Written by Barbara Toombs
All of us at Barrett-Jackson were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend Burt Reynolds. We will always treasure the many special moments he shared with us and are honored to have several of his cars crossing the block at our 2018 Las Vegas Auction.
At the 2016 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, history was made when a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am used to promote the 1977 film “Smokey and The Bandit” sold for a world-record $550,000, helped in no small part by the fact that legendary Hollywood actor Burt Reynolds – the star of the film – accompanied the car onto the auction block.
The crowd in the arena at the 2016 Scottsdale Auction went wild when the legendary actor Burt Reynolds (center, in cowboy hat) stepped out of the Trans Am used to promote his movie “Smokey and the Bandit.”
Reynolds, then 80, had every bit as much charisma and stage presence as he did some 40 years earlier. “I’m very happy to be here,” he said from the stage. Then, looking out at the enormous crowd, paused and said, “Good Lord.”
Looking back at that moment, Reynolds – in his last interview before his passing on September 6, 2018 – said, “I was very humbled by the attendance – I did not expect that big of a crowd. It was a real thrill. I’ve been to a lot of football games where they cheer the team on, but I’ve never seen anything like that – a crowd cheering for my car!”
Burt Reynolds joined Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson on stage at the 2018 Palm Beach Auction with his 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Indy Pace car – one of three vehicle the actor brought to the auction.
Since that 2016 auction, Reynolds has returned to many Barrett-Jackson events, bringing with him various vehicles from his collection, most of which are re-creations of cars from his films. “The original cars used in the movies were disposed of, due to liability reasons,” says Reynold’s friend and business partner Gene Kennedy of Bandit Movie Cars Florida. “Universal Studios wouldn’t allow the sale of cars that may have had some frame damage from the stunts performed.” They’ve worked extensively with Restore a Muscle Car in Nebraska to make sure the re-creations are kept to the level of restoration and value they should be. “They’re historic pieces of time from the ’70s,” says Kennedy, “and we want to keep them that way.”
Burt Reynolds joined Jan-Michael Vincent in a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula while filming “Hooper.” A re-creation of the vehicle is among those coming to the Las Vegas Auction as Lot #710.
Kennedy has worked closely with Reynolds, researching the vehicles and finding the correct parts to meticulously re-create them. A self-proclaimed car guy, he has also served as custodian of Reynolds’ vehicles. Turns out Reynolds was also a bit of a car guy himself. “I’ve always loved cars,” he admitted. “We had a family car, a Buick, that was probably the first car I drove. I also wrecked it later. But once I signed onto ‘Riverboat’ (a TV series that ran from 1959-60) and got my contract with Universal, I bought a ’57 T-Bird. It was white on white and was really something. That’s always been one of my all-time favorites, the ’55 to ’57 Thunderbird.”
One of Reynolds’ best motoring memories, however, was about a motorcycle. “We grew up pretty poor,” he said, “so I actually had a motorcycle I bought from my friend Mo Mustaine for $25. My dad was chief of police and didn’t want me to drive it. I could never figure out why it wouldn’t start during the week so I could take it to school. Turns out my dad would sneak out early in the morning and pull the plug wire and then put the cap back on top of the resistor! I loved that little bike.”
Prior to his passing, Reynolds and his team had polished up three of only a few remaining in his collection to bring to the 2018 Las Vegas Auction, to be sold at No Reserve. All the vehicles were Reynolds’ personal cars and have been autographed by him. “Over the years, I’ve had various cars that I’ve kept a while,” said Reynolds, “but it just became time to downsize.”
Lot #709 – Burt Reynolds’ 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am “Bandit” Re-creation.
The first of the vehicles headed to Las Vegas is a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am “Bandit” Re-creation (Lot #709). Reynolds readily admitted the Trans Am was his favorite car from his films. “When Jerry Reed saw it in camera for the first time, he said, ‘Honey, hush!’” he recalled. “Hal Needham (director of ‘Smokey and The Bandit’) brought me the worst script I’d ever read, but I knew we could have fun with it if we got the right cast – especially (Jackie) Gleason. He never said the same line twice, but basically improvised the whole thing. And of course I got to ride around with Sally (Field). Falling in ‘like’ with Sally is the best memory I have from those films.”
Lot #709 is an exact duplicate of the car used in “Smokey and the Bandit” – right down to the CB antenna.
The Trans Am offered in Las Vegas is “pretty special,” said Reynolds. “It is an exact duplicate of the one that was used in the film, all the way down to the CB antenna. To see the detail of a car we used 40-plus years ago is very humbling. My friend Gene Kennedy has done an amazing job with it.”
Kennedy and the team worked with Hal Needham’s company, Stunts Unlimited, to ensure the replica was accurate, right down to the smallest details. Even the white letters on the tires are correct; they’re the same tires used on the movie car. “The CB, the scanner – everything that’s inside the car has all been painstakingly researched, found and added back to the car the same way it was in the movies,” says Kennedy. The car is powered by a 400ci V8 engine backed by a custom-built 200-4R automatic transmission, and also features new air-conditioning components and all-new Butler Performance parts.
Lot #710 – Burt Reynolds’ 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula “Hooper” Re-creation
The second Reynolds car is a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula (Lot #710) that replicates the Retro-Rocket he used in the 1978 film “Hooper,” which paid homage to the stuntmen in America at that time. Reynolds did quite a few of the stunts on that film himself, and also served as an uncredited producer. “(Stuntman) Glenn Wilder and I were in the car in Alabama,” Reynolds remembered, “driving through what Hal Needham set up and called ‘disaster city.’ We just barely made it out past the smokestack when it came crashing down!” Featuring a 403ci V8 engine and an automatic transmission, the car comes with a replica of the silver jacket Reynolds used in the film.
Lot #711 – Burt Reynolds’ 1987 Chevrolet R30 Pickup “Cannonball Run” Re-creation.
A 1987 Chevrolet R30 pickup (Lot #711) that’s a re-creation of the Indy Hauler used in the star-studded 1981 film “The Cannonball Run” – about the ultimate cross-country auto race – is the last member of the Reynolds trio coming to Las Vegas. “With ‘Cannonball Run’ I always think of Dom Deluise,” said Reynolds. “How can you replace Dom?”
In a scene shot in the desert just outside Las Vegas, the “Cannonball Run” truck jumped over a moving freight train.
Kennedy says the truck has been on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and innumerable events over the years. “There were two famous scenes featuring the truck in ‘Cannonball Run,’ he says. “In one, the truck actually went into the hotel and made a pretty big entrance, and in the other, it actually jumped over a moving freight train! It took 5 days to film that little 2-second shot – and it was filmed out in the desert near Las Vegas.” With a 496ci V8 engine with FiTech fuel injection under the hood, mated to a 4L80E automatic transmission, the truck has been updated with modern comforts like power steering and brakes, as well as air conditioning.
The sale of these three vehicle represents the end of an era. “These are more or less the last of Mr. Reynolds’ movie cars,” says Kennedy. “They are a trio that represent three of his top movies. When they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Don’t miss the opportunity to own one (or more) of these unique pieces of history!
For up-to-date information on these and other vehicles on the 2018 Las Vegas docket, click HERE.