1976 Pontiac Trans Am For Sale With 7 Miles After Restoration Pairs 4-Speed Stick And 455 V8
For those looking to channel your inner Burt Reynolds from "Smokey and the Bandit," WeBe Autos (via Hemmings) has this lovely black-and-gold Trans Am for sale that's nearly the perfect match. Except, it's a 1976, not a 1978, so it doesn't feature the quad-headlight front-end that the movie car had. If that's what you want, however, this 1978 example or this 1979 one that's done roughly 22,000 miles should be of interest. Neither of them, mind you, is in black, nor do they feature a 455-cubic-inch V8 or offer the three-pedal experience like the '76 example we have here.
Unlike the movie car, though, this Trans Am is a hardtop coupé. But it has undergone extensive restoration and has only done seven miles since. And yes, it has the Screaming Chicken hood decal, or the "Rising Phoenix" if you're part of that camp. So what's the asking price for this 1970s muscle-car goodness? That'd be $72,495. Although it may not be as sophisticated as the latest BMW iX3 (also a $70,000 ballpark proposition), the 455 V8 and four-speed combo has enough personality and aura to challenge whatever these modern-day "computers on wheels" can offer.
Character assessment aside, what you get for your money is a well-finished exterior, a beautifully detailed engine compartment, an exceptionally clean underbody, and a beautifully restored all-black interior. While the Endura-style bumpers and Honeycomb wheels stand out as exterior highlights, the classic Trans Am instrumentation, custom Autosound audio system, and factory-style dashboard come across as some of the notable attractions on the inside. Sure, it might not be a T-top nor feature the movie car's front fascia, but then again, Bandit's companion was actually a 1976 Trans Am with a '77 front end.
The 'Smokey and the Bandit' car was a 1976 model disguised to look like a '77
Classic Industries and Hemmings reckon there were four cars used in total, while Autoweek counts five, but the important thing is that all Trans Ams used in the movie started out as '76 Special Edition 50th Anniversary cars with the updated '77 front end. Pontiac had to get creative because the movie's production began before 1977 models were actually available. And the engines you saw (or rather heard) on screen weren't part of the 1977 lineup at all. While Classic Industries reported the stunt cars retaining the 455 V8, in reality, you could not have optioned the motor in a 1977 car — it was retired after the 1976 model year.
Setting aside this bit of "Smokey and the Bandit" trivia, you can probably already tell how the Trans Am listing we have ties in with all this. It's a 1976 car in the right paint scheme, with the 455 and a four-speed manual thrown in for good measure. More importantly, there's no deception here, and it looks nothing like a 50-year-old hunk of metal.
Is the near-$73,000 asking price too much? That depends on whom you ask. It's a lot of money for something that old. Despite the restoration, that 455 was part of the Malaise Era lineup, which famously neutered a lot of high-performance V8s. Given that the listing mentions "emissions equipment present," it's unlikely that things are any different here. Still, for someone who likes '70s Americana, is an ardent fan of movies, or, above all, a true-blue Pontiac enthusiast, this Trans Am should hold plenty of appeal. Assuming, of course, they have the means to afford it.