Vehicle Description
1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
"The last year of the Firebird's second generation saw a marked
decrease in sales, down 34% from 1980, and Esprit had no Skybird,
Redbird, or Yellowbird options this year. A new Trans Am, the
Daytona Pace Car Edition was released and came with special black
graphics, a blacked out roof, black striping, and new Recaro seats
with red inserts. The seats were the only second gen to ever offer
reclining buckets. The pace car was limited to only 2000 units and
had a standard Turbocharged V8. The Black and Gold Special Edition
was again available. All Trans Am graphics were changed this year
using a two color, hollow design which easily distinguishes the
'81." Thx Tran-zam.com
For consignment, a 1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with a stated
1,132 miles which we could not verify so the true miles are
unknown. This is a one owner, garage kept and covered time capsule
sporting the 305ci V8 and 15-inch snowflake wheels from Year One.
The original Pontiac Rally II wheels come with the car and so does
the window sticker!
Exterior
Thirteen colors were available in 1981 for the Trans Am and five
different graphic colors. Here we have Nightwatch Blue in single
stage coverage, adorned with a light blue bird, sometimes referred
to as the screaming chicken, eagle, or Phoenix. The light blue is
also used on wording TRANS AM on each front fender under the iconic
fender vent, on the rear facing side of the spoiler, and on smaller
birds perched on the C-pillars. Finally, it's used to delineate the
engine with 5.0 LITRE on the shaker hood scoop and between the
scoop, the vents, and the wheel opening flares, this car represents
GM's boldness in design just before the Firebird would be
completely redesigned for 1982. Dark window trim, door handles with
color matched stripes, and the amazing smoked tail light bar help
make this car a standout among F-bodies and the cars of 1981 in
general. Imperfections include some exposed seam sealer between the
rear bumper cover and body, chips, paint runs, paint on the door
latch, some wavy paint in the jamb, chipped paint and correction on
the corner of the Endura nose piece, uneven paint on the rocker,
drips in other places, various other random minor intrusions.
Interior
Dark blue vinyl door panels are clean and trimmed with a silver
line above the carpeted kick panel and this car has manual windows.
Cloth seats are not dissimilar from previous years however the
insert is more of a striped design rather than the hobnail
configuration in '79 and '80, and each, including the 2+2 in back,
are in great condition in dark blue. Up front, the foam backed and
leather wrapped sport steering wheel is minty mint, the column is
showroom fresh, and the spun aluminum faceplate to the instrument
cluster shines like new. Standard gauges are on board and two vents
mirror the size and shape, falling in line with centrally located
gauges. An embedded A/C panel and cigarette emblazoned lighter live
over the AM/FM radio down below. In the center console, the shifter
rises from a pit like a cobra from a basket, dressed in a rubber
accordion boot and surrounded by the blue vinyl casing that covers
the center hump. Plush blue carpet flows over the floor and is
protected by carpeted mats while the perforated headliner shows
some minor wrinkling. Charcoal colored mats cover the trunk where a
space saver spare and jack are found looking untouched.
Drivetrain
The engine bay is a clean and crowded place with partial visual
obstruction caused by the shaker scoop on top of this, a 305ci LG4
V8 with a 4-barrel carburetor and rated at 145 horsepower. A
numbers matching T10 4-speed manual backs the powerplant up and
sends power to a 10 bolt rear axle with 3.08 gears and
Positraction. Power brakes are supplied as front disc and rear
drums, while power steering and air conditioning are also on
board.
Undercarriage
A black undercoating dominates the clean underside where surface
rust is minimal, knuckles are clear, and only a single drop of oil
is seen on the filter. Dual exhaust flows through original
equipment mufflers before existing via straight pipes angle cut at
the end and not the decorative chrome splitters of previous years.
The standard suspension is coil springs in front and leaf springs
in the rear.
Drive-Ability
Our drive is just a few blocks so as not to turn the odometer too
much, and the 305 performs as well as you'd expect. Not blistering
fast but the road holding capabilities of the F-body cannot be
denied and the car bears out this prowess and also tracks straight
and stops well. We note the A/C is not working and the entire left
rear light is out including brake, driving, and turn signal. Beyond
that, everything in this near pristine machine works as it should.
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.
Perhaps one of the hottest cars in the collector world and you just
got wind of a potentially super low mileage example that has many
attributes which are like new. If you're looking for one of the
cleanest around, look no further than Classic Auto Mall. If you had
one but had to sell it, (been there, done that), now's your chance
to get back into the cloth seat of this once relatively common car.
Collectability is only rising as great examples become more
uncommon. Bluebirds are singing and this one is calling your
name!
1G2AW87H9BN124291
1-USA
G-General Motors
2-Pontiac
A-Manual Belts
W-Trans Am
87-Coupe
H-305ci 4bbl V8
9-Check Digit
B-1981
N-Norwood, OH Assy Plant
124291-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
06C-3rd Week July
2FS87-Firebird Coupe
N221675-Norwood Body #
26B-Dark Blue Cloth
29L 29U-Nightwatch Blue
A51-Custom Buckets
WS4-Trans Am
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.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
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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