Sounds Of Summer Nights: Iconic Black And Gold 1977 Trans Am

Few cars can capture the attention of automotive enthusiasts so easily as the iconic black and gold 1977 Trans Am from Pontiac.

Ask any red-blooded American male over 40 what his dream car is and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a car more desired than the Pontiac Firebird. More specifically, the 1977 black and gold Trans Am of Hollywood fame.

Its appearance in the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit cemented its legacy forever and compelled one of our dearest friends that there was no other car for him.

Purdie’s 1977 Trans Am

Bob Purdie shared the story of his beautiful Pontiac at our latest Karl Kustoms Summer Nights.

“Ever since I was six-years-old when our dad took us to the movies to see Smokey and the Bandit, that was the car that I fell in love with.”

Purdie picked up the ’77 Trans Am for a meager $500. But with that low price tag came plenty of work.

“My brother Arlan, he did the engine. I did the transmission, the interior, I did the body and paint. And he also helped me with the T-top.”

Nowadays, his Firebird is in showroom condition. From head to toe, this mechanical beauty is flawless. But for Purdie, getting his T-top was the cherry on top.

“This was the crown jewel, the T-top. I had all kinds of people before I put this on, they were like ‘Boy! That’s a beautiful car, too bad it doesn’t have T-top.’ And I tried to always brush that off, but deep down inside that’s what I always wanted.”