![]() ![]() After looking at the sourced hood, Scott and his crew determined that the inner structure wasn't quite like the original. The hood that came with the car was a bit rough, so another used one was sourced. After the new sheetmetal was welded in, the car was placed on a rotisserie and sanded and blocked until straight. The floor pan had to be removed, as did both quarter-panels. ![]() When the body came back from the media blaster, it was very apparent that the years sitting in muddy salvage yards did not help the car. More than 1,000 hours went into the metal work alone, and there were certainly challenges along the way. pieces were ordered, but whenever possible, original parts that could be saved were restored. Once the deal was done, Scott loaded the car and piles of parts into a trailer and headed back to his shop.Īfter making an inventory of the parts, Scott started the restoration process. He contacted Rick to tell him the good news, and Rick then spent the next six months negotiating a price for the car. Everything proved that this was the lost Trans Am convertible. Scott pulled back the heater box to reveal the stampings on the firewall and checked under the cowl as well. The original motor was long gone, but the transmission and rearend were still in place. ![]() Since it had been sitting for years in salvage yards, some of the pieces were missing. It had extensive damage to the front and rear from the 1973 accident, but was very fixable by today's standards. The owner pulled off the cover, and as you could imagine, the car had seen better days. Upon arriving, Scott inspected the car to make sure it was the real deal. There were rumors that the car was in Hawaii, or was shipped out to the West Coast, but no one was sure. During the 2014 show, there was a lot of conversation about the lost last car. Six of the original eight produced were on display at the show, and the seventh one was displayed the following year by Mecum Auctions. In 2014, the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) celebrated the Trans Am's 45th anniversary with a special convertible exhibit. Three of the eight were exported to Canada. Of the batch, five had white tops, while three received blue. The interiors mixed it up a bit, with six cars ordered with blue upholstery, one black, and the other parchment. Of the eight convertibles, four of the cars were ordered with four-speeds and other four automatics. Buyers had a choice of transmissions, either a M20 four-speed manual or Turbo 400 automatic. The motor was rated at 335 hp at 5,000 rpm. engine with Ram Air III cylinder heads and topped by a four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor. All of the Trans Am convertibles were built at the Norwood, Ohio, assembly plant and produced in Cameo Ivory with Tryrol Blue stripes, with a special Ram Air hood and signature decklid spoiler. ![]()
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