TV and movie cars occasionally impact sales of particular models. This was no more true than the Pontiac Trans Am, which appeared in Smokey and the Bandit in 1977 and spurred sales of more than 25,000 units over the previous year. Some would consider the Ford Mustang Bullitt and Back to the Future's DeLorean more iconic as cinema rides, but none produced the sales more than the star of Smokey and the Bandit, a black and gold Trans Am.
For consignment, a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, a two owner car with a title verified 48,207 actual miles. This car was bought off the showroom floor in nearby Reading, PA in 1977 by the original owner after, yep, watching Smokey and the Bandit on the big screen. It is numbers matching and has always been garage kept. It had a professional repaint in 2012. The car is a multi-show winner including class wins at the Ames Pontiac Nationals as well as the Carlisle All GM Nationals, appeared in Muscle Car Review magazine in April 2013, and will come with PHS documents and the build sheet.
Exterior This is the first year for the dual headlights which live in the split honeycomb grille that forms the famous Pontiac pointed nose in front with the arrowhead logo attached. Just beyond that nose is the famous gold screaming chicken logo which would enjoy another year in this design before evolving into something even more elaborate. The shaker hood scoop rises above the hood with special block letter design hinting at what's under the hood. This is a solid roof car, unlike Burt's, and the flat roof slopes down with the rear window and air is sent skyward with the use of the rear spoiler, which presents more billboard opportunity to advertise with decals, and Trans Am is spelled out on back, adding to the list of iconic design features of the 70's Trans Ams. 15-inch Pontiac Snowflake wheels are in place, notably not the gold ones. Other Trans Am features such as the fender vents and wheel opening flares, and downfacing twin exhaust tips on each side, look great. The paint itself is immaculate and we could not find any glaring imperfections.
Interior A nice contrast to the black is found in the Buckskin colored interior that begins with the stitch patterned vinyl door panels and tan molded plastic armrest and bin and both doors are in fine condition. The sport bucket seats are well cushioned under the Buckskin vinyl and the driver's seat shows a touch of compression but is otherwise in great shape. Rear 2+2 seating, as is so often the case, looks brand new and the injection molded plastic walls are unmarred. A black T/A steering wheel heads up the column which leads to the characteristic machine turned applique on the dash, along with a series of uniformly round gauges and the A/C controls embedded in the dash. An AM/FM radio is in the perfect plastic formed dash and the CB radio dates back to 1977 when the original owner added it soon after buying the car. He also added the dual gate Hurst shifter which sits in the center console. Both the carpet and the headliner, having recently been replaced, look as fresh as they are. The small trunk is covered by a gray cloth mat, showing some usage, and houses a space saver spare tire.
Drivetrain Under the hood, is the factory fresh looking, numbers matching 400ci L78 V8 rated at 180 horsepower and provided fuel through a 4-barrel carburetor and mechanical fuel pump. Behind it, the numbers matching TH350 3-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the rear 10 bolt with 2.41 gears and Safe-T-Track. Power brakes are supplied in the form of disc in front and drum in the back.
Undercarriage Clean and a step above driver quality, only minor incidences of surface rust and no leaks were observed. The single exhaust comes from the engine, enters the catalytic converter, then a stock style muffler and finally exists in true muscle car fashion by splitting the pipe into two tailpipes and quad tips. Coil springs in front and leaf springs in the back were enough to provide excellent handling in Trans Ams, with their low center of gravity. Our consignor notes that new shocks were recently added.
Drive-Ability Familiar territory for this writer and a comfortable, clean cabin is like stepping back to 1977. We put the pedal to the metal good buddy, and head eastbound and down. The car runs well and was considered quick for the time, although they really excel at turning and this one does not disappoint. Tracking is dead straight and braking is very good. The radio does not work. The CB is not working, rats! And the clock inside the tachometer is not functioning. All other items of operation work 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.
The highly desirable black and gold Trans Am with low mileage, few owners, a paper trail, and a paint job that's better than it left the assembly plant with. You don't need a cowboy hat and red button down shirt to drive this thing to a show, but it wouldn't hurt. Don't forget the mustache. Got your ears on? This is a fine and well sorted, numbers matching example of a 1977 Trans Am. Put the hammer down, watch out for bear traps and keep the shiny side up on your way to Classic Auto Mall.
2W87Z7N197963
2-Pontiac W-Trans Am 87-2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe Z-400ci L78 4bbl 180hp V8 7-1977 N-Norwood, OH Assy Plant 197936-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
ST 77 2FS87-1977 Firebird 2 Door Hardtop Sport Coupe BDY N201520-Norwood Body # TR 64R-Buckskin Vinyl A51-Bucket Seats PNT 19L 19U-Starlite Black 04D-4th Week April WS4-Trans AM SKN-Buckskin Secondary Interior Color
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 in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
