The Pontiac Firebird is a name that, at least in some circles, needs no introduction. Born out of Pontiac’s need to put up a fight against the likes of the Ford Mustang, the breed came to be in 1967. But because the same GM stables under which Pontiac resided also held something called Chevrolet Camaro, it would take something truly spectacular to make the Firebird a star on the roads and elsewhere.
That something truly spectacular was called Smokey and the Bandit. It’s a movie that came out in the same year as Star Wars: A New Hope, and that would probably have been enough to bury it, if it weren’t for a certain Burt Reynolds as the main character and a certain Pontiac Firebird Trans Am as his companion.
In the flick, the car was used by Reynolds to keep law enforcement busy while his partner, played by Jerry Reed, was trying to move several hundred cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta before a set deadline.
It was enough for some people to cement the status of the Firebird Trans Am as a car worth having, and now, every time one pops up on the market, even in heavily modified form, it brings back memories of its exploits on the big screen.
The latest to do so is a 1976 Trans Am listed by Barrett-Jackson for sale during the auction it’ll hold in October in Houston, Texas. From afar, it looks like your usual Trans Am, but once we learn what the car is all about, it becomes obvious we’re dealing with a pro-touring king.
The subject of a “comprehensive restoration,” the car hides under the hood an engine the size of the family’s top-of-the-range offering, a mighty 455ci V8. It’s not linked to one of the original transmissions, but to a 5-speed manual, and boasts a ton of extra fittings that push it way past its stock capabilities, all the way to 600 horsepower: Holley fuel injection system, Edelbrock intake manifold, a stroker kit, and a 3-inch X-pipe dual exhaust, among others.
Underneath the otherwise casual-looking body, the Firebird hides a front subframe kit comprising Wilwood braking hardware on all wheels, Hotchkis Stage II TVS suspension, and custom wheels in snowflake design and wrapped in performance tires.
Inside, the car was gifted with custom bucket seats separated by a center console, Autometer carbon fiber gauges, and gold accents on the door panels. A Vintage Air system, custom stereo system, and removable Hurst T-tops are also on deck.
The pro-touring 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is listed for sale with no reserve, meaning it’ll go to the highest bidder no matter the sum offered, but no mention is made as to how much it is expected to fetch.
In the flick, the car was used by Reynolds to keep law enforcement busy while his partner, played by Jerry Reed, was trying to move several hundred cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta before a set deadline.
It was enough for some people to cement the status of the Firebird Trans Am as a car worth having, and now, every time one pops up on the market, even in heavily modified form, it brings back memories of its exploits on the big screen.
The latest to do so is a 1976 Trans Am listed by Barrett-Jackson for sale during the auction it’ll hold in October in Houston, Texas. From afar, it looks like your usual Trans Am, but once we learn what the car is all about, it becomes obvious we’re dealing with a pro-touring king.
Underneath the otherwise casual-looking body, the Firebird hides a front subframe kit comprising Wilwood braking hardware on all wheels, Hotchkis Stage II TVS suspension, and custom wheels in snowflake design and wrapped in performance tires.
Inside, the car was gifted with custom bucket seats separated by a center console, Autometer carbon fiber gauges, and gold accents on the door panels. A Vintage Air system, custom stereo system, and removable Hurst T-tops are also on deck.
The pro-touring 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is listed for sale with no reserve, meaning it’ll go to the highest bidder no matter the sum offered, but no mention is made as to how much it is expected to fetch.