Here’s a rare bird for you. This Poncho recently came up for auction at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale event. This car came into the world as a 1969 Pontiac Firebird and was transformed into a mighty preproduction Trans Am. Dressed up in bright silver paints, the car was then used by the major car magazines such as Car Life, Hot Rod, and Motor Trend for articles and road tests. It was later purchased by racing icon Jerry Titus and used as his daily driver and test car for TG Racing. According to Barrett-Jackson, the car was sold in 1970 and spent the next 30 years somewhere in California.

Fast forward 45 years and this car is once again making news. At the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2015 auction, this car sold for a hefty price of $313,500 (including commission). The body was restored by Supercar Specialties, given a fresh coat of Palladium Silver paint, and chassis components were redone in the correct factory finishes. Its Ram Air IV engine and Turbo Hydramatic were also rebuilt.

Cars like this typically are destroyed by the manufacturer once they’ve made the rounds with the media and auto shows. It’s nice to see this rare piece of muscle car history preserved and still around today.

Photo credits: barrett-jackson.com