Car buffs apparently didn’t have much in the way of modern-day cinema to look forward to back in the late 1970s. That is, until “Smokey and the Bandit” turned up. Today’s movie fans have turned up for films such as “Gone in 60 Seconds” to see high-speed at some of its finest, but those in-the-know still look to the 1977 big screen hit starring Burt Reynolds for his epic moves behind the wheel of his black Pontiac Trans Am.
Stacey David, host of the show “GEARZ!,” covers the modification of a number of automobiles in his popular show, “…pushing the limits of creativity and logic by building one-of-a-kind vehicles that defy conventional wisdom. Hot rods, off-road four wheelers, all-terrain types — if it has an engine and a way to steer it, David, the original host of the popular TV series ‘Trucks!’ brings it to life.” For the first episode of season two, he covered this infamous head-turner of everyone with a penchant for this pop-culture car icon.
Video: YouTube/StaceyDavidsGearz
As a full episode share on the StaceyDavidsGearz YouTube channel, the video above grants you a backstage pass to one of the most famous movie cars in memory. Starring Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, and Sally Field, the movie follows Bo “Bandit” Darville (Reynolds’ character) and Cledus “Snowman” Snow (Reed’s character) as they try to do a run of 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. The two bootleggers are pursued relentlessly in the process by Texas Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Gleason’s character), following the Bandit’s roadside rescue of a runaway bride named Carrie (Field’s character).
In David’s coverage of the Bandit 1977 Pontiac Trans Am, he captured the hearts and minds of car buffs with one of the best possible automotive icons. The episode write-up on the GearZNation site reads as follows: “Today on GEARZ! Stacey takes a look at not only the cultural impact of Smokey and the Bandit, but also its most famous character – the black Trans Am. Then it’s off for a test drive of Year One’s new Burt Reynolds Bandit edition Trans Am to see if it lives up to the true supercar status of the original.” Tune in and see if it lives up to everyone’s expectations.
