Out of the 12 year run for the second generation Trans Am, the 1976 model is unique because it is the only year with its own unique front end. All other years shared a front end design with another year. For example, 1970-1973 had the oval grills, 1974-1975 had the rectangular grills with a rubber band, 1977-1978 had the beak front end and 1979-1981 had the grill under the front bumper. This 1976 Pontiac Trans Am is listed here on Barn Finds Classifieds. The asking price is $9,500 and the car is located in Quincy, Illinois. For more pictures, please click this link for 24 more pictures.

Based on the data tag, this is a real WS4 Trans Am. The exterior paint code indicates that the car left the factory in Code 11 Cameo White. The interior was originally blue with a custom interior. The seats and console are now black as well as the carpet. The Trans Am appears to have power windows since the console has the hole cut for it. However, the passenger door has a window crank mounted on the door. The car will need a new door panel on the driver side. This car was originally equipped with factory air conditioning and an automatic transmission.

Of the two engines that were available in 1976, the L78 400 cubic inch V8 engine was standard. This motor was rated at 180 horsepower from the factory. The L75 455 cubic inch V8 engine was the optional engine and came only with a 4 speed transmission and a 3:23 rear gear ratio. This engine was rated by Pontiac at 200 horsepower. Sales increased for the Trans Am in 1976. This might be due to the fact that Chevrolet cancelled the Z28 for 1975-1976 and the Mustang was sporting a 4 cylinder engine. Horsepower numbers were down but it was not hard to get higher performance out of these engines. One thing many people don’t know is that all Pontiac blocks from the 326 cubic inch V8 engine to the 455 cubic inch V8 engine were the same size. The bore and stroke were just different. This makes it easy to interchange heads, intake manifolds and other parts.

This Trans Am is equipped with T-Tops. If these are original Hurst Hatch Tops, this must be an early 1976 car because Pontiac stopped installing T-Tops in mid year due to leaking problems. A new design was offered in 1977. The body on this car looks nice and there is no visible rot. The trunk has some surface rust and it may need some mechanical work on the brakes and fuel system for safety reasons. The car is currently wearing aftermarket wheels and larger tires. This might make a great project to drive and restore at the same time.