1980 Pontiac Firebird Turbo Trans Am Y84 Bandit Special 4.9L V8 (301ci)

Description

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The Pontiac Firebird quickly earned its place in automotive history after its launch during the heyday of American muscle in the 1960’s. It joined the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang as being one of the most recognizable symbols of an era that spawned numerous classics and is now regarded as legendary in motoring. Despite sharing the F-body platform with its GM cousin the Camaro, the Firebird had its own distinct styling and more importantly, unique engine options that set it apart from the competition. From grocery-getter inline six cylinders to 400 cubic inch V8s with ram air options for more power, the Firebird could be configured in many ways including as a coupe or a convertible. Most buyers wisely opted for one of three V8 offerings and in just the first three years of production Pontiac sold over 250k of them, a testament to its popularity.

1970 saw the introduction of the second generation Firebird from Pontiac but engineering and production difficulties delayed the release of the new model that carried a very different body with a lot of changes. Gone was the “Coke bottle” looks of the previous car, now replaced by more streamlined styling, and the convertible was also absent (not to return for nearly twenty years). Of all the trim levels available on the Firebird, the Trans Am was the most desirable and usually included handling, power, and aesthetic upgrades over the base Firebird. Taking its name from the American race series (Trans-America Championship), the Trans Am was offered across four distinct generations of Firebird from 1969-2002. While big block, high power engines were the norm in the early 1970’s, by the middle of the decade Pontiac was forced to reduce power and add weight due to tightening emissions and safety standards.

The Firebird was a popular car for Pontiac with solid sales success, but the 1977 movie “Smokey & the Bandit” made the Trans Am a household name and led to a doubling in sales over the next two model years – even outselling the Chevrolet Camaro. By 1980, emissions restrictions finally forced the end of the large V8’s for the Firebird with only a turbocharged 301 as shown in this Trans Am here and a more anemic GM 305 V8. Only offered with an automatic and sporting a tall 3.08 rear end, performance suffered, but the Trans Am still had its incredible panache, especially so with the Bandit special in Y81 and Y82-code special editions which was the same type of car driven by Burt Reynolds with black and gold accents in the hit movie Smokey and the Bandit. The 1980 model (as featured here) is what was featured in Smokey and the Bandit II.

Y81 and Y82 Firebirds could be ordered in other color combinations, but the Starlight Black exterior/interior or Starlight Black exterior/Camel interior are the combos to have, especially when optioned with T-Tops. The 2nd gen Firebird would stick around for another year before it was replaced in 1982 with a completely new car that marked the end of an era for Pontiac, a brand that itself is now part of history.

For the 1980 model year, Pontiac built just 3,444 turbo T-Top Special Editions.

This example is VIN: 2W87TAL129781. The odometer shows 15,297 miles.

The owner of this 1980 Y84 Trans Am bought it from the original owner and is now selling to it to purchase another vehicle. The seller has owned the car for approximately one year and in that time has only put 100 miles on the car.

Modifications:The seller of this 1980 Trans Am Firebird states that the car is all original with just over 15,000 miles from new and no modifications. This Trans Am has the WS6 option, four wheel disc brakes, air conditioning, special handling package, T-tops, camel tan interior and GM installed CB with power antenna.

“Original Turbo wheels with Goodyear Polysteel tires removed from the car when new and included in the sale.”

Cosmetic Blemishes:The owner describes the car as: “extremely well preserved, with untouched original paint”.

The sale includes a cover, all service records, factory manuals and brochures along with the original window sticker.

Currently located in Baton Rogue, Louisiana this Pontiac is offered on a clean Louisiana title.

Have any Trans Am stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!

Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!