1979 Pontiac Trans Am — Y84 Special Edition

The car every kid drew on a schoolbook

Few cars are as instantly recognisable as the black-and-gold Pontiac Trans Am. This is the Y84 Special Edition — the definitive “Bandit” specification, made immortal by Burt Reynolds in the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit — finished in black, dripping with gold: gold pinstriping, gold snowflake wheels, gold badging, and the enormous gold “screaming chicken” spread across the hood. That hood bird actually predates the movie — GM created the black-and-gold look in 1976 to mark Pontiac’s 50th anniversary — but it was Smokey and the Bandit that turned it into a pop-culture icon and sent Trans Am sales into orbit.

Ours is a genuine, numbers-matching Y84 — not a tribute, not a clone — right down to the removable T-tops and the original CB radio. Under that dramatic hood sits the 6.6-litre Oldsmobile 403 V8 with automatic transmission — smooth, torquey and built to loaf, exactly as most 1979 Trans Ams left the factory.

A muscle car in looks, a gentleman’s cruiser in character

Let’s be honest about what this car is — because it’s part of the charm. By 1979, the golden age of raw horsepower was over, strangled by emissions rules, and the Trans Am had become a car that looked far faster than it went. That’s the whole point of this one. It is muscular, theatrical and unforgettable to look at, it rumbles wonderfully, and it starts conversations everywhere it goes — but it is a relaxed cruiser, not a fast car. Expect drag-strip pace and you’ll miss the magic entirely.

So this is a car to savour, not to thrash. It’s made for a sunny-day cruise with the T-tops out, a milestone birthday or anniversary, a wedding entrance, or a photo and film shoot — the kind of drive where the journey, the sound and the attention are the experience. If you’re looking to peel out and light up the tyres, this isn’t the car for you. If you want to feel like a million dollars rolling slowly down Main Street with everyone watching, there’s nothing better.

Further reading: The Screaming Chicken’s story · Smokey and the Bandit