Trans-Am looks, V8 power and ULEZ exempt: Pontiac Firebird is unlikely commuting hero

No muscle car aficionado would be fooled by it, but many a fan of the cult 1977 caper Smokey and the Bandit might do a double-take if they spotted this black and gold Pontiac Firebird rumbling down the street.

The four high-performance Trans Am models used (and subsequently trashed) in the making of the Burt Reynolds classic were T-tops from the previous model year and while their destruction might have been a shame, the success of the film – it was the second-highest grossing movie in the US in 1977, behind Star Wars – saw annual production of the Firebird range jump from 110,000 in 1976 to 187,000 in 1978.

The Firebird coupé pictured here was built in 1979 and began life as a luxury Esprit version but was soon upgraded by the early addition of a genuine Trans Am body kit and all important ‘spread eagle’ (or ‘screaming chicken’) gold bonnet graphic and other associated metallic decals .

With a documented 30,000 miles on the clock, the car has been registered in the UK from new and is believed to have been garaged for all 45 years of its life – hence its spotless “glass-like” paint finish and astonishingly tidy, unmarked interior.

But while it left the Pontiac factory in Van Nuys, California with General Motor’s modest 231ci/3.8-litre six-cylinder engine (as confirmed by the original build sheets in the car’s bulging history file), current owner Richard Harrison had it upgraded with a more Bandit-worthy 350 V8 shortly after taking possession around six years ago.

The engine was fully rebuilt before installation and can ‘breathe’ properly thanks to the addition of a £1500 bespoke exhaust system that gives the car a suitably effective V8 growl.

It retains, however, all of the many optional extras with which it was fitted prior to being delivered to notable Pontiac dealer John Gimma in New Orleans – additions that ranged from power brakes and a high-ratio rear axle to sports mirrors, dual horns and a full custom interior with bucket seats (plus an ashtray lamp to maximise those Smokey and the Bandit moments).

Barrister Harrison has decided to offload the Firebird as part of a drive to consolidate an extensive vehicle collection – but says he will miss the amusement he derives from driving it to work at his legal chambers in the City of London.

“It’s probably an unexpected car for a lawyer to own, but it’s great fun on the road,” Harrison says. “The engine is super smooth and has proved 100 per cent reliable for me – even while sitting in the numerous summer traffic jams I’ve often faced on the way around the M25.

“And,” adds Harrison, “I love the fact that, despite the fact that it can drink fuel at the rate of something like 10mpg, it’s exempt from the ULEZ charge.”

This is hardly the sort of thing the Bandit would have cared about… but it’s certainly another reason to justify ownership along with the fact that, in the UK at least, it is also MOT and road tax exempt due to being more than 40 years old.

1979 Pontiac Firebird

On sale with Richard Harrison, London. Asking: £20,000. Tel: 07545 562475.

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