The 1978 Pontiac Trans Am pulled from the yard of 90 Bank Street during a court-approved cleanup by the Borough of Red Bank in December 2025. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The 1978 Macho Trans Am in the yard at Red Bank Recyling in December. (Photo by Brian Donohue)
The car was purchased from the wrecker by Tom Tallman, described as “barn find guru” who, based on his Instagram page, specializes in finding rare classic cars buried in barns, junkyards and backyards and getting them into the hands of aficionados and restorationists.
The seller was not identified in the Hemmings article, but redbankgreen has previously reported the car had been brought to Red Bank Recyling after a legal determination by the borough attorney that all materials taken from the Bank Street property were considered “debris.”
The car caused a sensation among hot rod fans worldwide after photos taken by redbankgreen showed the car lying amid the rubble being cleared from the Bank Street home of William Poku.
“Once photos of the long-dormant Macho hit the internet, interest in the Pontiac grew at an astronomical rate,” Hemmings Motor News writes. “Soon, the classic ride was making waves around the world. “
But concern grew when the car was moved from the Borough-owned lot at the foot of Sunset Avenue to Red Bank Recycling, where most cars go in whole and come out in far smaller, flatter pieces.
“I had to move fast,” Tallman tells the magazine. “There were several interested buyers.”
He said he had to wait out a 30-day holding period for legal reasons before he was able to buy the car and haul it away. He also purchased a 1987 Buick T-Type pulled from the property that had drawn interest from collectors. (See photo below)
The article includes a detailed description of the Trans Am’s condition and its prospects for restoration: “Overall, it would take a major amount of work, probably well past the worth of the car to see this body come back into usable form,” it reads. Still, there are likely enough people out there who are willing to pay what it takes to restore it to its disco-era glory.
As one commenter on Tallman’s post wrote: “Could spend a fortune on that! But the smiles per dollar would be high.”
It does not appear Tallman will be the one doing the restoration, however.
On his Instagram page, @nj_carspotter, he posted a photo of the car on February 17 with the caption saying it was going to a “new home this weekend.”
A car restorer in Jackson Township appears to be the buyer, according to Max Ioannidis of machoregistry.com. Poku could not be reached for comment.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.
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