1977 PONTIAC FIREBIRD TRANS AM 24,827 Miles SPECIAL EDITION 400 CI FOUR SPEED!

In 1977 there was this movie which was every bit as touted as the Bond series, and featured box office stars Burt Reynolds, Jerry Reed, Sally Fields, Jackie Gleason, and the newly restyled 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. "Smokey and the Bandit". Despite all the wit of Reynolds, the humor of Jerry Reed, the facial expressions of Gleason, and the innocence of Ms. Fields, the Trans Am truly was center stage. All of America not only knew about the Trans Am, now they wanted one.
Once America discovered the Trans Am, demand was so great in fact that production jumped twenty-thousand unit, for a grand total of 68,744. There was a lot to like about the '77 T/A. It had a new look. It had a new engine. It's soul was renewed. Pontiac built a winner.
Starting at the front, a new "Batmobile" nose was introduced, combining the bumper and header panel into a single unit, made of deformable urethane. This allowed drivers to even be less careful as the worry of cracking the fiberglass header panel was gone. Within the fascia rested GM's latest styling innovation, square headlamps. These lamps added a refreshingly modern look to the car. The headlamps were surrounded by a one-piece grille/bezel assembly with a matte black (except Special Editions which received gold) honey comb grille texture and chrome edges.
The new front end also received the flattened hood of the '76 edition. The shaker (still non-functional) took on a more angular appearance, giving up the smooth rounded lines of past editions. Gone from the shaker was an easy to remove block off plate which nearly all of us removed to get more air to the engine. The new shaker had "fake" louvers on the back edge painted black, and could only be removed by sawing the louvers out. A "Trans Am" decal was on the upper part of the front fascia above the left headlamps, and the Pontiac crest was embedded into the pointed nose piece. The front parking lamps, still housed in chrome bezels, and were placed a recessed slot in the front bumper as was the case in 1976. An ABS pan loosely filled in the area between the bumper and frame. The pan still showed remnants of a front spoiler, now hacked down to barely over an inch deep. Additionally cooling slots punctuated this slot to keep the V8's running cool.
An all new wheel showed up in 1977, this time an all-aluminum 15" x 7" replacing the former "polycast" honeycomb wheel. These new wheels (RPO YJ8) were dubbed "snowflake" reflecting the wheels' general appearance. With the exception of Special Edition versions, all wheels had argent accents between the spokes. The wheels were cast rough, painted completely argent, then a machining process cut away the rough portion of the wheel. After the machining process, the outer face of the wheel was clear coated to prevent oxidation of the aluminum.
But what about the bandit you ask? Well, 1977 was surely the year of the bandit, as black and gold Special Edition Trans Am's were the car to have. Patterned after the 1976 Pontiac Fiftieth Anniversary Limited Edition model, the '77 was basically carryover. Priced at $556.00 with out Hurst Hatches (Y81) and $1141.00 with (Y82, the package included specific gold trimmed exterior appointments. Some of the S.E's also had "black chrome" splitter tail pipes, but most had The Trans Am callouts were still done gothic style as on the '76 (but without the 50th anniversary logo), the and there was enough gold tape on the car to trim the wall paper of a small house. But this was the look, and that was what was important. The black took on a near sinister appearance, with the gold accents lending a "custom" look. By continuing to extend the theme into the interior by including a formula steering wheel with gold spokes, and the instrument panel bezel and console trim plate, and door accents being finished in a gold simulated engine turned appliqué completed the task.
The Hurst hatches, still limited in production, were fitted primarily to S.E. cars. When all the 1977 cars were built, the Trans Am accounted for 44% of the total Firebird build. GM and Pontiac were certainly lining their pockets well with this one, as even though someone couldn't ante up the dollars for a T/A, their friendly Pontiac dealer still had Formula's, Esprit's and standard Firebirds to offer. Below is how the 1977 Trans Am production breaks down:
1977 Trans Am Production
Model Engine RPO VIN Code Manaul Automatic
Trans Am 400 L78 Z 29,313
Trans Am T/A 6.6 W72 Z 8,319 10,466
Trans Am 403 L80 K 5,079
Total Trans Am 53,177
Trans Am SE (Y81) 400 L78 Z 748
Trans Am SE (Y81) T/A 6.6 W72 Z 384 549
Trans Am SE (Y81) 403 L80 K 180
Total Trans Am SE - Y81 1,861
Trans Am SE (Y82) 400 L78 Z 6,030
Trans Am SE (Y82) T/A 6.6 W72 Z 2,699 3,760
Trans Am SE (Y82) 403 L80 K 1,217
Total Trans Am SE - Y82 13,706
Total Production 68,744
The black and gold T/A surely created many a fantasy, and most owners completed the purchase with the obligatory "cowboy" hat. The movie "Smokey and the Bandit" furthered the starring role of the car showing off it's T-tops (or Hurst Hatches), the high speed potential, and the CB radio. The CB radio was so popular at this time, it was available as a factory installed option for $195.00, the prerequisite being you ordered an optional radio or at the very least a radio accommodation package.
The 1977 Trans Am certainly was the bright spot of the year for Pontiac and the base price for a Trans Am was $5,456.00 up $469.00 from the 1976 model. But you had a new look, a new style, and with an equally powerful 400 engine compared to the 455, a new level of efficiency.
Ordered new at Zimper Motor company in Moscow Idaho 03/29/1977
* (M21) Four Speed Manual Close Ratio Transmission
* (QCY) GR70 x 15 Steel Belted Radial Tires
* (A01) Soft Ray Glass All Windows
* (U63) AM Radio
* (N33) Tilt Wheel
* (Y90) Custom Trim Group
* (W72) T/A 6.6 Liter (400cid) 4BBL V8 Engine
* (Y81) Special Edition Package
This car has power front disc brakes, power steering, Tilt wheel, W72 400cid engine, close ratio four speed transmission, factory custom trim group and a upgraded sound system. The car was not ordered with a/c or T- Tops. This is a nice straight car that rides and drives out strong and goes straight down the road with authority. The body lines are very nice and no door sag. The paint is nice with a deep shine and a mirror like finish. The is a 400 (NOM) and a close ratio four speed manual transmission car. This is a very rare Y81 Special edition car and one of 384 four speed cars produced! All of the blinkers, lights, horn, wipers, blower motor, reverse light, gauges and tachometer work. The clock is temperamental and sometimes functions but does not keep time accurately.
Call 314-594-1404 with questions or to purchase.
314-594-1404