Third-gen F-bodies often get typecasted as the ultimate mullet-mobile, but really, that is kind of an undeserved reputation. First off, the real mullet cars were the rubber-bumper second-generations. (Kidding. Kind of.) Second off, the third-gens were aerodynamically slick, with the Pontiac Firebird able to get a drag coefficient of 0.29 at it’s best, which trumps the likes of an Acura NSX, Koenigsegg CCX, and Lexus LF-A with it’s wing stowed. That’s impressive. What wasn’t so impressive was the running gear. Remember, 1980s designs, 1980s engines for the most part. Ignore the Iron Duke…most people try to anyways. The 2.8L V6 isn’t anything to crow about either. The 305 wasn’t bad, but wasn’t that great and the 350 was only good for 240 horsepower. Good for the day, but in general, kind of meh. But when the body is that slick, the horsepower goes a lot further, and the engine architecture is good old small-block Chevrolet…you don’t need a lesson on what that engine can do, do you?

Truth be told, from a BangShift perspective, the third-gens are underrated. They can handle well from the factory and can be quietly upgraded to be better, they are decent performers when viewed from a stock perspective but can be so much better with minimal work, and they look decent to boot. So here is a question: what would stop you from taking one on if you had the means to? Our example today is a 1992 Pontiac Trans Am GTA, a model that had been around since 1987 as the top level of the Firebird line. By a BangShift account, this the one you want: 5.7L V8, solid roof car. Don’t complain about no manual trans, the 350 cars didn’t get one. In addition, this example is packing 14″ Baer brakes, 18×10 wheels that are close enough to the gold basketweave style wheels the GTA would have had new, and new BFG rubber. If you want rarity, there were only 226 GTAs made in 1992, with 33 white cars produced. That’s what happens when the model is only available on an as-ordered basis. We’d be really curious to see how much further those figures break down, since most buyers were waiting on the new-for-1993 models to appear. 

What would it take for this car to be solid? A kick or two under the hood certainly wouldn’t hurt, and we’d be first in line at our nearest reputable interior shop to get the front seats re-skinned. After that? You could daily-drive this thing with no problem…the room inside is impressive for the front passengers. You could have this as your “sunshine” car with no issues whatsoever, too…it’s old enough to start appreciating and is reliable enough to not be a hassle. You could try flipping it if you wanted to, but with a glut of cheap third-gens on the market, we wouldn’t recommend that yet. Or you could go buck-wild…our first thoughts looking at this car is Valerie Pichette’s wicked GTA that she runs at Optima events.

The best part of a third-gen like this GTA, however, is the price point. They are still damn approachable in price, even the better 1991-92 cars that had most of the engineering issues of the earlier cars fixed. With no T-tops and all the bells and whistles, plus the upgraded equipment, this car has been sitting on eBay with a non-reserve bid under six grand for a minute. Seriously? Nobody has taken any interest in a Firebird of this generation? Wow. We see the potential…what about you?

eBay Link: 1992 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA 5.7L