Barb Schneider and Megan Bell are the proud co-owners of a limited edition 1981 Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition that was built to pay homage to the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ movie cars made famous by the late actor Burt Reynolds.
The mother and daughter team have different reasons for co-ownership, but both are big fans of the legendary Reynolds car movies.
Jim Sutherland
Megan is Barb’s daughter and arguably one of the biggest ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ fans on the planet. Megan has watched the movie series countless times and can even recite the movies’ lines, according to her mother Barb.
Therefore, ownership of an iconic movie car replica always in the cards for Megan, although Barb is also a co-owner of the ’81 Bandit car for an additional reason: Barb told Megan “No guy is coming after you for the car”, so she will stay on title until Megan meets a guy who is not after the Bandit tribute car.
The very cool tribute Trans Am was a 16th birthday present for Megan and fulfilled her long-held wish to own a car that embodied all the style of the movie star.
Shortly after purchase, Barb and the ’81 Bandit TA were able to attend a car event called the “40th Anniversary Bandit Run”, an annual celebration of the movies and Trans Am star cars used in them. Even better, she met Burt Reynolds at the event, about a year before his death.
Barb lives in western Canada and received an award for traveling the greatest distance (7000 miles round trip) to attend the show in Georgia. Additionally, Barb drove the entire trip because she went solo to the 40th anniversary Bandit event on the other side of another country, namely the United States.
The long journey in a then-36-year-old car did not intimidate Barb and she was able to join a convoy of like-minded Bandit fans along the way, although a radiator issue in Texas forced her to stay behind for repairs. Barb admitted she was apprehensive when a bunch of local guys showed up–but they were interested in the Bandit car and just wanted to know more about it.
We at MyStarCollectorCar were also very curious about the Bandit TA, and Barb was able to fill in the blanks about her and Megan’s car. She bought the ‘81 Trans Am from an owner in the United States, and it is indeed a survivor car because it has its original paint, interior, powertrain (4.6 liter/3-speed automatic transmission), T-tops, and wild TA decal package. Barb added the minor damage to the front emblem was caused by the heat from the blown radiator on her long trip.
The car’s hood scoop sets the table for the Bandit car’s sporty style and looks great as a center piece for the large, iconic bird of prey decal on its hood.
The only significant change from factory is the Trans Am’s sound system because it is an aftermarket product that is better than the car’s stock audio system. However, the change is easily reversed, but mother and daughter both intend to drive the car whenever the spirit moves them, so good sound is a good thing.
Eventually Barb’s name will not be on the official title for the car when Megan finds the right non-car guy, but this Bandit will always be in Barb’s heart.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
