Makes › Pontiac › Firebird and Trans Am › Second generation › Firebird Trans Am (Smokey and the Bandit Universal Studios promotional car) · Historically significant · Film & TV · 1977
Pontiac
Firebird Trans Am (Smokey and the Bandit Universal Studios promotional car)
The 1977 Trans Am bought by Universal Studios to promote Smokey and the Bandit; every Trans Am used in the filming was destroyed, making this the closest surviving car to the film.
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 4 Built
- Years
- 1977
- Engine
- Front-mounted V8
- Power
- Not yet verified
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Not yet verified
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- 0 (disputed)
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The black-and-gold Trans Am of Smokey and the Bandit made the Special Edition Firebird a pop-culture icon. None of the cars driven in the film is known to survive, so the promotional car bought by Universal Studios is the most direct physical link to the production. Its studio title and documentation make it identifiable.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionnone of the Trans Ams used in filming is known to survive; this promotional car is a separate car | 02,3 | Surviving examples | Disputed |
| Total model productionTrans Ams said to have been used in filming, all destroyed; this promotional car was an additional car, not one of them | 41 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Four Trans Ams are said to have been used in filming. The bridge-jump car needed a booster rocket; it and one other were written off during production, and damage to the rest was so severe that they were destroyed too.
Universal bought a separate 1977 Trans Am to promote the film. It later fell into disrepair, was offered on eBay in 2015 without bids, then restored frame-off by the McLaughlin Museum. It sold at auction in 2015, and again at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in January 2016 for US$550,000, with Burt Reynolds driving it onto the block. It went to a private museum collection in Florida.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Firebird Trans Am (Smokey and the Bandit Universal Studios promotional car).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Front-mounted V82 Independently researched |
| Displacement | Not yet verified |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | Not yet verified |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Being verified against factory or registry sources before it is published. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
'Smokey and the Bandit' Trans Am comes to life on the Barrett-Jackson auction block Level C
- 4 Trans Ams said to have been used in filming, all destroyed; this promotional car was an additional car, not one of them
-
2
'Smokey and the Bandit' Trans Am comes to life on the Barrett-Jackson auction block Level C Fox News · 2016-01-08
- the remaining cars were also destroyed
- Black V-8
-
3
What happened to the Bandit's Pontiac Firebird Trans Am? Level C Gary Gastelu · Fox News · 2018-09-06
- none survived as far as anyone knows
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