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Pontiac built 7,500 Trans Am 10th Anniversary Editions for 1979, and most of them left the factory with an Oldsmobile engine and an automatic transmission. This 1979 Trans Am 10th Anniversary WS6 on Bring a Trailer is the other kind. It has the Pontiac 400 and a four-speed manual, a combination only 1,817 buyers got. As of Tuesday, October 27, the bid sits at $777, and the auction ends Tuesday, November 3, at 1:24 p.m. ET.
The Anniversary Trans Am You Were Supposed to Want
Every one of these cars wore Platinum paint with charcoal accents, a big hood bird and WS6 handling hardware. What changed from car to car was what sat under the hood. According to production figures cited by RM Sotheby’s, 5,683 of the 7,500 got Oldsmobile’s 403 with a three-speed automatic. The other 1,817 got the 6.6-liter Pontiac 400 and a four-speed manual, about one car in four. It is the same split we noted when we looked at a 4,000-mile survivor.
The power gap is real, too. The listing puts the 400 at 220 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque, while the Olds 403 was rated at roughly 180. Neither number would have impressed a 1970 Ram Air buyer, but in 1979 the 400 and four-speed was the pairing to order if you wanted a Trans Am that drove like one and not just looked like one. WS6 was standard on the anniversary cars, and per the listing that means four-wheel disc brakes, quick-ratio steering and a larger sway bar.
What This Car Has, and What It Doesn’t
This is a Texas car with 53,000 miles showing, about 1,100 of them added by the current seller, who bought it on BaT in May 2019 for $23,000 according to the listing’s history. Equipment includes a Safe-T-Track limited-slip differential, T-tops, a Hurst shifter, air conditioning, power windows and locks, an eight-track player and silver leather and vinyl.
The listing is upfront about what has changed. The car was repainted under prior ownership, decals were removed, the taillights were replaced, and an aftermarket dual exhaust with FlowFX mufflers has been installed. The factory catalytic converter has been removed. The air conditioning was converted to R134a and the carburetor was rebuilt in 2019. The seller also notes paint and body blemishes, a power steering fluid drip and exhaust tips that are not aligned.
What a Spec Is Worth
On Monday, October 26, a different Anniversary WS6 finished on BaT. The one-owner, 421-mile car we covered sold for $83,500. It had the 403 and an automatic. That is a time capsule and this is a driver, so the two are not a fair comparison, but the gap shows what the market pays for originality and mileage. This car is for the buyer who wants the better drivetrain and does not need the storage-find paperwork.
A $777 bid on the first day says nothing about where this one ends, since most BaT auctions start low. The listing is not marked no reserve.
For more on the breed, see our look at a 1979 Trans Am WS6 10th Anniversary Edition, a four-speed Tenth-Anniversary car headed to the Big Boy Toy auction, and the best Pontiac Trans Ams on Motorious.
So which would you take: the 421-mile automatic that just brought $83,500, or the 53,000-mile Pontiac 400 with a four-speed and a louder exhaust, at whatever this one ends up costing? Tell us where you land.
