Vehicle Description
1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - Georgia Car - 6.6L V8 Engine -
Automatic Transmission - Red over White (Please note: If you happen
to be viewing this 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on a website
other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've
only seen some of our many photographs of this vehicle due to
website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 185
photographs, as well as a short walk-around-and-startup video,
please go to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.) When the Firebird
launched... the car was an immediate hit. Pontiac marketing chief,
Jim Wangers, in his memoir, Glory Days The early Firebirds battled
Mustangs, Camaros, and Javelins in the sixties. And then, just as
many people feared the era of the muscle car was over, came the
allure of the Trans Am. As Matt Litwin put it in the March 2008
issue of Muscle Machines magazine: You thought performance died
after 1970. The old muscle cars of your youth were left out to
pasture, and you watched them rust into the landscape. You settled
into the family lifestyle, piloting a full-size wood-grained wagon
across six states to get to some cheesy tourist attraction. That's
when the Trans Am hit the silver screen dressed in black, and the
twinge of horsepower tickled your right foot again. You wanted
one.... Hold that thought. Offered here is a 1978 Trans Am, red
over white, rarer than black-and-gold, in excellent overall
un-restored, survivor condition. With 108,000 miles on the
odometer, or about 2,600 mile a year on average, this Firebird
merits the very low mileage accolade. It is a lightly used,
obviously well cared-for, and appealing 1970's statement. Indeed,
its trademark-though it was optional- screaming chicken hood decal
may well be calling out to you right now. The exterior of the car
is eye catching with flares, and curves in the right places. Thanks
to a recent repaint, the paint is excellent throughout: from the
twin front grilles in the Endura bumper, to the front-fender air
outlets, to the flared fender spoilers ahead of each wheel, to the
sport mirrors, across the smooth, no-t top (often a source of
leaks) roof, to the rear spoiler. Glass and lenses are clear and
undamaged, the bespoke decals (part of an option group) on the
shaker and the hood chicken, the front fenders, and rear spoiler
are all excellent, properly located, and not faded. Proper emblems
in excellent condition are all in place. The Trans Am�€"specific
aluminum alloy snowflake design 15x7 wheels are virtually flawless
with BFG Radial T/A tires mounted. Under the hood, the 6.6-liter
Pontiac V8 (notably not one of the Oldsmobile-produced V8s) power
plant holds center-stage in a properly laid-out and complete, but
not detailed, engine bay. The engine was rebuilt in 2010. The
shaker air-cleaner assembly crowns the Pontiac turquoise engine
while chromed valve covers add visual interest. From underneath,
the chassis is clean with no signs of body rust. The exhaust
headers and separate twin exhaust pipes steal the show. Across the
machine-turned, driver-oriented dashboard, the instruments are
un-faded with clear lenses. The top of the dash is unfaded,
wrinkled, or cracked. Switches are complete and functional. A
console-mounted shifter controls the 4-speed automatic
transmission. An AM-FM radio is properly located in the dash. The
optional high-back bucket seats in white vinyl show only minor wear
from normal use, but no cuts or tears. Same with the rear bench
seat. Door trim is in similar condition, and the doors
themselves--including the sills (a good place to look to judge how
a car's been treated in general) and the hinge areas--are
exceptionally clean and undamaged. The more than 185
high-definition photographs and the accompanying
walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors
site faithfully present this red Trans Am from virtually every
angle. Of course, the best appraisal of the car comes from an
up-close,