Images: SpeedTV

Before we start getting all sorts of angry emails fraught with misspellings, we’re going to say, late-70’s Trans Ams weren’t all that fast. Heck, even Plymouth’s Warlock pickup truck made more horsepower than some of those black and gold screamin’ chickens. But, that doesn’t take away from the Trans Am’s impact on the time line of muscle cars. Unlike any other car, the Pontiac Trans Am stands out as the sole torch bearer of the muscle car legacy during those dim, dark days.

Today, the late ’70s Trans Ams are as much a part of muscle car lore as HEMI ‘Cudas, 396 Camaros and 409 Impalas. Plenty of these “Bandit” edition ‘birds were on hand at this year’s Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction. Made famous by the Burt Reynolds hit, “Smokey and the Bandit,” the screamin’ eagle Trans Am have enjoyed a slight resurgence in popularity, separating itself from its “disco-era kitsch” and into a bona fide collector car.

SpeedTV interviewed Tom Knight of Albuquerque, NM, who said, “The styling has endured for a long, long time. I think there’s been a resurrection now that Pontiac’s dead.” In fact, much of Barrett-Jackson’s Pontiac presence was supplied by like-minded Poncho lovers. Four of the Trans Ams for sale at the three-day auction were supplied by Rick McLaughlin, who operates his own Trans Am museum in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

All four of his Trans Ams – three 1979s and one 1980 – are very-low mileage, single-owner originals with four-speed manual transmissions. McLaughlin selected them for the auction because they were the last of their breed.  “This was the end of the era,” McLaughlin said.

“These are the next up-and-coming cars in the marketplace,” he said. “This is what people want to remember their youth.”