If you are a Pontiac fan, the year 2010 was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Having battled an economic downturn in 2008, General Motors had announced that the Pontiac brand would sadly shut down by 2010, despite frantic calls from fans to keep the badge going.
Pontiac had gone out in a blaze of glory, with its fastest car ever, the G8 GXP, being sold in showrooms pretty much until the end, but this wasn’t enough to save the company. Pontiac was shutting its doors, ending decades of being at the forefront of the world of American muscle cars. The last car to roll off the production line was a G6, and with that, the company shut down, leaving memories of its glory days as nothing more than a crackly image on an old VHS tape.
As any gearhead knows, Pontiac was and is a legend in the world of American muscle cars – it is even credited with kicking the whole segment off in the ’60s with the venerable GTO. The company’s sad demise saw the end of a long line of Firebirds and Trans Ams – although these ended in the early 2000s – a model that had supplied a decent shove of V8 power, eye-catching looks, and affordability, to the average American car fan. Sadly, after 2010, the chances of these models returning seemed like nothing but a dream. But the story didn’t end there. The Screaming Chicken would rise again with a new Trans Am – and nobody saw it coming.
The car in the YouTube video, with black paint and gold trim, looks instantly familiar. Then there is a close-up of a pair of cowboy boots walking past a very ’70s-looking gold Snowflake alloy wheel. Finally, we see Burt Reynolds himself leaning into a T-Top cabin. At first glance, this could be a classic Smokey and the Bandit era Pontiac Trans Am, but it’s just too new. It could only mean one thing: the Bandit is back with a brand-new version of the 1976 Pontiac Trans Am that starred in the hit movie. Dreams do indeed come true.
These new versions of classic Trans Ams have been lovingly created in the last decade by Trans Am Depot, a restorer and restomod specialist based in Tallahassee, Florida. The cars are incredible recreations of the much-loved originals, using new technology at their core, matched with classic retro styling. The vehicles also use contemporary 3-D CAD design to bring back the glory days of American muscle. For fans of Trans Ams, the company’s creations are a glimpse of what Pontiacs would be like if they were still in business today.
The story goes that in 2012, GM offered the Trans Am name and Pontiac logo to Pontiac specialists Trans Am Depot. The specialist company decided it was time to revive the Trans Am for the modern era, and give fans of the iconic muscle car a new version that matched the legendary looks with contemporary mechanicals. Starting with new Camaros, Trans Am Depot extensively reworks the cars, giving them a classic design language, as well as the Screaming Chicken hood painted decal and even new versions of the fan-favorite Snowflake wheels. Trans Am Depot has made a long line of special new Trans Ams, as well as other modern interpretations of classic Pontiacs.
Arguably, the most highly collectible modern platform Trans Am conversion the company ever built is the Bandit Edition, which was limited to just 77 cars, presumably to tie-in with the year that the original Smokey and the Bandit movie hit theaters. Each car in the Bandit series was autographed by Burt Reynolds, and there was an option of three performance packages, including a 7.4-liter LSX Stage V performance option with 840 horsepower.
The cars have painted graphics (Bandit stripes added) and iconic T-tops, with the Burt Reynolds signature on the dash. As if that wasn’t enough, owners received Bandit gloves, a leather-bound Bandit booklet and a Bandit Edition Stetson hat, so they could pretend to be bootleggers at the weekends.
There are plenty of cool special editions of the Trans Am that the company offers. Another notable model is the modern Super Duty Edition, which was limited to only 50 units and built in tribute to the legendary ’73 and ’74 Trans Am Super Duty. This car is built on the sixth-gen GM Alpha platform, and each 7.4-liter streetable race engine has more than 1,000 horsepower and was custom-designed and built by legendary NASCAR engine builder, Joey Arrington of North Carolina.
Trans Am Depot also built a Hurst Edition in collaboration with Hurst Performance between 2014 and 2016. It seems there were different performance packages available again, including the fitment of a 2.3-liter supercharger, headers, and an upgraded fuel system with a final output of 675 horsepower. Just one of these cars also received the Bandit treatment and was signed by Burt Reynolds. In case you are wondering, the original Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am sold for almost half a million dollars at one point.
Currently, Trans Am Depot offers a 50th Anniversary Trans Am Edition, limited to eight convertibles and eight hardtops. These cars are offered with the same retro styling touches as the others, along with optional engine packages from 450 horsepower to more than 1,000 gee-gees. There are also thoroughly modern carbon fiber body panels, improved braking and suspension systems, and functional Ram Air. Another model, entitled the Outlaw Edition, it naturally channels the ’70 through the ’79 Trans Am. This car has a retro seat package, traditional Snowflake wheels, the trademark shaker hood, optional glass T-tops, and the painted “Screaming Chicken” logo.
Delve deeper into the amazing creations of Trans Am Depot, and you’ll find some other familiar models with a modern twist. The Hurst Judge GTO was limited to just seven cars, including one that was built with a 770-horsepower Supercharged LS7. The attention to detail is insane, from the classic GTO front end, complete with hide-away headlamps, to the period-correct interior with the traditional coffin badge on the front seats. Even the original Judge hood-tach has been converted to a supercharger boost gauge. These cars come with Rally II-style aluminum wheels and the original-style painted Judge stripes.
Trans Am Depot also creates restomods for anyone with classic muscle cars in need of a present-day reboot. Customers can spec frame up restorations, as well as a high-performance LS7 package with a 4L85 Supermatic four-speed transmission for classic rides.
Source: Transamdepot.com
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