WHAT IS IT?
The second generation Pontiac Firebird (1970-1981) is an icon of the 1970’s. By the late years of the decade, the car had lost much of its high-performance cred thanks to emissions and fuel economy regulations, but sales actually increased. The late 70’s Trans Am’s sales might have attributed some of its sales success to a certain Burt Reynolds film but perhaps the tacky body cladding and decal treatments (like the famous “screaming chicken” on the hood) just captured the zeitgeist of the moment? Regardless, the V8 engines can made a glorious noise and personal sport coupes were the “lifestyle” vehicles of the era.
WHY THIS CAR HAS BEST ONE ON THE PLANET CHOPS
The survival rate of TAs seems to be fairly strong and as mentioned before, a LOT were produced, with 187,294 Firebirds build in 1978 and 93,341 in Trans Am trim. However, this example on eBay Motors claims to have just over 25,000 original miles and to have been owned by the same person since new. The selling dealer has an in-depth video showing the minor scars of the past 48 years in great detail but also the original Zeibart rust protection and interior details. Only the stereo head unit appears to be non-original. The period-perfect gold color is a striking alternative to the movie-boosted and more common black examples. The undercarriage shows some surface corrosion on what appears to be an original exhaust and catalytic converter and that protective undercoating is seemingly everywhere.
the tacky body cladding and decal treatments (like the famous “screaming chicken” on the hood) just captured the zeitgeist of the moment
See the listing:Â https://www.ebay.com/itm/156832894179
Video:Â https://youtu.be/zw2MzqGDfYg
A very nice car to be sure, but I’m sure there’s a mintier one out there.
This Trans Am is the perfect example of a very good but fairly ordinary driver/survivor, but lacks Best on the Planet cred. The fairly basic (for a T/A) specs let it down a bit. No T-tops, really? And there’s a reason we don’t see many in this color. It brings back memories of the ’79 base-model Camaro – standard V8, vinyl seats, hub caps – we had when I was a kid, painted in a very similar, more caramel color.
It’s hard to know if it’s had paintwork or if the paint on the urethane body parts just aged differently that the metal bodywork. Early plastic-bumper cars like this are the reason old-timers said no one would ever restore these models.
It’s fantastic that it has such low mileage and a single owner all its life, but the underside shows regular use, even if the odometer didn’t get much of a workout. Plus, let’s state the obvious: everybody who wants one of these really wants a Bandit ride in black with gold. Or maybe the white-with-silver-chicken 1980 Indy Pace Car.
This one will always garner attention at the local community car shows and cruise-ins. And deservedly so. But there are better, more desirable examples out there.