Autoblog

Click on the image to see more high-res shots of this '78 SE Trans Am

Mid-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]

Guys, if you look a little more hairy and feel a bit more manly at 8:45 PM August 14, don't be alarmed. That's when the 2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour Burt-a-Thon begins in Atlanta, Georgia "celebrating the manliest being in human history." Gruff-voiced festivities will begin with a drive-in triple feature of Smokey and the Bandit, Sharky's Machine and White Lightning. The next day features an actual competitive scavenger hunt from Atlanta to Texarkana, ending at another drive-in screening of the film and refreshment provided by a semi trailer full of Coors. The two most incredible things about the festival, however, are that the grand prize in the scavenger hunt is "an actual 70's era Pontiac Firebird," and that there's a picture of Burt Reynolds on the web site... naked. If you're in the Southeast, and you appreciate real men, sign up now. If you go VIP, you'll even get a free mustache.

Thanks for the tip, Mehugtree!

[Source: Original Alamo]

UPDATE: Our friends at Year One graciously hooked us up with the latest version of this video - embedded after the jump.



"Bandit you're reckless and you live much too hard..."

We feel a full-fledged late 1970s lovefest coming on soon. Not that it'd be any worse than the resurgence of 1980s pop culture among those that didn't live it. Let's just say it was bad the first time, and hasn't improved with age. One thing that is better this time around are the Bandit T/A recreations from Year One. We reported on these a while back, and since we're all hot for the darn thing, here's some more eye candy. Looks like Sheriff Buford T. Justice finally has his day in the sun at the end of this short promo video, which we've embedded after the jump.

[Source: Year One]

Besides the obvious Smokey avoidance capabilities and river-jumping fun, you might be wondering what else you can do with your newly acquired YearOne Bandit T/A. Well, the good folks at YearOne, along with Restore A Muscle Car, Motortopia, and 78TA.com, have organized the first Bandit Run to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Smokey and the Bandit film. It'll be a recreation of the route Burt Reynolds took in that American cinema classic, taking participants from Texarkana, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia, passing through Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama along the way. East bound and down, indeed.

The cruise is open to all makes and models, but Trans Ams are especially coveted, particularly black '76-'81 T/As and SE models. The Bandit Run starts on May 15 and ends in Atlanta on May 17, just in time for participants to partake in the YearOne Experience which runs May 18-20. The registration is just $45/person, for which you'll get :

*Official black Bandit Run 2007 Tote Bag
*Commemorative High Resolution Map w/Hotel, Roadside service and other info available
*Bandit Run 2007 T-Shirt Black in color w/Design Front & Back available in all sizes ($20 Value)
*Bandit Run 2007 Lanyard, Holder and Badge (Allows pass to *BBQ, Bandit Run Parking Area at the YOE, Ceremonial *Bandit Run Parade lap and other special events)
*1 Year One Spectator Pass ($20 Value)
*1 Year One Bandit Parade Lap Pass ($25 Value)
*Official Bandit Run 07 Window Decal/Cling
*Honorary Bandit Run BBQ Lunch in Tupelo: ($8 Value)
*VIP status for parking at our infield space at Year One *Experience for your car (Priceless)
*Chance to WIN a Phoenix Graphix Decal Kit Certificate of Your Choice

For more details or to register, visit the Bandit Run website.

Thanks for the tip, Eric!

[Source: The Bandit Run]

click the pic above to view a gallery of Year One Bandit Trans Ams

Every now and then when I'm hammering to make time on a road trip, this is what goes through my head: "East bound and down, loaded up and truckin'..." Second only to Star Wars in 1977, Hal Needham's iconic Smokey and the Bandit also seared itself into popular culture like the Space Opera. Thirty years on, a black 2nd-generation Trans Am still makes us think of bootlegging Coors.

To commemorate the Burt Reynolds vehicle, Year One is teaming up with the veteran actor and building a limited number of Bandit inspired Trans Ams. These cars won't be highly suspect like those that pop up on eBay from time to time, or aftermarket kits like those made by Trans Am Specialties and Choo Choo Customs back in the day. No, they'll be the real deal, and Year One isn't taking the easy way out, either. Since the Bandit car was a T/A, all of the Year One cars will be true T/As, and titled as such. You could get away with a Firebird as a basis, but that's not how Year One rolls.

There will be three variations on the Bandit theme, BAN1, thru BAN3. All cars have full body restorations first. Floors are replaced, as are other needed panels, so that the hi-po Ponchos have the best basis to build from. Flush-mounted glass, smooth fender flares, custom projector headlights and LED taillights update the basic car. Chassis mods firm up the structure with subframe connectors, tubular control arms and high performance bushings and springs. The interiors get pimped out in the same custom fashion, with "Bandit" inserts on the door panels, modern seats, a race-inspired gauge cluster and the requisite CB radio. It wouldn't be a Bandit car if you couldn't pick up that mic and say "Snoman, gotcher ears on?" BAN2 and BAN3 packages get increasing amounts of performance from monster aluminum 455s or LS-derived engines, as well as further chassis tweaks and more toys inside the cockpit, like a nav system and race harnesses.

Some history, and Year One's press release after the jump

[Source: Year One]

Gallery: Year One Bandit Trans Ams