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#1
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"new" TA popped up on Hemming!
This just popped up today for me;
1970 Trans Am Incase the link goes dead, it's a white on tan RAIII/M40 car; no console, low option car (PHS shows four options: 1-am radio, 2-rear speaker, 3-front mats, 4-rear mats) I believe these guys do a good number of Firebirds, so I am not surprised on the quality, and regrettably some apparent short cuts. Over all this is s stunning car. My only qualms isa deluxe dash in a standard interior car, and the repop(?) Camaro rear armrests - but it presents itself well... very well. Some note able pictures: Unlike any prior restored listing recall having seen from them, this one shows when it was purchased, and has restoration documentation. I hope it finds a good home, I know that I'd welcome it into my garage... but I'd also want a certain blue Formula before this one... assuming it's not yet sold.
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1970 Formula 400 Carousel Red paint on Black standard interior A no-engine, no-transmission, no-wheel option car. Quite likely one of few '70 Muncie three speed Formula 400's left. 1991 Grand Am: 14.4 @ 93.7mph (DA corrected) (retired DD, stock appearing) 2009 Cobalt SS: 13.9 @ 103mph (current DD; makes something north of 300hp & 350ft/lbs) |
#2
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Column shifters always surprise me. I like the less common interior color.
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72 Bird |
#3
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I actually missed it!!
When I was scrolling through the pictures, I was "hey, wait a minute!!" lol I really like the different interior cars... I still prefer black, but different colours have really grown on me.
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1970 Formula 400 Carousel Red paint on Black standard interior A no-engine, no-transmission, no-wheel option car. Quite likely one of few '70 Muncie three speed Formula 400's left. 1991 Grand Am: 14.4 @ 93.7mph (DA corrected) (retired DD, stock appearing) 2009 Cobalt SS: 13.9 @ 103mph (current DD; makes something north of 300hp & 350ft/lbs) |
#4
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Quote:
Overall, it presents well. And the column shift aspect is unique, although probably doesn't help the value any. Also not many Sandalwood interior cars - nice to see one restored pretty well. Besides the incorrect bits you highlighted, I'd pick a few more nits given their asking price. Mind you, this is stuff only the gurus on this site, and not most prospective buyers, would ever catch or worry about: -The ride height is way off, especially at the front -Later model hood and fenders -Wrong alternator -The gauge rings have been replated, but they didn't repaint the inners black -On a standard Sandalwood interior, the belts/buckles would be black (this car's have been re-done in color by Snake-Oyl, per the receipts shown in the eBay auction) https://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-Pontia...MAAOSwPkhd-tYT
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keith k 70 Trans Am RA III / T400 / Lucerne Blue / Bright Blue 70 Trans Am RA III / M20 / Lucerne Blue / Sandalwood 70 Formula RA III / M21 / Lucerne Blue / Bright Blue |
#5
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Column shift is a real turn off for me.
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#6
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I'd have to get a really good deal on it.
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Current Pontiacs - 1973 Formula SD455 - #'s auto orig paint 1972 Trans Am - 4 speed orig paint 1974 Formula 400 - Ram Air automatic 1966 2+2 convertible - 421 4bbl automatic 1967 Grand Prix - 4 speed orig paint 1967 GTO - 4 speed orig paint 35k orig miles |
#7
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I hear you. Likewise here. I could live with a column shift base car and maybe forgive having that in an Esprit. But TA's and Formulas were (are) performance cars and performance cars are "supposed" to have floor shifts.
However, saying makes me more than a bit of a hypocrite since my '68 Hemi Super Bee was a column shift, and it didn't bother me at all. Guess the "Hemi-ness" covers a lot of "sins"! |
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#8
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1976 LeMans B09 Freeway Enforcer, 455/M40 Smokey 1977 Trans Am, 400/M21 Black/Gold Bandit. 44K actual miles 2017 Sierra SLT 1500 Z71 4X4 2019 Canyon SLT Crew 4X4 |
#9
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Seems the vast majority of those Mopar performance cars got column shifts. Super Birds, Daytonas didn’t seem to mater much. Almost all I have seen are Column shift.
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#10
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I had a column shift F400. Typical comment was that it was a fake Formula. When you buy a column shift, you take a perspective how it is "different drummer". Can even say "rare". You console yourself with what a great conversation starter it will be. Then a little voice starts whispering in your ear....... "Grandma"...... "Grandma"....... "Auntee"...... you start thinking you should wear a homemade knit sweater while driving it.... it gets bad....
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72 Bird |
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#11
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ha!
I'd drive one... assuming it's the right car. RAIII + th400 is just the same no matter column or console shift... well, maybe column shift is 15 lbs lighter
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1970 Formula 400 Carousel Red paint on Black standard interior A no-engine, no-transmission, no-wheel option car. Quite likely one of few '70 Muncie three speed Formula 400's left. 1991 Grand Am: 14.4 @ 93.7mph (DA corrected) (retired DD, stock appearing) 2009 Cobalt SS: 13.9 @ 103mph (current DD; makes something north of 300hp & 350ft/lbs) |
#12
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I had a 73 t/a white car with saddle gut. no bird on hood std. 455 . It had a column shift . I loved that car
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#13
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Rarity does not always equate to desirable.
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1976 LeMans B09 Freeway Enforcer, 455/M40 Smokey 1977 Trans Am, 400/M21 Black/Gold Bandit. 44K actual miles 2017 Sierra SLT 1500 Z71 4X4 2019 Canyon SLT Crew 4X4 |
#14
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you're seeming repetitious.
rarity does equate uniqueness; Some of us relish in uniqueness.
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1970 Formula 400 Carousel Red paint on Black standard interior A no-engine, no-transmission, no-wheel option car. Quite likely one of few '70 Muncie three speed Formula 400's left. 1991 Grand Am: 14.4 @ 93.7mph (DA corrected) (retired DD, stock appearing) 2009 Cobalt SS: 13.9 @ 103mph (current DD; makes something north of 300hp & 350ft/lbs) |
#15
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As you well know, I absolutely hate the column shift auto in my Formula. It totally frigs up the performance inspired image the Formula and Trans Am sought to deliver upon.
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1976 LeMans B09 Freeway Enforcer, 455/M40 Smokey 1977 Trans Am, 400/M21 Black/Gold Bandit. 44K actual miles 2017 Sierra SLT 1500 Z71 4X4 2019 Canyon SLT Crew 4X4 |
#16
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Yeah I get it.
I would suggest though, that the Trans Am was the "image" car, not the Formula; The Formula was more of a "meat & potatoes" kind of car; the only way it differed in appearance from the base model was the hood. And then it was greatly watered down in 1971 with the base engine being a L30 (350/2bbl), it could still match the performance of a TA, but it wasn't the image car that the TA was. Where the TA said something like "look at me, I'm a race car!" (for it's time), the Formula hood may have said, "whoa there buddy, before you go and challenge me, you don't know what I have going on here, but you had better believe it's a V8!". I love the column shift on your car because it was intentional, and because it's unique. You can make a solid argument for 1970 or maybe 1971 cars accidentally being ordered with a column shift, but by 1973, it was well established that an automatic without a console netted column shift.
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1970 Formula 400 Carousel Red paint on Black standard interior A no-engine, no-transmission, no-wheel option car. Quite likely one of few '70 Muncie three speed Formula 400's left. 1991 Grand Am: 14.4 @ 93.7mph (DA corrected) (retired DD, stock appearing) 2009 Cobalt SS: 13.9 @ 103mph (current DD; makes something north of 300hp & 350ft/lbs) |
#17
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You bought a car for the "image" ?
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Current Pontiacs - 1973 Formula SD455 - #'s auto orig paint 1972 Trans Am - 4 speed orig paint 1974 Formula 400 - Ram Air automatic 1966 2+2 convertible - 421 4bbl automatic 1967 Grand Prix - 4 speed orig paint 1967 GTO - 4 speed orig paint 35k orig miles |
#18
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Yup, that be the first thing to go if it was my car.
I do like the color combo though.
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"Those poor souls have made the fatal mistake of surrounding us. Now we can fire in any direction" 1970 Trans Am RAIII 4 speed 1971 Trans Am 5.3 LM7 1977 Trans Am W72 Y82 1987 Grand National |
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#19
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Sandalwood base interior AND Column-Shift , on the same car ... Ouch
thats going to hurt retail just a bit or two, or fifteen or twenty on the RKM scale. There was another with same combo a few years later on eBay in the southwest or the west. Was a really tired sunburned car but a few more options than this one, iirc Anyone else notice the vinyl T/A embossed floor mats that look almost factory ? Who sells those ? |
#20
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I bought it because it was 3 miles from my house, and it was an early 2nd gen with a factory 455.
As factory built, this car screamed "Grandma". I like something a bit more performance oriented.
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1976 LeMans B09 Freeway Enforcer, 455/M40 Smokey 1977 Trans Am, 400/M21 Black/Gold Bandit. 44K actual miles 2017 Sierra SLT 1500 Z71 4X4 2019 Canyon SLT Crew 4X4 |
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