1976 was a pretty significant year for Pontiac and the Firebird. The General Motors-owned brand celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the Trans Am received the black-and-gold combination we all know and love. Oh, and by the way, 1976 was also the last year of the 455 engine.
Chassis number 2W87W6N600293 is one of those cars, a proper survivor that still features the original paint, no rust whatsoever, and a whole lot of documentation. The sale includes a poster board with the original window sticker, sales receipt, warranty information, and the statement of origin.
Priced at $79,900 or $741 per month based on 20 percent down over 120 months, the car rolls on honeycomb wheels complemented by BFGoodrich Radial T/A rubber shoes. Under the hood lies a numbers-matching motor that Pontiac refers to as the H.O. for high output, but don’t expect crazy figures because 1976 was a bad year for American cars.
The switch to unleaded gasoline, emissions regulations, and the 1973 oil crisis have all taken their toll on gas-guzzling engines, which is why the 7.5-liter leviathan of the Trans Am cranks out 200 horsepower from the factory. The torque isn’t impressive either at 330 pound-feet (448 Nm).
A four-speed manual is responsible for sending the suck-squeeze-bang-blow to the 10-bolt rear end with a Positraction differential. Power front discs and power steering need to be mentioned as well, along with vinyl upholstery for the bucket seats, a Hurst floor-mounted shifter, and a full-size spare tire and inflator. “An amazing ride inside and out,” according to Vanguard Motor Sales, “any collector or enthusiast would love to own this Trans Am.”
As a brief refresher, Pontiac pulled the plug on the second-generation Firebird in 1981. Still based on the F-body platform, the Firebird went out of production in 2002, never to return again, eight years before GM discontinued Pontiac over the Chapter 11 reorganization brought by the global recession of 2008.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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