For Sale: 1973 Pontiac Firebird in Ft Worth, Texas

Sometimes cars show up here at Streetside Classics that just make everyone stop and stare. This 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is such a car. The combination of the super-cool Buccaneer Red paint and a powerful small block is surely a big part of that, but you can't overlook the quality of the restoration, which makes this a very special F-body indeed.

Code 75 Buccaneer Red was a finish that pretty much everyone loved straight away on the T/A, and it's only gained popularity in the last couple decades as we see a resurgence in the model. It gives the brutally muscular Trans Am a sophisticated, adult look that belies its sporting intentions and looks downright gorgeous. Neatly refinished several years ago back to its original color, it still shows very nice today, although it's accrued a few minor bumps and bruises along the years. Nothing major, but certainly a driver not a show car, although when this baby is revving up at the red light it will get everyone's attention. The depth and soft shine paint is far beyond anything they were doing in 1973, yet it retains that early '70s vibe that looks exactly right. If you really wanted perfection, give it a professional buff-and-wax, and that alone could restore some former glory. Correct decals have been reinstalled, including the famous 'Fire Chicken' on the hood and 'Trans AM' script on the rear spoiler, and few people will argue that the early second-generation Trans Am wasn't an awesome-looking ride. The urethane nose is in pretty good shape with only a minor crack or two to speak of, the stainless window surrounds are bright and shiny, and out back you still got a chrome bumper, which looks fantastic against the bright red paint.

The brochures called the interior "Tuxedo White" and it, too, is this car's original color choice. Restored with freshened seat covers, matching door panels, headliner, and contrasting bright red carpets, it's a dramatic twist that works really well with the Buccaneer Red paint. A black center console houses an iconic Hurst 'his-and-hers' shifter that manages the automatic transmission below, along with switches for the power windows, and the leather-rimmed, sporty 3-spoke steering wheel looks like a brand-new piece and really sets the tone inside. Ahead of the steering wheel sits Pontiac's famous engine-turned instrument panel, and it remind everyone that this isn't a garden-variety car but a top-of-the-line performance machine from the best in the business. The gauges are in very good condition, including the factory tach which shows a correct 5750 RPM redline for the 455 this car was born with. Like many of its siblings, this Trans Am offers an upgraded digital AM/FM stereo head unit (although it's currently not working), and the factory A/C looks to have been updated with hardware, but could also use a service to get back to 100%. The high-quality restoration work shows everywhere you look, even in the trunk where you'll find no traces of body rot or other issues waiting to haunt you later, finished off by a factory replacement trunk mat.

Although this real-deal WS4 Firebird T/A was born with a venerable 455 4-V V8 from the factory, at some point a 326 V8 was swapped-in (the casting and date code decode to a '66-'67 326, and those are 140 heads). It certainly still shows like a 455 under the hood underneath that uber-cool bright red hood scoop, which is a marked contrast to the Pontiac Turquoise engine underneath. Most of the details here are quite correct to 1973, from the long black intake house, the engine braces, and the big radiator shroud up front. It's running great and has been freshly detailed so it has a crisp, bright look that only helps this car stand out. You'll note that the scoop is purely cosmetic and the engine actually draws air from the inner fenders, but there's no reason not to love the shaker look. The TH400 3-speed automatic transmission is correct for the car and is a willing partner that shrugs off the small blocks impressive power and torque curve, twisting it back to a 10-bolt rear end. The chassis is very solid, with remnants of correct red oxide floors, a big sway bar out back, and a newer H-pipe dual exhaust system that sounds amazing. Power steering and power front disc brakes greatly improve the ride experience, and factory Rally II wheels look right on the early T/A and carry 225/70/15 BFGoodrich T/A white-letter radials all around.

Well-built and ready for the road today, this is great looking Firebird T/A this needs nothing other than a new home. Call today!