As the modern car world continues to evolve and change, the desire for classic muscle cars grows in tandem. One of the latest examples is this pristine 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Ram Air IV two-door hardtop coupe, which was recently listed for a whopping $250,000.
Originally ordered as a promotional vehicle, this Firebird’s early life included a tour of the U.S. in a series of special events. The car was eventually offered for public sale in New York, and changed hands between five different owners between then and now.
This 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am received a year-long rotisserie restoration process in 2001, and now sits as one of the finest examples of its kind.
“Only 88 Ram Air IV examples were built in 1970, and of the 59 four-speed units built, only six were painted in Lucerne Blue, with only three believed to still be in existence today,” the vehicle listing states. “There was some minor rust found during the restoration and it was repaired properly with steel – everything else on this amazing vehicle is either new, rebuilt or refurbished.”
The party piece is the factory-correct L67 Ram Air IV 400 cubic-inch V8 engine, which was rebuilt with Super Duty rods and balanced during the restoration. Numbers-matching parts abound, including the engine, the 614 heads, the Ram Air IV carburetor, the transmission, and the rest of the drivetrain.
Speaking of the transmission, this thing shifts thanks to the M20 four-speed manual gearbox. A 12-bolt rear end and 3.73:1 Posi traction finish it off. Apparently, the car was ordered without the factory rear sway bar, possibly with the intention of impressing reviewers with some rear-wheel antics during the car’s cross-country tours.
Beyond the mechanical bits, this 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am also comes with the right exterior and interior treatments to justify the high price tag. The exterior is covered in the original Lucerne Blue paint, while black vinyl is used in the cabin. Notably, the car did not come with a front console, and has been restored to match.
Now, this 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am us up for sale in California by Specialty Sales Classics, with 73,704 miles on the clock.
The question is – is it worth a quarter million bucks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Pontiac Firebird news, Pontiac news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Source: Specialty Sales Classics
Comments
Its a cool car, and rare apparently, but 250K? I guess it is worth what someone would pay for it, but I would guess at auction it would be a 150K car at best.
I agree, about $100,000 over priced. I can understand the rarity of it and I was a Pontiac guy having owned a 1967 goat, but saying it has a factory-correct L67 Ram Air IV 400 cubic-inch V8 engine makes me believe it is not an original engine. That alone would take away quite a bit of the price on what is otherwise a rare optioned car. Since Hemmings came around online 25-years ago or so, all muscle cars prices went up because they can now find someone who has the money or just really doesn’t know much about cars.
Wow !! This vehicle cost about $6 grand give or take in 1970. Better then $$ in the bank !
With the Boss 429 and some Mopars and some Camaros selling in that range. I don’t see this price being out of line.
Obviously It’s going to somebody with deep pockets and it’s not going to be driven, (which is my problem with it). I drove a SD455 73 in the 80’s and it was truly a badass car.
The M20 trans was a wide-ratio gearbox, not close-ratio as the article states.
Nice catch, Tom. We’ve reached out to the sellers for clarification and will update this post if we hear back.
UPDATE 2/3: Spoke with Specialty Sales Classics about this vehicle, and they confirmed that it is indeed equipped with the M20 “wide-ratio” four-speed transmission.
I’ve seen the car it’s stunning. Extremely rare and worth all the money. For those of you that don’t know, the RAIV Motor was Pontiacs rarest produced.
Forgot to mention it is all documented numbers matching motor, transmission, rear end, radiator, distributor. The only other recent sale on a similar 1970 Trans Am with a RAIV was for over $300k.
I owned a 66 389 goat but found it sluggish. I ordered a Trans Am Ram Air IV but the factory would NOT supply me with the the Ram Air IV option they told me that the option was special order for get this!!! “SPECIAL PEOPLE”ASS HOLES!! I did get the Ram Air III and it was a kick ass fast engine but my disappointment lead me to sell my TA after only two years… I bought a L88 vette NOW THAT THING REALLY REALLY MOVED!!!
I am the owner of a 1970 1/2 Trans Am Ram Air III with 4 speed standard all matching numbers. It has had one complete paint restoration and kept inside a heated garage. It has only 36,000 miles on it. I am reluctant to sell my baby but if anyone offered close to the $250K! I know it is rare as I have only seen one other in Canada. A real show stopper when I go for a Sunday drive. The T/A for sale is very rare but would question the validity of the matching numbers & options as original but I suppose it could be real. I hope they get the $250K as my car’s value will rise with that sale.
Hey,
I have a 1970 Pontiac trans am too, I have mine since 1975 and my mileage is only 75000 on it and that’s original. Nothing was done to it and it stills work. Comes out only in the summer. I have also Ram Air 111.
Im lucky to own a white auto Ram Air IV TA. It”s a dream car. The round ports are the game changer. Just fun to drive and the idle lop of the 041 cam gets allot of attention. I am lucky to have a Ram Air III GTO and 455 HO GTO. The 455 car is running with 041 cam with 1.65 rockers with the 64 square ports, me bad! The RAM IV motor is just special !! I have a real hard time ever thinking of selling any of my Pontiacs! I will die with them. Maybe that explains why there is such a high value put on these cars. I always pull up to camaro owners at shows and ask if I can park my TA next to them, they often give me the blank stare and say sure ass hole! Ha its all just good fun!
Art work will be priceless
At 17 I had a 1971 trans am 455ho auto. (1972) At 21 I had a red interior white with blue stripe can’t remember the 70/71 auto. Same time, 70 blue t/a 4 speed 400. Now 65, 1970 400 auto ta and a 72 455 ho. The 72 all apart.
Good evening Gents. So, I own this car. And I wouldn’t sell it for $250k today. The market in the Classic and Muscle Car cars the last two years has blown up. What most commentators don’t fully understand or appreciate is the true rarity of RAIV cars. The RAIV motor was and is significantly rarer than GM’s more famous motor, the iconic LS6. The LS6 was and is and awesome motor however it was justifiably deemed too big and heavy for the Firebirds equivalent Camaro. This is an extremely rare car, it was ordered and built specifically for the Pontiac Motor Division (PMD). It was supposedly ‘campaigned’ to show off the power of the RAIV in the Trans Am. One of 59 four speeds built. This car was meticulously restored and is highly documented.