To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Trans Am, Pontiac created a truly special edition. The 10th was painted in a gorgeous silver and charcoal two tone, accented by red-silver-charcoal stripes. Silver dominated the base of the car, with the charcoal covering the roof, most of the hood, a small portion of the door beltline, and bumper accents. On the hood, the biggest bird to be fitted to a T/A was included. So large was the bird, each wing tips were a separate decal fitted to the fenders. The hood bird and Trans Am/engine decals followed the general theme of the car being finished in multiple hues of silver/charcoal, red, and black. To aid in the visual distinction between the tenth and standard Trans Am's, a new "turbine" smooth brightly polished dished aluminum wheel was specific to the anniversary edition. Finishing the package was a pair of overly large Firebird decals affixed to the B-pillars (A smaller Firebird decal replaced the bright metal emblem on all other Trans Ams).
The interior fitted to the tenth anniversary were perhaps the most lavish of all Trans Ams. The entire interior was finished in a light gray/silver hue, including the steering wheel and horn button (The spokes were still matte black). Silver leather (with vinyl seatbacks & bolsters) covered the specifically styled front and rear seats, although they still lacked a reclining mechanism. Thicker carpeting was laid on the floor and additional sound deadening muted the mechanical sounds we bought Trans Ams for. Most were fitted with every conceivable option, including mirrored t-tops, power windows, door locks, and trunk opener, and the WS6 Special Performance Package. Either the 403 Olds or the 400 Pontiac engines were available.
Breaking the $10,000 mark, the 10th's base price was $10,620.00. Although Pontiac produced 7,500 of the tenth anniversary cars, a handful of cars were prepared as pace cars on the NASCAR circuit, most notably those which wore the Daytona 500 guise. These are probably the most collectable of all 10th Anniversary Trans Ams.
Performance wise, the 1979 edition made some impressive gains. Due to the slightly higher gearing, the 220hp engine was a bit slower in the quarter mile, taking 15.3 seconds to cover the distance. The better aerodynamics came in to play with a higher trap speed of 96.6 mph. The 0-60 mph times for the '79 picked up a half second requiring 6.7 seconds for the sprint. The new four wheel disc brakes of the WS6 cars knocked a yard from the stopping distance, bringing the Trans Am down from 60 mph in only 146 feet. As for the final iteration of the 400 (coded WH), the rear end gearing was scaled back to 3.23:1, again for fuel economy, but this also allowed the '79's to go a bit faster on the top end. During road testing Car & Driver magazine sent the tach past the 5000-rpm redline to reach 132 mph at 5400 rpm. This was one of the last cars whose top speed was gearing limited rather than drag limited.
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Last modified: Wednesday May 16, 2007 12:46 AM