Making a Beast: Trans Am Digital Reimagined

Redesigned 70s-Style Chevy Silverado Pickup

In 2021, Legendary Concepts launched their own innovative version of the Chevrolet Silverado – the Bandit Edition. Intended to pay homage to the iconic Pontiac Trans Am, which featured in the popular film Smokey And The Bandit, it will undoubtedly be on everyone’s wishlist.

The world-renowned Chevy Silverado underwent a drastic metamorphosis to turn it into something splendid; a stunningly gorgeous automobile, donned with both black and gold decorations, as well as the celebrated Screaming Chicken emblem on its hood, laid out an attention-getting example that Barrett Jackson ultimately sold for $286k.

Digital artist JLord8 was inspired to refine and formulate a notion of a Smokey And The Bandit pickup truck; thus propelling the idea forward. By designing a digital representation, the concept has been substantially developed.

Since 2010, Pontiac has become an extinct brand, however the impressive look of the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is unmistakable with its recognisable paint scheme and bonnet sticker. In fact, the cars featured in the movie were actually 1976 Trans Ams boasting the contemporary ‘quad-headlamp’ appearance from the then-brand-new 1977 Trans Am.

JLord8 appears to have taken the Legendary Concepts pickup truck as a base and modified the front-end giving it the appearance of the iconic Bandit. It has been designed to feature a V-shaped nose and grill with four headlamps, a hood scoop, decals and all the black and gold trimmings from the original.

When comparing the new render with the Legendary Concepts version, it is plain to see that the wheel arches, the front splitter, and the front fender intakes are identical. Nevertheless, the cabin structure is now declared a single-cab design.

The rims feature the iconic Trans Am look in a glittering gold hue in contrast to the all-black color palette of the truck that was sold at Barrett Jackson’s.

Should there be a sequel to the GMC Syclone, nothing would be more suitable as an inspiration than the depicted render.

The iconic Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, featured in the classic Smokey and the Bandit, was first released as a 1976 model. Powered by a 6.6-liter V8 engine with a peak 203 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque to its name, this vehicle represents an era of classic American car culture.

The 1977 Trans Am’s lighting was utilised in the movie, which contributed significantly to its success amongst the public and augmented sales of the Trans Am.

Currently, the 1976 Pontiac Firebird has an approximate price of $37,000, according to Classic.com. Hagerty records the value of the ´77 Trans Am as nearly $34,000, which is likely heightened by the movie’s impact.

The revered Concepts pickup truck had a supercharged 5.3-liter V8 with up to 700 horsepower, which is equivalent to the virtual version of the C7 Chevy Corvette ZR1’s 6.2-liter, supercharged LT5 that could generate as much as 755 hp.