Pontiac Trans Am 1979 Super Rare Atlantis Blue

Everyone remembers the black-and-gold 1979 Trans Am, but this Van Nuys-built example skipped that costume for something far rarer: a one-year-only shade called Atlantis Blue. Built during the Trans Am’s best-selling year ever, it could be optioned with the 400-cubic-inch V8 and 4-speed manual or the smaller 403 depending on the build. Decades later, its rarity – not its fame – is what makes this particular Trans Am worth a second look.

Assembled at GM‘s Van Nuys CA manufacturing facility, this super clean, 1979 Pontiac Trans Am It’s always nice to see a late model second generation Trans Am that isn’t black and gold. This RARE and UNIQUE Atlantis Blue Trans Am maintained it’s integrity, and thanks to a subdued monochromatic body, still looks modern even today. Up front, a slick and pliable urethane bumper hangs four pristine headlights above large dual air intakes which, while still being instantly identifiable as Pontiacs familiar split grille face, give the car much more presence…

Most 1979 Trans Ams that survive today came in one of two colors, and neither of them is this one. Black-and-gold Special Editions get all the attention thanks to a certain movie about a bootlegger and his Firebird, but this Van Nuys-built car skipped the costume entirely. Atlantis Blue was only available for a single model year, and vanishingly few buyers actually checked that box on the order sheet. Decades later, that rare choice is exactly what makes this particular Trans Am stand out in a sea of black-and-gold clones — and what makes it worth a much closer look.

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A Color Pontiac Only Offered Once

Atlantis Blue carried the color code 24 and was a metallic paint that genuinely sparkles in direct sunlight, a finish that set it apart from the flatter black-and-gold treatment most buyers associated with the Trans Am by the late 1970s. Pontiac offered the color for exactly one model year before dropping it, which means every Atlantis Blue Trans Am on the road today is a snapshot of a very narrow production window. Cars built with this color could be equipped with the 400-cubic-inch V8 paired to a 4-speed manual transmission, while other examples left the factory with the smaller 403-cubic-inch V8 depending on emissions requirements and buyer preference.

1979 Was the Trans Am’s Biggest Year

This particular car rolled off the line during what became the best-selling year in Trans Am history, a sales peak driven in no small part by the cultural wave that followed a certain black Trans Am’s Hollywood fame. That popularity makes surviving Atlantis Blue examples even more interesting by contrast — while dealers moved black-and-gold Special Editions by the thousands, buyers who wanted something quieter and more distinctive had this shade waiting further down the order sheet. Assembly at GM’s Van Nuys, California plant adds another layer of specificity for collectors who track build location alongside color and drivetrain combinations.

Why Rarity Beats Recognition for Some Buyers

Not every Trans Am buyer in 1979 wanted to drive the same car as everyone else at the cruise-in, and that’s precisely the appeal Atlantis Blue examples hold for today’s collectors. A monochromatic body without the bold graphics package still reads as unmistakably late-1970s Trans Am, thanks to the split-grille nose, urethane front bumper, and quad headlight arrangement shared across the lineup, but it does so without shouting. For buyers who’d rather own something genuinely uncommon than the most famous color combination, a documented Atlantis Blue car like this one is often the more interesting find.

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