Musclecar era stopped in 72? When the 73-74 SD-455 cars could hold their own against the elite of the 69-70 era?
Depending on the year of 2nd Gen Firebird, some go for pretty big numbers. The 70 Trans Am's trade in the $30K-$40K range, double or triple that if it's a RAIV car. The 71-72 Trans Am's also get somewhere in the $50K range, more if it's a 4-speed. The 73-74 SD-455 cars bring $100K+ of a fully restored version. Not much call for the 75-78 Trans Am's, but the 79's still draw $15K to $35K, depending on whether it's a 403 Olds (low)or the 400 4-speed Pontiac (high). The 1977-1981 Special Edition cars (aka "Bandit" cars) have sold for nearly $100K depending on the restoration performed, but most are in the $30K range. There's also the occasional 1979 10th Anniversary Trans Am that pops up now and then with really low mileage, and they usually get somewhere in the $30K range too.
Not bad for a low compression smog era car that ran 15's! And in 1979, they made some 100,000+ Trans Am's. The styling of those cars has made them collectors items today, and even though they aren't fast by today's standards, they were great in their day. And collectors are warming up to the fact that Trans Am's were always performance cars, with functional spoilers, excellent brakes and suspension, and became they became an American Icon of the 70's.