Vehicle Description
The Starlight Black exterior is in outstanding restored condition. This Trans Am was treated to a recent repaint with all new correct factory decals. As one can see in the photos, the paint has a excellent gloss, deep shine, and smooth glass-like finish. Often many Trans Am's will have particularly chipped up front ends; this car does not and even the low front spoiler is in great condition as one can see in the photos. There are no major imperfections that have been intentionally excluded from the photos. There may be some small blemishes that were too faint to show up in photos, but nothing that is really noticeable from about five feet away. There is one small spot on the hood bird that is visible in the photos. The wheels are in wonderful condition with a brilliant finish and new center caps. As one can seen in the many photos of the underside, this Trans Am is totally solid. We have also included specific photos of the spring perches, lower front and rear quarters, and other areas on the car most prone to rust.
With the spectacular paint and beautiful and iconic color combination this is truly one of the best looking trans Am's out there. I cannot count the number of compliments I have received while driving this car around. It was actually a bit difficult to photograph the car because the paint has such a mirror shine and is so reflective.
This Trans Am has a stamping on the radiator core support, which is pictured below. The core support shows a "1 24 77" stamp, or January 24, 1977. This stamping is a bit early, but could be correct and original as it precedes the car's build date of the second week of September, 1978 (09B). As one can imagine, if this Trans Am had ever sustained even a minor front end collision this part would have been repaired or replaced. An original stamping is great to see in tact.
The Trans Am looks just as good in person as it does in the photos.
Window Date Codes
Please note that almost all of the the glass on this car is date coded and original as each piece predates the car's body build date of this second week of September, 1978 (09B). Original glass is a good indication that this car has had no major accident history and never sustained significant damage. With the age of the original glass there are some scratches.
Driver's Window - GJ - The "G" denotes April and the "J" denotes 1978 meaning the driver's side window was made in April of 1978. This is correct as it predates the body build date.
Driver's T-Top - GJ - The "G" denotes April and the "J" denotes 1978 meaning the driver side T-Top was made in April of 1978. This is correct as it predates the body build date.
Passenger T-Top - GJ - The "G" denotes April and the "J" denotes 1978 meaning the passenger side T-Top was made in April of 1978. This is correct as it predates the body build date.
Rear - TJ - The "T" denotes August and the "J" denotes 1978 meaning the rear window was made in August of 1978. This is correct as it predates the body build date.
Interior
The Black Hobnail cloth interior of the Trans Am looks great and has been almost completely restored. The seats look virtually brand new with no tears, rips, or signs of wear. The carpet is also in "like new" condition with no stains, tears, or holes. The stereo has been upgraded to a modern in dash CD player that sounds great. The door panels are new and look great with no cracks or splits, and both door pulls are solid and in tact. The headliner is in great shape with no holes or stains and is not sagging at all. The package tray looks nice with no fading or wrinkles. The dash is in excellent condition with no cracks, fading, or sun damage. This car has not been smoked in; there is no aroma of cigarettes what so ever. Please note in the video below how both seat belts operate and retract properly. This is a very common problem on this era "F-Body" and a small, but very important, detail most buyers do not think to check.
The interior looks just as good in person as it does in the photos.
Mechanical
This Trans Am appears to be in very good mechanical condition. It starts right away every time, runs great, and idles well. It is also an exceptional driver that feels great on the road and at highway speeds. In the video below one can observe the car accelerating on the highway up to about 70mph, shifting through all the gears, braking to a stoplight, and going through some curves. Please note that it shifts well, runs great, there are no strange noises or vibrations, and the car performs quite nice overall. The brakes are responsive and do not pull to one side or the other. There is no smoke when starting or driving the car. Also, the engine is clean and nicely detailed as one can see from the photos. The horn works as do all the exterior lights, wipers, and blower for the heater only on high. All of the gauges work as they should; even the clock runs but does not keep accurate time. Both power windows work, but are slow toward the top and need a hand. This Trans Am has lots of power and handles great. The car now has true dual exhaust with no catalytic converter. The exhaust system combined with the headers and the mild cam in the engine give this Trans Am a very healthy exhaust note. Not enough can be said as to how much of a pleasure it is to drive this car, especially with the T-tops out on a beautiful day.
Overall Condition
Overall, this 1979 SE Trans Am is in terrific condition and is a true bargain at our asking price. The market for the Special Edition Trans Am is very strong right now. It is a great value and will only appreciate over time. This car turns heads and gets tons of attention wherever it goes. They are all solid investments for a collector or the average enthusiast. Cars like this are the Barrett Jackson and stars of the future. In fact in 2016 Barrett Jackson has sold a 1979 Y84 Trans Am for $55,000, a 1980 Y84 for $71,500, a 1980 Y84 for $110,000 and a 1979 Tenth Anniversary Trans Am for $187,000, though it did have very low miles. One could easily enjoy this vehicle for several years and sell it for more than the purchase price with minimal effort.
The clear Ohio title to the car is pictured below and shows the mileage as "Actual." The previous owner also stated that he believed the mileage to be original, but we have no documentation to prove this and the speedo reads high and may have originally been in kilometers since this is a Canadian Trans Am so we are selling the car as nonactual mileage. While we could not make out a VIN stamp on the engine block. The transmission is correct and original with the last six digits of the VIN stamped on the main case, which is pictured below. This Trans Am rolled off the assembly line in Norwood, OH during the second week of September, 1978 (09B).
Thank you for looking and please do not hesitate to email or call with any questions.
