Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Owned by Burt Reynolds Now Worth $630K

The Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction in Arizona, which ended last weekend, saw a number of records. We’ve already told you about the sale of the first 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, but now we must absolutely bring to your attention the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that once belonged to late actor Burt Reynolds.

With the success of Smokey and the Bandit, it’s one of the most famous movie cars of all time, of course. Well, someone thought it was worth spending $495,000 USD for it, or about $628,000 CAD at the current exchange rate.

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The sale included an autographed copy of Reynolds' But Enough About Me autobiography, plus a late-1970s style "Trans Am" jacket and "Bandit" cowboy hat, both also signed.

To put things into perspective, the car had an original MSRP of just $8,082. Classic and collector car insurer Hagerty estimates that a condition-1 unit with no celebrity ties could go for $79,700.

In May 2020, the same Trans Am wound up on Bring a Trailer where it secured a winning bid of $172,000, nearly a third of the price paid at the recent Barrett-Jackson auction. Gaining so much value in just 20 months is unbelievable.

The Starlight Black-and-Gold 1977 Trans Am Special Edition was a promotional vehicle gifted to Reynolds as a thank you for his pivotal role in the blockbuster. It is also the sole 1977 Trans Am owned by Reynolds, who kept it until 2014. The actor actually had the paint, seats, door panels and carpets refurbished, while adding “Bandit” lettering on the driver’s door. Under the hood is a 180-horsepower 6.6-litre V8 with a four-barrel carburetor and a three-speed automatic transmission.

The second owner had the car professionally restored in Dallas and later reunited with Reynolds, who got to sit inside again and signed the glovebox door before his death in 2018.