2002 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 Coupe

2010 marked the final year for the Pontiac Motor Division at GM and eight years earlier, the last Trans Am rolled off the assembly line, much to the chagrin of Firebird loyalists throughout North America. But the car that came in like a lion, left like a lion harboring 325 horsepower under the hood with the LS series V8. 11,173 V8 Firebird coupes were built this final year and we've seen our share at Classic Auto Mall, and hope to see more!

For consignment, a WS6 equipped black beauty with a V8 and 76,116 title verified actual miles. This car has some tasteful mods for performance, handling, and appearance and sports some retro elements that Trans Am aficionados will instantly recognize and fans of the Bandit chronicles will adore.

Exterior
Let's address the elephant in the room, or in this case the screaming chicken. Flying off the '77 Bandit car and onto this one, courtesy of Royal Customs, the gold screaming chicken looks right at home contoured over the bulgy hood. The kit includes other gold decals as well. The front end with those nostrils and Ram Air intakes, hidden headlights, aero bumper, and narrow fog lights is just one of the best-looking front ends of the era. It's just plain mean in black and now it has the well known bird on its back. Plastic Trans Am emblems are gold here as well sitting just behind vented gills on the front fender. In true Bandit fashion, this is a T-top car and they look good on or off. The rear deck with its outstretched wing is reminiscent of record-setting cars on the Bonneville salt flats. The honeycomb design on the taillights harkens back to when the shape was used on the early 70's T/A's. The paint is in good shape and we note a few scratches and scuffs, and what appears to be sap or solvent damage in one spot. We would be remiss if we didn't bring attention to the epic 17-inch gold snowflake wheels from Year One. It simply wouldn't be a Bandit car without them! Tinted windows, which were not a thing in '77, look great on this modern iteration.

Interior
The interior is awash in ebony, including the door panels on long doors that contain an efficient array of controls and door actuator in gray and black plastic. The tall, leather bucket seats are in great shape, and you can see the lumbar support from the next town accentuated by the distinctive Trans Am “accordion” side bolstering. The buckets in the back are intersected by the driveshaft hump and are suitable for those of smaller stature. The airbag equipped steering wheel has some thumb controls on each side and the nifty gauge cluster has the speedometer overlapping the tachometer. Four smaller wedge shaped gauges are below that and the rest of the indicators are done through idiot lights. An aftermarket Kenwood touchscreen stereo fills the center stack and has Bluetooth, a reverse camera, and hands-free phone capabilities all tied to Infinity Reference series speakers. The T shaped automatic shifter is housed in the molded plastic center console along with an armrest and storage compartment. The condition of the interior is excellent and that includes the black carpet that covers the floor.

Drivetrain
The original 5.7 liter LS1 engine is tucked snugly into the bay fueled electronically via injection and tied to a 4L60E 4-speed automatic transmission. The car has a freshly built Zumbrota positraction and 3.42 gears in a 10 bolt rear. Our consignor states a K&N air filter is in place and the rush of air is halted by power disc brakes on all four wheels, three cheers for modern brakes!

Undercarriage
Here's where some mods can be found. The stock exhaust joins a Borla system including the single muffler that splits into twin quad tipped tail pipes with chrome tips. Viking coil overs enhance the independent suspension up front and torque arm suspension in the back. Overall, the underside is in great condition with only minor random points of surface rust, not unexpected for a car with 76k miles.

Drive-Ability
The 5.7 never disappoints and may go down as one of the all time great GM LS motors. An incredibly responsive car with very grippy turn-in combines good coil overs with the 275/40/17 tires and you've got a trackable car with a great sounding exhaust note as a bonus. The F-body ergonomics are comfortable, put an arm on the window sill, one hand on the wheel and you're chillin' in an almost reclining position with everything in reach and lots of horses on call at your right foot. Nothing bad to say about the brakes as they did their job.

You don't need a red shirt and cowboy hat to enjoy this car, but it wouldn't hurt. Gotta believe that if the Bandit films continue, eventually they would have gotten to 2002 and this is exactly what the car would have looked like. It's a fantastic tribute to a legendary car movie and more importantly, It's a fantastic car in its own right, with classic F-body lines and an LS1 all dressed in black. 10-4 good buddy!

2G2FV22G522152900

2-Canada
G-General Motors
2-Firebird
F-F Body
V-Trans Am
2-2 Door Coupe
2-Manual Belts, Front Airbags
G-5.7L LS1 V8
5-Check Digit
2-2002
2-St Therese Assy Plant
152900-Sequential Unit Number

Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.

With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!