Stanford Baddley, of Lima, had a dealership order this 1976 Trans Am new from the factory. It’s never been driven in the snow and has been kept in a garage.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
LIMA – Stanford Baddley came to the Charity Car Show last month armed with a bucket of cleaning supplies and driving a firethorn red colored Pontiac Trans Am.
He had sprays to shine the car’s tires, more sprays to wipe down the body, and even more to make the car’s interior glow.
None of the cleaning supplies were surprising when you looked at his Trans Am.
“I bought this car new 47 years ago … had a dealership order it special from the factory. I’ve kept it in a garage since day one. It’s never seen snow and seldom has been caught in the rain,” the 70-year-old Lima man said.
Baddley has never been one to tag along with a crowd and do what everyone else is doing.
Not in his work as an educator.
And not as a car buyer.
His Trans Am spells that out.
He purchased the car as the Smokey and the Bandit craze hit. The popular 1970s movie saw actor Burt Reynolds outfox, outrun, and outsmart law enforcement while driving a black Trans Am. Sales of black Trans Ams spiked with the movie’s popularity.
Baddley found himself also liking the Trans Am, but it had nothing to do with the movie. To him, it was just a cool car that he could picture himself driving.
So when Baddley went to order one, it wasn’t surprising that he dared to be different.
“I wanted a firethorn red Trans Am … not black, not white, the colors that everyone else was buying,” he said.
He ordered the car with most of the options available at the time, including power windows and locks, air-conditioning, cruise control and tilt steering wheel. A 400-cubic-inch, 6.6-liter V-8 engine was a standard feature.
The Trans Am came with a sticker price of $6,500. Today, it has 77,000 miles on it.
“I only drive it about 400 miles a year,” he said.
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