1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Is an All-Original Museum Piece, Looks Best in the Driveway

By all accounts, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is part of that rather short list. Produced by a brand that's no longer around from 1967 to 2002, the moniker's first few generations established themselves as true collectibles and incredibly valuable cars.

The model was brought into this world by the GM brand to face (and possibly even replace) the mighty Ford Mustang in the hearts and minds of American customers. Sure, there was already the Chevrolet Camaro in the GM stables to do that, but it never hurts to have a backup, now, does it?

In all fairness, the Firebird Trans Am's rise to power is not owed solely to the car's road and track attributes, or whatever marketing gimmick the carmaker devised for it. A certain movie called Smokey and the Bandit, and an actor named Burt Reynolds helped the GM product become a sort of an instant star among car enthusiasts perhaps a lot more than anything else.

I mean, what's not to love about a character using a powerful American car to keep law enforcement busy while another one, played by Jerry Reed, was hard at work moving several hundred cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta in a race against the clock?

There is no doubt about it that the most famous of all Trans Ams is the one used by good old Burt for his on-screen exploits. To the best of our knowledge, that particular car is presently in the ownership of a Palmetto, Florida resident, who took the car on a sort of nationwide tour back in 2022, when the flick celebrated the 45th anniversary of its release.

Another Trans Am, the only 1977 example to have ever been owned by Burt Reynolds, showed up for sale that same year on the lot of auction house Barrett-Jackson. Used as a promotional vehicle for the movie, it was was later gifted to Reynolds, who held on to it until 2014.

Restored to its original condition, it made such a splash during the auction that eventually, after a bitter fight between bidders, it managed to sell for a staggering $495,000.

The same Barrett-Jackson just revealed last week another beautiful Trans Am it will try to sell, this time during the Scottsdale, Arizona fall auction taking place in October. This one has no direct connection to the actor or the movie, as far as we can tell, but it does have something truly special about it: it is all original.

That's right, the car is in a state that's identical to the one it was in when it rolled off the assembly lines. From the bodywork and the paint job to the matching numbers 400ci engine and three-speed automatic transmission, there's nothing off about this vehicle. That's the most potent powertrain setup offered for this model back when it was still in production.

The car is in current state thanks to the fact it was for most of its life a museum piece – Barrett-Jackson does not say which museum displayed it, or why that's no longer the case. Purchased by a private owner some 12 years ago, it was then stored in a garage and only driven for 130 miles (209 km) during all this time.

The total mileage of the vehicle is just 3,028 miles (4,873 km, about as much as the one that sold for almost half a million dollars), and it is going complete with original documents and service history.

We're not told anything about the car's expected selling price, given how the auction house will send it under the hammer with no reserve. It probably won't get anywhere near in terms of value as the one owned by Burt Reynolds, but it won't be cheap either, and a pretty big fight is expected to break out over it.

Just to give you an idea of what to expect, consider the fact that a Pontiac Trans Am from 1976, untouched in any way by Burt Reynolds and with no relation to the Smokey and the Bandit movie, has a market value of about $71,500.

At least that's how much valuation specialist Hagery says a Concours condition car such as this is worth, and you clearly can't deny the state of this vehicle pretty much matches that description.

We'll keep an eye out to see how this Trans Am does when the hammer falls, and if something spectacular happens, rest assured we'll tell you all about it. In the meantime, make sure you enjoy the Trans Am in the setting it belongs best, a driveway (check the gallery for that).