Vehicle Description
1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
"She's American made, you know what I mean? Red on black, she's a
street machine. Set's ten inches off the ground with a custom plate
that says I-E-A-T Z28. Trans Am. Highway Wonderland. And she shines
on the street. And she shines at the heat. And she shines in my
baby's eyes. And she shines on every other guy's." Fair enough,
Sammy Hagar is no T.S. Eliot with his prose. He's a rocker, after
all. But he's also a car guy and his love for Trans Ams was borne
out in this song from 1979.
For consignment, a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with a numbers
matching 4-speed manual transmission and all of the iconic Trans Am
components, snowflake wheels, the shaker hood scoop, and of course,
the screaming chicken.
Note: Due to modifications of the emissions control devices
installed by the manufacturer, please check your local, state, and
federal laws to determine if this vehicle is applicable for use on
public highways in your area
Exterior
Just like Sammy's '79, this 1978 is bathed in blazing Mayan Red
paint and augmented by a series of decals from stem to stern.
Special block font spells out Trans Am in gold letters on the
eyebrow of the Endura nose, on the fenders below the heat-extractor
vents, and broadly across the rear spoiler. The black and gold hood
bird wraps its wings around the hood scoop and along with the split
grille and quad headlights, presents an aggressive attitude coming
straight at you and it's all in very good condition. Fender flares
and a chin spoiler widens the car and the contoured rear bumper and
split tail lights complete the streamlined body. No 70's Trans Am
would be complete with the down facing quad exhaust tips. 15-inch
snowflake wheels in gold are in place and wear the correct
screaming chicken center caps. Imperfections are limited to a
fender flare slightly detaching and a touched up scuff on a
corner.
Interior
Clean black vinyl door panels have a silver trim piece, crank
windows, and manual mirror controls with the mini joystick. Tall
black vinyl sport bucket seats are in great shape, slight
compression on the driver's side but otherwise puffy and firm and
the 2+2 in the rear mirror in this condition. Speakers pop up on
the package tray and the molded plastic sidewalls in back are
unmarred. The Trans Am steering wheel looks great and leads to the
machined metal backing of the dashboard with tach and speedometer
gauges flanking water temp and oil pressure in one, smaller disc.
It's fantastically clean and a Clarion AM/FM/Cassette radio, while
not original, still looks period correct. A Hurst shifter rises
from a recessed cove in the center console which is constructed of
clean molded black plastic. Low pile black carpet is in decent
condition on the floor and the perforated black vinyl headliner is
on point.
Drivetrain
Under the hood, connected to the hood scoop, is a 400ci W72 V8 with
a 4-barrel carburetor, rated at 220 horsepower. Behind it, a
numbers matching T10 4-speed manual transmission is sending the
power back to the 10 bolt rear. Power brakes are on board as disc
in front and drums in the rear, while no air conditioning is
present. The engine bay presents cleanly with polished valve covers
and the Pontiac blue block. Headers are present to manage
exhaust.
Undercarriage
Relatively driver quality underneath but overall clean and lacking
surface rust. We note some oil on the right side of the steering
components, some on the transmission housing, and some sling near
the rear U-joint. The dual exhaust flows into stock style mufflers
before making their infamous exit behind the rear wheels and no
catalytic converter is present. Coil springs are found up front and
leaf springs with traction bars are in the back.
Drive-Ability
F-body ergonomics welcome us in this familiar setting and the 400
roars to life as the Trans Am rolls its 60 series tires onto the
test loop in fine style. Acceleration and shifts are notably good,
and handling has always been a high point of Trans Ams and this one
does not disappoint. Braking, tracking, visibility, all good. The
clock and the reverse lights don't work but all other functions
operate as intended. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these
functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot
guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your
purchase.
You don't have to be a rock star to feel like one and not many cars
can convey rock and roll like an Eagle clad Trans Am of the 70's.
This is a great example, clean and red and in stock configuration.
Who needs amusement parks when you can park a Highway Wonderland in
your garage and become a real red rocker?
2W87Z8L112786
2-Pontiac
W-Trans Am
87-2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe
Z-400ci 4bbl V8
8-1978
L-Van Nuys, CA Assy Plant
112786-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in
person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
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