Jason's 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am: the movie star muscle car
You only need to look at the rego plates on Jason Bell’s stunning 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Special Edition to know where the inspiration to own such an American performance icon came from. After being mesmerised by its starring role in the original Smokey and The Bandit movie, Jason eventually turned his childhood dream of ownership into reality.
The 1977 Trans Am was arguably a bigger drawcard than the film’s stellar cast including Burt ‘The Bandit’ Reynolds, Jackie ‘Smokey’ Gleason, Sally Field and Jerry Reed. The feel-good car chase comedy only cost USD$4.3 million to make but earned more than $120 million at the box office, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1977 beaten only by Star Wars.
The Trans Am became wildly popular as a result, with sales almost doubling within two years of the film’s release and Firebird outselling Camaro for the first time.
However, Jason was never going to be satisfied with just owning a Hollywood legend. The Perth-based Shannons Club member wanted his example to be the best to cruise the streets of WA’s capital, so he’s spent the past decade patiently rejuvenating it with a resolute pursuit of perfection.
Image: Universal Studios
“With any cars I’ve owned (including a CV8 Monaro and C5 Corvette) I’ve never kept them standard,” Jason says. “I’ve always strived to make them the best they can be, with modifications that improve performance but remain true to the original.”
In other words, bolt-on components (like its beautiful 19-inch wheels we’ll get to later) that can be easily removed and replaced by OEM parts to return it to showroom specification. It’s a smart strategy because he gets the best of both worlds: classic looks and provenance with more modern driving dynamics.
For the past 13 years Jason’s been working as a driller for BHP in WA’s mining sector. So, he’s had ample time to focus on perfecting his Trans Am, given his FIFO (Fly In, Fly Out) employment schedule requires one week on, one week off.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to travel stateside in search of his dream car, after he chanced upon a magazine article in 2013 which featured the classic car collection of a motorcycle dealer based in Bunbury south of Perth.
Image: Jason Bell
“In the photo of his garage, next to a Corvette and a Falcon GT, was a black and gold 1977 Trans Am and I knew straight away it was a Special Edition which was the model and colour I was after,” Jason recalls.
“I contacted the guy to see if he wanted to sell it. He’d imported it from the US and even though it was a nice driver it needed a bit of work. Fortunately, he was happy to sell it to me for a fair price.”
The Trans Am’s origins can be traced to 1969 when Pontiac secured naming rights from the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) to use the name of its popular Trans-Am national road-racing series for an ill-fated Firebird contender.
Pontiac also added an optional Trans Am performance and appearance package. Its popularity ensured the Trans Am would become not only a permanent model but also the premium Firebird offering in future generations, typically with upgraded power and handling plus unique body styling enhancements and graphics.
Image: Jason Bell
Jason’s 1977 Trans Am is based on the second-generation Firebird released in 1970, which shared GM’s latest F-body platform with the equally new Chevrolet Camaro.
Although their wheelbases were lineball with the first-gen cars, they were longer, wider and lower. Their sleeker profiles toned down the signature Coke-bottle rear ‘hips’ of the 1960s and their roof lines were characterised by thick B-pillars and steeply-raked rear windows which flowed into elegantly sloping boot-lids.
1976 marked 200 years of American independence and 50 years of Pontiac. To commemorate these milestones, Pontiac released the first of several Firebird Trans Am Anniversary Editions. These cars (Regular Production Option Y82) were resplendent in black with numerous gold accents including an enormous ‘bird of fire’ decal on the bonnet, which won wide acclaim and ensured continuation of the Y82 Special Edition in future models.
1977 brought a restyle of the Firebird’s sloping nose theme, with a return to four headlights for the first time since 1969. However, they were now rectangular in shape and set deep into new beak-like grille apertures, creating what is arguably the finest front-end of the second-gen Firebirds.
Image: Jason Bell
Y82 Special Edition Trans Ams (like The Bandit’s) featured 15 x 7-inch ‘snowflake’ alloy wheels and ‘T-top’ removable roof sections for wind-in-the-hair motoring. However, Jason is pleased his example was ordered without the T-top, as the hardtop versions (Y81) are rarer and the Hurst-installed roof can be problematic for owners due to rattles and weather-sealing issues.
The original buyer in Ohio also ordered the L78 drivetrain with 400cid/6.6-litre V8 (complete with ‘shaker’ engine air intake) and TH350 three-speed auto, ‘Rally’ Radial Tuned Suspension and many other desirable factory options including deluxe interior, air-conditioning, cruise control, tinted glass, power windows, power door-locks, tilt steering wheel and more.
Since buying the Trans Am in 2013, Jason has methodically worked his way through each area of the car to ensure it meets his peerless standards.
After removing the interior trim, he discovered minor rust in the floor-pans, which was not surprising given the unrestored Firebird was approaching four decades of service by then.
Image: Jason Bell
The external paintwork was also in need of a freshen-up, so he sought professional help from Perth’s Distorted Paint & Restoration which fixed the floor metal, perfected the external panels and applied its gleaming new black paint.
Jason applied most of the new gold pinstriping and body decals himself, apart from the huge bonnet decal and central roof stripes which required the expertise of Perth Signs. The finishing touch was a complete detail and ceramic coating by Proshine.
When the time came to reinstall the interior trim, Jason fitted Dynamat soundproofing under the carpet and re-upholstered the front seats himself. That exacting task required renewal of the internal foam and installation of new OEM-grade vinyl seat covers supplied in kit form from the US.
Image: instagram.com/wacarxotics/
As highlighted earlier, a major reason why this Trans Am looks so tough are its big 19 x 9.5-inch wheels from US supplier YearOne. These beautifully-crafted alloys are effectively a larger version of the ‘snowflake’ wheel that was part of the WS6 option package for 1978-1981 Trans Ams.
Complete with gold-painted spoke recesses like the factory originals, these large hoops not only fill the wheel arches to perfection but also give Jason access to the latest in high performance tyre technology. In this case, nothing less than 275/35 Michelin Pilot Sports up front and 295/35 Super Sport rears.
To further rejuvenate its ride and handling, Pedders renewed all the suspension bushings and installed springs with a lower ride height for improved chassis response and aesthetic appeal.
“The handling is good even by today’s standards because they were pretty much a sports car in the 1970s,” Jason assures. “With the Pedders improvements, it’s really nice to drive and they lowered it to just the right height for the 19s.”
Image: Jason Bell
The 400cid V8 has also been rebuilt, with its performance enhanced by what Jason calls “a nice street package” shipped from Pontiac specialist Butler Performance in the US. This liberates the 6.6-litre V8 from its original power-sapping specification enforced by tough 1970s anti-smog mandates.
With new hardware including a high-lift camshaft, high-compression forged pistons, freer-flowing exhaust headers etc, Jason says the Trans Am now breathes much deeper, runs much harder and sounds much better than the stock set-up.
Given these enhancements, you may have guessed this Poncho is no trailer or garage queen, as he likes nothing better than getting behind the wheel.
Image: instagram.com/wacarxotics/
“On my week off, I drive it every chance I can get. It’s not a car to be left in the garage because I’ve spent a lot of time and money on it and want to enjoy it.
“With its bigger cam you can really see the shaker moving. To me, that’s a muscle car, when you’re sitting at the lights and it rumbles and shakes.
“It’s also one of those cars that you hardly ever see on the street. People are shocked when you tell them it’s pretty much like it came from the factory. It’s just such a fun car to drive and own.”
If he was still alive today, we have no doubt Burt ‘The Bandit’ Reynolds would agree with you, Jason!
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