If Burt Reynolds had driven a black Pontiac Trans Am convertible in Smokey and the Bandit, would it have looked like the seller’s car? This is said to be one of 55 rag-tops produced by National Coach Engineering under contract with Pontiac. If you ordered one, you paid about $12,000 more than you would have for a regular Trans Am. This one is in rough shape and hasn’t run in 38 years, so it will need a complete restoration. Located in Clayton, California, you can buy this rarity for $10,000 here on craigslist.
According to research provided by the seller, Pontiac may have commissioned upwards of 500 Trans Am convertible conversions between 1978 and 1981. Several coach builders were involved, and National Coach may have had five or six dozen orders to fill. The plaque on the door jamb on the seller’s 1980 T/A says it was #9, and we understand that these cars had the proper bracing needed for the stability required for drop tops. Thanks to the continued popularity of the Smokey movies, Pontiac still sold some 51,000 Trans Ams in 1980, but none were officially convertibles.
This example has been dormant since 1988, and the odometer reflects 90,000 miles. It’s numbers-matching, but the seller is throwing in a 1979 T/A engine (6.6 liters) in case fixing the one in the car proves too problematic. As the engine in the machine turns freely and the car has a new battery, perhaps Herculean efforts won’t be required. The car is still in the California DMV system as non-op, so no back registration fees will be required of the buyer.
If Smokey had once driven this car, the gold emblem on the hood is no more. The whole car may have been repainted way back when, and it will need it again. While the seller says the auto is solid, there is rust under the rear seats. A restoration may be cheaper than chopping the roof off a regular 1980 Trans Am, and there are very few of these left because the original population was so small. Have you ever seen one of these (besides this cool tip from Jack M.)?
No.
That passenger seat 💺 got laid back a few times 💁♂️😲
May have to go back and check the definition of “rough”.
This is indeed rough. It may be worth bringing back do to its rarity, but being a non-OE conversion good luck finding any parts for the convertible components.
I think this was featured on Jalopnik the other day (nice price/no dice), almost universally despised LOL. Questionable initial build quality of the convertible conversion, followed by decades of outdoor storage with the roof down. One comment was approximately “…driven for eight years then parked with the top down. You gotta ask why?”
I think, had it been maintained, it might be a pretty cool set of wheels to burble around town in, but this one has a lot going against it.
That’s 54 more than what they should have made.
55 too many!