The original Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am.
A bit of deception was used in order to produce the movie cars. Per my friend Dave at Pro-Touring F-Body, the 1977 model year car, with the four quad headlight front end, was not in production yet. Four cars were used in the movie plus one special promotional vehicle.
The entire duration of the filming, a 1976 Trans Am was used instead, with just the front bumper of the 1977 model provided by Pontiac. The movie was intended to promote the sales of the ‘New for 1977’ model year Trans Am.
A total of three Trans Ams were destroyed making the film. The fourth and final prop car had to be pushed to complete the scene. That car survived and it is now priceless.
This 1976 promotional west coast press fleet car was optioned with a Pontiac 455 V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission and T-tops. One of only 110 produced in this configuration.
The three spoke steering wheel and engine-turned aluminum dashboards were iconic to the Trans Am cars.
Arguably, one of the best-looking instrument panels of the late 1970s. The 100mph speedo might be exceeded with a full throttle push if so desired.
The most popular engine was the 400ci producing just 180hp/330Ft-Tq and a 3-speed automatic transmission.
Burt Reynolds personal 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am sold at Barret-Jackson Auto Auction in 2022 for 495,000.00. This Starlight Black-and-Gold 1977 Trans Am Special Edition was a promotional vehicle later gifted to Reynolds as a "thank you" for his pivotal role in its massive success. It is also the sole '77 Trans Am owned by Reynolds.
https://www.hotcars.com/surprising-facts-pontiac-trans-am-from-smokey-and-the-bandit/
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=1976+bandit&t=opera&iax=images&ia=images&iai=http%3A%2F%2Fclassiccardb.com%2Fuploads%2Fpostfotos%2F1976-trans-am-special-edition-50th-anniversary-28590-original-miles-t-tops-ac-3.JPG
https://barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/BURT-REYNOLDS-1977-PONTIAC-FIREBIRD-TRANS-AM-SE-251281