eBay Find of the Day: Trans Am SE signed by Burt Reynolds
Posted May 4th 2008 9:53AM by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Filed under: Time Warp, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Auction Action, Pontiac, Celebrities
Click on the image to see more high-res shots of this '78 SE Trans AmMid-to-late 70's Pontiac Trans Ams have really been picking up steam on the collector car market. While not nearly as powerful as their more muscular 1969-1974 forebears, the later TAs certainly have a unique and
gaudy manly-quality about them, helped in no small part by their association with '70s icon Burt Reynolds and, of course, the
Smokey and the Bandit movie franchise. The vehicle you see in
this auction is a particularly nice example of the breed. As a 1978 Special Edition Y/82 Trans Am equipped with the desirable Pontiac 400 engine with 4-speed manual tranny, this is already a collectible vehicle. The original Hurst Hatches and AM/FM/8-track player and CB radio along with the rare rear-console add to this bird's rarity.
For real Burt Reynolds aficionados, though, this fire-breathing Poncho offers something truly special: his signature on the dash. Not only that, Burt drove the vehicle around while he was in Georgia helping to develop Year One's Bandit Edition replica car and it has been on television numerous times. With all it has going for it, don't expect this car to come cheap. In fact, it's already past $46 grand with days still to go in the auction.
[Source:
eBay Motors]
Tags: 1978 trans am, 1978-trans-am, 1978TransAm, bandit edition, bandit-edition, BanditEdition, burt reynolds, burt-reynolds, BurtReynolds, se trans am, se-trans-am, SeTransAm, smokey and the bandit, smokey-and-the-bandit, SmokeyAndTheBandit, trans-am, year one, year-one, YearOne
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SPG @ May 4th 2008 10:45AM
I'm really glad to hear that these cars are finally getting some recognition on the collector car market.
I have seen so many destroyed for movies and TV alone in the past decade as finding cheap examples is generally easy to do.
As far as this Trans Am goes? Having a value added signature on the dash says one thing to me, hard to detail.
And I like a very clean interior.
Nikola Dachev @ May 4th 2008 11:47AM
that's truly unique. Too bad I can't afford to participate for this TA auction I'm a fan of US cars from that period and it's about my age.
-Nikola (http://www.zeraha.org)
GM Boy @ May 4th 2008 11:55AM
Oh man! All that for a little under $8K God I miss the old days!
Azrael4h @ May 4th 2008 12:17PM
Hey, I learned to drive from that movie, and Blues Brothers!
I'd love to have one, preferably blue with t tops. They might leak, but then it'd be a Sunday driver anyway; the tops would be on in a garage, not while I'm in it. I'll shove an LS1/6 speed combo in it though, for better fuel economy.
LNDMN01 @ May 4th 2008 12:37PM
you can get your own bandit trans-am here:
http://www.yearone.com/yodnn/Home/tabid/54/Default.aspx
You can even customize it.
Stacey David did a segment on this car on "Gearz" (on the SPEED channel).
Ohso Clutch @ May 4th 2008 3:48PM
I can in no way get across how much this car dominated my childhood. :)
cowboy bob @ May 4th 2008 5:31PM
Who is Burt Renolds? Is he like Carrol Shelby? Yeaaaahh, Riiiiight. These things should have had a turtle on the hood instead of a bird.
havoc @ May 4th 2008 5:42PM
oh man, in high school i had a 79 black and gold, with the tan velour interior... that was 1993
it had an old 455 swap with a q-junk and a bad th350, ws6, air shocks, and a screaming chicken on the hood.
i got 9 mpg, and went through BFG's like they were going out of style. spun a bearing, rebuilt and kept on truckin.
ahh, the good old days
mr.ed @ May 4th 2008 8:58PM
I'll bet you can get one of old Burt's autographed toupees for even less, and you can't run it out of oil. either.
Benfolio @ May 4th 2008 9:47PM
MAN I wish I had kept my '77 Goldenrod yellow (that's er, gold) Firebird Esprit.
305 Chevy V8, slow as puke, but MAN it was a sweet cruiser, and the chicks loved the black and white doeskin vinyl interior!
Eric77TA @ May 5th 2008 12:42PM
Was it goldenrod yellow or gold? Goldenrod yellow is a true yellow. Similar in color to the 2002 Collector's Edition TA.
Benfolio @ May 4th 2008 9:50PM
By the way I'd expect with 12k on the odo the exhaust would be original, but it looks like someone wanted a little extra rumble.
Rupert @ May 4th 2008 10:54PM
I don't think you can get much more American than having a Hummer in your driveway and a Trans Am parked on the front lawn, right next to the couch and weight bench... also on the front lawn. No, just kidding, in all honesty that car is pretty sweet.
LMBVette @ May 5th 2008 10:27AM
Beautiful car and it looks very well maintained.
They should hold onto this car until the next Barrett-Jackson auction....with all the history, this car would fetch much more at the auction.
mark @ May 5th 2008 10:56AM
Can you tell me what car wasn't slow in the late de-tuned 70's and 80's? All the manufacturers had dogs in that era. So to sell the car the appearance was the key. For me this car was as hot as you could get.
Unfortunatly the government is mandating by cafe standards that these de-tuned days are about to return.
Jerry @ May 5th 2008 11:23AM
How about a gold "Rockford Files" edition?