This guy bought a building in Illinois and when he got inside, he found an abandoned American dream car

An American has discovered an abandoned Pontiac muscle car in a building that he recently bought in Illinois.

The 1974 Pontiac Trans Am was abandoned and unloved, gathering dust and rust, having been stripped for parts.

It’s unclear what the history behind this muscle car is or whether it’s salvageable as a restoration project.

However, the car is currently up for sale for the princely sum of $1,000.

How the Trans Am was abandoned

According to the seller of the muscle car, the 1974 Pontiac was left in a building and had become a mere shell by the time he saw it.

The listing elaborates further, stating that the previous owner passed away owing $50,000 in storage fees.

Unsurprisingly, given how long it appears to have been left, the Pontiac was in rough shape.

Most major components, such as the engine, were gone, with just a couple of seats filling the interior.

There were no gauges inside the Pontiac, although it did retain its gear stick and steering wheel.

Given the state of the Trans Am, it’s unlikely it will ever be on the road again.

The most likely outcome is that other parts will be stripped, or the body shell will be salvaged for another project car.

The 1974 Trans Am comes from what was a good year for the muscle car.

That year, Pontiac sold 10,255 units of the Trans Am, while Firebird sales reached 73,700 in total.

The basic Firebird was the best-selling version by far, with more than 26,000 units sold, followed by the 22,000+ units of the Esprit model.

As with other muscle cars, there were plenty of options for the Trans Am in the mid-1970s.

The 455ci V8 was one of them, providing up to 310HP and 395LB-FT of torque.

The Firebird has long since disappeared from the American automotive market, with the first model introduced back in 1967.

The final Firebird rolled off the production line in 2002, while Pontiac itself closed its doors in 2010 amidst GM’s financial woes.

So this may be one of the only Firebirds you’ll ever see…