Vehicle Description
1978 Pontiac Trans Am
The sporty Firebird was Pontiac's answer to the Ford Mustang and
Chevrolet Camaro. The car combined an available big V-8 with
aggressive, attention-grabbing styling and delivered it in a
relatively practical four-passenger package. Like its pony-car
competitors, the rear-wheel-drive Firebird offered tire-smoking
power and impressive acceleration. The F-body platform on which it
and the Camaro were based, however, was arguably well past its
prime by the early 2000's. 2002 was the final year of production
for Pontiac's iconic but dated speed machine. The Trans Am was the
pumped-up, V-8-powered model in the lineup.
What happens when we take the best year of the Trans Am, put the
best engine in it, throw on a 4-barrel carburetor, back it up with
a TH350 4-speed transmission, put a screaming chicken logo on the
hood, and bathe the car in Platinum? You get our numbers matching
no rust from Texas Trans Am we have for consignment here at Classic
Auto Mall.
Exterior
With its original paint which presents in fair condition, with no
rust, just some fading, and slight blotchiness which tends to come
with age and being in the sun, this car has straight panels, good
gaps, some plastic wheel well flares, and a front and rear spoiler
setup. With its sleek sloping rear, front quarter air intakes, and
scooped hood, it's easy to see why this was THE year Trans Am to
have. Throw on a foursome of snowflake wheels, some sticky Goodrich
T/A's, a quad headlight setup within a split front grille, and we
are rockkin'.
Interior
A swing of the doors and we are in RED heaven! Nicely preserved red
cloth buckets up front, and a 2 plus 2 bench in the rear, they have
good padding, and cloth is unmarred, and shows no fading. A red
center console races toward the dash, has a storage compartment
between the seats, and houses the automatic shift lever. Looking
toward the dash we see more red but it frames a spun pattern
aluminum panel which stretches across the drivers area, and makes a
home for the gauge cluster. Noted is the odometer which consigner
states contains the original mileage of 37,545 original miles. An
aftermarket AM/FM/Cassette radio is fitted nicely into the dash and
replaces the factory radio, but in a nicely done way. Looking down
we see very good red carpet with rubber Trans Am red floor mats
preserving it. An upward glance reveals a straight and no fault
vinyl headliner. A last shout out to the trunk which is covered
with clean carpet and sports a space saver tire.
Drivetrain
A pop of the hood and we are met with an unrestored 400ci V8, with
a 4-barrel carburetor atop, and a TH350 3-speed automatic
transmission. Some corrosion, and overall a nice patina shows but
remember it is original and numbers matching!
Undercarriage
As we would expect minor areas of surface rust, but a thick coating
of rustproofing is doing its job because we see unmarred steel
underneath, all structurally sound and obviously was kept in a dry
location...Did I mention Texas?
Certainly not perfect on the paint front, however an overall nice
number matching, super low mileage car, a desired year, and plenty
of power to boot. (or put your boot into).
VIN Decode
2W87Z8N195222
2-Pontiac
W-Trans Am
87-2 Door Coupe
Z-400 CUI 4 BBL
8-1978
N-Norwood OH Assy Plant
195222-Sequential Unit Number
Cowl Tag
ST 78 2FS87-1978 Pontiac Firebird 2 Door Coupe
BDY N 317193- Norwood Body #
TRM 74B A51-Carmine Cloth Bucket Seats
PNT 15L 15U-Platinum Poly
06B-2nd Week June Build
WS4-Trans Am CA1-Carmine Secondary Interior Color
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 300 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.