Son rescues stepmother’s 1974 Trans Am after 35 years sleeping by the Mojave Desert

A classic Pontiac muscle car has just woken up from one of the longest naps imaginable.

This 1974 Trans Am spent decades sitting untouched beside the Mojave Desert.

The car originally belonged to a woman who bought it brand new, before it was eventually parked and forgotten.

Now her stepson has rescued it after roughly 35 years off the road, bringing the old Firebird back to life.

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The 1974 Trans Am that spent decades sleeping near the Mojave Desert

The story starts back in 1974 when the woman first drove her new Pontiac Trans Am home from the dealership.

For a while the muscle car lived the life it was built for. 

But by the 1980s it had been parked, and before long it ended up sitting in a carport on the edge of the Mojave Desert.

There it stayed for about 27 years.

Eventually the woman’s stepson decided the Trans Am had slept long enough. 

In 2018 he pulled the car out of the carport and moved it to his workshop to see whether the old Pontiac could run again.

Thankfully, the revival worked.

After installing a few new parts, including a fresh water pump and work on the braking system, the car now runs and drives again.

Under the hood sits its original 400ci V8 engine, and the car is still numbers-matching.

Even more surprising is the condition of the body. 

Considering the decades it spent sitting outside, rust doesn’t appear to be a major issue.

However, the project isn’t finished yet. 

The Trans Am still needs more restoration work before it could comfortably return to the road.

Why this 70s Pontiac still attracts collectors

Back in 1974 the Trans Am was becoming one of the most exciting versions of Pontiac’s Firebird lineup.

That year Pontiac sold 73,729 Firebirds, and 10,255 of them were Trans Am models.

Buyers could choose between a 400ci or a 455 V8, while a much smaller group of cars received the legendary Super Duty 455 engine.

Only 943 of those SD-455 cars were built, which is why they’re considered some of the most collectible muscle cars today.

This particular Trans Am isn’t one of those ultra-rare versions, but it still has a lot going for it.

It’s a numbers-matching car, it runs again after decades of sitting, and it comes with a genuine family backstory that helped save it from being forgotten forever.

Now the revived Pontiac is looking for its next caretaker.

The car has been listed for sale on eBay with bidding starting at $19,500, while anyone eager to skip the auction can pay $24,000 using the Buy It Now option.

For the right enthusiast, it might be the perfect chance to finish waking up a muscle car that spent three and a half decades hitting the snooze button.

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