The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is one of the more popular muscle cars of its time. The 455 motor first appeared in 1971 as the 455-HO. In 1973-1974, a special version of the 455 called the SD-455 was an option. The 455 was one of the last high-performance muscle motors of the original muscle car generation. In 1975-1976 Pontiac Trans Am models the 400 engine was the only other option available.
The 1977 Pontiac Trans Am was the year of the Bandit. A movie starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Fields, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and the newly re-styled 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. The movie called “Smokey and the Bandit”. The Trans Am truly took center stage in the movie. Now, everyone wanted a Trans Am, its popularity soared. You can still be the proud owner of one of these beauties today, just search the internet for a Pontiac Trans Am bandit for sale.
The 1979 Pontiac Trans Am changed by removing the traditional grill between the headlamps, it was replaced by mounted in the bumper pad extensions. The grills where in a matte black and contained the turn signals/parking lamp lenses in the upper outer corners. The Pontiac crest still resided in the center of the front fascia. It had a deeper front spoiler that was made of flexible material instead of hard plastic of the ’77-‘78’s.
The most drastic and best-looking change was the rear tail lamp assemblies, the lamps now stretched corner to corner with a hinged fuel filler door in the center. The tail lamps had a cool blacked out effect to them, until the lights where turned on then they glowed a vibrant red.
On the 1981 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo Bandit cars, these are the real bargains right now. The turbo 4.9-liter cars in great shape may be a sleeper investment waiting to happen. They were made I limited numbers and their survival rate is low. This year the largest changes for the Trans Am took place. The 301, offered in 1979 as an option, was the body shape was formed with the help of a wind tunnel. It had 15” aluminum wheels with smooth caps and a functional spoiler. The 1982 Trans Am received a turbo bulge hood styled loosely off the earlier turbo Trans Am. The hood remained and was functional for the crossfire injected 305. Leather .The Pontiac Trans Am WS6 option was available on the SE’s and 4-wheel disc brakes, P215/65R15 Goodyear Eagle GT radials with 15” cast aluminum wheels, stiffer springs, thicker front and rear sway bars, a high ratio 12.7:1 steering box and a limited slip rear differential.
In 1986 Pontiac Trans Am all received center high, mounted stop lamps as required by Federal legislation, placed on top of the back window. Standard 2.5 L 4-cylinder engine was dropped and the multi-port furl injected 2.8 L V6 was introduced. This became the standard engine now. There was a new option of wrap-around rear spoiler made out of rubber/vinyl and only available in black. Middle year Pontiac introduced new lightweight cross lace wheels only available on the Trans Am. The L98 TPI 350 rated at 225 hp made an appearance on the Trans Am. (ASC) American Sunroof licensed by Chevrolet to build the 1987 Camaro convertible built the 1986 Trans Am Convertible as a design exercise.
The 1988 Pontiac Trans Am remained mostly unchanged. The 170hp LG4 carburetor 5.0L was dropped and a new 170hp LO3 throttle body injected 5.0L was added. All of the V8 has received a serpentine belt system and the A/C compressors were moved to the passenger’s side under the hood area, this helped de-clutter under the hood. The Trans Am was made available with body colored ground effects like the GTA and the convertible model is covered over.
The 2002 Pontiac Trans Am was the final year model, it offered a very distinctive 35th Anniversary edition that would pay homage to the 1969 Trans Am. The Trans Am was built in Sainte-Therese Quebec, This plant closed when the production of the last cars was finished.
You can find Pontiac Trans Am parts and accessories all over the internet and specialty shops. Items like a 1975 Pontiac Trans Am fender, stock radio, extra headlamps, spoilers etc. Just about anything, you will need for restoration purposes.
If you are in the market for a Pontiac Trans Am for sale check with local used car dealers and specialty muscle car dealers, even shop around on the internet. You could get lucky and find a great deal on one in pristine condition.
Now there is talk about the 2008 Pontiac Trans Am coming into production. I know I would love to see it and drive it. It is still in the developing and design stages as of this article.