Burt Reynold’s 1977 Pontiac Trans Am achieves sensational auction result

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 21.05.2020

The car owned by Burt Reynolds sold for almost ten times the usual top-end market value for the model

It can be hard to predict where in the market iconic movie cars, and those owned by movie stars will land at auction, as these collectible automobiles often cross over into the realm of wider celebrity and movie memorabilia collectors.

This 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am never appeared on screen in the iconic 70s flick, Smokey and the Bandit, but it was owned by the late Burt Reynolds himself up until 2015; and just sold on the American online auction site, Bring-A-Trailer, for a whopping US$172,000.

That’s an incredible AU$263,000 at the current exchange rate, and an outstanding achievement for a car which Hagerty values at just US$18,900 in "concours" condition; and on local soil – about AU$38,000 according to our most recent market review.

The car presents in iconic ‘Bandit’ colours, finished in black over black, and specified with the 6.6lt V8 and three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission.

The car is also specified with the Y82 option package which includes the iconic ‘Screaming Chicken’ motif on the bonnet, as well as gold snowflake wheels, Hurst T-top roof and unique trim.

Burt Reynolds had a cosmetic restoration carried out during his ownership, with ‘Bandit’ script added on the doors. The late Mr. Reynolds also signed the bonnet and dashboard prior to the sale in 2015.

The car’s odometer reads 90,000 miles, most of them at the hands of Burt Reynolds. The most recent seller added just 300 miles to the clock.

Beyond Burt’s signature on the dash and bonnet; the car is also accompanied by a signed jacket and hat, as well as photo documentation, original dealer invoice, and a clean Florida vehicle title in Burt Reynold’s name.

The car’s extraordinary auction result certainly speaks to the collecting power of celebrity-owned cars; selling for almost ten times Hagerty’s top-end valuations for the model.

However, this sale pales in comparison to Barrett-Jackson’s 2016 sale of a 1977 Trans Am originally purchased by Universal Studios and used as a promotional piece for Smokey and the Bandit. That car sold for a whopping US$550,000, and remains the outright Trans Am auction world record.

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