Edmunds CarPool

Vehicle: 1974 Pontiac Firebird
Trim Level/Options: Trans Am Super Duty 455, Power Locks, Tinted Glass, Power Windows, Floor Mats, Door Edge Guards, Rear Window Defrost, Air Conditioning, Front Seat Console, Engine Block Heater, 4BBL 455 V8 Engine, Tilt Steering Wheel, Softone Warning, Stereo 8 Tape Player, AM/FM Stereo Radio, Hood Decal, Custom Trim Group (includes Trunk Fitted Floor Mat, Door Handle Decor, Pedal Trim Package, Deluxe Bucket Seats, Custom Rear Seat, Custom Interior Appointments), Lamp Group (includes Luggage Lamp, Glove Box Lamp, Instrument Panel Courtesy Lamp)
Edmunds TMV: N/A (likely around $80,000-$100,000)
Modifications: None

As you can see from the list above, this Super Duty Trans Am is pretty loaded. The list of options comes right off the original window sticker, which I have for the car. In fact, after checking with the Super Duty Registry it turns out there are only two options the car didn't have from the factory: a rear center console and Honeycomb wheels (this SD 455 rides on the standard 15x7 Rally II wheels seen in these pictures).

But it's not the loaded nature of this car that convinced me to buy it. What drove me over the edge was the combination of ultra-low miles, completely original condition and past ownership. The car was ordered by a Pontiac executive who knew how special the Super Duty program was in 1973/1974. He also knew that the era of powerful muscle cars was all but over by 1974, and that the Super Duty was going to be the last truly speical muscle car of that era.

This executive didn't even think he'd be able to get one for himself, as all the cars were sold out by the fall of 1973. But in November a group of five orders was cancelled (likely due to the "energy crisis" of 1973) and those orders were re-submitted to the Pontiac head office for re-sale. This executive saw the memo regarding the last-minute group of open orders on 1974 Super Dutys and immediately put in a request for one. It was granted, and he very carefully ordered the exact version of a Super Duty 455 Trans Am he wanted, a Buccaneer Red model with almost every available option. 

The original owner took delivery on June 21, 1974, and both the date of delivery and the car's VIN indicate it was one of the final Super Dutys produced. I have a three-ring binder full of documentation, including all the original purchase paperwork, the original and subsequent registrations, all service and repair receipts, etc.

It was driven fairly regularly for the first 10 years of it's life, with minor work being performed by the local Pontiac dealer. It had a tachometer repair in September of 1976 at 8,594 miles. It had bodyside molding installed (this was later removed, thankfully) in March of 1977 at 11,649 miles. And it had an air conditioning service on May 1, 1978 at 12,955 miles. Finally, its driver's side power window was adjusted on January 2, 1985 at 16,243 miles. So how many miles did it have when I picked up on April 28th, 2010? A whopping 16,832.

There are now 17,450 miles on the odometer (I snapped this photo as it turned over 17,000 a couple weeks ago), and as you might guess it drives like...well, new! I think the car would drive pretty well simply because these second-generation F-bodies were light years ahead of the first-generation of muscle cars in terms of technology. For instance, they utilized a dedicated platform and suspension design instead of borrowing from the corporate parts bin (as most of the domestic performance cars of that period did). And these cars were tuned for radial tire technology (brand new back then) at the drawing board stage. But add in this particular car's low mileage and the result is it drives substantially better than any 36-year-old car has a right to. It doesn't quite feel like a modern automobile in terms of steering response, but it doesn't feel like any muscle car I've ever driven before, either.

But like any unrestored, original car from the Nixon era this one isn't perfect. The radio only works about 40 percent of the time, the oil pressure gauge is non-responsive and the A/C blows barely cool. The driver's headlight was also out when I bought it, but I've already replaced that and it's working fine. Perhaps the Tran Am's most frustrating issue comes from a consistent vapor lock once the car warms up. It never keeps the car from starting and running fine under normal driving conditions, but once it's heated up you can't floor it without experiencing a major bog. The temperature gauge never hits the halfway mark, so I know it's not running too hot. Next steps are to check the fuel filter and to make sure there are no vacuum leaks in all those emissions-control hoses (ugh!).

I'll let you know how it goes in a future blog post, but having access to this engine's full power for only a narrow window of time is quite frustrating. The car verily flies when it's running right, leaving long patches of rubber on the pavement and hitting second gear with a righteous "BARK!" from the BF Goodrich TAs. I'm going to try not to pile too many miles on the Pontiac, but the car drives so well it won't be easy to avoid jumping in and taking off for day-long trips on a regular basis.