The Pontiac Firebird debut followed that of the Chevrolet Camaro by five months, bowing in February of 1967. The Firebird and Camaro were both built in response to the Ford Mustang’s rabid success. In March of 1969, the Trans Am Performance and Appearance package was introduced, taking its name from the Trans Am racing series. The 1969 model year saw only 689 Pontiac Trans Am hardtops and eight convertibles leave the factory.
Ten years after its introduction, the Pontiac Trans Am had become a legend in its own right. The Trans Am 455 Super Duty had been one of the few shining stars of the Malaise Era of waning horsepower. Being featured as the hero car in the Smokey and the Bandit franchise helped Trans Am sales reach new heights. The T/A was already immensely popular, with 68,745 sold in 1977. After the movie was released in ’77, sales skyrocketed. Pontiac sold 93,351 Trans Ams in 1978 and 117,078 in 1979, when Pontiac Trans Am sales eclipsed those of the Chevy Camaro for the first time ever.
Our feature 1979 Pontiac Trans Am is finished in a glossy Starlight Black with gold pinstripes and decals. It rolls on eight-inch-wide gold Snowflake wheels. It is powered by the more desirable of the 6.6 powerplants, the 400 cubic-inch Pontiac V8 rated at 220 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. Moving that power to the rear wheels is a Muncie M-21 four-speed transmission and a Positraction rear end with 3.42 gears.
Inside the Pontiac Trans Am, the interior is finished in black with a machine-turned dash panel and gold anodized steering wheel. It is equipped with a tilt steering column, power steering, power windows, power brakes, and the factory AM-FM radio.
Under the hood of the Pontiac Trans Am, the engine bay is a bit of a mixed bag. The shaker air intake is nicely polished, but the engine bay itself could stand a bit of detailing.
Fulfill all your Smokey and the Bandit II dreams (the original starred the ’77 T/A with the earlier nose) by snagging this Pontiac Trans Am at the Mecum Auctions Kansas City event happening December 2nd-4th.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more Pontiac Trans Am news, Pontiac Firebird news, Pontiac news, and non-stop GM news coverage.
Comments
What’s the black Trans Am going for
Thanks for giving a brief but accurate historical summary of the Trans Am. Sometimes the accuracy on here is lacking. You might want to mention that this one isn’t a factory T/A SE (which are often incorrectly called Bandit Trans Ams). Looks nicely restored and has the Pontiac engine so im sure it will get a price that we wouldn’t have thought possible 15 years ago when most people though 2nd gen F body’s were jokes and would never be worth anything.
I believe the 1979 w72 T/A had a 3:23 rear axle ratio the 3:42 ratio was available for the 1978 models
1979 Trans am when originally with the Pontiac 400 engine you will find a Borg Warner Super T10 transmission not a Muncie last year for the mMuncie 4spd was I believe 1974
That may be the case. I was working with the information provided by the seller.
So beautiful! GM needs to think about this when considering the future of Camaro. A modernized design would slay Mustang.
The article above said that in 1969 there were 8 convertible Trans Am’s made. I heard rumour that 4 were automatic and 4 were manual. My mother was seeking a new car in 1969, and I tried to get her to buy a Firebird. I would have then tried to get her to option a Trans Am. She would have bought an auto but had she done so, I can only dream of the value today.
I had a 1979 midnight blue with medal flakes in the paint job. The inside carpet, sets,dashboard, floor and carpet was baby blue. I had all of that redone in baby blue because it matched the paint so well. I had the 6.6 liter T/A on the shaker.The pin strip was golden. It also had the falcon on the hood & behind the doors.
Does it have his and her shifter package? A friend of mine had one of these brand new. Actually it blowing his father Methodist preacher! They chased him out of town like he was Burt Reynolds! He was great with us kids! In any case you mean this $19,000 car if it was still wrapped in the original protectants?! At least a couple of years ago that’s where they were at mostly because they made so many of them and they were never going to be valuable because of numbers made. Also because they were so many known to be kept with so few miles on them. Oh the body style trans am where they say cut four holes in the front we forgot to put headlights in them.! It’s interesting how nowadays people’s taste of changed. Like my 63 Impala convertible! The first one I’ve owned since 1984. I can’t even imagine what they were looked as upon back then cuz of the racial overtones. Wouldn’t want to mention that anyway! Point in now it to is valuable! I’m just glad that the world has come around to my taste. We seem to like what a lot of it wasn’t in the ’80s. Like the first generation mustangs. We can go on down the list. But after all taste is always changing. Who were thought of 1958 Chevy would be more sought after than 1957 Chevy hardtop two door? Sure wish I bought that premium example with every option on that 58 two-door hardtop for $75 back when I wasn’t even old enough to drive in 1979! Let’s do everything we can do for this generation and the ones that follow to keep the old car bug alive. They are fabulous pieces of History.
I had a 1979 TA 6.6 on the hood . But I pulled out that 403 Oldsmobile engine and bolted in a rocket 455 out of a 1970 w30 Hurst Oldsmobile . It was built with 11 to 1 compression . And I dino sheets showing it made 800 HP . Good way to spend 10g on a engine just to end up selling it for half of that . But it was a bad bad girl