The only Trans Am to survive the filming of the Smokey and the Bandit movie back in 1977 will go up for auction early next year.
The car, which was sold at an auction last year for $450,000, didn’t actually appear in the Burt Reynolds movie or the sequels. But it was used to promote the movies and was owned by Reynolds until a year ago.
The other four 1977 Pontiacs that were used for filming were so damaged that they were destroyed soon after filming was complete, according to auction house Barrett-Jackson Auction, which is selling the car.
A year ago the car was only expected to fetch $60,000 to $80,000, but fans drove up the price during bidding.
When the car was sold last year it hadn’t been driven in nearly 30 years, according to Barrett-Jackson. So the current owner ordered a complete restoration by the McLaughlin Museum. It has the original drivetrain, including a 400-cubic inch Trans Am engine and a 3-speed turbo-hydramatic transmission. It also has a removable T-top, custom trim, and AM/FM radio with a stereo 8-track player.
The car has also been autographed by Reynolds, who will be at the auction to meet the new owner according to Barrett-Jackson.