Pontiac Trans Am Y82 Vs Y88: What's The Difference?

Pontiac was a brand that experienced some impressive successes over the decades, but ultimately suffered from declining sales and stopped production in 2010. Fans of the classic muscle car era will remember Pontiac's significant contributions in the form of the Trans Am and GTO Judge, among others. Following the implementation of stricter emissions requirements in the U.S., the potent performance power of muscle cars started to wane in the 1970s.

However, Pontiac found a clever way to move more units in the late 1970s without leaning on performance power as a selling point. After the surprise Hollywood hit "Smokey and the Bandit," starring Burt Reynolds, the Trans Am featured in the film became a must-have car among much of the public. Several interesting facts about Smokey And The Bandit's Iconic Pontiac Trans Am shed more light on this unique car.

The special edition Y82 included the "Bandit" visual design and was offered for two years starting in 1976. It wasn't the only special edition, though. There were also the Y81, Y84, and Y88 models, each offering something unique. The Y88 was only made in 1978 and swapped the predominantly black Y82 paint for a shiny gold. But that wasn't the only difference between the Y82 and the Y88.

The Y82 is faithful to the Trans Am used in "Smokey and the Bandit," with a black paint job, gold highlights in the front fascia, gold wheels, and the gold outlined flaming bird logo on the hood (which often leads people to confuse it with its sibling, the Pontiac Firebird). Although the Y82 and the Trans Am featured in the movie didn't offer a lot of brawn under the hood, it was more about a rebel attitude than a great quarter mile time.

The Y88, on the other hand, flips the color scheme and showcases gold with black highlights for another eye-catching take on the Trans Am. The bird decal is still prominent on the hood and features a bit more detail on the Y88, with a few different shades of gold among the chicken's feathers. According to Leland Little Auctions, only 7,796 Y88s were made, making it much more rare than the Y82 and likely worth more as a result.

While the Y82 and Y88 Trans Am shared a number of the same features, like a shaker hood scoop, T-Tops, and rear spoiler, there were other areas where the models differed. For example, Pontiac released an upgraded suspension system in 1978 called WS6, which went a long way in improving handling performance. The Y88, which was made in 1978, included the WS6 package, but Y82 special editions from 1976 and 1977 wouldn't have included it. WS6 was significant because it offered enhanced suspension components like better shocks and springs, enabling the Y88 to handle on par with European sports cars of the same year.

These two special editions came in both manual and automatic transmission configurations. However, the Y88 had a greater percentage of automatic-equipped units. With only 7,796 Y88s made, there were only 1,267 that came with a manual 4-speed, according to Leland Little Auction. In contrast, according to Tran-Zam, the 1977 Y82 only offered automatic transmissions in just over 6,000 units out of a total of 68,744 produced that year.