[njsteve]

Congrats! You better buy one of your perfect stripe kits before you sell them all off.
:-)

[Brewster]

Hmm, sounds pretty awesome and glad its in good hands. Look forward in following Adrian's progress and completion.

[Jim Robertson]

What a crazy sequence of events (coincidences) the last 24 hours have been related to this very unique car.

I was speaking with Greg yesterday about his projects here in Abilene and he revealed he had purchased "Adrian." He was telling me the story and mentioned the paint code 24 and that the car was invoiced to Friendly Pontiac GMC in Temple Tx. I remembered a blue 72 TA i had come across while traveling on vacation many years ago. Then my wheels started turning and I thought the name Friendly Pontiac was vaguely familiar. Then i began to recall the car i had found was invoiced to Friendly Pontiac. So I told the story to Greg and he was convinced it was the same car. Thinking no way did I come across a one of one TA so many years ago, I hauled a** home and dug up my copy of the invoice I received from Pontiac Customer Assistance Center...and yes it was the same car.

At this point I threw up a little bit in my mouth... :-)

Who would have thought back in 1986 that the very first 72 Trans Am I was in a position to buy was so unique. I was traveling to Holly Lake in East Texas to do some fishing and as we were passing through the little town of Emory Tx I noticed what looked like a 70-72 TA sitting in a fenced yard at a body shop. We did not stop on the way but on the way back through (on a Sunday) we stopped and I had a closer look through the fence. Most of TA parts I could see (hood, rear spoiler, rear flares, and frt fenders) were there except the shaker. The stripe was on it and so it looked legit so I took the name of the body shop and we proceeded back to Abilene. I contacted body shop soon after and owner was helpful but was trying to buy it himself so he did not immediately give over the owner's name. After a few weeks of bugging him I had the VIN and owner's name. I contacted Pontiac through their Customer Assistance Center 800 number and a Mr. CA Curry sent me a copy of the invoice attached to an undated form letter.

At that point in time the PHS we know of now did not exist and all you received was a copy of car's invoice if they had it...for free I might add. Now that was customer service.

Of course i had no idea about the car's rarity or what the SCO code meant so it went unnoticed really until my conversation with Greg yesterday. Being a blue 72 4 speed with air was my dream machine so i wanted it. Long story but many back and forths with owner (nearly daily I might add) I was on my way to get my first early TA. A friend and i arrive to find no one there so we waited for what seemed like two hours and finally a young man early 20s hot rods up in a nearly new convertible Mustang GT. For the first time I was able to see up close the true condition and parts inventory. His description was lacking on many fronts...At this point the car was about 14 years old and immediately i see rust around both front and rear windows. I thought to myself was this car from the coast or from the rust belt? My heart was sinking a bit from the rust and now the shaker is missing along with air cleaner and carb...Dang!!! Luckily those were laying in the trunk; carb was rusted but probably savable. Then we noticed a dent here and there and the front seats were laying beside the car. Since I was looking for more of a driver I focused on the engine and what may be damaged there. The only thing between the elements and the inside of the intake manifold was a piece of weather deteriorated duct tape. So I thought about why were the spark plugs laying around and questioned how bad was the engine rusted/seized. Yes the numbers matching pieces were there, thankfully at the time I knew to look for those things. So we try to start it and battery is dead...so we jump it and starter would make a noise but not turn engine over. By then i was dying...my dream machine was not looking too good. Bumped, bruised, rusted and locked up...All I could see was dollar signs to repair/fix the many issues. So after much pondering that afternoon I decided it was too far gone for me and I came back home.

That was one that got away...

Now through Greg's and Steve's efforts hopefully I will somehow be reconnected to my long lost dream machine.

Sorry for the long post but I felt compelled to share this on a fine Father's Day afternoon.

Still kinda taste a little throw up in my mouth...

Jim

[Norwood]

Wow Jim It is such a small world, great story. I think you should go have a cold one in order to get that taste out of your mouth. I can't wait to see this car brought back to life by Steve and Greg. This isn't going to be your normal restoration i can see that. Good thing Greg did the stripes....

[keith k]

Very cool, Greg - Congrats! Sounds like things will be working out very well for that car - can't wait to see it done!

[tabob]

I also have a bit of history with this rare piece of Pontiac history.

In the mid to late 90's (probably late 97 or early 98) I went to look at some parts that a guy had for sale just North of Houston, Texas.

When I arrived and we started talking Trans Am, he told me about the "blue 72 Trans Am" in his garage. He opened the garage door and there was a faded and rusted 72 TA with what, to me, was NOT Lucerne blue paint. The guy told me that as far as he knew the car was Lucerne blue that it was just faded. I told him that I had seen faded Lucerne blue and that the color on the car was not Lucerne blue. I asked if he had ordered the PHS docs and he said that he had, but they had not shown up yet. A look at the trim tag confirmed that it was not Lucerne blue but I did not know what that code was At the time I was in contact with Jim Mattison regarding a 50th Anniversary Grand Prix that he was considering buying for the Pontiac Historic collection. I had just looked at the car for him as it was in my area. As soon as I got home I called him and asked about the 72 TA in Houston that he had just run the PHS on. He immediately knew the car I was talking about and told me that was surely the only Adriatic blue 72 TA ever ordered. I remember that we wondered why someone would special order a 72 TA and pick a different blue, instead of an entirely different color. I called the owner and told him that I had confirmed that the car was a special order paint, Adriatic blue car. Needless to say he was excited. I later lost track of the owner and the car and found out several years later that Steve had purchased the car.

That car is a bucket list car for me, so Greg if you ever decide to part with it keep me in mind.

[tabob]

Oh and Greg, another funny thing is that when you first announced on PY that you were thinking of selling your 72 TA that is at Steve's shop due to buying a very special car, I told my son that I was willing to bet that you were buying the Adriatic blue car.

Funny how these rare 72's and I keep crossing paths in strange ways.......

[The Boss]

Congratulations!

Can you post pics of it's current condition and then some progress updates for us?

You know how we like car porn.

[Lloyd-TX]

Wow - congrats, Greg. I had NO idea. What a fine '72 T/A!

[Red Goat]

Sweet deal, Greg! I knew it must really be something special to have let go of Lucy!!!

Cheers,
Tim

[165th]

Wow, those are kind words. Thank you to everyone for the well wishes for this car. Tim, you are right, it did take just the right car but I am so glad Lucy is in good hands. Norwood is also right, this is going to be a very special restoration (Craig, I told you I was holding back a stripe kit for my next project!).

Not only is this car very special in it’s own right, but it seems to have air of history that has touched many Trans Am enthusiasts here on these boards that have wondered about it, known of it, or seen it over the years. The stories shared by Jim and TABob are really awesome. And with the stories told to date, I can say there is still a story or two more to tell about this car (like why there is a hole in the rear spoiler) that I will be sharing over the coming weeks.

Since Steve started this thread in 2006, I suppose its finally time to share some pictures of what she looked like years ago. These pictures will no doubt bring back fond memories (or somewhat sickening memories in sort of a good way ) to Jim who came so close to this car in the late ‘80’s, TABob who saw and knew this car in the late ‘90’s and W72-Bandit who knew it was once sitting in a field outside Houston.

Speaking of field work, when I showed these pictures to my dad, the first thing he said was ‘my gosh, this car has been driven in a hay field.’ It took me a second but he was referring to the scrape marks on the front bumper caused by harvesting hay the Indian way.

The other point that is obvious in these pictures is the lack of wheel trim ring scars in the KR's. Steve had mentioned before that the wheels looked like they never had trim rings on them.

[Norwood]

Is Adrian sporting her original paint?

[CAM400455]

Awesome car! Cant wait to see this beauty!

[carnut4life]

Congratulations 165th! Can't wait to see more pics of this car and follow along as it's restored. If I'm counting right, there were at least four 72 T/A's made with with special paint? My question for all the experts out there, were there any special paint 70 or 71 T/A's made or was this a 72 only thing??? Since Pontiac made four times as many 70/71 T/A's as they did in 72 I'd think a few other non-72's would show up from time to time if they were available all three years. Keep up the good work guys, I love this website

[165th]

Originally Posted by Norwood

Is Adrian sporting her original paint?

I'm not sure. At least not all of the car. Here's my take based on input from some members memories and studying the photographs:

The front bumper really looks like original paint. Mainly because of the black under the blue, no sign of primer or repaint.

The drivers fender has been changed to a '73+ as can be seen in the engine pic. The lower front valance is metal so that would have been changed and painted. The front spoiler holes (at least on the drivers side) have been filled. The radiator support is also from a '73 so she must have taken a blow from the side that preserved the front bumper somehow.

The hood may have been painted. The reason I say is one member here mentioned a story that the car was actually being test driven once with the hood on the roof and.... yes, that's how the hole in the rear spoiler came to be Visualizing that, I wouldn't think the hood would have survived unscathed in the condition in these pics.

On the other hand, if the hood needed rework, then you would think they would have patched the hole in the spoiler at the same time! Also, in my opinion, the stripes on the car were definitely GM product and appear original to the car. The stripes also have the right kind of wear for period correct originals as well. I have an original paint '72 TA hood with the stripes looking very similar to those in these pictures. Pictures taken in '98 show a lot of wear on the stripes, so it's hard to imagine a new set of stripes would have been put on between '72 and '98 and the second set would have worn to the look in these photos that soon. Finally, I have the one of the rear spoiler tips in hand, and I cannot find any sign of repaint on it. The paint is very light, no overspray, primer or sanding marks. The center spoiler shows the typical paint wear to the left of the Trans Am decal consistent with original paint.

Steve may be able to provide more information if this is original paint (with the drivers fender being the exception) based on what he discovered as he stripped the car. The body is currently in second blocked prime.

A couple of other interesting details in these engine compartment photos:
- Even though the radiator support has been changed, it looks like the original upper radiator hose is still in place. I recognize the yellow 489867 LU 'triangle' stamp because I make an exact reproduction of this label

- The alternator is the early open face type. I have always been of the notion that the '72's all got closed face and have never come across a dated alternator face any later than April '71 but there it is on a March '72 built car!

Steve, do you still have the original alternator?

Note: The last pic is my '72 original paint hood for comparing condition, not Adrian's.

[165th]

Originally Posted by carnut4life

Congratulations 165th! Can't wait to see more pics of this car and follow along as it's restored. If I'm counting right, there were at least four 72 T/A's made with with special paint? My question for all the experts out there, were there any special paint 70 or 71 T/A's made or was this a 72 only thing??? Since Pontiac made four times as many 70/71 T/A's as they did in 72 I'd think a few other non-72's would show up from time to time if they were available all three years. Keep up the good work guys, I love this website

Thanks! As noted in earlier posts on this thread there is known to be:
1. Black with - - in the trim tag
2. Silver with - - in the trim tag
3. Red
4. Pearl White with custom white interior for Bill Mitchell (Blue trim changed from black)
5. Adriatic Blue 24 24 with custom white deluxe interior (blue trim changed from black)

Some have wondered why a custom order colored car would be made in a shade of Lucerne blue when there were so many color choices? It's interesting that Mitchell's car was made in a 'shade' of Cameo White, that being pearlized white, and the blue trim in lieu of black.... I know I'm reaching here, but the Adriatic Blue is a more silvery version of the Lucerne Blue, and the car does have the same custom trim appointments in blue as Mitchell's car (sans the blue piping and other details in the Mitchell car). A blue version of the Mitchell car??? That's the kind of thing that makes you go.... Hmmmmm.

That's a great question regarding custom colors in '70 or '71. Does anyone have knowledge of additional custom colored TA's from '70~'72?

['ol Pinion head]

So glad to see you managed to work a deal on this '72, 165th!
Have had an affinity for adriatic blue/blue HO cars for a long time, when news of this one surfaced years ago, was like WHOA, love to own that car! Glad to hear it will get done up right.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
my longtime keepers:
'71 T-37 Coupe HO M22 75/75 (the Engr car)
'71 1/2 GT-37 HO M40 24/24, 231 blue int
'72 T/A M22 11/11, dlx black (painted 24/24)

[blue71ta]

Originally Posted by 165th

I'm not sure. At least not all of the car. Here's my take based on input from some members memories and studying the photographs:

The front bumper really looks like original paint. Mainly because of the black under the blue, no sign of primer or repaint.

The drivers fender has been changed to a '73+ as can be seen in the engine pic. The lower front valance is metal so that would have been changed and painted. The front spoiler holes (at least on the drivers side) have been filled. The radiator support is also from a '73 so she must have taken a blow from the side that preserved the front bumper somehow.

The hood may have been painted. The reason I say is one member here mentioned a story that the car was actually being test driven once with the hood on the roof and.... yes, that's how the hole in the rear spoiler came to be Visualizing that, I wouldn't think the hood would have survived unscathed in the condition in these pics.

On the other hand, if the hood needed rework, then you would think they would have patched the hole in the spoiler at the same time! Also, in my opinion, the stripes on the car were definitely GM product and appear original to the car. The stripes also have the right kind of wear for period correct originals as well. I have an original paint '72 TA hood with the stripes looking very similar to those in these pictures. Pictures taken in '98 show a lot of wear on the stripes, so it's hard to imagine a new set of stripes would have been put on between '72 and '98 and the second set would have worn to the look in these photos that soon. Finally, I have the one of the rear spoiler tips in hand, and I cannot find any sign of repaint on it. The paint is very light, no overspray, primer or sanding marks. The center spoiler shows the typical paint wear to the left of the Trans Am decal consistent with original paint.

Steve may be able to provide more information if this is original paint (with the drivers fender being the exception) based on what he discovered as he stripped the car. The body is currently in second blocked prime.

A couple of other interesting details in these engine compartment photos:
- Even though the radiator support has been changed, it looks like the original upper radiator hose is still in place. I recognize the yellow 489867 LU 'triangle' stamp because I make an exact reproduction of this label

- The alternator is the early open face type. I have always been of the notion that the '72's all got closed face and have never come across a dated alternator face any later than April '71 but there it is on a March '72 built car!

Steve, do you still have the original alternator?

Note: The last pic is my '72 original paint hood for comparing condition, not Adrian's.

interesting, in your 3rd pic, it looks like there's an NOS battery tray in place

[tabob]

That garage is where I saw the car in the late 90's.

Greg, I would think that this car had to be ordered by a Pontiac executive of some sort in order to get the special order interior. The fact that the car was shipped to a delaer in Temple, Texas makes me wonder if a zone manager ordered it.

Is there any sales paperwork that lists the name of the original owner or any susequent owners prior to the guy in Houston (Spring) that Steve bought it from?

I have had a bit of success (partially due to access to some tools because of my job) for tracking down previous owners of cars.

I was able to find and talk to 4 previous owners of my 72 Trans Am in one week, the first guy having owned the car in the 80's (man was he shocked to get my phone call).

[sd455hota]

I better chime in here with my part of the story and explain why Greg ended up with the car and why I would let go of a one-off 72 TA. I've received PMs and calls from a few folks, basically saying "I asked to know if you would ever sell the car". Well I didn't really want to sell it primarily because I wanted to do the car myself. I never had anyone say they would buy the car but let me restore it. I'll never say I restore perfect cars or even that they're better than anyone else does. I was just very concerned that if sold, a car that rare, may not receive the quality resto that it deserves. Suddenly here's Greg saying he wants the car AND I still get to do it the work at a level I want. The kicker though was that Greg sent pictures of a 69 427 4 spd Corvette that he's owned. What Greg had, while not the actual car, was a carbon copy of the first Corvette I ever owned in 74. The wheels were really turning then. Long story short, cars were juggled, some $ changed hands, Greg got his dream car and I now have a huge memory from my youth in the garage.

That being said, I do need to clarify that I'm not turning into a Vette guy. While I do have a couple and do enjoy and respect them, one can still tell from my own collection that I'm very much partial to Judges and TAs. And though my shop is extremely competent with C1, 2 and 3 Corvettes, there are still a few Pontiacs around. As of today we have a 69 TA and twelve 2nd gen Firebirds including an RA4, 2 HO TAs, 5 SDs, a TATA and even a Macho TA.

As for paint on the Adriatic car. The pictures Greg has are before some folks in the Houston area started "working" on it. I think at that time there was a lot of original paint left. The paint was pretty much gone when I got it and it was in hardware store prime. Fortunately they realized they were in over their head before they did too much. They were really heading in a bad direction. The front nose, mirrors and rear spoiler parts are still in original paint which is good enough that we can find a good area, polish a spot and color match for the exact shade of Adriatic blue. The rear spoiler still had the stripe in place too. And there are a couple small pieces of plastic valance still attached to the nose. Quite a few of the original blue and white interior parts came with it as well.