According to the seller’s online research, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Trans-Am is one of around 55 convertible conversions done by a company called National Coach Engineering. That makes it rare. We’ll have to see whether the amount of work needed to bring it back from the dead makes its price DOA.
Fuel prices are skyrocketing to unprecedented highs here in the States due to… reasons. In response, the car-buying public is, as expected, shifting attention from thirsty crossovers and SUVs to smaller hybrids and fully electric vehicles. It’s too bad many new electric models have been cancelled this year by carmakers, a situation also due to… reasons.
It’s not all bad news, however. For those seeking a bit of fun with their fuel economy and who don’t mind an earlier-vintage automobile, the 2008 Volvo C30 T5 that came our way on Thursday could be just the ticket. No, it’s not going to pass gas stations with the same sense of smug assurance as a Prius, but then no Prius ever came with a six-speed stick. At $8,700, many of you thought the Volvo could be cheaper, but that didn’t stand in its way of earning a solid 65% ‘Nice Price’ win in the voting. Way to go, little Volvo!
Off with its head!
If you want to achieve the ultimate in fuel economy, then today’s Pontiac Trans-Am will be right up your alley because, while the seller claims the engine turns over, it doesn’t run. Looking at the asking price for this seemingly long-neglected Firebird raises the question of whether it would be a better plan to spend a bit more on one that can actually move under its own power and doesn’t look like it’s hosting a Black Widow convention. Few of those, however, would likely be one of the handful of Trans-Ams from the late 1970s to have been professionally convertible-converted by a Coachbuilder.
This one is said to be number 9 of 55 cars built by National Coach Engineering, a limousine and custom car builder founded in 1977 and based in Port Sanilac, Michigan. NCE engineered not only the manually-operated top that mirrors the fastback lines of the Firebird’s metal roof, but also the substantial bracing between the front and rear subframes that serves to quell the flexing inevitable when a unibody car gets its top chopped off. The finished cars were offered through a couple of Midwest dealers, with the work warrantied for 12 months or 12,000 miles. NCE is long gone, but its work survives (barely, in this case) in the cars it converted.
Shake your moneymaker
Okay, first off, there are some discrepancies in the ad regarding this Pontiac’s model year. The listing on the right says it’s a 2018, which, as we all know, isn’t a thing. The rest of the ad assures that it’s a 1980 edition. It also claims the engine to be a 6.6-liter Pontiac V8 with its famous Shaker hood scoop, a gift from a 1979 Trans-Am. That’s a perk, as the 6.6 wasn’t available in 1980, and the earlier cars were more commonly fitted with the Oldsmobile 403 (also 6.6 liters). In the Trans-Am and smog-choked by the ’70s, the Pontiac 6.6 made 185 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. Yes, those were dark days indeed.
The rest of the mechanicals are pretty simple. A three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission handles gear changes and feeds a solid rear axle. The Trans-Am’s brakes are a modest nod to modernity, featuring discs at each corner. Those sit behind some of the ugliest aftermarket alloys known to man, so this Pontiac’s restoration checklist should include a set of replica snowflakes.
A bit of work needed
There’s a heck of a lot more work needed on this car than just sprucing up its wheel arches. Based on the pictures, this Pontiac needs pretty much every nut and bolt to be addressed. Fortunately, GM’s F-body duo, the Chevy Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, has a significant fan base and a healthy ecosystem of aftermarket and OEM parts. That should make this rare Bird’s restoration a lot less painful.
According to the ad, it’s a solid base for such an effort, and comes with a clean title and just 90,000 miles on the odometer. That’s likely due to the fact that, as evidenced by its condition, it hasn’t seen a road in years, having last been driven in 1988. That’s right, this Trans-Am has been left fallow for almost 40 years, meaning it spent only eight years on the road. There’s got to be a story behind that.
Worth saving?
We don’t have time for a history lesson, though, as we have work to do in the here and now. First and foremost, we need to judge the $10,000 asking price for this drop-top Pontiac. Then, this being Friday, we need to run around shouting “TGIF!” to everyone we see. It’s just common courtesy.
But first, back to the Bird. What’s your take on this rare convertible conversion project and that $10,000 price tag? Does that seem to be fair given the car’s unique status and history? Or does the daunting task of all the work needed to bring it up to snuff demand a lower point of entry?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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