What car was featured in the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit"?

The car featured in the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit was a Pontiac Firebird, specifically the black Trans Am version.

Burt Reynolds drives the car as Bo “Bandit” Darville, who must transport 400 cases of Coors beer across state lines while Jackie Gleason’s Sheriff Buford T. Justice pursues him. The car’s black paint, gold graphics, hood scoop, and distinctive eagle emblem became among the most recognizable automotive images in film history.

The production received four Pontiac Trans Ams and two Pontiac LeMans sedans from Pontiac. Although the movie presents the hero car as a 1977 model, the Trans Ams used in filming were actually 1976 cars fitted with 1977 front-end components. Several cars were damaged or destroyed during the demanding chase sequences.

The most precise answer is “1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am,” but “1977 Pontiac Firebird” identifies the correct model family and is a fair quiz answer. The car’s popularity also helped drive a surge of interest in the Firebird Trans Am after the film became a box-office hit.