Summary

'Smokey and the Bandit' promotional car, gifted to Burt Reynolds, retained to late 2014. Professional restoration with several features as used by Mr. Reynolds. Includes Florida title, signed and autographed by the 'Bandit.' Sold on Bonded Title.

Details

Big-displacement V8 high-performance cars were nearly extinct by the mid-1970s, yet Pontiac held the line with its fast, great-handling and audacious Firebird Trans Am. While sales hardly required assistance, popularity was boosted by its now-iconic starring role with Burt Reynolds in the 1977 movie, 'Smokey and the Bandit.' Hal Needham's directorial debut, the film featured an all-star cast and was second only to 'Star Wars' among the highest-grossing movies of 1977. Reynolds continued to be closely associated with the Trans Am throughout his life, and this Starlight Black-and-Gold 1977 Trans Am Special Edition was a promotional vehicle later gifted to Reynolds as a 'thank you' for his pivotal role in its massive success. It is also the sole '77 Trans Am owned by Reynolds. Well-equipped, the Y82 SE car was optioned with air conditioning, a 180hp 400ci Pontiac V8 engine, M40 automatic transmission and twin-hatch T-roof. It saw limited usage with Reynolds during his lengthy ownership, which continued to late 2014, and was kept at the famed actor's Jupiter, FL, home until acquisition by the seller, the car's second owner. In 2015, it was professionally restored in Dallas, TX, to its virtual 'as-new' glory, including the extensive gold striping and gothic lettering, with care taken to preserve the hand-painted 'Bandit' lettering atop each door and scuff marks left by Reynolds' cowboy boots on the driver's sill plate. The car was reunited again with Reynolds when it returned as the centerpiece in the '2019 Bandit Run,' culminating in a visit to Reynolds' Florida estate. This event was the last for Reynolds, and he thoroughly enjoyed being reunited with his former car, signing the glovebox door. Iron-clad Burt Reynolds' provenance is confirmed by the Florida title, signed and autographed by him. Includes an engraved dedication plate affixed to the driver's door, an autographed copy of Burt Reynolds' 'But Enough About Me' autobiography, plus a late-1970s style 'Trans Am' jacket and 'Bandit' cowboy hat, as well as a professionally made show board and a DVD of the film that started it all. **SOLD ON BONDED TITLE**