Someone did an excellent job of keeping this Pontiac in perfect condition.
Find a car that’s 40 years-old and only has 107 original miles on the odometer is something of legend. That’s exactly what we get to see in the video below, with a fairly good review of the car. Right off the bat, the guy picks out a paint defect on the hood. Considering the 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Indy Pace Car has sat in storage all these years and otherwise the paint looks new, it’s obviously a mistake from the factory.
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For whatever reason, this pace car isn’t wearing the decals on the doors that were supposed to be installed in the factory. Instead, those are sitting in the trunk still on their paper, so someone could choose to apply them if they wanted.
Pace cars are popular items for collectors. No doubt the owner of this one saw an opportunity, so they essentially hid it away and waited for the investment to mature. Just 20 years ago, this car might not have been looked at as much of a collectible, but today it absolutely generates interest. In fact, this particular one was already spoken for before the guy did his review.
You’ll note the owner of this car went to great measures to keep it in mint condition. Factory plastic covers are over the seats, steering wheel, and door panels. Disposable paper floormats keep the factory floormats and carpets clean. Even the factory radio still has the protector and guide card over it, making it likely that nobody has ever turned it on. It’s almost like going to a person’s home where the couch is covered in plastic and you have to walk on clear runners so you don’t mess up the carpeting.
This car is special not only because it copies the pace car for the Indy 500 that year. It pumped up performance for the Trans Am by using a turbocharged 4.9-liter V8, resulting in a good bump in horsepower but an even more impressive increase in torque. Among the special equipment is a unique hood, helping this car to stand out from its stablemates.
