Feeling nostalgic for a cool ride? Maybe you’re looking for a project car on the Inter-webs, something you can build the way you want it. Maybe you’re cruising down the street after a hard day at work, or maybe after a long day of classes you’re perusing the CarGurus app on your iPhone at a stoplight. Perhaps a simple glint catches your eye, and you toss a look over at Joe Schmo’s Exotic Performance Motorcars as you drive by: wait, what’s that? You always wanted one back in the day, right? Can it be?
Lo and behold, it’s a… it’s the car of your dreams, past or present: a real, live Trans Am GTA.
OR IS IT?
In today’s used car market, the chances that you can go on a different kind of ride… not a good one… are still present even after all these years. The words “BUYER BEWARE” certainly must be in your vocabulary here. With all 3rd-Generation F-Bodies becoming ever-more-popular in the “collectors” marketplace, there continues to be a definite growing interest in the 1987-1992 GTAs in particular. It has become well-known that 1) the GTAs were the most fully equipped F-Body models produced during the Third-Generation production run, and 2) with the stratospheric rise in prices of the Second-Generation Firebirds, the Third-Generation cars are on everybody’s short list of performance cars that they still might be able to afford. Unfortunately, it’s common knowledge that the desirable 1989 20th Anniversary Trans Ams have been off that “affordable” list for a while now…
Regardless of the source, interest in these cars continues to accelerate and shows no sign of slowing down in the immediate future. Over the years, a decent-sized book could be written using the volumes of e-mails, direct messages, and texts I’ve received from people asking me…“Hey Frankie, I’ve found this car… is this right, is that right?”. I have always tried to answer all that I could, but the requests still seem to keep coming in at a surprising pace, given the twenty-eight (28) years this web site has been online. So this section was created to assist those of you out there who are perhaps contemplating the purchase of a GTA, or maybe you are just interested in this kind of detail-oriented stuff.
Either way, whatever can be done to help someone be sure that their potential investment is actually what they are looking for will only increase their enjoyment in the long run. I have taken the liberty to use various photos of my red 1988 GTA, as seen in the heading above, at times throughout this section since it remains in its original, unmolested condition throughout. It’s a car that I can guarantee you is still the way it came out of the Van Nuys assembly plant in June of 1988.
First up…. a great rule to follow is “A SMART SHOPPER IS AN EDUCATED SHOPPER“.
So let’s put the worst-case-scenario out in the open right here: these cars still can be duplicated so well and to such an exacting detail, that I would be very comfortable wagering that an avid Pontiac enthusiast would not be able to pick out the “fake”. As you will see later on, there are some things that are “make or break” items but fakes can most certainly still be done quite skillfully, and many people still fall prey to this EVIL TRICKERY each year.
On occasion, you may still see some of the “classics” offered for sale:
(1) the “all-original GTA” that has the circa-1978 Second-Generation metal Firebird emblems on the sail panels AND the riveted-on side moldings, or
(2) the “never repainted” GTA that has the sail panel birds on the front fenders, or on the nose, or
(3) even the really super rare “GTA” equipped with individual metal “capital” letters that looked like small mailbox numbers attached to the front fenders with small sheet-metal screws.
You ever seen a late-70s Lincoln Continental with the metal owners initials inset on the doors? Yeah, like those. An example of # 3 really was sent in to me in photos once. Seriously… the car was white, and the letters were blue. Scout’s honor. The photos are still somewhere on the 1.44 floppy disks that I still have but can’t access any longer. We all agree car ownership is all about expression as much as anything else; so by all means… you do you. Just don’t falsely claim complete and total originality is the gist of what we’re going for here.
So believe you me, it can get pretty “entertaining” in the Trans Am GTA world at large; a good friend of mine used to go to national car shows JUST to pick out the cars that were incorrect. And pick, and pick, and pick. Still, at other times the dishonesty can be downright infuriating. So one has to be on guard at all times when looking for a used GTA. To be sure, there are honest people out there that make honest mistakes on cars; however it seems there are just as many people out there looking to make a fast buck at an unsuspecting person’s expense.
GEE, THANKS, RIGHT? Well, what’s a person to do? Keep reading.
In their efforts to authenticate a Trans Am GTA, the first thing everybody seems to want to refer to is the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Common sense says that is always the first place that a person wants to look to verify their car; unfortunately, the VIN will not tell you anything regarding whether or not the car is a factory-built GTA model, regardless of what a) various on-line VIN decoders, b) state DMVs, and c) most insurance companies will tell you. This number will tell you basic data about the production of a car, but that’s about it. The picture above is a look at one of the VIN stickers from my red 1988 GTA. There are VIN stickers like this located in various places all throughout the car. While they were used in an attempt to help combat theft, the stickers also make it easy to notice if major parts of the car have been replaced since the labels are virtually impossible to remove without destroying them. All GTAs have the same style seventeen (17) digit VIN numbers for each model year; the differences are engine code and model-year identifying digits.
Here is a “sample” VIN that would be correct for an ’88 GTA. Keep in mind that the last six digits are made up as an example only.
1 G 2 F W 2 1 8 6 J L 654321
This sample VIN decodes left to right as follows:
1 – Country of Origin… United States
G – Manufacturer… General Motors Corporation
2 – Division… Pontiac Motor Division
F – Car Line… Firebird
W – Model Series… Trans Am
2 – Body Type… 2-Door Coupe
1 – Restraint System… Manual Seat Belts*
8 –Engine Code… 5.7L TPI V8 (F – 5.0L TPI V8)
6 – Check Digit… This Number Will Vary
J – Model Year… 1988**
L – Assembly Plant… Van Nuys, CA***
654321 – Sequential Vehicle Production Number
NOTES: * = 1990 and up GTAs will have a “3” in this position to designate both manual seat belts and a driver’s side airbag
** = “”H” – 1987, “K” – 1989, “L” – 1990, “M” – 1991, or “N” – 1992
*** = Some 1987 GTAs will have an “N” in this position to designate the Norwood, OH assembly plant
So as you can see, the only really pertinent information you can get from the VIN for this case is… 1) the type of original engine, and 2) the model series, Trans Am.
Since the GTAs were technically a model option package for the Trans Am, they have the same “W” code in the VIN as a regular Trans Am model. The engine code (8th Digit) can throw up a red flag immediately if you look close; all GTAs were equipped with TPI engines from the factory, so look for either the “F” (5.0L) or “8” (5.7L) codes. No GTA sold in North America ever came with a TBI engine. Now, the potential issue with these designations is that these engines were also available in a regular Trans Am. Herein lies the “rub” for buyers, so you may have to dig a little deeper into the car to really be sure.
Any GTA that did not have a TPI-equipped engine is a potential pass if you’re looking for originality… oftentimes owners will have had headaches with the TPI system, and will swap the car to a carburetor setup instead or some other style of fuel injection system in an attempt to get it to run correctly. Despite what you see on YouTube every day, this can cause big headaches (and/or big $$$) down the road if you want to put the car back to original condition. In other words: if you pop the hood and see something other than the image above: keep looking elsewhere, unless you’re qualified to take on a project. The view may be a bit different among years (1987, 1988-89, 1990-92) in regards to air intake plumbing, but you should pretty much see what’s pictured. The engine throttle body, plenum, and intake runners all retained the same look for the GTA’s entire production cycle.
Some people have asked about information on the driver-side GVWR door jamb decals. These labels simply tell you all about the vehicle weights, the correct factory tire sizes and pressures front and rear, but the decal will also tell you the build month and year for the car. Many times if the car has had body or paint repair done to the door, these labels will be painted over… or Heaven forbid, missing altogether.
Now, for the good stuff. As we sometimes say here in the South: “let’s just cut to the chase right now”.
Here is the THE MAIN THING thing to look for when you want to know if the car you’re inspecting is a GTA or not: this label is known as the Service Parts Identification (SPI) label. This sticker was applied by the factory and was used to help ensure that the proper repair parts were used on the car during dealership service. Every option that the car was equipped with has a specific UPC code, and that code is printed on this label. Each option, interior and exterior, trim color, paint color, suspension springs, you name it, is listed for future reference. The location of this label varies according to the particular model year of car it was installed on. For the 1987-1990 cars, the label was placed on the inside wall of the console glove box; in turn, for 1991 and 1992, the sticker was moved to the back side LH rear storage compartment door. The GTA option code was Y84; that code is the second code pictured on the next-to-last line on the sticker in the picture. The label in the photo is taken from a 1991 GTA.
IF THERE IS A BE ALL/END ALL IN TRANS AM GTA DOCUMENTATION…. THIS IS IT. PERIOD. END OF DISCUSSION.
If the label is present, then luckily for the buyer the search is short and sweet: if Y84 is there, it’s a GTA. If Y84 isn’t there? Well, regardless of what the seller says about the car and/or how convincing he/she is in saying it, you’re NOT looking at a factory-original Trans Am GTA. The issue on occasion here is that people are knowledgeable about this label and what it represents; unless you’re looking at a garage queen or a low-mileage specimen, the odds are marginal at best that it will still be in the car. As stated earlier, this is not to say that every person takes it out in an attempt to pass off a bogus car, but it does happen. Keep this fact in mind as well: these labels are not available as replacements from GM, so if you decide to purchase the car you won’t be getting a replacement one, either.
A missing label requires taking into account some other very possible legitimate factors: a) the car has passed through several owners, b) may in rough shape overall, c) may have simply had a console replaced, d) the sticker itself came loose from the console box wall (my GTA’s tag has and it is laminated and stored in the owner’s manual), etc., etc., but the absence of the SPI label requires one to automatically raise their guard a few notches. Always be sure to check the VIN on the dash of the car against the VIN on any SPI label you do find. Be mindful of your initial reactions to the car itself; if you are getting a bad vibe, there’s probably a reason and you might consider looking elsewhere. Despite what you may hear, there are plenty of these cars still around. The process of documenting a car without the SPI label can get a lot more involved, especially if you have come across a savvy, dishonest person looking to make a $ (or many, many $$$) at your expense.
Before we continue, let us dispel two of the most common misconceptions regarding GTAs (and the two that I still get the most questions about). They both hang out in a favorite place of mine called…
First – There is no such thing as a 1986, 1986 1/2, or any earlier model year Trans Am GTA. I don’t mean to ruffle anyone’s feathers out there, but that is straight from both Pontiac Motor Division and Pontiac Historic Services. So that super-rare Knight Rider GTA… or that even rarer original ’86 GTA that somebody’s brother or cousin bought new? Doesn’t exist.
Never did and never will. Sorry.
The only remotely quasi “1986 GTA” still in existence is the Type K Kammback “GTA” Wagon modified by Auto-Fab, Inc. that Pontiac maintained as part of their historic collection before it was sold at auction many years ago… and that car was originally an ’85 Trans Am that was updated with the GTA’s appearance package once the option’s exterior content was finalized and before the cars came to market in 1987.
Second – There is no such thing as a FACTORY 1991 or 1992 Trans Am GTA Convertible.* The Source Page has all the factory Pontiac Firebird Car Order Worksheets for 1987-1992, including the 1991-92 convertibles, and they clearly state “Convertible – Available Firebird, Available Firebird Trans Am“. There is no mention of the Trans Am GTA, nor of the Firebird Formula. For anyone who disagrees, there are copies of these forms posted in other sections for your inspection and/or verification.
I can relate to the latter dilemma personally; many years ago in the late 1990s, I was offered a chance to buy a supposed “1992 GTA Convertible”. It was a beautiful triple-black 5.0L/5-speed car with 40,000 original miles. The details were so “dead-on” that it was downright scary; I even again contacted both PMD and Jim Mattison at Pontiac Historic Services just to be sure about its authenticity. Needless to say, the owner was quite upset when I informed him of the actual truth; he had bought the car as an authentic GTA. For GTA money.
The kicker is that all 1991 and 1992 T/A convertibles could be optioned with the AQ9 articulating bucket seats and cars withBeige convertible tops came standard with the UPC PW7 16″ gold GTA rims, so all that one would have to do is to go to a computer, log in, and buy three badges… and PRESTO! So be very careful if you see one of these cars; the person trying to sell it to you may or may not be aware of what the “real deal” is, but don’t fall prey to this little game. It can be the timeless old game of “bait-and-switch” at its best.* The “picking” friend I mentioned earlier latched onto a guy at the Trans Am Nationals one year in the early 2000s who showed up in a blue “1992 GTA convertible”; car had the badges to “prove it” according to the owner, plus the car had belonged to a GM executive who had it specially built, and that was that. Interestingly enough, he became very quiet when we pointed out that the “Trans Am” decals were still on the bottom of both doors, and there were no AQ9 seats, and there were no… you get the idea.
There are GTA convertibles in the world, and they are real GTAs. But the 1989 ASC convertibles were the only ones to be considered “factory”, as they had a GM drop-ship code to have the cars sent to ASC for conversion after production. All other GTA convertibles of any model year were converted after production either by selling dealers or by owners. So there ARE real convertible cars out there that are real GTAs; when dealing with the possible purchase of one of these, it is best to again go by the Y84 GTA code for authenticity.
OK, so the SPI label is not in the car… what then? Don’t despair…
If you really want to know if the car is authentic, you can copy down the VIN and contact the GM Media Archive; they will research it for you for a $50 fee and send you an PDF of the invoice. Of course, the car could be sold in the meantime and if it turns out to be a GTA, you’re both out of luck and the $50 that you sent them. So for you thrifty spenders out there, there has to be somewhere to start from, right? Well, the first place you can look is simply to examine the exterior of the car with a careful eye; many people trying to pass off a lesser car as a GTA will make their first slip-ups here. Most times if these cars “look right”, odds are they are. By knowing what is correct and what to look for, you may save yourself some headaches (or even heartaches) later on.
The first thing to check is to make sure all of the exterior badges are present and accounted for. If they are all there, then the most common mistake people will make is to not apply them in their proper place on the body. The emblems are all pictured below:
1) This is the proper location for the front fender GTA emblem; it should be mounted just above the body side molding and centered between the door edge and the front wheel opening. The emblem is placed 0.75 inches above the side molding and 3.25 inches forward to the door/fender gap.
The most commonly seen wrong placement(s) of the fender GTA emblem will be in the position above but placed much closer to the door gap; if you see the emblem out of place, this is most likely the location where you will see installed incorrectly. I am almost ashamed to tell you that when we purchased “Hector Gonzalez”, our previously-owned GTA Notchback, and got it home to Arkansas I don’t think a single emblem was in the right place on that entire car. They were all correctly replaced later on; actually, but it WAS a good example of my point, as the photo shows. Many times the emblems will be higher up on the fender, or too far to the front or back, or even below the molding strip on the front fender like also above. On the production lines, these emblems were installed using jigs for proper continuous placement… so there was a method to the madness, so to speak. The picture above illustrates the proper placement for the cloisonné’ emblem.
2) This is a shot of the proper placement of the nose panel emblem. This cloisonné emblem on 1987-1990 cars has a mounting stud on the back of it secured by a speed nut, so it will usually be in the right place, unless somebody is really sloppy, because there is a positioning hole in the bumper pad underneath the emblem to ensure proper location. I’ve seen people grind the mounting pin off brand new emblems just to save having to go under the car to install an NOS emblem. The emblems on 1991-1992 cars are made of a flexible urethane and are adhesive-backed only; no hole in the nose pad is necessary but the location measurements remain the same. Some people will catch this one as being incorrect even before they notice the fender emblems. The correct appearance and location for all years is shown above.
3) This rear sail panel badge is also one place where a sloppy or an unfamiliar installation will show up; this is the most commonly seen location where the emblems will be out of place. In my experience, this is the location that will stick out first as being incorrect. Usually an erroneous placement will put the emblem somewhere around the center of the sail panel. The shot above shows the correct location for the emblem in relation to the door glass.
Seeing that Pontiac always had a habit of carrying their accent themes to their absolute limits, GTAs were equipped with gold accents EVERYWHERE. Another often overlooked accent touch is the headlamp door identification badge. For the 1987-1990 models, even this small “P-O-N-T-I-A-C” logo was gold instead of the usual silver. More times than any, this will be the place of a slip-up; people most of the time do not go to the trouble of changing out this emblem, and just leave the silver one in place. If it isn’t there, then the car has at least had its headlight surround replaced in the past at best.
Likewise, the Firebird emblem on the rear taillight center panel was also finished in gold on GTA models; an example is shown at right. Other Firebird models used a silver Firebird emblem here that matched the silver nameplate on the headlamp door. Many times these rear emblems will be left alone, as they can be difficult to remove without breaking the entire panel… making for an expensive little jewel to replace! For 1991, Pontiac redesigned both the front and rear lamps, with the LH front headlamp identification changing to a recessed “PONTIAC” name embossed in the top of the headlamp door for all Firebird models; the rear lamp setup was changed for 1992 to incorporate the “PONTIAC” brand identification across the center panel of the rear lamp illumination. So a 1992 without the specific taillamps could signal, for example, a car that possibly has had some rear body damage and might warrant closer scrutiny… or could have had a broken taillight and an original couldn’t be found. Just something to keep in mind; judgement and common sense have to work together at times.
Other exterior giveaways: pictured is the 16″ GTA gold (UPC 52P) UPC PW7 diamond-spoke aluminum rim that everyone loves. These beautiful wheels were standard on the GTAs throughout their product run of five model years. Usually the wheels are not an issue; but I have actually seen GTAs for sale that have the black diamond spoke wheels on them for whatever reason: personal like, overall look, painted over the original gold (SACRILEGE!), whatever. Just know that regardless of the situation, the car did not leave Norwood, OH or Van Nuys, CA that way. Sometimes you may also see differing center caps on certain cars; the photo shows the black/gold “WS6” caps used for 1988-1992 that are always seen in advertisements and pictures. The first-year 1987 GTAs had the “Firebird” center caps… the gold Firebird emblem surrounded by a gold circle. Don’t automatically disqualify a GTA based on the center caps you see. Unless you go to super-picky national shows, either one is all good. Also keep in mind that these wheels now are available thru aftermarket sources now in 17″ sizes and larger, so there is that to consider as well. Not technically correct, but they still look the part… and the larger sizes open up a lot more tire options as well, since very few tire companies make the OEM P245/50VR (or ZR) 16 sizes these days.
Keep in mind that 1987 model GTAs will also have the “first generation” of these PW7 wheels, which do not have the small recessed areas (or “dimples”) at the joint of each diamond spoke where it meets the chrome rim as you can see in the photo above of the early-style 1987 rim. These wheels are more rare to find now, as the ones now available from the aftermarket are the 1988-92 style only. Again, the small things sometimes give clues to potential problems… or maybe just sometime in the car’s life, an owner switched the wheels back to the original wheels but to the later style. You have to weigh the pros and cons, and try to make an educated decision. It’s all about attention to detail.
A word to the wise, though: the gold wheels were not available on regular Trans Am models from 1987-1990 (black, red, white, and silver wheels were available), but were made optional with certain colors on the Trans Am and Trans Am Convertible beginning in 1991. In fact, the display car in the 1992 Pontiac brochure is a white Trans Am with the gold rims on it. Just another fact to consider. On another exterior note (and also a popular discussion topic), Trans Am GTAs also never had the fender air extractor vents found on regular Trans Ams. This comes into play on the 1987-90 models only, as starting in 1991 the fender vents were deleted from all Firebird models.
So any Trans Am for 1991 or 1992 could be made into a quasi-GTA very easily. Now this is not to say that some 1987-90 cars could possibly have the vents due to unforeseen (and/or uneducated) repairs, etc. after construction. In fact, one of 1998’s GTA Spotlight cars had the fender vents due to repairs following an accident, but as a rule this should not be the case. I would be suspect of a fender-vent-equipped GTA without the proper identifying codes, since no GTA ever left the factory with the vents.
Now, moving inside the car, again, there are certain tell-tale pieces of identifying equipment that should be present on an authentic GTA model.
All GTAs from 1987-1992 featured the UPC AQ9 “Ultima” articulating bucket seats as standard equipment, so naturally these seats should be in the car you are looking at. They can be covered either in two types of cloth: Pallex (1987) or Metrix (1988-92), or in Ventura leather (1988-92). If they are not there, find out if the buyer can tell you why they aren’t. If you are still not satisfied, then move on. Early Fourth-Generation Trans Am seats are basically the same seat with a different style headrest and trim panels; they are sometimes swapped into GTAs rather than going to the expense of recovering the original seats; an easier fix and the appearance is a close match to original, but not correct.
So you may encounter GTAs where the seats have been swapped out; keep in mind the originals will be expensive to replace, unless the owner still has them and they go with the car. But if you run onto a GTA with any other style seat…. it’s been changed, and usually not for the better. The only other quality bucket seat Pontiac offered in the Third-Generation F-cars were the UPC AS5 Recaro bucket seats that were standard equipment from 1982-1984 on the Y84 Recaro Trans Am Special Edition, and available on the 1985-86 Trans Am as an individual option. Word is that the Recaros are a much harsher riding seat, so there is that trade-off.
The next “identifier” is the dash pocket affixed to the passenger-side dash. Now this velcro pocket might not always say “GTA” like the one in the photo, but I have never seen a GTA of any model year with a dash pocket that said “Trans Am” on it. That was what threw up the red flag for me in the afore-mentioned 1992 GTA Convertible I was offered; all GTAs should either say “GTA” like the above shot or feature the gold Firebird emblem on the pocket. The earlier cars (1987-88) will have the embroidered “GTA” logo pocket, and the later models (1989-92) will feature the gold Firebird emblem. The photo at left is from our ’88 GTA; during the years the style of pocket changed, but the logo featured on the front RH side did not. These dash pockets are not widely available anymore through normal used parts channels, so this might be a strike in your favor if the car has the incorrect style.
Another interior item to check is the different steering wheels used from 1987-1992. Sometimes you will see cars that have been fitted with an aftermarket steering wheel; keep in mind that in these cases, some audio controls that were standard on 1988-89 GTAs will not function as when new.
1) The 1987 GTA featured a very handsome leather-wrapped steering wheel featuring a nice embossed “GTA” emblem on the horn button; the actual wheel was the same three-spoke leather-wrapped unit available in the Trans Am.
2) The 1988 GTA first saw the addition of the UPC UK3 steering wheel hub-mounted radio controls that were standard on the GTAs equipped with the UT4 cassette radio through 1989. Be sure to look for these controls if the car is purported to be one of these models; if the stereo reads “LOC” on the display, the MUTE button on the control pad will be your new best friend.
3) The 1989 model year also was the first year that GM offered a factory CD player in the Firebird line. Available in all Firebird models, cars equipped with this audio option DID NOT use the UPC UK3 wheel mounted radio controls. A rare sight in GTAs, Pontiac records show that only 394 GTAs were built with this optional audio system. These cars used the standard Trans Am steering wheel as shown above, but wrapped in leather. I’ve only seen one of these cars out in the real world in the twenty-eight (28) years of The Source Page, so they are exceedingly rare… but you never know what YOU might encounter out in the field. Check for the radio’s U1A UPC code if you are not sure of originality.
4) Beginning in 1990, all Firebirds used variations of the same steering wheel, which was equipped with the SRS airbag. GTA models featured the leather-wrapped style of steering wheel, as before, all the way through the 1992 model year.
So, there… a decent start? Some food for thought? Phew! Hopefully, this section will help out those of you who might be considering buying a GTA and want to know a few things to look for in order to keep from being taken advantage of. As always, additions will be made to this section as needed. If YOU find something that is not here and you want to check on it, please reach out to The Source Page and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Good luck and happy GTA hunting!