1979 Macho T/As #1 - #50
1979 Macho T/As
Things changed up a little bit in 1979, gone was the L78 400 Pontiac, and the W72 400 Pontiac was now exclusively available to manual transmission Firebirds. If you wanted an automatic 6.6 litre T/A, you had to get the L80 403 Oldsmobile 6.6L V8 with the TH350 3-speed automatic. But, the WS6 equipped cars were now coming with rear disc brakes from factory, and T/A production was at an all time high. DKM produced 96 Macho T/A’s this year, and still produced some high end Turbo models
1979 Macho T/A #1
Owner: Glen D.
Would you believe that someone would dump this Nocturne Blue/Platinum Silver H.O. Specialties Turbocharged 400 W72 / Doug Nash 4+1 Macho Turbo in a junkyard in Nevada? Glen had spotted it by chance when browsing for parts for 1979 #81, and as soon as he saw the listing, he stayed on it until that deal was secured and the car was on the way home to him.
1979 Macho T/A #5
Owner: ???
Gary D. had gotten a letter decades back from the owner of 1979 #5. No too much information is known at this time, but Gary made notes that this car was a 4-speed, had the fibreglass lift off hood, and possibly a turbo. Note the different style turbo decals on the fenders.
1979 Macho T/A #6
Owner: ???
It looks like Macho Turbo T/A #6 has been well kept and presented at a local car show, possibly in California. I pinched these off FB, but i’m not sure who the owner is. It appears it was featured in a Pontiac Performance Magazine too, so i’ll have to track down the article!
1979 Macho T/A #7
Owner: ???
Lucky #7 was one of many Macho Turbo T/A’s in 1979. This one was first spotted back in 1999 by one of the previous owners who had seen an ad in the local trading paper for a modified, non-running 1979 Trans Am for $3,900. He called the seller and ask how soon he could come check the car out, and sure enough, he was there the same day. The seller didn’t know much about the car, and just said it was some sort of T/A modified by DKM that had graphics that said “TURBO” and “MACHO #7. The seller advised that he had parked up the car in his garage, as 7 years prior, he noticed smoke coming out of the exhaust and though the timing gear was gone. He wasn’t mechanically inclined, and had tried to fix it himself, but gave up and parked it in his barn. When this owner came to check the car out, he saw 1979 #7 parked up in the barn covered in dust, with only 16,000 miles on the clock! It was a Solar Gold/Heritage Brown Turbo W72 400 with a Doug Nash 4+1, chrome Hooker show bar, Scheel seats, and even more DKM options. He made a deal for it for $3,700, got the car home, rebuilt the turbo, re-tuned the dizzy (it was 180 degrees off!) and it fired up first try. Talk about lucky! It changed hands not long after the owner who found it in the barn got his hands on it. Hopefully we’re lucky enough to see this one again and get some updated information on it.
1979 Macho T/A #8
Owner: Jimmy Macho
The Red-Bellied Black Snake. What do you do when you go to a deceased estate and see a Starlight Black/Mayan Red Macho Turbo T/A sitting dusty in the back of a big warehouse? You dump the savings account on that sucker and you never look back. This deadly Macho Turbo had belonged to the grandson of Trico wiper blades before Jimmy Macho scored the winning bid on it. So what did he get for that final bid? 1979 #8, a H.O. Specialties Turbo 400 W72 / Doug Nash 4+1 Macho T/A with fully decked front and rear Scheel interior with a massive option list, and to top it all off, a tow bar too!
Specs
Factory Options:
C60 Custom Air Conditioning
UA1 HD Battery
A01 Tinted Glass
B93 Door Edge Guards
TR9 Lamp Group
C95 Dome Reading Lamp
B37 F+R Floor Mats
B80 Roof Drip Molding
AU3 Power Door Locks
A31 Power Windows
V02 4-Core Radiator
UN9 Radio Accommodation
N33 Tilt Steering Column
WS6 Special Performance Package
B18 Deluxe Interior
Color: Starlight Black/Mayan Red
Interior: 19B Deluxe Black Hobnail Interior
Engine: Pontiac 400 W72
Transmission: Doug Nash 4+1
Numbers Matching?: Yes
DKM Options:
Macho Package
F+R Scheel Interior
Doug Nash 4+1 Transmission
1979 Macho T/A #9
Owner: John L. P. Jr
John Jr. got gifted 1979 #9 from John Sr. for his 18th birthday! I don’t think too many people were getting a Macho T/A with a 400 W72 / 4-speed with 22,000 miles on the clock from their dad for their birthday back then!
1979 Macho T/A #10
Owner: Chris. H
Keeping with the father and son theme, Chris has listed his dad’s Macho up for sale in Lititz, PA. Chris’ dad was the second owner of 1979 #10, and he had picked it up back in 1988. They’ve kept it in excellent original condition with all of the original equipment and driveline. It’s a factory 4-speed W72 400 / WS6 in Platinum Silver / Carmine Red with deluxe Carmine Red vinyl interior and a Hooker roll bar.
1979 Macho T/A #11
Owner: ???
Oh yeah. Here’s a real heavy. 1979 #11 is a fully restored, fully decked, fully full Macho Turbo T/A. Gary C. had fully restored this one not to long ago, and man, just look at that engine bay. Factory H.O Specialties Turbo 400 W72 / 4-speed, Hooker bar, big embroidered Scheels up front, blacked out, minimal decals, total sleeper. A lot of money was spent on 1979 #11, and it recently went through the GT Auto Lounge dealer. Not sure who took this one home, but they got a really deadly car for the price.
1979 Macho T/A #13
Owner: Don the R/A IV King
I had seen this one pop up a few times over the years. It was at a car show with a for sale sign on it a few years back, they had wanted around $30,000 at the time. Then, it had appeared on PY earlier this year, apparently the owner had passed away and the wife was selling it. A few sources all said a guy called Don W. had bought the car from the widow in March 2024, but that’s the last we’ve seen of it since. It’s Cameo White / Carmine Red with deluxe Carmine Hobnail red interior and a 400 W72 / 4-speed driveline. It had a fair bit of rust in it, even back then, so hopefully it’s getting the restoration it needs. Don has sent in some fresh photos of 1979 #13 so hopefully we’ll see some progress from the R/A King soon!
1979 Macho T/A #14
Owner: ???
It really doesn’t get much better than this. We’ve got some great photos and stories behind 1979 #14, and it checks out, as one of the original owners was an avid photographer! Tom watched this car come off the car carrier at S&H Pontiac back in 1979 with his friend who bought the car brand new. Tom got the car not long after, and come on, how good are those photos of the car five days old on Daytona Beach for their honeymoon! Tom sold the car to a young guy years down the track, and he’s had some spotty communication with him since, it seems like that guy still has the car. The current owner apparently had the wheels painted, and put in Recaro seats. Tom reckons this one was a 403 Oldsmobile, but records show this was a 4-speed manual / 400 W72 car. This one had an excellent two-tone in and out with a Mayan Red/Cameo White exterior, with the very rare 12N/74X deluxe Oyster White/Carmine red vinyl interior.
1979 Macho T/A #16
Owner: Corey K.
Corey had stumbled across 1979 #16 by fluke when they were just looking for a Trans Am to buy back in 1998. This one was just advertised as a standard 1979 T/A, and they were pleasantly surprised to find it was a DKM Macho! It was in decent enough shape at the time, but they had still conducted a full restoration on this one, and by 2001, they had it ready for the Trans Am Nationals at Dayton, Ohio! I’ve reached out to Corey’s old details to see if he still has it, hopefully we’ll get some updated information on this one soon. Apparently Corey had it up for sale a few years back at $27,000, but I’m not sure if he had sold it, or still has it, as at the time he mentioned he was having a hard time finding a buyer.
1979 Macho T/A #19
Owner: Tom McDonough
Tom had spotted 1979 #19 while browsing the internet in his hotel room while travelling to Chicago. He was familiar with the Macho T/A’s as a guy in his hometown had a 1978 Macho back in the day, and he vividly remembered seeing a brand new red 1977 T/A when he was 12 years old, so it only made sense to jump on this Mayan Red Macho when it popped up to get his first T/A 20 years later! Originally, this one was Mayan Red with a Cameo White stripe, but the previous owner, repainted the stripe to a silver color. The black and white photos are from when the car was featured in the 1980 Thunder Am magazine. At the time, it still had the original 400 W72 / 4-speed driveline with 54,800 miles on the clock. Hopefully Tom see this and shares an update on the car with us. We’ve also got some photos from back in fall of 1979 at the local high school homecoming!
1979 Macho T/A #22
Owner: Bill G.
Dennis R. had rescued 1979 #22 from a junkyard back in 2007. It had been left out in the elements, and the original driveline, Scheel seats, and Turbo set up was missing. This one was fully decked from DKM back in the day, with a Doug Nash 4+1 with a short shifter assembly, 400 W72 Turbo, Scheel seats front and rear, fibreglass lift off hood, sunroof, oil-pressure restorer, the list goes on! At some point, Dennis reckons he had a bead on the original driveline from some guy in Texas, but ended up selling the car to Bill G., who commenced a total restoration on it. It’s still currently in progress now.
1979 Macho T/A #23
Owner: Rick Magnum
Rick’s family are the original owners of 1979 #23. His step-father purchased this one brand new from Rosenthal Hayman Pontiac in Alexandria, Virginia that sold a few 1979 Machos brand new. His family picked up the car in August of 1979, and had a set of Tenth Anniversary Turbo wheels put on the car, but also kept the original 15x8 WS6 snowflakes as well. It’s powered by a 403 Oldsmobile with roller rockers, hi lift cam, aluminium intake, Holley carb, Hooker headers, a Flowmaster exhaust, going to a TH400 3-speed, but this may have just been a misidentification. Rick has written in to confirm he has replaced the TH350 3-speed with a TH400. This one is Cameo White/Atlantis Blue with deluxe blue cloth hobnail interior, and Recaro seats. It also features a Hurst Dual Gate shifter, and the Koni adjustable shocks. Rick’s old Macho email doesn’t work anymore so we couldn’t seem to get in contact with him, but he recently got in touch to update us! Rick has just bought 1979 #39, and thought to reach out so we can now hopefully get the entries updated for both cars.
1979 Macho T/A #24
Owner: Sam B.
1979 #24 had come up for sale about two decades ago in tired shape on eBay in Mesa, AZ. The guy who bought didn’t sound like he liked the car much! He thought the color combo was “nasty” and “ugly from the pics”. I think this guy is nuts, but he had told his friend Ray who lived two miles from the car to go grab it for him, and his friend sealed the deal for for $3,500. It looked to be mostly original with working A/C, a buildsheet still in the car, the numbers matching 403 Olds / TH350 3-speed automatic, but he seats had been re-trimmed. It then got shipped down to him in the Florida Keys, and has since been fully restored. It changed hands at one point, and the same guy who owned 1978 #140 had owned this one around the same time. Gary C. got hold of it at one point, from a guy in Rockford, Illinois, and fully restored it to how you see it now. He sold it a few years back to a guy in Gilbert, Az, and since then, it’s now it’s in the hands of Sam B.
1979 Macho T/A #25
Owner: Kevin Y.
Kev sent in some photos of 1979 #25 in via the contact form. He had bought it back in 1991 upon his return from Operation Desert Storm serving in the Marine Corps at a used car dealer in Oceanside, California. He brought it back with him to Canton, Ohio and drove it around for about 6 years, before he parked the car up in the garage, and commenced a restoration on it. He mentioned the driver’s door seems to have been replaced, but it doesn’t appear to him that the car has been repainted. He’s currently restoring his Macho, and it’s currently disassembled. It has a very interesting hood decal design, something we haven’t seen on other Machos. It may have been done during it’s time in California. What’s even more interesting about this Macho, is that according to the nice crisp n’ clean buildsheet he recovered in the car, it is not a WS6! It was originally delivered to Mecham with just a 2.41 drum brake rear, and 15x7 Rally II wheels. In fact, this might be the lowest option Macho we’ve seen, with just 6 options on the buildsheet!
Specs
Factory Options:
C60 Custom Air Conditioning
A01 Tinted Glass
D53 Hood Decal
N33 Tilt Steering Column
U63 AM Radio
B18 Deluxe Interior
Color: Solar Gold/Heritage Brown
Interior: 62B Camel Tan Hobnail Cloth
Engine: Oldsmobile L80 403
Transmission: TH350 3-speed Automatic
Numbers Matching?: Yes
DKM Options:
Macho Package
1979 Macho T/A #26
Owner: Jeff B.
Jeremy J. had picked up 1979 #26 in a pretty dismal state back in 2016. It was in rough shape, with a lot of the interior missing, but it still retained the original 403 Oldsmobile / TH350 3-speed automatic driveline. Jeff B. ended up picking this one up a little white after Jeremy had scored it, and had commenced a restoration on it. This Macho was originally Heritage Brown / Solar Gold with deluxe Camel Tan Hobnail cloth interior, and a sunroof installed by DKM. Jeff had the car fully stripped down to start a ground-up restoration, but ran into complications getting the sunroof to seal properly. He even went as far to source NOS seals and parts for the sunroof, but after still having issues with it, he elected to replace the roof back to a hardtop. He has since fully restored this one, and has changed the color to Starlight Black/Solar Gold on deluxe black vinyl interior.
1979 Macho T/A #29
Owner: Scott S.
We’ve got a good bead on this one throughout the years, with the earliest account of it being back in the early 2000’s where Randy S. had owned the car at the time in Ontario, Canada, and had decked it out with Recaros and a NOS system. He picked it up back in 1988 with 11,000 miles on the clock. Randy also modified it a little bit with an upgraded camshaft, lifters, an aftermarket manifold, a Holley 670cfm avenger carb, and a 3.91 rear. It was sold in the mid-2000’s to a guy called Mike, who then sold it to Jimmy Macho in around 2010. Jim M. got the car without the Recaros, but it still had the NOS system in it, which he removed, and had the car cleaned up. It was then sold to Scott S. for $25,000 around a decade ago in 2014. Scott still has the car, and currently has it up for sale in the Mesa, California area.
Specs
Factory Options:
?
Color: Atlantis Blue/Platinum Silver
Interior: 24B Deluxe Blue Hobnail Cloth
Engine: Pontiac 400 W72
Transmission: Borg Warner Super T-10
Numbers Matching?: Yes
DKM Options:
Macho Package
Hurst Competition + Shifter/linkages
1979 Macho T/A #30
Owner: Richard F.
Richard is keeping this one under wraps for now, but he has given us a bit of information about 1979 #30 to tide us over until we get some fresh photos! Rich bought this one back in the very early 2000’s off the original owner. The original owner explained that this Macho Turbo had a hefty RRP at over $18,000! Yep, that’s right, this is one of the Macho Turbo T/A’s, but unfortunately, Rich explained that the original owner was experiencing issues with the H.O. Specialties Turbo system on the 400. The owner was very dissatisfied with the constant issues he was experiencing on his brand new, super expensive turbo engine, and in 1982, he had pulled the motor. He then went to a GM dealer and ordered a crate Chevrolet L88 427 engine (I know) to drop in place of it. He ended up giving away the Turbo H.O. engine to someone who had some sort of old (for 1981) Bonneville and this Macho has had that crate engine in it ever since. Rich does have a 1979 PWH W72 engine out of a Y89 TATA (I wonder where that TATA is!) kept aside, but has no plans to put that in anytime soon as he enjoys driving it as is. This one looks to be once pricey Macho Turbo for sure, as it looks to have the Compo wheels, T-Tops and a litany of other options! Rich will get back to us soon with some options papers and more photos. Not even a year after he bought 1979 #30, he bought an almost identical Macho, 1979 #37 too! He certainly has a type!
1979 Macho T/A #35
Owner: ???
Big Rob G. spotted 1979 #35 out in California at a local shopping center car park, and luckily took the time to stop and chat to the owner who apparently had found this one in a barn. The owner has begun restoring it, and the 400 W72/4-speed sounds to be running pretty healthily. Big Rob has attended a few shows with the owner and has taken a couple of fresh photos, I hope to hear from him soon!
1979 Macho T/A #36
Owner: ???
The DKM Banana has been a topic of discussion for a while. Sadly, the Banana seems to have gone rotten, and it had been left in a dire state with a junky 350 Chevrolet engine dumped in it, and the original 400 W72 missing. Someone had spotted it dumped out in a field by an abandoned property about a decade ago and had published it to the Yellow Bullet forums, and a few people were trying to find out the story behind it. Eventually, it had ended up on Craigslist in Northern Virginia in 2015. It’s really a shame that the car was left in this state, and unfortunately, Jimmy Macho had the car sold under him even after he had left a deposit with the seller. It’s not clear who bought the car, and we’d really like to get in touch with the owner. It was originally one of the Rosenthal Pontiac’s Macho stock, and we have some awesome photos of when the car was new.
1979 Macho T/A #37
Owner: Richard F.
Richard has a really specific niche of Macho he goes for, and keeping with the Starlight Black/Platinum Silver theme, as he also owns 1979 #30. This one is a factory 400 W72 / 4-speed with deluxe black cloth interior. He’s also held onto some great Polaroids from the original owner! Rich explains that within the same year back in the early 2000’s, he bought both 1979 #30 and #37 off two completely different owners. He’s got two black and silver Machos, both are 1979’s, both in the 30’s, and he’s the second owner of them too. Go figure! Rich explains that once he had bought 1979 #30, he had taken it to show off to the owner of this one here, #37. The owner of #37 decided to instead get into collecting Mopars, and elected to sell his Macho. Rich jumped at the opportunity, and still owns it to this day! You might be able to spot in the photos, this one has the big Scheel seats in it! Rich will send some documentation in for the two for us to update.
1979 Macho T/A #39
Owner: Rick M.
Michael P. has sent us in some updated photos of 1979 #39. I had always wondered what the outcome of this one was after seeing the restoration progress photos from a couple of decades ago by Melvin Benzaquen of Classic Restorations, and the results speak for themselves. This one features the 400 W72 / 4-speed driveline, and is re-painted perfectly in the original colors, Cameo White/Solar Gold with a deluxe camel tan hobnail interior. This was one of the Macho T/A’s ordered as stock by Rosenthal-Hayman Pontiac in Alexandria, Virginia. That’s it there upfront with the HR60 GT Radial Tyres and the VK3 front licence plate bracket! After completing a high end restoration on this Macho, Michael listed it for sale. It looks like Rick M. who also owns 1979 #23 picked this one up for Christmas, so it’s gone to a great home.
Specs
Factory Options:
C60 Custom Air Conditioning
UA1 HD Battery
AK1 Color Keyed Seatbelts
A90 Power Deck Lid Release
C49 Rear Window Defroster
A01 Soft Ray Glass
BS1 Additional Insulation
TR9 Lamp Group
C95 Reading Lamp
B37 F+R Floor Mats
AU3 Power Door Locks
A31 Power Windows
V02 4-Core Radiator
UN9 Radio Accommodation Package
N33 Tilt Steering Wheel
WS6 Special Performance Package
CD4 Pulse Wipers
B18 Custom Trim Group - Cloth
Color: Cameo White/Solar Gold
Interior: 62B Camel Tan Hobnail Cloth
Engine: Pontiac 400 W72
Transmission: Borg Warner Super T-10 4-speed Manual
Numbers Matching?: ??
DKM Options:
Macho Package
Upgraded Hurst Shifter and linkages
Rear-mounted battery kit
HR60 GT Radial Tyres
1979 Macho T/A #40
Owner: Marc A.
Marc recently got 1979 #40 a few years ago from the daughter of the original owner in Los Angeles. The original owner had sadly passed away, and left the car to his daughter. It was a factory 400 Atlantis Blue/Platinum Silver W72 / 4-speed car, but to make it even more tragic, the original 400 W72 was stolen after her father had passed away. Marc highlighted some more background, where he clarified that the original engine was stolen by the body shop that was working on this Macho, hopefully there is a chance it can be tracked down. She had purchased another rebuilt 400 to go with the car, and had been asking around $15,000 back then. Marc has had the Macho transported over to him in Indiana, and has had an earlier Pontiac 400 built for the car. Marc plans on getting in on the road as a barn-find style driver, and we hope to see updated progress soon.
Specs
Factory Options:
C60 Custom Air Conditioning
AK1 Color Keyed Seatbelts
A01 Soft Ray Glass
TR9 Lamp Group
B37 F+R Floor Mats
VK3 Front Licence Plate Bracket
N33 Tilt Steering Wheel
WS6 Special Performance Package
B18 Custom Trim Group - Cloth
Color: Atlantis Blue/Platinum Silver
Interior: 24B Deluxe Blue Hobnail Cloth
Engine: Pontiac 400 W72
Transmission: Borg Warner Super T-10 4-speed Manual
Numbers Matching?: No
Current Engine: 1969 Pontiac 400
DKM Options:
Macho Package
1979 Macho T/A #43
Owner: Craig & Sarah D.
Craig & Sarah have owned 1979 #43 for a couple of decades thanks to Gary D. Interesting to note, this one is one of the only Machos to have factory standard interior, in this case standard black vinyl. This one features a unique Solar Gold/Starlight Black combo with the W72 400 / 4-speed driveline. The two still own the car to this day, and have no plans of letting it go again.
1979 Macho T/A #46
Owner: Ken C.
Ken sent in a contact form earlier this year, he mentioned he’s got 1979 #46. He mentioned it was featured in the Firebird Times newsletter December 2020 issue, but i’ve got no idea what that is, and can’t find any record of it online. Standing by for more details and photos!
1979 Macho T/A #49
Owner: Dan J.
Dan had reached out via the websites contact form to give us the skinny on 1979 #49. Dan’s family has owned 1979 #49 since 1985, and the family has affectionally dubbed it “The Beast”. They had bought this one out of Casper, Wyoming, and they’ve taken great care to ensure it’s remained in excellent, all original condition safely in the garage back home in Cheyenne, WY with 67,000 miles on the clock. They were left the Macho by their brother who had passed away back in 1986, but they have done well to preserve his legacy in The Beast!
1979 Macho T/A #50
Owner: Glen D.
These photos were taken back when the 1979 Machos were new at the local high school homecoming during the fall of 1979. 1979 #50 is still around, high up on the shelf waiting for restoration. This one was very heavily photographed when new!
