There is an entire market section of vehicle restoration dedicated to black and gold late-1970s Pontiac Trans Ams. Year One even built a series of “Bandit Edition” Trans-Ams that came with a 7.0L V8 from the Corvette ZO6 along with some other tweaks a few years ago. But when it comes to the collector car market, original is better, and while Pontiac built the first black-and-gold ‘Bird in 1976 as a tribute to the John Player Special F1 team’s colors and as a celebration for Pontiac’s 50th anniversary, but a mustache wearing a leather jacket and a cowboy hat would soon give the black-and-gold Firebirds a different meaning altogether.
In 1977 Smokey and the Bandit was released, with Burt Reynolds playing Bo “Bandit” Darville and the Trans-Am playing the role of a “blocker”, the car that is meant to keep the heat off of Snowman’s Kenworth loaded with Coors beer. A Hollywood legend has it that a Pontiac executive promised Burt Reynolds a free Trans-Am if the movie translated into sales for the car. With no doubt, the Smokey and the Bandit series moved cars. In 1977 sales rose by almost 30,000 vehicles and in 1978 they had crested over 110,000. The legend states that after a year, there was no car in the driveway, so Reynolds contacted Pontiac. The new executive had not been told about the deal and refused to honor it. However, in this case it seems that most of the story is BS, because Burt did end up with the promotional Trans-Am.
Burt’s Trans-Am is a 1977 RPO Y82 (Special Edition with Hurst T-tops) car with the 6.6L four barrel and an automatic. It shows just over 12,000 miles (that’s a shame…) and is mostly stock, except for some custom “Bandit” touches and a plaque on the inside of the door which proclaims that the car is the one owned by Burt Reynolds. The car will be auctioned off by Julien’s Auctions, along with 600 other pieces of memorabilia, including the International Scout that was converted to a carriage for his wedding to Loni Anderson and a 1997 Dodge Ram pickup. Even the red and black “Bandit Trans Am” jacket he wore in the first movie is up for grabs, so if you’ve got the black cowboy hat ready, put your bids in and with any luck, you too can be ripping up the Georgia asphalt in style!
CLICK HERE to check out Julien Auction’s page!
(Thanks to Michael Morris for the tip!)
After the recent debacle over the ‘ Captain America ‘ choppers sale …. [ for those unaware the buyer rescinded his offer based on the real evidence that the bike is not authentic ] ..
I’d be damned hesitant to buy anything supposedly attached to a movie , celebrity or TV show
Simple reality is …. Hollywood does not .. and never has kept clear and concise records when it comes to props .. cars etc used in film and TV … with the stars themselves and the people who supposedly sold them this that or the other thing doing even less
Which is to say … this may be … but then again regardless of the ‘ circular provenance ‘ …. [ It is .. Because I say it is … Therefore it is … Because I own and want to sell it .. Therefore it is … Because I say it is ] …
…..It more than likely probably isn’t !
And … as evidenced once again with the ‘ Captain America ‘ bike …. the only ones more full of ___ when it comes to the so called ‘ evidence’ than the owners is in fact …
… the goram auction houses that are NOT doing the research they claim they do … basing their [ published ] conclusions on the same ‘ circular provenance ‘ as the owners
So when it comes to stars/movie/TV memorabilia and cars … Buyer Beware … Everybody lies !
Even You, Huh !
All the articles I have ever read do state that the original cars used in the filming, 3 of them I believe is what I read in multiple articles, were for the most part destroyed in the filming of the movie, which if you have ever watched it is understandable. No where does it say original movie car. I believe it states car given to Mr. Reynolds as his personal car, which by the title shown it is that. Most of us won’t have the kind of money to buy what this car will probably fetch anyway.
Burt is selling off a ton of his stuff – he is in very bad financial shape
It says 400 Cu in in the add yet it has a 6,6 hood scoop Wasn’t the 6.6 a 455 ?
455 cu in = 7.4 liter
Ol’ Bandit Burt must have put that steering wheel cover on after they got done sampling the Coors beer they bought home…..
AFAIK, this is NOT the car (or one of them) that was used in the Movie. It is simply a 1977 RPO Y82 Trans Am Firebird that Burt Reynolds owns.
How do you say if you had two too own it would be the next one. 1stGen
Anyone notice the terrible body work above the Burt Reynolds plaque? And is the steering wheels bent? 12,000 miles? Just pointing these things out as a former employee of a classic car dealer. May God have mercy on me.
….I thought the real Bandit T/A had a warmed up 455 transplanted into it for the movies?
The red jacket that they keep saying that he wore in the first movie was worn in the second movie