Of all the ‘rare birds’ in the world, this one might be flying at the very apex of rarity.
The 1960s were full of angst, war, protests, and some of the stiffest competition amongst the Big 3 Auto Makers (GM, Ford, Chrysler) in Detroit Michigan. The Suits at GM passed the baton to Pontiac to develop their own version of the new trending “Pony Car”. Execs wanted the contemporary Firebird to be designed, created and rushed to production within the 6 month release of the new Camero.
Under the watch of John DeLorean…they astonishingly succeeded. Creation and design was guided by Bill Mitchell who was head of the design department at GM from 1958 to 1977.
Trans Ams in their own right are quite rare cars with only 697 units built. Many engine options were available…one of their top sellers…the ‘400’ cubic-inch model with a Rochester Quadra-Jet carburetor pushes 325 hp. Performance was expectedly outstanding…thrusting the car 0-60 in 5.5 seconds…and gliding through the quarter at 14.1 – 100mph.
The interiors were lavishly appointed with many available options including a/c, cruise control, 8-track, and power steering. Of the 697 Trans Ams built…only 8 custom 2-door convertible ragtops left the Norwood Ohio facility. Pictured below is the convertible featuring mildly sculpted curves and a very sophisticated, graceful, and beautiful design. Four cars were automatic drive and the other four were left to the buyers preference. Available with power or manual top…and offering a choice of blue or white vinyl… the convertible option was not inexpensive for 1969…and pushed the cars price to $4,000.00.
Today these cars are surging in the collectors market. If you can locate one of these eight unicorns…expect prices of $2million plus.
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