If you are into rare options and limited production numbers, this Pontiac T/A might be the car for you! I know, by ’78 these muscle cars had lost a lot of their grunt, but they were still fun cars and have recently become quite sought after. Initially, I wasn’t overly interesting in this one. It looks to be in rather rough shape and has some rust issues, but once I started looking the options over, I realized this isn’t your typical late ’70s T/A. This is a Y-82 Special Edition car with the W-72 high output engine with a 4 speed! If you look up production numbers, there were only 489 of these built! You can find this special Pontiac here on eBay in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
I’m not a Pontiac expert by any means, but I’ve taken more of an interest in these cars recently. So I’ve learned a bit more about their naming conventions. So the Y-82 was a special apperance package that included the black paint with gold logos, think Smoky and the Bandit. Now the W-72 option is the one to get real excited about, as it means this car has the hotter 400 cui V8. It was rated at 220 horsepower with 320 pounds of torque on tap. It might not sound as impressive as pre-1974 horsepower numbers, but for ’78 it was impressive. And considering you could do a 15.2 quarter mile, it wasn’t terrible.
This Pontiac is going to need some major work, but values are climbing for Tran AMs and this one is optioned well enough to be worth restoring. Personally, I think this would be a fun machine to have once completed. The $9k asking price might be a tad high, but hopefully the seller will take something closer to the current bid.
Don’t touch it! Cloth tape to fix the dash. Keep the always classy lace-on steering wheel cover. Force fit some sort of “Eldabrock” carburetor. And you’ve got: BATTLE CAR GALACTICA!!!!
Been to this place. This guy is full of bs and selling fake SE cars. I contacted PHS about his cars, the reports he has were doctored fake according to them.. Do not go to scranton pa to buy any of his cars
I have dealt with him too. Not honest. Bad dude.
A lot of work to save a low production car that doesn’t have it’s drivetrain.
I like the patina on this.
Desert Storm camouflage.
I have never understood ‘will sell engine and transmission with car for extra money’.
Totally agree. It’s like going to restaurant and them bringing your food, but charge extra to actually cook it.
Low Miles! Who cares if it needs everything and has no engine?
In the 90’s, every yard in rural NW Florida (we called it “LA”, or “Lower Alabama”) had one of these or a Z-28 proudly displayed on jackstands in the front yard. Wonder where they all went?
There are still places like that in rural South Carolina too. Not sure but it may be a requirement for states east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason-Dixon line.
Geez! Me and 5 mates came over to the States for SEMA in ’15 and picked up a ’78 Trans Am in Vegas for $2.5k. It was a good 20 footer only missing the targa top panels and a wheel…..and it ran…..so at least it had an engine!
The US more relaxed cannabis laws are apparently great for eBay sellers if someone’s willing to bid up to $7k for this!
It might make a nice flower pot. I can picture a ficus growing out of the hole in the hood.
Didn’t we see that dash photo recently on another ad? For a mustang 2 cobra?
Absolutely! Good catch.
rather have the Bel Air in the background. Looks in better shape
Car in background looks more like a 52-54 Chrysler. Much better shape.
I’m thinking 53-54 Saratoga, probably 54.
I picked up a 78 TA, 2nd owner car, Martinique blue with camel tan deluxe int. W-72 drive in much better shape than this one for 2K. I know the Bandit cars are popular…but for that price?
How long ago was that? Most 2 to 3 condition ’77 and ’78s go for between $15K to $25K nowadays.
I can remember cars like this around 1990 for 500 bucks and I would pass on them. Still too much work for the condition to me
Not worth anything without the engine and trans. Too much bj auctions for this dreamer.
Rare “no engine” option Trans Am, but he’s got a date correct rare engine for additional $!! Same as the ElCamino he’s selling, rare “no engine” option but he has a rare date coded engine for additional $!! A car that’s rare because of the engine it USED to have is now just another old shell that needs a complete resto. I don’t get it.
This guy is destroying this rare car for profit. It was sold on eBay in 2014 with the engine intact. A friend of mine dealt with this seller. Buyer beware, be very cautious.
This TA I’ve seen before and like the other guy said , its owner is full of it a drunk 😵 on B.S. I’ve got some ocean front property in Arizona I will sale him tons of sand..
I have a buddy that lived in Arizona and had a sign in his front yard that said “future ocean front property” just to piss off his relatives from California when they came to visit.
Scranton, PA is about a 90 mi drive from me , it wouldn’t be worth the time nor effort to get it , and he probably wants more for the engine and tranny than the car sells for
Had a 78 that was ordered without the screamin chicken. Put my own wheels on it (because I could) and drove it like it was stolen. I lost track of the “unsafe start” tickets… bad universal joints… and broken hearts… Even taught a few chicks to drive stick on the factory hurst 4 speed. Never drove it in the winter, but washed it way too much. Spring 1988 fresh out of storage, after a bath I started the “Rain Dance” wax ritual. Almost immediately I noticed bubbling around the rear window.. opened the trunk, smelled mold. Removed the entire trunk contents right down to the metal, only to discover that the rear window leak had run into the trunk, down into the rockers. Started pushing from the outside of the rockers, up.. they were soft. I bit my lower lip, finished the spring clean up, told my folks what was going on, they were shocked that I was going to sell. The following day I listed that 78 T/A in the Charlotte Observer, two days later the car was gone. A month later I was at the car wash in my ‘new’ (to me) 87 Renault GTA and I saw the guy who bought the T/A. I asked where it was, he told me lost control on wet road, and totaled it. I asked where it was, he gave me the address, later that day I went to the recovery yard and said my final goodbyes. My dad said many time “your going to wash that paint off”..
14.6 1/4 little tweek