Chassis No. 1G5FW2175KL242971

On 20 October 1988, the Orlando Sentinel reported, “In the past most pace-car builders, Pontiac included, have modified the specific cars that actually led the charge at the Brickyard. Not so this time, says Pontiac: It will pick three cars from the pool of 1,500, add the required safety lights and hit the track at 40 mph for one lap, then 80 and, finally, 130.” The 1989 20th Anniversary Trans Am was the first entirely stock car ever to pace the Indy 500, doing so on pump gas. To back that up, Motor Trend saw 162 mph at the Arizona Test Center in their “Flat-out Fastest American Cars II – the Sequel” story in the June 1989 issue, the high point of American performance from the Eighties.

Prototype Automotive Services (PAS), a Detroit specialty firm, developed a package that allowed the turbocharged Buick V6 from its Grand National model to be assembled into the third-generation Firebird with no chassis modifications. PAS sent Buick V6 powertrains they modified to GM's Van Nuys, California, assembly plant for installation in specially optioned Trans Ams. Then at a nearby PAS facility the special seats, safety stickers, and final assembly were completed, all with the kind of care and attention no mass-produced vehicle could get. “We went through a checklist, went under-hood and under-body, we checked every bolt,” said Scott Kelly, Engineering Liaison to GM.

All 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Ams were elegantly dressed in White with a Camel cloth or optional leather interior, with T-Tops the only other option. The classiness extended to the genuine cloisonné “20th Anniversary” emblems and winged Indianapolis 500 badges. Featuring the Value Option Package with leather upholstery and T-Tops, this 1989 Pontiac 20th Anniversary Trans Am shows 12,290 miles, marking that sweet spot between extreme preservation and occasional enjoyment. It should also be noted that body damage was sustained and professionally repaired under current ownership.