Pontiac sales of the Trans Am again increased in 1978 to 93,341 units. This Chesterfield Brown 1978 Pontiac Trans Am was sent to us by T.J. and has only 31k miles on the odometer. The car is a super clean 4 speed car with WS6 suspension and 400 cubic inch V8 engine. The car is located in Gunnison, Colorado and is listed here on Craigslist. It is being sold by the owner who is asking $48,500.
The camel interior looks to be in great shape and features power windows, an aftermarket stereo, air conditioning and the deluxe interior option which included upgraded seats and door panels. I own a 1978 Chesterfield Brown Trans Am just like this but mine has a few more miles and a changed out the standard vinyl seats to deluxe cloth. The seller notes that the car has an M21 Muncie 4 speed transmission. Most likely, it still has its stock Borg Warner T-10 4 speed transmission and the seller is confused by the RPO option M21 which designates a 4 speed not the manufacturer of the transmission. I believe the last year for a Muncie M21 transmission in a Trans Am was 1973.
In 1978, buyers could choose from three engine options for the Pontiac Trans Am, depending on their location and order: the standard L78 400 V8 producing 180 hp with a GM Turbo Hydramatic 350 automatic transmission, the California-specific L80 403 V8 generating 185 hp with the same automatic transmission, and the high-performance W72 400 V8 rated at 220 hp, available with either a GM automatic or a Borg Warner T-10 manual transmission. The seller does not include any pictures of the engine compartment so we would assume it is a W72 engine because of the 4 speed only being available with this engine. Midway through the year, Pontiac restricted the W72 to only the 4-speed manual, making an early 1978 W72 paired with an automatic transmission a rare find.The W72 engine saw an increase to 220 hp from the previous year’s 200 hp thanks to dual exhausts, and initially was offered with both transmission types.
This Trans Am rides on Pontiac 15×8 aluminum snowflake wheels. If these wheels are original to the car, this suggests it is equipped with the WS6 handling package. The seller notes a 2 inch ding in the driver door, rock chips and missing side molding on the drivers door. These items should have been fixed before asking $48k but should not be hard to repair.
boy that’s a stiff C/L #. that’s more in line with an auction house price. it’s nice but good luck
Pretty clean Trans Am and I like that it is a 4-speed and has A/C.
Nice car, but boy, oh boy, talk about a 1970’s color.
I’m sure it’ll look great parked on shag carpet next to an Avocado Green refrigerator.
Much better color than all the white, silver or black cars of today. Most cars today or just boring.
At that money do a PDR on the drivers door dent.