Original Paint Original 400ci 4 Barrel/TH350 Transmission Nicely Preserved

1978 Pontiac Trans Am

The sporty Firebird was Pontiac's answer to the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. The car combined an available big V-8 with aggressive, attention-grabbing styling and delivered it in a relatively practical four-passenger package. Like its pony-car competitors, the rear-wheel-drive Firebird offered tire-smoking power and impressive acceleration. The F-body platform on which it and the Camaro were based, however, was arguably well past its prime by the early 2000's. 2002 was the final year of production for Pontiac's iconic but dated speed machine. The Trans Am was the pumped-up, V-8-powered model in the lineup.

What happens when we take the best year of the Trans Am, put the best engine in it, throw on a 4-barrel carburetor, back it up with a TH350 4-speed transmission, put a screaming chicken logo on the hood, and bathe the car in Platinum? You get our numbers matching no rust from Texas Trans Am we have for consignment here at Classic Auto Mall.

Exterior
With its original paint which presents in fair condition, with no rust, just some fading, and slight blotchiness which tends to come with age and being in the sun, this car has straight panels, good gaps, some plastic wheel well flares, and a front and rear spoiler setup. With its sleek sloping rear, front quarter air intakes, and scooped hood, it's easy to see why this was THE year Trans Am to have. Throw on a foursome of snowflake wheels, some sticky Goodrich T/A's, a quad headlight setup within a split front grille, and we are rockkin'.

Interior
A swing of the doors and we are in RED heaven! Nicely preserved red cloth buckets up front, and a 2 plus 2 bench in the rear, they have good padding, and cloth is unmarred, and shows no fading. A red center console races toward the dash, has a storage compartment between the seats, and houses the automatic shift lever. Looking toward the dash we see more red but it frames a spun pattern aluminum panel which stretches across the drivers area, and makes a home for the gauge cluster. Noted is the odometer which consigner states contains the original mileage of 37,545 original miles. An aftermarket AM/FM/Cassette radio is fitted nicely into the dash and replaces the factory radio, but in a nicely done way. Looking down we see very good red carpet with rubber Trans Am red floor mats preserving it. An upward glance reveals a straight and no fault vinyl headliner. A last shout out to the trunk which is covered with clean carpet and sports a space saver tire.

Drivetrain
A pop of the hood and we are met with an unrestored 400ci V8, with a 4-barrel carburetor atop, and a TH350 3-speed automatic transmission. Some corrosion, and overall a nice patina shows but remember it is original and numbers matching!

Undercarriage
As we would expect minor areas of surface rust, but a thick coating of rustproofing is doing its job because we see unmarred steel underneath, all structurally sound and obviously was kept in a dry location...Did I mention Texas?

Certainly not perfect on the paint front, however an overall nice number matching, super low mileage car, a desired year, and plenty of power to boot. (or put your boot into).

VIN Decode
2W87Z8N195222
2-Pontiac
W-Trans Am
87-2 Door Coupe
Z-400 CUI 4 BBL
8-1978
N-Norwood OH Assy Plant
195222-Sequential Unit Number

Cowl Tag
ST 78 2FS87-1978 Pontiac Firebird 2 Door Coupe
BDY N 317193- Norwood Body #
TRM 74B A51-Carmine Cloth Bucket Seats
PNT 15L 15U-Platinum Poly
06B-2nd Week June Build
WS4-Trans Am CA1-Carmine Secondary Interior Color