Steve McQueen’s ‘The Hunter’ Pontiac Trans Am emerges from a barn after 39 years
The Pontiac Trans Am used in the Steve McQueen film ‘The Hunter’ has emerged from a barn after being hidden away for 39 years.
Good luck finding a car that's more 1970s than this.
This 1978 Macho Trans Am has had its engine modified since being sold by Mecham Pontiac. (Vehicle Selling Solutions)
A 1978 Pontiac "Macho" Trans Am has been listed for sale on Ebay in Bismarck, North Dakota, but the story of the rare muscle car starts much farther south.
The car was born at the Mecham Pontiac dealership in Glendale, Arizonza, where brothers Dennis and Kyle Mecham decided to do something about the Trans Am 6.6-liter V8's malaise era power, which maxed out at just 200 hp.
The Macho T/A for sale on Ebay was the 69th of 204 built in 1978. (Vehicle Selling Solutions)
According to Hagerty, the Mechams advanced the timing, re-jetted the carburetor and installed Hooker headers and dual exhausts to allow it to breathe easier, all resulting in a 250 hp output, and also offered a Turbo upgrade with water like the auction car was equipped with that increased that to 325 hp.
High-performance Koni springs were added to the factory performance package along with front lowering springs to give it a mean, nose-down stance.
A Macho T/A graphics package to set it apart from stock models was applied and each car came with a unique jacket bearing the logo.
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The Mechams built 204 from 1977 to 1979 under the DKM brand and had to legally sell them as used cars due to the modifications, even though the were delivered like new.
Mileage for the car is not listed due to the engine rebuild. (Vehicle Selling Solutions)
The example that is up for auction is far from that. It appears well-used and has had the turbos removed, the engine bored and stroked to 8.0 liters and several aftermarket performance parts installed.
The seller says it has been garage-kept and not smoked in, however.
This 1978 Macho T/A was sold at a Mecum Auctions event for $39,000. (Mecum Auctions)
A total of 304 Macho T/As were built, 204 of them in 1978, but only 144 remain, according to The Macho Registry, which is a thing.
At the time this story was written, the bidding had reached $40,100, which was below the unpublished reserve and ambitious based on recent sales.
Auction prices for all-original Macho T/As have been running in the $30,000-to- $50,000 range, based on several that have been sold through Mecum Auctions in recent years.