Due to attrition and limited...
Due to attrition and limited production for the '84 15th Anniversary Edition Trans Am, this is one of the few remaining examples in such good condition.
Las Vegas has a notorious reputation for being a wild and crazy place. In September 2001, Steve Reichow and his wife, Deborah, paid Sin City a visit. While attending the oasis in the Nevada desert, they viewed the Auto Collections Museum inside the Imperial Palace Hotel. Among the assortment of collectable cars rested an '84 15th Anniversary Trans Am that was for sale.
Trans AM
The reason for that special Third Gen's existence is traced back to the '67 model year, when the Firebird made its debut on Pontiac dealerships' lots as an aggressive and sporty addition to the Division's already impressive arsenal. In 1969, there was a new trim level added to the family, the Trans Am. If the Firebird 400 didn't provide you with enough macho look-at-me-styling, the Trans Am (WS4) package certainly wouldn't disappoint. With its functional Ram Air scoops, front fender engine-air extractors, and Cameo white paint with blue stripes, the T/A was certainly a head-turner. Under the hood was even more to get excited about, as power came from a series of Ram Air 400s. The Trans Am was destined to be a legend.
Among the many exterior design...
Among the many exterior design features, the most prominent is the decal package. Large Trans Am lettering and striping dress the car from corner-to-corner and can even be found on the wheel faces. According to Steve, the wheels are very hard to clean, and, oddly enough, tend to discolor to a light orange color when they get hot.
To commemorate the anniversary of this marriage of style and all-out performance, a 10th Anniversary Edition was released in 1979, and a 15th Anniversary Edition was released in 1984. The tradition would continue for 1989, 1994, and 1999, but the subject of this article is the Reagan-era rocket.
Acquisition
Steve actually overlooked the '84 15th Anni-versary Edition Trans Am on his initial visit. A few weeks after they returned home, he and his wife discussed the trip, the museum, and the Trans Am. "I must have been too distracted by the Porsche to notice anything else," he jokes. He soon learned that the Pontiac only had 26,000 miles on it and came with an assortment of records and documents. What's more, production for the Anniversary model was limited to 1,500 units-1,000 automatic and 500 with the manual transmission. Deborah was very convincing, so he inquired about the car to the museum's General Manager, Rob Williams, who invited the Reichows back out to take a look at the Pontiac.
In January 2002, Steve hopped on a plane from Detroit to Vegas. "I liked [the Trans Am] the second I saw it and couldn't believe I didn't see it the first time," he says. The final factor that won him over was the test drive. He knew that he had to have this unique Pontiac after a quick trip down the strip. He purchased the T/A and took delivery of it in early spring 2002 via car carrier.
Staying true to its lineage,...
Staying true to its lineage, the '84 Anniversary Edition paid homage to the classic Trans Am color scheme of white with bright-blue accents.
The following day, Steve decided to take his new toy out of the garage, only to be surprised by an alarming sight-puddles. Some engine oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze, and windshield washer fluid managed to escape the confines of the T/A. Thankfully, this was just a side effect from the Bird's cross-country journey, which resulted in the dipsticks working loose and reservoir caps popping off. The garage, or "man cave" as his wife affectionately calls it, was constructed specifically for storing this collectable Pontiac, so cleanup was a snap.
The Car
What did Steve get for his hard-earned funds? To celebrate the 15th year of Trans Am production, the Anniversary Edition's color scheme reverted to the original white paint with blue accents found on the '69. To set the Anniversary Edition cars apart from their contemporary T/As, they received a new Aero package as standard equipment. It could be ordered optionally on other T/As.