Each of us has our own unique reason for purchasing a Pontiac. For the author, it's the dare-to-be-different design and performance that makes Pontiacs unique. For 60-year-old Dave Clark, it is the way his '84 Trans Am makes him feel.
Once Dave took it out on the Emlenton, Pennsylvania, roads, he felt young again. This was the driving force for purchasing this Bird, which has been cleaning up with car-show victories since the early '90s.
After becoming disabled while working as a tool grinder, Dave was looking for a pick-me up. "For me, my job was who I was, so I needed something else to take pride in." He began looking for a musclecar and ran across an ad in a local newspaper's classified section. It read: "1984 Trans Am, never driven in snow," and listed a phone number. This clean and simple ad caught his attention, so he called and set up an appointment.
Once he arrived, he looked the T/A over with great interest. "I figured it was going to be just another black one, so I was surprised when it turned out to be white," he recalls. "I was immediately overcome by its overall condition." The odometer read a tick under 20,000 miles and the Pontiac was in pristine shape.
It all fell into place once Dave sat behind the wheel and took it for a spin. The T/A drove even better than it looked and impressed him. "I know it's not a '60s or '70s musclecar, but it made me feel good." He especially enjoyed the factory automatic transmission, which would "bark second" without a shift kit.
"I loved the way the white upper paint contrasted with the black lower Aero package." With the sun reflecting off of it, the Trans Am was truly something to behold. There it was-the feeling he was looking for and the right thing to fill the void. The deal was made, and he drove home in the T/A.
Our Feature Car
Inside, this T/A boasts a slew of creature-comfort options. The all-original B20 interior package comes with grey-cloth seating, a map pocket, and a folding split-back rear seat. It's equipped with air conditioning, T-tops, a power antenna for the AM/FM cassette player, cruise control, power windows, power locks, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and an electronic hatch release.
The 305 L69 H.O. made an impressive...
The 305 L69 H.O. made an impressive 190 hp for the '84. Government regulations were cracking down on emissions and demanding more efficient fuel systems. The carburetor setup didn't last much longer on the Third-Gen and was eventually retired.
Underneath, the Pontiac was optioned with the famed WS6 performance package. This was the ultimate for any Firebird and included substantially larger sway bars, 32mm front and 23mm rear, compared to 28 mm and 21 mm, respectively. The package also includes a 12.7:1 steering box and four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes. Out back is a set of 3.73 gears in a limited-slip differential. Covering the brakes is a slick set of 15x7-inch High-Tech Turbo wheels that now wear modern 215/65R15 Michelin rubber. Dave tells HPP that his original wheels were stolen, and these are '84 take-offs that were kept in storage.
Model-year '84 also marked the introduction of the new W62 Aero Package, which added an aggressive front extension, side skirts, and a rear bumper. It's set off by black "fade-away" lower body graphics.
Sitting underneath the hood is a 190-horse, 240-lb-ft of torque, 5.0L H.O. L69 engine, mated to a 700-R4 four-speed automatic. The H.O. powerplant was moderately powerful for the day and propelled the T/A to 60 mph in just under 7.5 seconds. This was during the time of induction system transition as carburetors were falling by the wayside in favor of fuel injection. This model, however, was still fed by an electronically-controlled Q-jet carburetor since optional Tuned-Port Injection was still a model-year away.
 Ram Air was back in the mid...  Ram Air was back in the mid '80s. Note the solenoid-operated system mounted to the hood. |  The hood bulge was stock on...  The hood bulge was stock on all '84 T/As. |  The W62 Aero Package on the...  The W62 Aero Package on the '84 Trans Am sets it apart from the base Firebird and was later incorporated on all Trans Am models. |