For Sale: 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania

THE CAR

This is a 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am - a documented L75 455 four-speed car, frame-off restored, finished in Carousel Red over a white deluxe interior with the black dash. The original factory build sheet is present and confirms the drivetrain, the options, and the original selling dealer: Thompson Pontiac of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The odometer reads 55,709 miles.

1976 was the last year Pontiac put the 455 in a Trans Am, and the last year any American manufacturer offered a big-inch V8 in a pony car. The 455 was an option that year, not the base engine, and it came with a specific set of strings attached: you could only get it with the four-speed manual, and it always came with the 3.23 rear. Out of 46,701 Trans Ams built in 1976, fewer than 7,600 got the 455.

This is one of them, and the paperwork proves it.

WHAT IT HAS

The build sheet documents the car as an L75 455 cubic inch four-barrel V8, rated at 200 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque in its final year. Backing it is the M21 close-ratio four-speed manual - the only transmission Pontiac would sell you behind the 455 that year - feeding a 3.23 rear with G80 Positraction.

The option list off the build sheet reads like somebody knew what they were doing when they filled out the order form: JL2 power front disc brakes, D55 console, D80 rear spoiler, WX3 Ram Air shaker hood, P05 honeycomb wheels, W8 instrument panel gauge cluster with tachometer, NK3 Formula steering wheel, D35 custom mirror, C24 recessed wipers, JL1 custom pedal trim, N65 space-saver spare, U58 stereo radio with U76 windshield antenna, and the full deluxe interior group - Y02 deluxe front seats, Y03 deluxe rear seats, Y10 door and quarter trim, Y90 custom trim.

The car has been through a frame-off restoration and presents in Carousel Red (paint code 78) over the white deluxe interior. A new Pypes dual exhaust system is installed. Everything on the car works as intended.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Pypes dual exhaust is a new aftermarket system, not the original factory exhaust.

The odometer reads 55,709 miles. We don't have documentation establishing whether that figure represents total lifetime miles or miles since the restoration, so we're listing it as the odometer reads rather than as a verified figure.

The original build sheet is present with the car and documents the 455, the four-speed, the axle, and the option list. For a buyer who wants an additional layer of verification, Pontiac Historical Services can supply a copy of the original factory invoice for these cars, which is the accepted standard of documentation in the Pontiac world. We're happy to discuss that with a serious buyer.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

By 1976, the muscle car era was functionally over. The Z28 was discontinued. The Challenger was gone. The Mustang was a Pinto with better upholstery. Pontiac was the last company still willing to put a genuinely large engine in a genuinely fast-looking car, and the Trans Am became the default answer for anyone who still wanted that.

The 455 in these cars gets dismissed on paper because 200 horsepower sounds like nothing. That number is deceptive. It's a net rating under mid-'70s emissions equipment, and the engine's real character is in the torque - 330 lb-ft that arrives early and pulls hard from idle. It's an engine that feels considerably stronger than the spec sheet suggests, and Pontiac guys have known that for fifty years.

What makes the 455 cars specifically collectible is the combination of last-year status and the mandatory four-speed. There was no automatic option. Every 455 Trans Am built in 1976 is a manual car, which means every one of them was ordered by someone who actually wanted to drive it. Combine that with a frame-off restoration, an original build sheet, and a color that ties back to the '69 Judge, and you have a car that stands apart from the sea of 400-powered automatic Trans Ams that make up most of the market.

HOW TO BUY IT

The car is at our shop in Orwigsburg, PA. We're happy to do a walk-around video, send additional photos of any area you want to see including underbody shots, walk you through the original build sheet, or put you in touch with a third-party inspector. We do not charge documentation fees on top of the sale price. Out-of-state buyers, we can help coordinate transport but the choice of carrier is yours. Call or email through the listing to set up a time to come see it.