Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 2V87X4N162804
While the 1960s and early-70s delivered an all-out Pony car war
between American manufacturers spurred on by early SCCA Trans-Am
racing, new government regulations made it increasingly difficult
for manufacturers to continue building muscle cars that featured
brute styling and gobs of power that Americans had fallen in love
with. Despite the challenges of the day, Pontiac would remain
committed to the muscle car enthusiast by unveiling a new Super
Duty 455 engine at their annual model line preview in the summer of
1972 for the following year of production. Borrowing technology
from their 366 cu-in NASCAR engine, the SD 455 V8 featured heavy
duty connecting rods, and an entirely new block with revised
crankshaft and heads to deliver a claimed 310 horsepower. However,
when the SD 455 would hit the streets and begin turning high
13-second quarter mile times, both those lucky enough to get behind
the wheel and those watching the tail lights disappear would
describe those horsepower figures as wildly understated, surely to
appease insurance companies.
One of just 943 Super Duty Trans Ams produced in 1974, this example
is one of only 212 ordered from the factory with a four-speed
manual transmission. Finished in Admiralty Blue with optional hood
decal, it was equipped with power steering and brakes, additional
options include an AM radio and custom trim group with bucket seats
trimmed in black vinyl. Astonishingly, it was first purchased by an
enthusiastic 16 year old Art Lund who spent two years diligently
working at his local Pontiac dealership in Woodville, Wisconsin.
Undeterred by the $5,567.75 price, he was given a generous $667.75
discount by the dealership owner of Jacobson Pontiac as a reward
for his hard work allowing him to purchase - unbeknownst to his
family - his dream car. His father was so upset that he had spent
his life-savings on this prized possession; he locked the car in
storage until he was 18. Once given the opportunity to finally
drive his Trans Am, he would keep the car in entirely original
condition for the next 40 years, only taking it out on fair-weather
days while providing an incredible level of care focused on
preservation. After spending nearly 40 years with its original
owner, and then over a decade with its second, this remarkably
original and highly collectible four-speed Super Duty 455 Trans Am,
is surely one of, if not the finest original examples in existence
, now available for just the second time in almost 50 years.
