1978 MachoTrans - Am Car 54 - How Are You?

We've spoken quite a bit about "theme" cars in this issue, and this '78 Macho T/A actually covers two. It certainly helps to define the "tuner" category, given its performance equipment, appearance, and rarity, yet it's also an unrestored original, according to its owner.

Maintaining an unrestored original Pontiac comes with its own set of responsibilities that differ from those of other theme cars. The owner is the caretaker of a piece of Pontiac history. He has to be patient when show goers ask, "When are you going to restore this car so it looks like new?" He has to resist the desire to tear down the vehicle to restore everything and instead only make repairs and replace parts as they break. Finally, he has to be willing to constantly push back the ravages of time and resist the overwhelming temptation to drive the Pontiac too much.

Jim and Claudia Martinson have faced all of these issues, as they own this '78 Macho T/A. They are Pontiac collectors through and through, holding title to many high-performance models over the years, including their current crop: a '97 Comp T/A, No. 119; a '96 Comp T/A, No. 091; a '95 Comp T/A, No. 006; a '78 T/A; a '78 formula with w50; and a '70 formula r/A-iii. But the No. 54 car is the first unrestored original they've had the pleasure of preserving.

When Jim began the search for his Macho T/A, he wanted a clean one, but he never thought he would find an all-original one. "Back in the mid-80s, when I was walking to school, I used to pass by a black and red Macho T/A," he says. "It had dents here and there, and I can remember looking at it every morning, thinking, What's so macho about it? Sure, it was the coolest thing to look at, but I had yet to find out how rare they were and how well they performed. When I did, I really wanted it. It wasn't until 2004 that I actually started looking for the Macho T/A that I wanted back in high school. I wasn't looking to relive my youth; it was more for the, `Yeah, it's cool' factor."

First, Jim located and bought the '78 Macho T/A No. 124. Since it was a project that required a total restoration, he continued to search for a Macho driver. Like so many other rare Pontiacs nowadays, No. 54 was found on the Internet. This one was in Pocatello, Idaho. After some negotiations with the owner, Jim bought and transported the Bird back to his Gillette, Wyoming, home.

What did Jim and Claudia get for their hard-earned cash? One 77,000 '78 Macho T/A that appeared to be all-original except for some interior work. From the factory it features the 220-horse W72 400 engine (274/298 degree duration cam with 0.374/0.406 lift); a BorgWarner Super T-10 four-speed trans; a 3.42 Safe-T-Track rear; and the WS6 Trans Am Special Performance Package with 15x8 Snowflake wheels; a larger 0.750-inch rear sway bar (the front bar was the standard T/A 1.25-inch); a 14:1 constant-ratio steering box; and specific springs, shocks, and bushings.

Comfort and convenience options include A/C, custom color-keyed belts, Soft Ray glass all around, door edge guards, Lamp Group, right-hand visor vanity mirror, power windows, Radio Accommodation Package, tilt steering wheel, and velour Custom Trim Group.

Back in February 1978, the stylish Cameo White T/A was delivered to Mecham Pontiac in Glendale, Arizona. Sons of Evan the owner, Dennis and Kyle Mecham, operated DKM Inc. from the dealership. Beginning in 1976, the company built tuner Trans Ams to feed the nation's need for speed in the emissions-controls-laden '70s. According to Dennis, from a previous HPP interview, "My idea was to produce a Trans Am that was well rounded, with increased performance in all areas to appeal to the purest, yet not so far as to ruin idle and ride qualities. It also had to be instantly recognizable as something more special than a `tuned' stocker, and it had to have the mystique of a limited production vehicle." To those ends, the Mecham brothers took an already outstanding performer for its day, to the next level.