize the dash with those tacky gauges when the rest of the car is so intact and original?
No mention of what the original engine was . . . it would be super attractive if it was a 455SD . . . just sayin’.
Yeah, except that the 455 Super Duty wasn’t available until 1973.
They only made 455 SD in 1973 and 1974
Stupid people do stupid things. Can be saved and certainly the lowest year of production. Long GM strike by greedy workers saw plenty of these cars destroyed.
The blue ’70-72s are lot less common than the white ones. & ’72 had the strike.
This may be 1 of (?) very few blue t/a’s for ’72.
Removing the heavy factory a/c might account for sitting high up front, especially if it also has new overseas coil springs.
In back may be air shocks or the very stiff white KYB’s.
Might need a heater core?(a/c or non a/c?) – unless you live in Southern Calif or Hawaii.
The few i saw of the ’70-73 blue t/a’s, i remember the blue paint not being all that shiny. Odd.