Burt Reynolds Bandit Auction: Actor Selling Pontiac Trans Am Modeled After Iconic ‘Smokey And The Bandit’ Car


Burt Reynolds is bringing Bandit to auction, with the actor selling off a restored 1977 Pontiac Trans Am that replicates his classic automobile from the movie Smokey and the Bandit.

Reynolds purchased and restored the car within the past year, and it will go up for auction later this month. The car — which has become known as the Bandit car — had been restored by Harold Murphy, one of the foremost experts in Trans Am restoration.

The winner of the Burt Reynolds Bandit auction will be getting more than just a shiny new car. They will also get a Florida DMV title proving that Reynolds owned it, as well as Burt’s autograph on the dashboard and hood and an autographed hat and jacket that Reynolds wore during a promotional photo shoot for Bandit.

This isn’t the first time that Burt Reynolds has brought some Smokey and the Bandit memorabilia to auction. He has been selling off other mementos from the movie, including the original Pontiac Trans Am based on the Smokey and the Bandit car, which sold last year.

If the current Burt Reynolds Bandit auction is anything like the last one, the actor is headed for a big payday. The Trans Am auctioned last year was expected to sell for around $80,000, but instead fans got into a bidding war that brought the final sale price to $450,000.

Other items from the movie auctioned last year sold big as well, like the red nylon Bandit jacket that Reynolds wore in the movie, which went for $34,375. A pair of cowboy boots worn in the movie went for $20,000, while a go-kart version of the Bandit car fetched $13,750.

Reynolds, who is now 79, said he was ready to make some space by getting rid of the items.

“It is bittersweet for me to let these things go as I no longer have room for them,” he wrote last year. “At this stage of my life I find it very difficult to manage them all.”

Though he made a lot last year, this year’s Trans Am auction could fetch even more, noted Trans Am expert Rick Deiters of TransAmFlorida.com.

“The 1977 Trans Am Special Edition, AKA the Bandit car is possibly one of the most iconic cars of all time.”

“In the last 10 years, these cars have gained incredible attention, proving that iconic cars are desirable and collectible … as such, a huge amount of fans of the car and the movie are out there looking for this important piece of Americana. To find an authentic black on black 1977 TA Special Edition proves to be a mission because only a limited amount of them were produced. In 2014 alone, ones in museum quality condition sold for over $100,000 and in December of 2014, another ’77 Trans Am from Reynolds’ collection sold for $450,000 … and in my opinion, that car wasn’t in as good a condition as some of the others I’ve seen.”

The Burt Reynolds Bandit auction will take place April 24 at the Carlisle Auctions in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

[Image via Carlisle Auctions]

Share this article: Burt Reynolds Bandit Auction: Actor Selling Pontiac Trans Am Modeled After Iconic ‘Smokey And The Bandit’ Car
More from Inquisitr