Retired Postman’s Collection of 20 Pontiac Firebirds and Trans Ams Is Headed to Auction
That’s a lot of screaming chickens, and there’s no reserve in sight.
It's not too uncommon for a car nut to stick with one brand for a long time, but buying and maintaining 20 examples of pretty much the same car is another story. That's just what postman Bernard “Bernie” Larson, Sr. did—he loved
More specifically, he loved Trans Ams from the 1970s and spent much of his time buying them for his collection. Now that he's unfortunately passed away, his beloved Pontiacs are being auctioned off. There are quite a few cars of his worth bidding on.
The cars' production dates stretch from 1971 to 1981, although there are a few wildcards in the mix. Along with the Trans Ams, there are a few regular Firebirds in various states of disrepair, including a body shell for a 1969 car that's very gradually returning to the earth. Fortunately, nature has been kinder to most of the other vehicles.
It's hard to pick a favorite from the bunch simply because there are so many good cars to choose from. There's a 1974 Super Duty Trans Am equipped with a 455 and a four-speed, a 1981 automatic-equipped Turbo Trans Am finished in brown, and a 1973 Formula Firebird that will allegedly run an 11-second quarter-mile. It's a lot to take in, and that's not even mentioning the twin 1979 10th anniversary edition Trans Ams.
All of these cars and more are being sold by VanDerBrink Auctions on Saturday, June 12 online or on-site in Tonganoxie, Kansas. In total, there are 14 Trans Ams hitting the block, plus five intact Firebirds. If you count the rusty shell, that makes 20 altogether.
There's no telling just how much these cars will go for, but the prices will probably be fairly reasonable. They aren't in prime museum condition, and most of them need a little work to get running right. Many of the Pontiacs have a little rust, a few of them don't run, and a couple are even missing body panels, which is certain to drive their price down.
All-in-all, though, they're in pretty decent shape, and the lack of performance in these Malaise Era muscle cars is certainly made up for by their excellent paint jobs. Screaming chickens are pretty much the norm in this collection and, hell, if that's good enough for Burt Reynolds, it's good enough for us.
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