TRANS AM
Special
Edition
"The Bandit"
In 1976, Pontiac brought out a Special Edition Trans Am, to
celebrate 50 years of the Pontiac Motor Division. Production was limited
to 110 cars. The car was so awesome, that I caught the eye of the
general public, as well as Hollywood
In 1977, Pontiac released the S/E Trans Am on the market
again, after it got a slight facelift. The car was popular already, but
then came Smokey & the Bandit. And Burt Reynolds drove the car
into superstardom, as well as into a new name. After Smokey & the
Bandit was released, the black car with the gold accents and the
"Screamin' Chicken" on the hood came to be known as the 'Bandit
Edition.'
Fully equipped with a 400 Pontiac or a 403 olds, the car
really would do exactly what it did in the movie, or so they say. I'd
cry if I saw a Bandit T/A jump a bridge, or run through mailboxes and a
football field! The thing about the Bandit T/A was that it just looked
so much better than the rest of the Trans Ams. All Trans Ams were the
same, but the demand for the 'Bandit' was outrageous, and still is.
In 1978, Pontiac left the Bandit T/A alone, for the most
part,
but they made another type Special Edition -- the Y88 Package, Black on
Gold. Pontiac stopped production on the Y88 because the bumpers were
prepainted and didn't match the rest of the paint used on the car. Sales
in 78 were still high.
In 1979, Pontiac gave the Firebird Line a Facelift that took
away the headlight grilles. The license plate was moved down to the
bumper, and the taillights ran completely across the rear end. The S/E
Trans Am probably had its biggest year in sales in 1979.
In 1980, the car pretty much looked the same, except for the
debut of the Turbo T/A. Gone was the shaker hood with "6.6 Liter" on it,
and in its place on the Turbo was a new "Offset Bulge" hood. The hood
swept toward the driver side, and in the hump were the lights indicating
the turbo boost. The hood was huge, and actually survived until 1992, at
the end of the 3rd Generation. 1980 also saw the return of the S/E to
the big screen, in Smokey and the Bandit II. Still, the biggest
news in 1980 was the Indy 500 pace car Trans Am, so the S/E lost
steam.
In 1981, the last year of the 2nd generation, everything was
pretty much stale leftovers from 1980, and the entire F-Body line was
being described as 'medieval warriors, on their way to the rockin'
chair.' (Car and Driver, I think.)
The F-body didn't hit the rockin' chair, but the Bandit
Edition Trans Am did. The closest thing to the S/E was the Recaro
Edition in I think 82-84, which was featured in Smokey and the
Bandit III But just like the movie, the car wasn't as good as the
original. In 2002, the Firebird faces certain death, while the Camaro is
looking at a 2 year hiatas, so in the end the Trans Am is hitting the
rocking chair, after all...
