It was a big deal back then too. Always made the local news plus there was usually a full color picture on the front page of the Denver Post or Colorado Springs Gazette. The class before me had a huge spread on it as their cars were lined up in the staging area to look like a giant jet fighter. Way cool. The vast majority of the cars were Trans Ams and were bought through Colvin Pontiac in Denver who was the lead on this deal and arranged the factory pickup. They had a young rep from Colvin come out to the Academy all decked out in Pontiac Gear with a Pontiac Racing type jacket on and he got us all pumped up about the 400/4 speed versions. Sometime during the order period, we found out that was no longer possible so we split between the 301/4 speeds and the 403 Olds with the automatic. I think we got them for like $50 over cost which was unheard of back then before the internet. I'm guessing Colvin got between 75-100 of the orders and the rest were done by local Pontiac dealers across the country as many guys got them through their hometown dealers, but we all picked them up at the factory at the same time. It was like a big party and Pontiac was all over it. I think the year we did it (May, 1979) was the biggest selling year for the Trans Am. I remember we ran into a pack of my classmates driving new Z/28's on the way home on either I70 or I80 and we had a hell of a time. The Academy would inform all the highway patrols in the different states that we were coming to deter us from racing on the highway, but we did not care. Young guys with fast new cars. Yeah, we lit them up for sure.
__________________
Jim
|