Forget finding a clean, low-mileage fourth-gen Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. This one’s in a whole different league. A 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, known as “Project Gold Rush,” just sold at auction for a shocking $60,000. And it’s not even street-legal. So, what makes this F-body so special?

For starters, it’s VIN ending in VIN 00001. It symbolizes the very first Trans Am to roll off the line with the now-legendary LS1 V8. But GM didn’t just send this one to a dealership for sell to consumers. “Project Gold Rush” was a testbed, a rolling laboratory for exploring the limits of the new LS engine and the F-body platform.

That meant serious upgrades. The original 5.7-liter LS1? Gone. In its place is a stroked 383-cubic-inch, 6.3-liter monster with a forged Lunati rotating assembly and Lingenfelter CNC-ported heads. We’re talking about a heavily modified engine that the public never got from GM.

And the rest of the car keeps up: a Tremec T56 six-speed, a carbon fiber driveshaft, a Torsen LSD diff, Centerforce heavy-duty clutch, Baer brakes, a Borla exhaust system, and a Hurst billet prototype shifter. Inside, the back seats are also gone. They were replaced by a roll bar for safety and chassis bracing, which hints at the true purpose of this car.

The “Gold Rush” name comes from the Sport Gold Metallic paint, set off by black stripes. The car has a surprisingly understated look, considering what lurks under the hood. This Firebird was a joint project between Automotive Services Inc. and Mr. Gasket, and it even made it to the 2001 SEMA show. Before the auction, it lived in the GM Heritage Collection.

Now, about that “Scrap/Non-Salvageable” title. Yes, you can’t legally drive this thing on the road. The CarFax shows a dealer listing, then a junk title, and finally a sale in 2020.

But even with that paperwork quirk, the car’s history and unique modifications clearly made it a hot commodity. The new owner might not be able to cruise the main roads out there, but they’ve got a seriously cool and historically important piece of GM performance history.