The Inside Track - West Michigan Pontiac Club

June 2011
The Inside Track
Scott van Tamelen, WMFC President
Is it the start of another month already?? Wow!! With the lack of good weather we’ve had it doesn’t
feel like June already, but it is and with that comes many car events. Make sure you check the
“calendar of events” section to get the latest scoop on what WMFC has planned for June. And make
note of our last event for the month of May, the Hamilton Memorial Day Parade, sounds like we’ll have
beautiful weather for it.
Included in this month’s Firebird History section is a write-up by Jeff Goers about the infamous
“Bandit” cars. I know for some of us it was the tire squealing, bridge jumping, girl getting Trans Am
from the movie Smokey & the Bandit that made us fall in love with Pontiac’s sports car in the first
place. So why not learn how to tell a so called “Bandit” car apart from the rest of the black & gold TA’s
out there.
I’ve also included some photos from our trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend. We
were fortunate enough to have our ’89 Indy Pace Car Trans Am be selected to participate in the 100 th
Anniversary Pace Car Reunion. It was a great time, the weather was near perfect, and man the roar of
an Indy car as it passes by at 240 mph is like nothing else. I also realized that the ’89 TTA is now the
last Pontiac to ever pace an Indy 500………not that means anything really, it’s just one of those little
historical facts I’m fascinated by.
While we were down in Indy Larry reports he and a couple of guys were up at Mid-Michigan Dragway
and had a blast. The weather was hot and humid, but his mph was still good, ET's terrible. He ran 3
12.52's@110.xx n/a, best N20 was 11.86@121. Sixties were all 1.63 to 1.73. From the looks of the
pictures fun was had by all…………Makes me think we need to get a WMFC track day on the calendar.
Newsletter 1
100th Anniversary Indy Pace Car Reunion
Newsletter 2
Newsletter 3
Larry’s Mid-Michigan Pictures
Newsletter 4
A "Brief" History of the "Bandit" Cars
A Brief History of the “Bandit” Cars
(Or Pontiac’s Black and Gold Special Editions)
- written by Jeff Goers
When referring to black and gold Trans Am, inevitably the term “Bandit” will arise referencing the
1977 movie that started the phenomenon. However, in truth, Pontiac never made a “Bandit” edition
Trans Am. They did make a black and gold Special Edition used by the movie, but never was it dubbed
anything other than a Special Edition by Pontiac. The movie was just so wildly successful at the time,
that the public came to associate any black and gold TA as a “Bandit” edition.
The “Bandit” SE’s evolved from a 1973 Trans Am show car built by Bill Mitchell as a styling exercise,
which he used as his personal driver and show usage. This was the first car to use the black on gold
theme, with gold headlamp bezels, grilles, and wheels. The car was driven regularly by Mitchell and
his design buddies, and was frequently seen cruising (or racing) on Woodward Avenue.
With the redesign of the 1974 Trans Am to comply with new federal crash standards, Mitchell’s ’73
had to be updated with ’74 front and rear fascias, and debuted at the 1974 Chicago Auto Show. There
was enough positive feedback to update the car again for the 1975 circuit, and this in turn spun off the
first black and gold Special Edition.
1976 50th Anniversary
In 1976, to commemorate Pontiac’s 50th anniversary, RPO Y82 got you a black and gold SE, complete
with Mitchell’s gold headlamp bezels, grilles and wheels. Also included was a gold tinted dash, gold
tinted steering wheel spokes, a gold shifter plate (automatics only), and English gothic lettering for the
Trans Am decals. Options could include a 455 engine (last year offered) and the first ever Hurst T-tops
in a production vehicle. The T-tops were only offered for a portion of the build year as they were
shown to easily leak and warranty issues were a concern.
1976 SE Production Numbers:
400 engine, no T-tops: 1628
455 engine, no T-tops: 319
400 engine, with T-tops: 533
455 engine, with T-tops: 110
Total 1976 SE Production: 2590
Newsletter 5
1977 “Bandit” Special Edition
’77 Trans Am SE’s, the first year with the “beaked” front end, came with two designations. RPO Y81
specified a hard top, while RPO Y82 came with the Hurst T-tops. All SE’s again came with the gold
wheels, headlamp bezels, dash, steering wheel spokes, shifter plate, and gothic lettering. Again, the
Hurst tops were showing leakage and warranty issues, and were offered sporadically throughout the
model year. This was the first year the Olds 403 (L80) was offered as a motor, along with the base
Pontiac 400 (L78 and the upgraded T/A 6.6 400 (W72). Only the W72 motor could be ordered with a
manual transmission. To a keen eyed spotter, you could tell what motor was there by the shaker hood.
If it said “6.6L”, you had either the entry level Pontiac 400 or the Olds 403. If it said “T/A 6.6”, you had
the W72.
1977 “Bandit” SE Production Numbers:
Y81, 400 (L78): 748
Y81, 403 (L80): 180
Y81, 400 (W72) automatic: 549
Y81, 400 (W72) manual: 384
Total SE Hard Tops: 1861
Y82, 400 (L78): 6030
Y82, 403 (L80): 1217
Y82, 400 (W72) automatic: 3760
Y82, 400 (W72) manual: 2699
Total SE T-tops: 13,706
Total 1977 “Bandit” SE Production: 15,576
1978 “Bandit” Special Edition
In ’78, nearly everything was carryover for the SE’s from 1977. The one notable exception was that all
SE’s came with T-tops, and this would be the last year the Hurst T-tops were available. Fisher T-tops
replaced the troublesome Hurst early in the model year. The easy way to tell the difference between
the two is that the Fishers are much larger and only have about 4 inches of roof span between them,
while the smaller Hurst have about 8 inches. Additionally, in a fit of marketing frenzy, GM introduced
another Special Edition in ’78 by flip-flopping the “Bandit” paint scheme to create the Gold Special
Editions with black trim. Interestingly, GM had to use two different types of Solar Gold paint between
the Norwood, Ohio (RPO Y82) and Van Nuys, California (RPO Y84) plants due to stricter California EPA
requirements, giving the Van Nuys Gold SE cars a greenish tint. While all three motors returned from
’77, it seems that neither plant tracked which 400 motor went into the cars, leaving us with only a bulk
number of total 400s to speculate over. Only Van Nuys used the 403 motor.
1978 “Bandit” SE Production Numbers:
Y82 (Norwood), 400 motor, automatic: 2856
Y82 (Norwood), 400 motor, manual: 489
Y84 (Van Nuys), 400 motor, automatic: 68
Y84 (Van Nuys), 400 motor, manual: 20
Y84 (Van Nuys), 403 (L80): 210
Total 1978 “Bandit” SE Production: 3643
Newsletter 6
1979 “Bandit” Special Edition
The ’79 Trans Am sported another styling upgrade to the fascias, doing away with the “beaked” front
fascia and going to the separated, quad headlamps. There were also some drivetrain changes for T/As,
adding the Pontiac 301 and the California issued Chevy 305 (L37), and removing the base Pontiac 400
(L78). The 301 did not make it into a “Bandit”, and the 305 was available with a manual transmission.
Other than that, all gold trim items were carryover in application, and all “Bandit” SE’s came with the
RPO Y84.
1979 “Bandit” SE Production Numbers:
305 (L79), automatic: 573
305 (L79), manual: 213
403 (L80), automatic: 9874
400 (W72), automatic: 1107
400 (W72), manual: 1107
Total 1979 “Bandit” SE Production: 12,774
1980 “Bandit” Special Edition
While the Trans Am looked very much the same for 1980, there were major changes under the hood.
Gone were the 400 and 403 motors, to be replaced by the Pontiac 301 (W72) and 301 Turbo (LU8).
The new 305 (LG4) remained as the “performance” motor for California. Also new to the SE’s were the
introduction of the turbo styled wheels, done in gold, derived from the ’79 10th Anniversary Edition
T/A. The external and interior appearance was virtually unchanged from ’79, with the notable
exception that the Fisher T-tops became optional again. All SE’s still carry RPO Y84.
1980 “Bandit” SE Production Numbers:
301 (W72), no T-tops: 72
305 (LG4), no T-tops: 103
301 Turbo (LU8), no T-tops: 12
Total SE Hardtops: 187
301 (W72), w/ T-tops: 2084
305 (LG4), w/ T-tops: 463
301 Turbo (LU8), w/ T-tops: 3444
Total SE T-tops: 5991
Total 1980 “Bandit” SE Production: 6176
Newsletter 7
1981 “Bandit” Special Edition
For 1981, there were very few changes for the SE’s. All cars now received an in hood turbo boost
gauge labeled Low, Medium and High, and all cars received GM’s Computer Command Control, the first
computers put in a GM vehicle. The only real change for the T/As was a price increase of $842 over
1980, creating a new price for a base Trans Am to $8322. The Y84 SE coupe added another $779, and
the Y84 T-top edition pushed another $1516. This created base prices for the SE coupe at $9101, and
$9838 for a T-top version. After a few options, it was not unusual for nicely equipped SE’s to be well
north of $10,000, or well into Corvette pricing.
1981 “Bandit” SE Production Numbers:
301 (W72), no T-tops: 41
305 (LG4), no T-tops: 15
301 Turbo (LU8), no T-tops: 65
Total SE Hardtops: 121
301 (W72), w/ T-tops: 1160
305 (LG4), w/ T-tops: 932
301 Turbo (LU8), w/ T-tops: 3050
Total SE T-tops: 5142
Total 1980 “Bandit” SE Production: 5263
Post-1981 Special Editions
1981 represented the last year that Pontiac had a dedicated black and gold “Bandit” Special Edition
package. There were black and gold cars to be had, but Pontiac had begun to more emphasis on the
Recaro seats that were going into the Trans Am and less on the famous color scheme. You could buy a
black and gold T/A, but it would only be technically classified as a Special Edition if you checked off
the Recaro interior option. Pontiac would continue to offer these Recaro SE’s through 1985.
Newsletter 8
How to Spot a “Bandit” SE
All the black and gold SE’s produced from 1976 through 1981 shared some noticeable similarities.
These can be used as quick visual references to, at a glance, can help us know if it’s a “Bandit” or not:
- Starlight black exterior with gold accent stripes
- Gold wheels
- Gold colored headlamp bezels and grilles
- Gold tinted instrument panel
- Gold steering wheel spokes
- Gold tinted shifter bezel (for automatics)
But the real indicator is the data plate under the hood on the driver’s side firewall. If this plate has the
RPO code for that year (Y81, Y82, Y84), then the car is likely a “Bandit” Special edition (sadly, they are
starting to re-pop these plates by unscrupulous people). It should be noted though, that some SE cars
(specifically 1977-78 may not have received the designation on the data plate due to plant error. The
safest way to verify a car is through Pontiac Historical Services.
Newsletter 9
The REAL Bandit Special Editions
When it was stated above that there are no factory “Bandit” Special Editions that was true. However,
in 1981 that was remedied by Trans Am Specialties in Cherry Hill, NJ, who created approximately 200
Bandit Trans Ams under license of Universal Studios to use the name. Modifications were extensive,
and included the following:
- 455 motor bored 0.30 over for a final displacement of 462 cubic inches
- 9.0 to 1 compression
- 380 hp at 4800 rpms, 430 lb. ft. of torque at 2800
rpms (estimated)
- Doug Nash 5-speed manual transmission
- 3.08 rear gear
- 3900 lb curb weight (estimated)
- 21 gallon fuel tank
- 11.0 vented front disc brakes
- 11.1 vented rear discs
- Pontiac’s WS6 handling option
- 255/60R15 Goodyear tires
- Recaro seats
- Blauplunkt four speaker stereo
- Escort radar detector
- Motion sensitive theft alarm
- CB radio (of course)
Zero to sixty times were measured in 6.0 seconds, and it ran a traction-challenged 14.3 quarter mile at
97 miles an hour (with a 3.08 rear gear).
What did it cost? A cool $30,000 in 1981, with most of that money going back to Universal Studios for
licensing the Bandit name. Yeah, that was close to Ferrari money in 1981.
In closing, a total of some 47,000 “Bandit” Special Editions were built over the period of seven years,
or an average of a scant 6700 (give or take) a year. Given the reputation of these vehicles, it’s safe to
say that only a percentage of that number survived to this day. How many? Who knows. But a safe
guess would say half that figure (or less). Even a smaller percentage in decent condition. Definitely a
rare breed.
Newsletter 10
WMFC June Meeting
Saturday June 4th, we’ll be holding the June club meeting at the
MiFbody Meet & Greet. It’ll be a brief informal discussion after
we’ve all had a chance to check out the other cars at the show.
When: Saturday June 4th
Location: Baker’s Restaurant Milford, Mi
MiFbody Meet & Greet Show
Hamilton Memorial Day
Parade
On Saturday June 4th MiFbody.com
will be holding their 6th Annual M & G
car show at Baker’s Restaurant in
Milford, Mi.
On Monday May 30th club members
will be participating in the annual
parade thru downtown Hamilton, Mi.
The show runs from 8am to 3pm and
includes door prizes, and trophies.
We’ll be meeting at the Rock Island
Restaurant 1816 M-40, Holland, Mi
49423 @ 8:15 am.
WMFC members will be meeting at
the car pool carpool parking lot at the
8th Ave exit on M- 6 (Exit One) at
7:45am. From there we’ll travel over
to Ionia where we’ll meet up with
members from WMCC and cruise
together as a larger group to Milford,
Mi.
From there we’ll travel as a group to
the Hamilton High School so that we
can be staged in the parade line-up.
Remember to bring a bag of candy as
the kids along the route have grown
to expect it.
Newsletter 11
Upcoming Events
WMFC Monthly Meetings:
June- Time TBD yet, but we are combining this meeting with the MiFbody show.
WMFC Official Events:
Monday May 30th Hamilton Memorial Day Parade Hamilton, Mi
Saturday June 4, 2011 MiFbody Meet & Greet- Bakers of Milford, Milford Mi
Monday July 4th, 2011 Grandville Fourth of July Parade and WMFC party Grandville, Mi
Saturday July 23rd, 2011 WMFC “Cruise to Woodward”- Time is still TBD
August 26-28, 2011- 2011 Trans Am Nationals, Dayton Marriott Hotel, Dayton, Ohio
October 2011 WMFC Color Tour cruise- time, destination
Other Automotive Events:
May 28th, 2011 Lane Automotive Car Show Coloma, Mi
June 3-4, 2011 Soaring Eagle Car Show, Mt. Pleasant, Mi www.soaringeaglecasino.com/carshow.htm
June 4, 2011 5th Annual Ionia Classic Car & Truck Show – Ionia, Mi
June 4-11, 2011- Hot Rod Power Tour – Florida to Detroit
June 10-11, 2011 8th Annual Central Lake Cruise & Car Show Central Lake, Mi www.joelshooks.com
June 11, 2011- 8th Annual Moose Classic Car Show, Sparta, Mi
June 11, 2011 31st Annual Vicksburg Old Car Festival - Main St. Vicksburg, Mi
June 11, 2011 6th Annual All Chevy Show, Kool Chevrolet, 3770 Plainfield Ave Grand Rapids, Mi
June 12, 2011 Leila Carboretum Car Show – Leila Arboretum and Gardens – Battle Creek, Mi
June 18, 2011 2011 Holland Car Show - Outlet Mall East Parking Lot 12330 James St. Holland, Mi
June 18, 2011 11th Annual Classic Car Show - Downtown Nashville, Mi on M-66
June 25, 2011 8th Annual Covered Bridge Downtown Car Show – Centerville, Mi
June 25, 2011 11th Annual Comstock Daze - 8415 East H Ave. Kalamazoo Mi Noon-???
June 26, 2011 1st Annual LLWC Summer Classic Car Show - Corner of Hoffman & US131 Three Rivers,
Mi 12-4pm
July 9, 2011 19th Annual Benefit Cruise and Car Show - Taco Bell 5560 Beckley Rd., Battle Creek, Mi
July 9, 2011 Adam Shafer Memorial Car Show Lawton Mi www.adamscarshow.com
July 16, 2011 Todd Wenzel Classics & Camaro Show Hudsonville, Mi
July 16, 2011 Wayland Car Show, Wayland City Park, Wayland, Mi
July 22, 2011 National Baby Food Festival Cruise-in, 5pm – 7pm, Freemont, Mi
July 24, 2011 Great Lakes-Great Chevys ALL Chevy Show, Gilmore Classic Car Museum, Hickory
Corners, Mi
Aug 6, 2011 Red Barns Spectacular Car Show, Gilmore Classic Car Museum, Hickory Corners, Mi
Aug 7, 2011- 5th Annual Apple Peel-In Car Show, Greenville, Mi
Aug 13, 2011- 21st Annual Del Shannon Memorial Car Show, downtown Coopersville, Mi
Newsletter 12
Other Automotive Events continued:
Aug 13, 2011 11th Annual Make-a-Wish Car, Truck & Bike Show, American Legion Post 298, Battle
Creek, Mi
Aug 14, 2011 11th Annual Deanos Car Show, Allegan, Mi
Aug 20, 2011 Augusta Village Car Show, Augusta, Mi
Aug 20, 2011- Woodward Dream Cruise – Metro-Detroit area
Aug 26, 27, 2011- 7th Annual 28th Street Metro Cruise, thru Grandville, Wyoming, Grand Rapids,
Kentwood, Mi
Sept 5, 2011- 7th Labor Day Cars for Cancer Car Show, along the Lake Michigan beach, Muskegon, Mi
Sept 9, 2011 Trendway Benefit Cruise-In 13467 Quincy St. Holland, Mi 6-9pm
Sept 11, 2011 17th Annual Muscle Cars Plus Car Show, Gilmore Classic Car Museum, Hickory Corners,
Mi
Sept 17, 2011 Freeport Fun Day Car Show, Freeport, Mi
Sept 17, 2011- Holland Rescue Mission Benefit Car Show, Holland, Mi
Newsletter 13
The Western Michigan Firebird Club is dedicated
to the preservation and enjoyment of the classic
Pontiac Firebird through a passionate interest in
keeping the Dream Alive.
Meetings:
The WMFC holds monthly meetings throughout the year. The times and locations may
vary, so please see the upcoming events page or check out our website for specific times
and locations. http://www.wmfirebird.com/Recent___Upcoming_Events.html
WMFC Officers:
President: Scott vanTamelen president@wmfirebird.com
Vice President: Kyle Denboer vicepresident@wmfirebird.com
Treasure: Mike Keen
treasurer@wmfirebird.com
Membership: Dave Kuyers membership@wmfirebird.com
Newsletter Editor: Cat Browne newsletter@wmfirebird.com
Webmaster: Derek Dyke webmaster@wmfirebird.com
Check out our latest events and activities on our website www.wmfirebird.com.
Newsletter 14
WMFC Sponsors
Please join us in thanking our generous sponsors by using their services
whenever possible. Sponsorship with the WMFC has many great
benefits.
Newsletter 15
WMFC “For Sale” Section
I have a 1979 Trans Am for sale.
It's a real Y84 Trans Am and what makes it really interesting is that
it's an extremely rare T-top delete car that was special ordered. It was
restored by Transformation Restorations in Pennsylvania and the
ground up restoration is fully documented. The car has never had any
rust or been damaged in any way and all of the sheet metal is original.
I have all the original brochures, the owner’s manual, the build sheet,
window sticker, and it's registered through the Pontiac Historical
Society. I'd like to sell it to a Pontiac Enthusiast so I know it will be
appreciated. I'm asking $28,900 which is below the appraised value so
whoever buys it would be getting a great deal…….972-375-3229
Thanks,
Mike
Newsletter 16
WMFC “For Sale” Section
Anybody looking for a set of rear window louvers for a 1982 thru
1992 Firebird feel free to contact Andy @ (616) 455-5416 to discuss
their value.
THE BIRD FEED 17