Photo: eBay seller grummanironworks
A buried-alive ’78 Trans Am that’s been sitting for a decade and a half has just received a second chance after someone online decided it’s worth a full restoration.
The Trans Am is a mysterious barn find at so many levels, but the spec list is likely to tickle the fancy of every connoisseur.
It all starts with the WS6 code.
Introduced for the 1978 model year, the WS6 treatment is the codename of the officially-called WS6 High Performance Package. Specifically supposed to improve handling, WS6 sported a new front anti-roll bar with increased diameter, stiffer leaf springs, transmission gear ratio tweaks, and a special-edition set of tires and rims.
Depending on the Trans Am, the WS6 could be had for at least $251. If the car was also ordered with the W72 package, Pontiac customers had to pay $324 for the final upgrade.
Rough estimates indicate that only a little over 28,000 Trans Ams left the factory with the WS6 package in 1978. Eventually, Pontiac brought it to other models in its lineup as well, including the more affordable Formula.
Getting back to this barn find, the WS6 treatment is just a small part of its magic. The car was parked in the garage you see in the pictures some 15 years ago. At that time, the engine was still running, the owner says, but its current condition is unknown.
Everything is original and unmolested, and the rust cancer on its body seems to suggest the metal is indeed the one that came with the car.
eBay seller grummanironworks says the floors look good on the passenger’s side but need major repairs on the driver’s. The bottom part of the doors exhibits signs of rust as well.
Rust in the lower parts of the car and on the floors is typically a sign that the vehicle hasn’t been parked in proper conditions. Based on the photos, it doesn’t look like the garage where it’s been sitting exposed the undersides to high humidity levels, so maybe the metal issues are the result of previous amateur-ish fixes. Sure enough, anyone should be able to figure this out with a quick inspection in person.
For now, the Pontiac is heading to a new home, hopefully to be part of a full restoration process. It’s hard to tell if we’ll ever see this Trans Am on the road or if the buyer wants to use it as a donor for another project, but if the engine still starts, the car makes for an excellent restoration candidate.
The selling price was just a little over $8,500, and I dare to say it is a fair price for a car that’s not exactly common and still sporting an above-the-average condition.
It all starts with the WS6 code.
Introduced for the 1978 model year, the WS6 treatment is the codename of the officially-called WS6 High Performance Package. Specifically supposed to improve handling, WS6 sported a new front anti-roll bar with increased diameter, stiffer leaf springs, transmission gear ratio tweaks, and a special-edition set of tires and rims.
Depending on the Trans Am, the WS6 could be had for at least $251. If the car was also ordered with the W72 package, Pontiac customers had to pay $324 for the final upgrade.
Rough estimates indicate that only a little over 28,000 Trans Ams left the factory with the WS6 package in 1978. Eventually, Pontiac brought it to other models in its lineup as well, including the more affordable Formula.
Getting back to this barn find, the WS6 treatment is just a small part of its magic. The car was parked in the garage you see in the pictures some 15 years ago. At that time, the engine was still running, the owner says, but its current condition is unknown.
Everything is original and unmolested, and the rust cancer on its body seems to suggest the metal is indeed the one that came with the car.
eBay seller grummanironworks says the floors look good on the passenger’s side but need major repairs on the driver’s. The bottom part of the doors exhibits signs of rust as well.
Rust in the lower parts of the car and on the floors is typically a sign that the vehicle hasn’t been parked in proper conditions. Based on the photos, it doesn’t look like the garage where it’s been sitting exposed the undersides to high humidity levels, so maybe the metal issues are the result of previous amateur-ish fixes. Sure enough, anyone should be able to figure this out with a quick inspection in person.
For now, the Pontiac is heading to a new home, hopefully to be part of a full restoration process. It’s hard to tell if we’ll ever see this Trans Am on the road or if the buyer wants to use it as a donor for another project, but if the engine still starts, the car makes for an excellent restoration candidate.
The selling price was just a little over $8,500, and I dare to say it is a fair price for a car that’s not exactly common and still sporting an above-the-average condition.
Google News