1981 Pontiac Trans Am! Indy 500 Pace Car! As the EPA came down on all muscle car manufacturing and nearly eliminated horsepower, the BIG 3 had to come up with a way to one, produce a “muscle car” and two, make people buy it with essentially no power compared to pre EPA muscle. So the best solution was plenty of styling with a subpar v8. The second generation Trans Am was a car that encompassed it all. It had great styling and flashy decals but it also came with T-Tops, spoiler and dual exhaust. It did come with a healthy v8 that produced ample power. It was so flashy that Hollywood decided to use the Trans Am for the Smokey and the Bandit franchise. We are unclear on whether or not this is a true Indy 500 or not and we’ll explain further in detail below. Please let us know of any questions you may have. Exterior: As you can see from the pictures this Trans Am presents extremely well. It was recently painted and the decals were installed. All the turbo wheels are matching and in excellent condition. The glass and lighting are all clear, operations and free of any cracks or damage. The turbo lighting has been disconnected because of the change in motor. (read below in more detail) The tires are in great shape. The car really presents well. Please look at all the pictures and let us know of any questions you may have. Interior: The interior has been gone over. The seats have been reupholstered and it has the factory Recaro seats that came on the Pace Car models. Otherwise the interior is pretty original including the carpets, dash and door panels. It shows 78k miles on the odometer which we believe to be original for the car. Please let us know of any questions you may have after viewing the pictures. Drive-Train: The car originally came with a factory 4.9 litre 301 engine that was turbo charged. The motor has since been removed and late 60’s early 70’s Pontiac 400 was installed. The car produces more than double the horsepower it originally came with. The horsepower is right around 400. The transmission we believe is a TH350. The engine sounds and runs awesome. It provides the power to back up its styling. In summation, whoever buys this car will have a nice car to drive and enjoy for many years to come. It has been restored to its appearance today and is definitely an eye catcher no matter where it goes. Whether it’s a true INDY car or just a replica, the car and the work done to make it in this condition is well worth the price. This car is show and go and ready for its next owner. |