Pontiac introduced the WS6 Performance Handling Package in 1978. It was improved in 1979 with the addition of 4 wheel disc brakes. Car and Driver named the 1979 Trans Am equipped with WS6 the best handling American made car. This, however, is not a Trans Am. It is a 1979 Pontiac Formula which could be equipped with the same options as a Trans Am. This car appears to be sitting in a field in Dublin, Texas. It is listed for sale here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,000. The listing has only been up for 3 days.

There are only four pictures of the car in the ad but it appears to be a well optioned vehicle. I contacted the seller to get more pictures and information about the engine but he was not very helpful. So let’s see what we can figure out just by looking at the pictures. This car has the factory Fisher T-tops and 15×8 aluminum snowflake wheels. If these 15×8 Pontiac aluminum snowflake wheels on factory, it means the car has the WS6 Performance Handling Package which also included J65 4 wheel disc brakes in 1979. The WS6 package also included special shocks, larger sway bars, and improved steering ratio.

We don’t know what engine is in this car but the base engine was the 301 cubic inch V8. It was rated at either 135 horsepower or 155 horsepower depending on whether it received a 2 bbl or 4 bbl carburetor. Many Formulas were built with the optional Oldsmobile 403 cubic inch V8 engine that produced 185 horsepower and 315 lb ft of torque. You can always tell an Oldsmobile engine from a Pontiac engine in a Formula or Trans Am because the Oldsmobile engine has the oil tube on the front of the motor. The Oldsmobile 403 cubic inch V8 engine was only available with the Turbo 350 transmission. The rarest engine was the W72 Pontiac 400 cubic inch V8 engine which was rated at 220 horsepower. This engine only came with a 4 speed, WS6 suspension and 3.23 rear end. Only 364 Formulas were built in 1979 with the W72 engine.

Since the ad states that this car has an automatic transmission, it would have either the 301 cubic inch V8 or the 403 cubic inch V8 engine. The car is listed as blue but it looks black in the pictures. The odometer is said to read 89,000 miles. I hope this car is saved and back on the road for us to enjoy.