A Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am (Special Edition) doesn’t really capture my attention any longer. They have become commonplace and seem to be everywhere – at times, it seems like there are more now than there were back in the day. What does catch my attention is where the prices of Gen-2 Firebirds, more so than Camaros, have gone – up, up and away. Located in Mandan, North Dakota is just such an example in the form of a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition. It is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $45,100, reserve not yet met.
It’s important to realize that not all Special Edition ’77 Firebirds are the same. As is always the case, the devil is in the details and one needs to parse the numbers to get the complete picture. So consider this from TransAm World:
- Total ’77 Firebird Production: 68,745
- Total ’77 Trans Am Special Edition: 15,568
- Total ’77 Trans Am S.E. with W72 Engine: 7,392
- Total ’77 Trans Am S.E. with W72 and 4-Speed: 3,083
This helps to put things in perspective and gives us an idea of how rarity vs. commonality can drive desirability and values.
This is the third car that I have reviewed in as many days that bases its existentialism on what’s under the hood and, there is no image of the engine – frustrating. Anyway, W72 means a 200 net HP, 400 CI “Pontiac” V8 engine. I stress a Pontiac mill because, by ’77, GM was starting to pull the old switcheroo with engines manufactured by a division other than the one that assembled the car. The standard Pontiac 400 CI motor, designated as L78, was good for 180 net HP, so the W72 gets the owner an additional 20 net HP. The seller claims, “the vehicle runs great” and that’s about all he has to say about this special car. And of course, this Trans Am possesses the very desirable four-speed manual transmission.
So, what can one say about this Trans Am? The seller states very little via the listing but the images of this car pretty well speak for themselves and it looks like it needs nothing. The paint, trim, spoilers, decals, snowflake wheels, all of it shows as new. I’m searching for defects and this 70K mile example shows none, the seller calls it “an original” and I’d have to concur. The only detraction that I spy, and it’s subjective, are the rear window louvers, the exterior of this Trans Am is busy enough without them.
This vintage Trans Am gets props for its seats, they are much nicer than those used in cousin Camaro and the entire interior is a bit more nicely finished but then that was one of the differences between a Pontiac and a Chevy. I was expecting to find vinyl-clad seats but this Trans Am is upholstered in black cloth material – the type of material that will show wear from simply sliding your hind-side in and out, but that’s not the case here. The dash pad, carpet, door panels, and the console lid (subject to sharp elbow damage) all present perfectly. The only nod to modernity is the aftermarket radio.
The seller concludes his listing with, “had this car only for a short time (one year) and life changes make me have to sell“. That’s always an unfortunate turn of events but it presents an opportunity for the next caretaker, which is really the case with most special cars because, after all, that’s what we are, auto caretakers. This one has all of the right tickets, but the current bid amount…I’m surprised. What do you think, what will it take to wrestle this one away from its owner?
So, I finally figured out that the license plate meant “Eastbound and Down”, and wasn’t a reference to Esteban, the infomercial guy that hawks cheap guitars at 3:00 am in the morning.
Are those wheels the correct wheels for this car? They don’t look original to me.
Bo, those wheels didn’t come out until ’79 but I would have put those on too. I wonder if he has the original wheels? Hmmmmmmm…
I think the wheels on the car might be the 17 inch replicas available from Jegs.
Actually came out in ‘78. Came with WS6 package
yes they are
I’ve gotta agree on the sheer number of black and gold trans ams. Similar to red 69 Camaro syndrome. Still dig em but they don’t really get my heart thumping anymore. To be honest the black and gold always struck me as a little pimped out. Or maybe I’m just jealous I don’t have one? I’m going to the garage to think about it. Lol
The ’77 T/A 400 engines had 180 hp and 200 hp. IIRC the 220 hp engine debuted the following year, in ’78 and ended after ’79.
I fumbled the years, fixed now.
Thx
JO
I wonder if a Jersey state trooper would raise an eyebrow or even pull u over with a license plate like that. lol
Those wheels are not only bigger & heavier than stock(slow you down), but will also make this car ride even rougher on bad roads.
Assessing why certain cars appeal to certain groups of enthusiasts sounds like a great project for a grad student. Personally, I don’t get the fanaticism driving prices of ’69 Camaros or Mopar B-bodies, but I do get the appeal of the T/A SE. That’s probably because I was eight years old when “Smokey and the Bandit” was in the theaters. The sight of Burt Reynolds hooning that Trans Am and evading police officers is just the kind of stuff an eight-year-old gearhead wants to see. My buddies and I dreamed of running from the cops in Trans Ams of our own (kids – don’t run from the cops), and we knew all the CB lingo.
We don’t have to understand the appeal of various cars, but we should do our best to respect the “to each his own” nature of the hobby.
SE Bandits sure are expensive….. right up until you compare it to many others.
I’ll start with Eleanors ,which are solidly in the $125k to 200+ zone.I sold my Elly for 125k, 2 years ago.My 78 Bandit 4 speed is better in every way and turns as many heads,but it’s not an se,and is worth about 25-30 grand.I will be putting a modern ZL-1 in it shortly just for kicks and giggles.Snag a Bandit,or lesser T/A while you can.They are a value priced icon !
I know what you mean by saying that you feel like you see so many of these now. There really aren’t more, it’s just that there are no more commonplace Camaros and Firebirds to offset the number of Trans-Ams and Z/28s.
Those wheels are are not the correct ones for 1977 . these are from 1979 . Honeycomb wheels are all the way to the full circle of the wheel for 1977 S/E .
Honeycomb wheels were used until ’76. Snowflake wheels were used ’77-’81 15×7 for “normal” Firebirds and Trans Am. 15×8 were used for the cars equipped with the Ws6 suspension. ’79 10th anniv. Trans am had a different wheel unto themselves.
Was driving behind a similar one just today. It was just a ‘meh’ moment. I wasn’t that impressed.