This photo dates back to about...
This photo dates back to about 2001, just before Larry sold the Trans Am to fellow hobbyist Ron Melvin. It had been returned to its original condition several years before.
We've all heard stories about uniquely-built Pontiacs that are far outside the norm of regular production. Some are equipped with a bizarre combination of options, while others sport a non-production exterior finish. Oftentimes only its original owner can explain the reason for each example's existence, and though such stories can seem exaggerated, they may indeed be true.
As these Pontiacs changed hands over the years, many of the individual stories were lost, and a large number of them remain a complete mystery to hobbyists and researchers. Sometimes clues can be deduced through scraps of original documentation or material supplied by PHS Automotive Services, and that often conjures up many questions to be filled in with speculation or imagination, but nothing can replace an original owner's tale.
So what would you think if we told you of a Pontiac that was delivered in primer?
This photo was taken immediately...
This photo was taken immediately after Larry Leist took delivery of his '73 Super-Duty Trans Am, and proves without a doubt, that this particular Firebird was delivered in primer. The pieces shown in Buccaneer Red were actually sourced in color, and it was this fact that limited color availability on the entire Firebird model line. The white-lined radial tires were an extra-cost option.
And how farfetched would it seem if we said that it's one of the 252 '73 Super-Duty 455 Trans Ams? You'd probably tell us to go jump off the bridge we'd try to sell you next. Well, this Pontiac actually exists, and there's a plethora of information to document its authenticity. Follow along as Larry Leist shares what it took to have this no-color '73 Super-Duty Trans Am produced.
The Early Years
Leist Oil Company was primarily a full-service gas station located in Rockwell City, Iowa. Owned by Larry's father, Tom, it also sold new vehicles to area residents. "I know Dad sold new Plymouths in the '30s, but we didn't get into Pontiacs until the late '50s," recalls Larry. Until then, the local International Tractor dealership sold Pontiacs, and when it closed in 1957, a Pontiac representative asked Tom to be a dealer. Tom agreed, and Leist Oil Company soon began selling new Pontiacs to the area for the '58 model year.
Tom and Larry were both performance enthusiasts. "Dad liked speed but he also liked four-door cars, so he'd order a four-door sedan with Tri-Power for his personal car," Larry says. "I'd order similar cars for stock, and they always seemed to sell well. The farmers really liked them. My first new Pontiac was a black '60 Ventura with a 389 Tri-Power, and I was hooked on performance from that point forward."
As Larry matured, he routinely ordered his Pontiacs a certain way to accommodate his large stature and maximize interior comfort. "I preferred automatics for racing consistency, and I liked column-mounted shifters because floor-mounted units typically required a center console, and that took up room between the front seats. I always ordered my personal Pontiacs with a column-shifted automatic if it was available."
Into The '70s
Until the '73 model year, Leist Oil Company hadn't delivered a new Second-Gen Trans Am, but Larry planned to change that. "I read about Pontiac's new Super-Duty 455 engine in various magazines and in literature supplied by the Division, and knew I had to have it," Larry says. "I placed an order for a Super-Duty Trans Am as soon as I could, and found that black wasn't an available color. I always liked really odd combinations so I chose Brewster Green with Burgundy Custom interior instead."
The Omaha Zone office sent Larry's order back as soon as it was received with a note stating the Super-Duty engine wasn't yet available. "I submitted the order about 10 more times and Pontiac rejected each of them. It was getting toward the middle of the model year, and I really wanted the car. Growing impatient, I called Pontiac to try and find someone to help push the order along," he says.
Larry knew that he'd have to devise a good story, so he came up with the idea that a loyal customer wanted a Trans Am in a non-production color. He then called Pontiac and asked to talk to the person in charge of Car Distribution. The receptionist got him in contact with Jim Wilson, who was the Division's Director of Car Distribution. His executive clout was certainly enough to get any car assembled in any way-and Larry knew it.