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1974 Pontiac 455 Firebird Trans Am Super Duty Is One Of The Last True Muscle Cars

The 1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Super Duty represents one of the prime examples of American muscle car performance in its time before government mandates killed the trend.

Pontiac managed to assemble 943 of them in 1974 and of that number only 212 were fitted with the full fat, 455 cubic-inch Super Duty engine and four-speed manual transmission. This is one of them, and it could be yours if you play your cards right at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction (September 24-26).

Its three previous owners kept it in immaculate condition, logging just 9,500 miles between them.

It wears an original interior and bodywork and a numbers-matching drivetrain that’s never been disassembled, plus it comes with all the sought-after paper work like a Pontiac Division Build Sheet, original manual, warranty booklet, and a copy of the Window Sticker from Pontiac Historical Services.

It’s also loaded with a smattering of goodies like power steering, brakes, windows and locks, AM/FM stereo, tilt wheel, defogger, and deluxe upholstery.

Yet it’s what’s under the hood of the 1974 Pontiac Super Duty that makes it truly special: most are unaware all 455 Super Duty V8s were hand-built race engines, put together off the assembly line.

It’s likely this is one of the finest, most original 1974 Pontiac Trans Am Super Duty performance cars in existence and, with no reserve price, one lucky bidder is guaranteed to take home this potent Poncho next month.

Let the paddles wave where they may.

A far-too-tall Ontarian who likes to focus on the business end of the auto industry, in part because he's too tall to safely swap cogs in a Corvette Stingray.

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Comments

  1. This is my favorite Firebird / Camaro bodystyle.
    Wishing GM would consider doing limited edition Camaro – Firebird’s with unique power train, trim, front and rear facada and of course Pontiac badging.

    Reply
  2. Drove one just like this. It was amazing how fast it was for a car from this era.

    Minor mods like a little better cam would push it to the 12’s in the quarter miles.

    Too bad GM did not let the engineers run Pontiac as they were the only ones that understood the brand after Delorean left.

    Instead they killed the Pontiac engine and just made Pontiac a modified Chevy styling exercise accept for the Fiero till the end.

    Reply
  3. While my favorite is the ’70 – ’73 Formulas, the ’74 has a great look all its own. I never understood why they moved the front turn signal lights for ’75 and the curved back glass hurt the body lines over the ’74 model.

    scott3, I agree completely with the loss of Pontiac. James McDonald as Pontiac head and then GM CEO was one of the worst things to happen to both Pontiac and GM.

    Reply
  4. Bring back Pontiac !

    Reply
  5. Buccaneer Red for the win! I LOVE the 1970-1973 T/As and Firebird 400s and practically worship at the church of Super Duty. I know the crash standard mandates forced the styling change, but I never liked the black bumper, smaller nostril look of the 74-75 Firebirds. At least it has the power to back up it’s aerodynamic aids and that Screamin Chicken!

    Reply

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