I was hauling the trailer a lot of miles in the 80s and 90s. We did a lot of shows that were on the same weeks, year after year. Besides these, we had the so-called floating shows that usually were sponsored and run by national organizations like GTOAA or POCI.
Of all the so-called stationary shows, the farthest one from the shop has always been in Charlotte, North Carolina. So, off I went in the beginning of April, 1990. It is a long haul, but always a productive trip with steady sales, a totally different market, and great people.
I got set up on Thursday and was ready for a full day of activity on Friday. I had just started to assemble a small amount of cars for our collection when one of our customers dropped by the trailer and asked if he should send his friend over to our space to see me. In other words, was I interested in purchasing another car?
I asked him just a few questions: 1) how many miles? 2) what type of car is it? and 3) of course, what condition and how was it stored? I knew the ’76 Special Edition Pontiac had been scheduled for a run of 2,400 cars. So, I said, “They made a lot of those—in fact, almost 2,400 cars.” This guy looked me in the eye and said gruffly, “You call yourself a Pontiac man—they only made about 300 Special Editions with the 455 engine, and this is one of them!”
I was shocked and, as you can imagine, was dying to see the car, so I asked if his friend could bring the car to my vending space in the morning. He said, “Sure” because his friend was acting as a broker in the deal and wanted to make a few bucks.
Well, sure enough, the next day the broker arrived with the car. He said the owner, Bickette “Bicky” Wright of Denton, North Carolina, wanted to stay out of all the transfer, but I could call him to verify the deal. The car was fine, but I was skeptical about the broker, so I called Bicky. He said the guy had all the paperwork and a signed title and would produce his driver’s license for proof. It all seemed strange, but logical. Therefore, he left all the paperwork and the car and headed off to sell another of Bicky’s cars—a ’73 El Camino.
Later that evening, I looked the car over more closely with the window sticker and Bill of Sale from Vann York Pontiac Inc., of Highpoint, North Carolina. I found that, even with 17 factory accessories, the car still had four additional accessories—a new CB radio, console gages, aircraft-type switches, and additional front and rear spoilers.
Those accessories were a mystery, so I called Bicky back. Yes, he ordered all of the above, plus the last four, which he had installed himself. The one accessory that was a failure on most of the 2,400 Special-Edition models was a Hurst T-top, and most of those leaked. Only 643 of the 2,400 original cars actually had the T-tops.
Bicky bought it new in 1976 and sold to me in 1990. During that period of time, he only drove the Trans AM 10,934 miles. It turns out he loved the body style of the ‘76 and kept it off the road, under covers in his garage. I asked him if he had any great stories about the car. He replied, “No, but everybody in the area wanted to ride in it.”
I asked him if the 455 engine made the car into a fast street machine. He said, “You know, I was very insistent when I ordered the car that it had the biggest engine in the industry, but in 14 years, I never raced the car!” He does remember that the car was delivered very late in the model year and that everything on the car was never touched, except the additional, aforementioned accessories.
Written 2002, Steve Ames
Last Edited: November 4, 2024, JA
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