1976-1981 Pontiac Trans Am “Bandit”

The notorious decal package included a black and gold “screaming chicken” on the hood, special Trans Am logos in gothic lettering, and that disco-era automotive fashion statement, the T-top

by Patrick Smith

The second-generation Pontiac Trans Am was in production for twelve years, from 1970 to 1981, and effectively captured a generation of car enthusiasts in an era when Motor City muscle was in decline. Admittedly, the Trans Am of the mid-1970s was a pale imitation of earlier models, an underpowered, portly beast that nearly fell victim to the same tightening government regulations that had killed the GTO and ’Cuda, and reduced the Ford Mustang to a gussied-up Pinto. But the film success of Burt Reynolds’ Smokey and the Bandit lifted the Trans Am from just another muscle-car wannabe to the status of a cultural icon. The film’s real star wasn’t Reynolds, but a black and gold ’77 TA, an option package that actually went on sale the year before, when no one had ever heard of “Bo Darville.” The 1976 Trans Am “Limited Edition” (LE) was introduced at the February Chicago Auto Show, featuring black paint, gold pinstripes, gold interior accents, gold honeycomb wheels...