[LeighP]

Notice it lists the LS2 455SD as an option, yet the car has a Y code in the VIN. Also interesting is that the VIN is an early build number (owner has blanked out the last of the VIN) but the shipping date is Sep 14, 1973...by this stage they would have been building the 74 models.....so where was this car sitting all that time, and why?

The car is a buccaneer red 73 T/A that a friend bought to restore.....mostly original except it's conversion to RHD (for Aurstralia) a long time ago. I'm getting him to check the engine partial VIN to see whats on it.

[Held for Ransom]

It would be interesting if Jim had another invoice on this car.
It was build for zone inventory, but that really doesn't make too much sense because of the SD. Might have be a show car of some sort.

[Rocky Rotella]

It certainly looks like some type of showcar. It appears to have went up for bid at some point.

Does he have a buildsheet for the car?

Is there an engine in it? If so, any VIN or EUN number on it?

[LeighP]

I've got him checking the engine VIN...there is a matching date coded 455 in the car. Its an auto. Car is complete...fairly tired and needs restoring, but it ran.

Just checked the info posted on the Trim Tag - build date 12B - 2nd week of December, 1972. Sounds strange for it to have not shipped till the next September.

[muscle_collector]

Originally Posted by LeighP

I've got him checking the engine VIN...there is a matching date coded 455 in the car. Its an auto. Car is complete...fairly tired and needs restoring, but it ran.

Just checked the info posted on the Trim Tag - build date 12B - 2nd week of December, 1972. Sounds strange for it to have not shipped till the next September.

455 or 455 sd????

[MikeNoun]

I took the liberty of brightening up the invoice for everyone. Hope this helps.

Mike

[LeighP]

Thanks, nice job.

[Lloyd-TX]

Interested parties should ALWAYS pay Jim for their own invoice.

My opinion is that this car is a D-port car, with a faked invoice . . .

[LeighP]

The above scan came from the PHS documents that the owner received just a week or so ago.

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by LeighP

The above scan came from the PHS documents that the owner received just a week or so ago.

Well - that's interesting news . . .

Did Jim send along any notes concerning the "Y" VIN and SD in the option list?

[Rocky Rotella]

Well, I think we can thank Jim Rotella for quite possibly figuring this one out.

He and I were discussing this topic a little while ago and how the Trans Am in question might have been some type of show car. When seeing that it sold at a bid price of $2,100 (per the PHS doc), we started thinking it instead might be some type of test mule.

In looking over the optional equipment, and noticing it was a non-A/C car, my dad said, "This sounds like the 1973 Super Duty Trans Am that Car & Driver, Hot Rod, and Motor Trend magazines each tested back then."

We just pulled the vintage articles and found that Car & Driver contained a complete list of optional equipment on the test car. I’m excited to say that it matches the PHS document exactly! The articles also note that the test car was Buccaneer Red with Saddle Custom, and the PHS document shows the same.

With that, it appears that the 1973 Trans Am in question was the original car tested by many magazines back then. Being built as a 1973 Y-code car and being retrofit with an SD-455 may explain why Hot Rod magazine noted that the secondary metering rods and transmission shift-point deviate from traditional production-SD .

I recall a 1983 issue of Auto Exchange magazine where a reader wrote about owning this car and at the time he had it, the SD-455 engine was still in it. I would guess that neither engine (the SD-455 or the d-port 455 in it now) will be numbers-matching, but Leigh will have to work to confirm that. Not sure about the transmission though.

Pretty cool find nonetheless!

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by Rocky Rotella

Well, I think we can thank Jim Rotella for quite possibly figuring this one out.

He and I were discussing this topic a little while ago and how the Trans Am in question might have been some type of show car. When seeing that it sold at a bid price of $2,100 (per the PHS doc), we started thinking it instead might be some type of test mule.

In looking over the optional equipment, and noticing it was a non-A/C car, my dad said, "This sounds like the 1973 Super Duty Trans Am that Car & Driver, Hot Rod, and Motor Trend magazines each tested back then."

We just pulled the vintage articles and found that Car & Driver contained a complete list of optional equipment on the test car. I’m excited to say that it matches the PHS document exactly! The articles also note that the test car was Buccaneer Red with Saddle Custom, and the PHS document shows the same.

With that, it appears that the 1973 Trans Am in question was the original car tested by many magazines back then. Being built as a 1973 Y-code car and being retrofit with an SD-455 may explain why Hot Rod magazine noted that the secondary metering rods and transmission shift-point deviate from traditional production-SD .

I recall a 1983 issue of Auto Exchange magazine where a reader wrote about owning this car and at the time he had it, the SD-455 engine was still in it. I would guess that neither engine (the SD-455 or the d-port 455 in it now) will be numbers-matching, but Leigh will have to work to confirm that. Not sure about the transmission though.

Pretty cool find nonetheless!

Well there you have it. Thanks Rocky (and Jim of course!).

[SD73]

Originally Posted by Lloyd-TX

Well there you have it. Thanks Rocky (and Jim of course!).

Another one for the Rockford Files!

[Rocky Rotella]

To add to my previous post, if this is indeed the magazine test car, it really isn't surprising to find it was originally built with a Y-code 455. There were obviously no SD-455 engines at the Norwood assembly plant for vehicle installation during the week of 12B. So Pontiac purposely equipped a d-port Trans Am with specific options, which includes the G92 Performance Rear Axle, giving it 3.42 gears to make it equipped as it if were originally an SD-455/Auto/Non-AC combo. The SD-455 was undoubtedly installed after the fact.

Looking at the articles, we may have also answered why the car had “455” on the Shaker and a typical oil filler cap and PCV setup. I would guess that this also lies to rest the thought that the SD-455 engine in the test car was fitted with the 041-spec cam. The change to the 744-spec cam came early on. If anything, the engine was an early SD-455 with the 744-spec cam and first-type emissions system.

All this brings me to another point. I’d like to know if anyone had previously pulled the PHS on this or if there is any original paperwork about. If not, some buyer/owner/seller somewhere may have misidentified this car as an original Y-code Trans Am by the VIN and yanked/sold the SD-455 thinking it wasn’t correct to the car. Technically it isn’t, but if they only knew the real story!

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by Rocky Rotella

To add to my previous post, if this is indeed the magazine test car, it really isn't surprising to find it was originally built with a Y-code 455. There were obviously no SD-455 engines at the Norwood assembly plant for vehicle installation during the week of 12B. So Pontiac purposely equipped a d-port Trans Am with specific options, which includes the G92 Performance Rear Axle, giving it 3.42 gears to make it equipped as it if were originally an SD-455/Auto/Non-AC combo. The SD-455 was undoubtedly installed after the fact.

Looking at the articles, we may have also answered why the car had “455” on the Shaker and a typical oil filler cap and PCV setup. I would guess that this also lies to rest the thought that the SD-455 engine in the test car was fitted with the 041-spec cam. The change to the 744-spec cam came early on. If anything, the engine was an early SD-455 with the 744-spec cam and first-type emissions system.

All this brings me to another point. I’d like to know if anyone had previously pulled the PHS on this or if there is any original paperwork about. If not, some buyer/owner/seller somewhere may have misidentified this car as an original Y-code Trans Am by the VIN and yanked/sold the SD-455 thinking it wasn’t correct to the car. Technically it isn’t, but if they only knew the real story!

Great thoughts, Rocky.

Knowing the test car history, I'd dearly love to own this piece of PMD history, regardless of what engine currently resides between those frame rails. I'd build an "SR" SD (most likely with an "041 spec" camshaft) and equip it just like it was during those magazine tests!

The attached C & D article has got to be one of my all-time favorite vintage road tests!

Enjoy!

[Lloyd-TX]

Another thought, Rocky . . .

Wouldn't / shouldn't there be at least one additional invoice on this car, if Jim were to have the time to research it?

[The Boss]

With the 997 code the car did indeed go through engineering.

[Lloyd-TX]

Originally Posted by The Boss

With the 997 code the car did indeed go through engineering.

Thanks for that tid-bit, Chris. More proof this is no run-of-the-mill T/A . . .

[RicksGTO]

man, great detective work there to both the Rotella's!! I'm guessing the sun is coming up in a few hours and it will be a little brighter today down under for the owner! It will be interesting to see if the SD engine is somehow still in the car and would engineering have bothered to put a matching VIN on it?

[Brad Pringle]

Can you tell me what month and yr the article on the test car was published. I would like to buy it. Thank You Brad