1988 Pontiac Trans Am GTA

Tony’s Take: No doubt about it: Americans loved them some Trans AM. By the late-’80’s, Smoke and the Bandit‘s “screaming chicken” Pontiac Firebird was in the rear view mirror, but the brand kept on keeping on. Pontiac’s 1988 pride and joy: the Trans AM GTA (Gran Turismo Americano or Good Times Ahead). Its 5.7L 350 Tuned Port Injection V8 – similar but not identical to the Corvette’s – generated a whopping 225 horsepower and 315 ft lbs of torque (thank you emission controls).

Back in the day, an ’88 GTA held the land speed record for a passenger car. This ain’t that. Pontiac claimed a zero to sixty time of 6.5 seconds and a 143 mph top end for the factory GTA. Real world numbers were both more and less. That said, with its WS6 performance handling package – 36mm sway bars in front, 24mm sway bars at the rear, a quick ratio steering box, gas filled struts and 16″ wheels – the Pontiac Trans Am GTA handled tidily enough.

This GTA’s owner’s handled it since new, racking-up 17,913 miles (presumably on Sundays) in the process, with receipts and window sticker to proveit. If a Pontiac Trans Am GTA was highly collectible, this car would be the bomb! They aren’t. But sporty-looking red GTA’s are worth more than the more common burgundy examples. With teen miles, they come in at around $20k. Downside: at this price you can’t complain.