This is a stunt vehicle that was memorably used in Steve McQueen’s last ever film, The Hunter, released in 1980. The car was blown up during the film and then given to a farmer in Illinois as compensation.
It has remained in film-used condition ever since. First it spent almost 40 years sitting forgotten in a barn before being rediscovered and bought by an enthusiast who has spent years touring car shows with it.
Fast Facts – A Pontiac Trans Am Stunt Car
- This car was used in the 1980 film “The Hunter” starring Steve McQueen. It would be McQueen’s final film role before his untimely death in November of 1980 at the age of 50 from mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure.
- In the film, which is based on a true story, McQueen plays a bounty hunter who travels the length and breadth of the country finding bail jumpers and returning them to custody.
- In the film, Steve McQueen gets the 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am shown in this article as his rental car from a Nebraska airport. He sets off to pursue two fugitives, the Branch brothers, and the car plays a major part in the action, eventually getting blown up.
- After filming the car was apparently given to a local farmer to thank him for his help, presumably as a keepsake or memento. Perhaps unsure what to do with it, the farmer put it in one of his barns for almost 40 years.
- The car was discovered by an enthusiast who bought it and has since been touring car shows with it in “as used” film condition. It’s now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Scottsdale, Arizona.
Steve McQueen’s Last Role: “The Hunter”
The Hunter is a 1980 action-thriller film starring Steve McQueen in his final movie role before his death at age 50 from mesothelioma later that year. McQueen plays Ralph “Papa” Thorson, based on a real-life professional bounty hunter, and the film is semi-biographical.
Above Film: This is the official cinematic trailer for “The Hunter,” it was to be Steve McQueen’s last film and it included many of the things audiences loved to see from him – the tough guy persona, car chases, bad guys, and more than a few explosions.
The movie follows Thorson as he pursues various fugitives who have skipped bail. He’s a tough and streetwise tracker, skilled at capturing his targets – however his unconventional methods often put him at odds with the police and the bail bondsmen who hire him.
One memorable scene involves Thorson renting a Pontiac Trans Am. He engages in a chase while pursuing a pair of bail jumpers, McQueen fans have commented that in some respects it was fitting that he had a car chase in his final film, as it brought back memories of his famous chase scene in his 1968 film Bullitt. Though in this particular car chase scene he was driving a combine harvester.
Thorson’s life becomes more complicated when he discovers that he has become the target of a killer seeking revenge, a man he previously hunted down and returned to law enforcement. He must use all his skills and experience to evade the assassin while continuing his work as a bounty hunter, criss-crossing the United States.
Throughout the film, Thorson’s personal life is also explored, including his relationships with his pregnant girlfriend and his mother. The story culminates in a suspenseful confrontation between Thorson and his would-be assassin, though I won’t go into detail here so as not to spoil the film if you haven’t seen it.
The Hunter showcases McQueen’s classic tough-guy persona and features several memorable action sequences, including car chases and shootouts. The film is notable for being McQueen’s last completed role before he passed away in November 1980, just months after the film’s release.
While not as critically acclaimed as some of McQueen’s earlier works, The Hunter still provides an entertaining showcase for the legendary actor’s talent and charisma in his final screen appearance.
You may have come across this picture of McQueen leaving out of a trans Am before, “The Hunter” is the film in which the scene occurred. Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Stunt Car Shown Here
The severely damaged vehicle you see in this article is one of two cars used for the explosion scene in the movie. As mentioned further up it spent the following ~40 years in a barn before being bought by an enthusiast.
Given the fact that this is one of the final cars McQueen drove on camera it will likely attract plenty of attention from collectors and enthusiasts.
When it was ordered new it was optioned with the WS6 Special Performance Package from the factory. It’s equipped with a non-running 403 cubic inch V8, a 3-speed automatic transmission, and a Safe-T-Track limited-slip differential.
Interestingly after it was built this car remained in the Pontiac Motor Division show car fleet. It was then bought by Paramount Pictures a year later, eventually finding its way onto the set for The Hunter in Nebraska, and into the waiting hands of Steve McQueen.
The car from this article (and its sibling) are arguably the most memorable vehicles in the film. The chase scene with a combine harvester may have been a Hollywood first, and McQueen returning the rental car on a dual axle trailer certainly got a few laughs. Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
If you would like to see the fate that befell the car in the movie you can catch a glimpse of it in the trailer for The Hunter which I’ve embedded further up in this article. It’s likely that the new owner of this car will choose to preserve it as it is now as a display piece. There’s a chance it’ll sell to someone who wants to restore it though, and bring it back to life as a running, driving car.
The car is now being offered for sale out of Scottsdale, Arizona with a dual-axle trailer, documents from Paramount Pictures and Pontiac Historical Services, a window sticker copy, a build sheet, cardboard cutouts from the film, a trailer title, and a bill of sale for the car. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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.
