This 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am now benefits from a series of upgrades including a wide-body kit, a custom red leather interior, deep red metallic paintwork, an upgraded stereo system, an uprated engine, and a carbon-fiber rear spoiler.
Of all the American sports cars made in the 1970s, the Trans Am is almost certainly the most American. The car was made famous by the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field, a movie that became a surprise global box office hit.
Fast Facts – The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
- The Pontiac Firebird was introduced in 1967 as a new competitor in the pony car market, which was dominated by vehicles like the Ford Mustang. Its design was based on the General Motors (GM) F-body platform, shared with the Chevrolet Camaro. The Firebird’s styling was distinct, featuring a characteristic “coke-bottle” profile and a front grille divided by a chrome bumper.
- The Firebird Trans Am was introduced in 1969 as a high-performance package. Named after the Trans-American racing series, this version featured improved handling, suspension, and horsepower. Initially, it was available only in white with blue racing stripes. The Trans Am quickly gained fame for its performance and distinctive styling, including the iconic ‘screaming chicken’ hood decal in later models.
- The Firebird underwent a major redesign in 1970, marking the beginning of its second generation. This era saw the introduction of the renowned “shaker” hood scoop and a more aerodynamic body style. The 1970s oil crisis and stricter emission regulations led to a gradual decrease in engine power during this period.
- The 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am you see in this article benefits from a slew of upgrades including a wide-body kit, new allow wheels, new paint work, a new interior, upgraded stereo, and more. It’s now being offered for sale out of Moordrecht in the Netherlands.
The 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
The 1977 Pontiac Firebird would be the first with the four rectangular headlamp layout, a look that would quickly come to define the series, along with the prominent hood bird decal, better known as the “Screaming Chicken.”
Above Video: This is the original cinematic trailer for “Smokey and the Bandit” starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. This would be the film that made the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am an international icon.
The 1977 model was a member of the second generation of the Pontiac Firebird series that had debuted in 1970 and would remain in production until 1981, with various yearly updates of course. Much like its predecessor, the first generation Firebird, the second-gen car was based on the F-body platform and was targeted directly at the Ford Mustang.
The Firebird would receive some unexpected help in 1977 when a relatively low budget film called Smokey and the Bandit was released – starring Burt Reynolds as a lovable rogue driving a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am cross-country with Sally Field in the passenger seat.
Although the film had a budget of just $4.3 million USD it would shock many by bringing in almost $127 million at the US box office and over $130 million internationally, for a total of over $300 million. It would be the second most popular cinematic release of the year, just behind a little-known science fiction film called “Star Wars.”
In 1976 the Trans Am had sales of 46,704 units, by 1977, after the release of Smokey and the Bandit, sales shot up to 68,744, then to 93,341 in 1978 before breaking into six figures at 117,108 units in 1979.
Sales would taper off after 1979, the 1980s had arrived and with the new decade came a shift in what American sports car buyers were looking for.
This Trans Am has been fitted with a full body kit, a new leather interior, new wheels, and it’s powered by a 6.6 liter V8.
Today the ’70s era Trans Ams have a cult following in the US and around the world and of course plenty of Smokey and the Bandit clones have been made over the years. Most owners seem to keep their cars original, or close to it, and other prefer to modify their Trans Ams with bodykits, engine swaps, suspension and brake upgrades etc.
The Custom Firebird Trans Am Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that has been thoroughly upgraded with a full bodykit consisting of wider wheel arches front and back and a new carbon fiber rear spoiler.
A set of 16 inch multi-spoke Hurricane-style alloy wheels finished in red with polished spokes have also been installed, fitted with BF Goodrich tires. Deep red metallic paint has been applied over a red leather-upholstered interior with a red leather-trimmed steering wheel.
As you might expect the car has a T-bar roof, this means the left and right roof panels can be removed and stored away when an open-air driving experience is desired, then dropped back into place when the clouds roll in. This roof type was implemented on a few American production cars, including the Corvette, when it was believed that convertibles might be banned on safety grounds.
The interior of the car also benefits from a more modern Alpine radio/CD player and additional speakers, offering a much better listening experience than the original sound system.
Power is provided by a 6.6 liter V8 which powers the rear wheels through an automatic transmission. The listing doesn’t go into much detail about engine upgrades, though the seller does mention that the car has a high-performance ignition, a high-performance fuel pump, a high rise intake manifold, and a 650 cfm dual pump carburetor. A four-row alloy radiator is also fitted, along with an electronic cooling fan, and power is sent back through a limited slip differential.
The listing doesn’t mention any engine upgrades, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this 6.6 liter V8 isn’t exactly stock.
There are a pair of chromed struts in the engine bay to assist with rigidity, and the engine breathes in through a shaker hood with a carbon fiber cover. The factory specification for this car included power assisted brakes with discs up front and more traditional drums in the rear.
This car is now being offered for sale on Collecting Cars out of Moordrecht in the Netherlands. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Collecting Cars
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
