If you want a Trans Am just like Burt’s, you desire a rare bird. Hagerty recently recommended that buyers get their hands on a second-generation Trans Am before prices rise any further, noting that “the 12-month average sale price for the Trans Am is up 38 percent compared to a year ago, and 57 percent more cars were offered in the last 12 months than the year prior.” These trends have continued. Today, according to Hagerty, the industry-leading collector car insurer, the median value for a 1970-1981 Pontiac Trans Am in #3 (or “good”) condition is just over $30,000, and my particular car is now worth about $21,000. The values of Trans Ams from the 1970s have been climbing ever since - particularly in the last ten years. It was rust free, in great shape, and I’ve been driving it and entering it in car shows ever since. About twenty years later, I finally bought one: a black 1976 Pontiac Trans Am that I picked up from the original owner in Southern California for $7,000. Like many, I wanted a Trans Am ever since my father took me to see Smokey and the Bandit in the theater. Three generations of fans are now buying the “Bandit” Trans Am they’ve always wanted.
Now a classic, Smokey and the Bandit remains a driving force behind the popularity of these cars nearly 50 years later, making it one of the most successful product placements of all time. Appearing just 11 minutes into the film, it immediately became the dream car of millions, giving a massive boost to Trans Am sales through the end of the generation’s run in 1981. In the action comedy, Reynolds drives a black and gold 1977 Trans Am with T-Tops.
1979 FIREBIRD MOVIE
The first Smokey was a huge hit, grossing more than any other movie released in 1977, besides Star Wars.
But the actor most often associated with the car is, of course, Burt Reynolds.įrom 1977 to 1981, Reynolds drove Pontiac Trans Ams in three popular films: Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, and Smokey and the Bandit II. Throughout the 1970s, Pontiac Trans Ams were driven on the big screen by a long list of Hollywood A-listers, including Sylvester Stallone, John Wayne, and even Steve McQueen. Here’s everything you need to know before you buy yours. And today, after several decades of middling interest, their values are on the rise. It didn’t add up to much at first, but in 1970, Pontiac redesigned the Firebird, along with the Trans Am, and its second generation would go on to sell in huge numbers.īest known for its massive “Screaming Chicken” hood decal, the second gen Trans Am was produced for more than a decade, making it one of the most successful American muscle cars ever.
Named for the Sports Car Club of America’s popular “Trans Am” racing series, the model cost Pontiac a $5.00 royalty for every Trans Am it sold. Launched in 1969, just 697 were sold that year.īut the highly stylized and high-performance version of the Pontiac Firebird would soon become the automotive icon of the following decade and a bona fide favorite of car collectors all over the world. Originally the Pontiac Trans Am was a flop.
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