For some, this car may take the term “patina” a little too far. But make no mistake, the seller knows this is a Ratty T/A.  It even says so across the windshield.  With an asking price of $7,500, this 1980 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am Pace Car is for sale in St. Johns, Florida and can be seen here on Facebook Marketplace.  Now before you hit delete, there is more to this car than first meets the eye. The seller had installed new floorboards and rebuilt the brakes and suspension including 2″ lowering Eibach springs, poly bushings, tie rods, etc.

The stock suspension, when new, was already one of the best handling cars on the market with the famed WS6 suspension and 4 wheel disc brakes. The top engine for the Trans Am in 1980 was the turbocharged 4.9 liter (301 cubic inch) engine. Pontiac engineers knew the day of the big cubic inch mill was numbered so they made a good attempt at replacing the W72 400 (220 hp) engine from the prior year with a turbocharged small displacement engine.  In 1980,  the 4.9-liter engine was rated at 210 hp and 345-foot pounds of torque.

On paper, this engine was comparable to the 1979 W72 400 Pontiac engine but in reality, it wasn’t much of a performer. The quarter-mile times of the 1979 W72 engine ranged from 14.6 to 15.3 seconds whereas the 1980 turbo engine produced much slower quarter-mile times ranging from 16.2 to 16.8 seconds in published articles. Turbo engines only came with automatic transmissions so off the line, they are slow until you get into the turbo is spinning fast enough to create boost. This car is one of 5,700 Indy Pace Car replicas sold in 1980. The 1980 Trans Am was appointed as the official pace car of the 64th annual Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 1980 which included a fully optioned car with a special gray and white houndstooth interior and decals.

The turbo 4.9-liter engine was based on the 301 cubic inch Pontiac engine introduced in 1977 that was designed to be lighter and provide improved fuel mileage. The turbo engine was strengthened with a reinforced block, high-pressure oil pump, baffled oil pan, 10 psi fuel pump, 800 CFM Rochester carburetor, forged pistons, and an oil-cooled Garrett turbocharger.  The press cars were tuned to produce 9 psi of boost. However, most turbo Trans Ams and Formulas left the factory detuned to 5 to 7 psi of boost.

I have personally owned several 1979 W72 cars and currently own a 1980 Indy Pace car like this one.  Mine is a 60k mile car that has a few upgrades done by TTA Performance including a manual boost controller, water-alcohol injection, 1.65 rockers and a 2.5″ downpipe with the tuned exhaust. These mods really wake up the car and make it comparable to the W72 400 in the mid-range. In 1980, Pontiac also introduced the Electronic Spark Controller (ESC) which used a sensor to retard timing when detonation occurred. Poor gas in the 1980s was blamed for sluggish performance but the car could have benefited from fuel injection, a 4-speed transmission and an intercooler.

1980 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am Pace Cars typically sell for $18,000 to $22,000 depending on condition and mileage. This car could be driven as is or be used as a starting place for a complete build. The more you stare at it, the more appeal it has.  Regardless, you can’t say it doesn’t have patina!  Let me know what you think in the comment section below.

• Asking Price: $7,500
• Location: Saint Johns, Florida
• Mileage: 99,951
• Title Status: Clean

List your car here on Barn Finds for only $50!