1983 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

Description

The third-generation Pontiac Trans Am was a game-changer. For a time, it was the most aerodynamic car in America, yet it retained its pony car tradition with a big V8 up front spinning the rear wheels. Fresh from a museum collection in Alabama, and with only 28,900 original miles, this impressively preserved 1983 Trans Am is the F-body for the F-body purist. In fact, it may be one of the nicer Trans Ams of this year in existence anywhere.

If preservation is your thing, this Pontiac will definitely get your attention. Completely stock and original, it's a survivor in the truest sense of the word. Maintenance items have been replaced, but everything else is right where GM put it thirty years ago (has it been that long already?!?). The white paint looks fantastic on the futuristic Trans Am bodywork and still looks fashionable today. There's no big, obnoxious bird on the hood like earlier cars, just a clean look that lets the curvy sheetmetal do all the talking. And yes, that's original paint that still looks fantastic, needing nothing but a quick dusting to erase the years. The black moldings and grilles have not faded in the sun, the weather-stripping is supple, and the rear wing still has a satin black glow that looks right. Heck, even the urethane bumper covers are in outstanding shape, a tribute to the perfect conditions under which it was stored in the museum.

The interior is every bit as remarkable. Considerably less flashy and ornate than later versions, this 1983 Trans Am carries grippy cloth buckets in light brown which actually looks great against the white paint. Analog gauges are big and easy to read, especially in the pre-airbag days when you could get a proper 3-spoke steering wheel. Enthusiasts will be happy to note this is a 5-speed car, somewhat of a rarity when it was new and even more so today, and all the power equipment that was part of the top-of-the-line Trans Am is intact. That list of gear includes A/C (now with R134a refrigerant), a tilt wheel, cruise control, and the original AM/FM/cassette stereo down low in the console. GM-logo floor mats have probably been there since Day One, and the matching trunk is nicely finished without any signs of hard use in the past.

The 5.0-liter V8 was the top engine in 1983, although horsepower was modest by today's standard. However, with plenty of low-end torque and a mild ram air setup that inhaled from the offset hood scoop, it's a ton of fun on the street. You'll never get tired of goosing the throttle in second gear and feeling the car lunge forward. As I said, only routine maintenance items have been replaced but the rest is as it was when it was new, a rare find in a modification-friendly car like this. Again, long tenure in a museum was a big contributor to its remarkable preservation, but someone took the time to bring it out of hibernation and get it back into top running condition. The clutch is smooth, the T5 transmission shifts beautifully, and with a factory-installed set of 3.73 gears out back, it's surprisingly quick. Undercarriages don't get much cleaner than this one and the original 15-inch alloys are in excellent shape with replacement 215/65/15 BFGoodrich radials.

Documented with a build sheet and other paperwork, this is a rare find for the guy who always dreamed of owning one of these but never quite made the jump. Old cars are all about second chances, so call today!