1979 Trans Am Pace Car

In 1979, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Trans Am, Pontiac created a very special edition.



This Trans Am was painted two-tone silver and charcoal, 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 centerline, and bumper accents.



On the hood, the biggest ever bird to be fitted to a T/A was included.



The bird was so large that each wing tip was a separate decal fitted to the fenders.



The hood bird, Trans Am lettering, and engine decals followed the general theme of the car being as they were finished in silver/charcoal/red/black.



To distinguish between the Anniversary and standard Trans Ams, new brightly-polished "turbine" aluminum wheels were added specifically to the 10th anniversary edition Trans Am.



Most of these cars had every option, which included: mirrored t-tops, power windows/door locks/remote power trunk opener, and the WS6 Special Performance Package.



You had your choice of either the Pontiac 400 with the 4-Speed transmission, or the Olds 403 with the automatic transmission.



Out of the 7500 production cars, 1,817 were equipped with the 400/4-speed combo, and 5,683 were equipped with the 403/auto combo.



The 10th Anniversary's base price was $10,620.00, which was quite a bit for 1979 standards.



Although Pontiac produced 7,500 of the tenth anniversary cars, a handful of cars were prepared/optioned as pace cars on the NASCAR circuit.



The 10th Anniversary Trans Ams that sported the Daytona 500 decal package are the most collectable of all 10th Anniversary Trans Ams.



All of the 10th Anniversary car were fully equipped with the WS6 handling package, custom silver interior with "shag" carpet and the Firebird emblem embroidered in the door panels and also in the rear seat back.



Also standard on all 10th Anniversary Trans Ams were power windows, power locks, Air Conditioning, power trunk release.... in sort, pretty much every option available at the time.



Also, the interior was also trimmed with a special "Engine-turned" gear shift bezel that went nicely with the dash, which for this model was illuminated red instead of the normal white gauges.



You really can't tell in the day, but at night it gives a whole new feel and look to the inside.



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.



Sixty of these 10th Anniversary cars were involved in a "dealer drive-away program" where local dealers received a car that was used to parade around the Daytona Motor Speedway.



These cars had "Daytona 500" emblems on the doors as well as NASCAR logos affixed to the rear quarter panels.



The cars serial numbers were not believed to have documented and Pontiac offered the decal package across the parts counter so verifying an actual Daytona 500 Parade car may prove to be difficult.



Here is some more info to help you so that you tell the real thing from the fakes. The "10th Anniversary Limited Edition Trans Am" was specially marketed to commemorate the 10th Anniversary since the introduction of the Trans Am .



It made its public debut on Feb 18,1979 at Daytona Speedway as the Official Pace Car for the Daytona 500 which was also the first nationally televised Nascar race. 



Production Figures:
* Total Production: 7,500
* L-78 (T/A 6.6) 400 cid w/ Manual Transmission: 1,817
* 403 cid w/ Auto Transmission: 5,683



Specifications:
* Body & Frame Construction: Unitized, front subframe
* Curb Weight: 3,700 lb.
* Weight Distribution F/R: 57.6% / 42.4%
* Length: 197.1 in.
* Width: 73.0 in.
* Height: 49.3 in.
* Wheelbase: 108.2 in.



Suspension:
Front:
* Double A-arm, heavy duty coil springs
* Swaybar Size: 1.25 in.
* Struts: Heavy duty hydraulic tube
Rear:
* Semi Elliptic leaves
* Swaybar Size: .750 in.
* Shocks: Heavy duty hydraulic tube



Steering:
* Type: Constant quick ratio, power-assisted
* Ratio: 14:1
* Turns: lock-to-lock 2.41



Performance:
* 0-60 Mph: n/a
* 1/4 Mile Speed: 15.3 @ 96.6 mph
* Top Speed: 124 mph
* Braking 60-0 mph: 179 ft.
* Skid Pad: 0.91 g



Drivetrain:
* Front engine, Rear wheel drive sport coupe
* Engine Type: Cast iron OHV V8
* Displacement: 400 cid.
* Bore/stroke: 4.12 x 3.75 in.
* Induction: 1 4-bbl carburetor
* Cylinder Heads: Cast-iron w/ 2.11/1.66 valves
* Compression Ratio: 8.1:1
* Camshaft: Hydraulic w/ 274*/298* duration 364/.364 in. lift
* Ignition Type: HEI distributor
* Exhaust: Single with catalytic converter, dual rear outlets
* Horsepower: 220 @ 4000 rpm
* Torque: 320 ft. lbs. @ 2800 rpm
* Transmission: Borg warner super T-10 4-speed
* Clutch: 11-in. disc w/ 2600# pressure plate
* Transmission Ratios: 2.43/1.61/1.23/1.00
* Shifter: Hurst, floor mounted
* Rear Differential: 3.23:1, Safe-T-track



Brakes:
Front:
* Single piston power-assisted 11.0" ventilated disc
Rear:
* Single piston power-assisted disc

Wheels/Tires:
* Wheel Size: 15" x 8" 'Turbo' alloy
* Tire Size: 225/70R-15" Goodyear polysteel radial




Source
fbodywarehouse.com/registry/1979/1979-pace.html
www.78ta.com/10thanniversary.php