1979 Pontiac Firebird

1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am — W72 400 V8, WS6 Package, 4-Speed Manual, Black on Black

The 1979 Pontiac Trans Am sits at a genuinely interesting crossroads in American automotive history. It arrived at the tail end of the muscle car era, after emissions regulations and the fuel crisis had gutted most performance cars, yet Pontiac managed to keep real performance on the table for buyers who knew what to ask for. The Trans Am was the best-selling Firebird variant that year, and the 1979 model year was actually the highest-production year in Trans Am history, with total Firebird production topping 211,000 units. Despite those numbers, the specific combination of options on this car — the W72 engine, WS6 suspension package, and 4-speed manual transmission — represents a much smaller slice of that production. Buyers who ordered all three in 1979 were a deliberate group. They knew exactly what they were doing.

The engine code in this car's VIN confirms the W72 designation, which was Pontiac's 400 cubic inch V8 rated at 220 horsepower under the conservative SAE net measurement standards used at the time. That figure was widely understood to be understated — Pontiac was known to sandbag output numbers during this period to avoid insurance and regulatory scrutiny. The W72 was Pontiac's performance-tuned version of the 400, featuring a higher-compression ratio than the standard 400 and specific calibration that set it apart from the base engine. It was the last true 400 cubic inch V8 Pontiac would offer; the 400 was discontinued after 1979, making this generation of Trans Am the final expression of Pontiac's own big-bore V8 in a performance application.

The 1979 Trans Am also benefited directly from the cultural moment created by Smokey and the Bandit, released in 1977. That film's black and gold Trans Am made this specific color combination an icon, and Pontiac leaned into it hard. This car wears that combination authentically — black exterior with gold accent striping — and carries it with the equipment to back it up.

Key details
Exterior: Starlight Black
Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
VIN / chassis: 2W87Z9L167963

Offered by Skyway Classics, 14805 Venture Dr, Farmers Branch, TX 75234. Taxes, title and fees not included.

Photos courtesy of Skyway Classics.