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Terry Bradshaw and Jay Leno Take Brand-New '79 Firebird Trans Am to the “Tracks”

In 1978, when the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback won his NFL Most Valuable Player, he was presented with a 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am as part of his victory honors. It turns out he kept the car for about a year and then traded it for a horse! Well, it’s no wonder that Jay Leno has decided to bring one back for his latest encounter with the iconic football player turned Fox NFL Sunday co-host.
Terry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC Prime 40 photos
Photo: CNBC Prime/YouTube
Terry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC PrimeTerry Bradshaw and Jay Leno go for drive in 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am on CNBC Prime
As it turns out, Terry Bradshaw and Leno’s well-known The Tonight Show go back such a long way that Jay wasn’t even the host when the former landed his first appearance. And, over the years, Bradshaw has made no less than 54 of them, some highly entertaining, and hugely embarrassing.

You’ll see what we mean (in case you missed those memorable live moments) from the one-minute mark and 1:57 because Leno clearly states he’s always been “great fun and great to make fun of.” But we’re all here for the car action, actually, so let’s get down to business with the third star of the encounter, a sticker price-sporting ‘79 Trans Am.

It’s a charm, seriously, to see these two poke fun at each other and everything around them, and it is quite clear why Bradshaw has made so many appearances on the little screen as well—he's just about as charismatic as Leno, and they both have personalities that mix very well.

As for the car itself, it was there to serve as a means to an end, actually. It’s being driven—with care, because the old ‘79 Trans Am is still basically brand new—by Leno and is there to serve as a very cool ride (check out that “screaming chicken on the hood”) that will take them on new adventures.

Speaking of the latter, Terry never had any regrets about those that took place in the past, and he’s very much up for new ones. Leno obliges, of course, so the second part of the video (from the 5:50 mark) is dedicated to racing.

Not just any kind, though, because it seems that even today, Bradshaw doesn’t have a craving for very fast cars. After all, he used his old coach’s Ford Falcon back in the day, and his fastest cars were the Trans Am and a GTO... So, it’s only logical that Jay took him to a go-kart racetrack and then for some (very) mild drag racing.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
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Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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