Home » Why Did They Trash Brand New Pontiacs In The Awful ‘Smokey And The Bandit II’?

Why Did They Trash Brand New Pontiacs In The Awful ‘Smokey And The Bandit II’?

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One of The Autopian’s great strengths is the powerful hive-mind that is you, the readers. On more than a few occasions, we’ve tapped that vast, collective automotive intellect to solve mysteries, ID obscure cars and parts, and even nab bad guys. And now, I’m hoping you can help me with a couple of things I’ve been wondering about for a while.

The first query involves what is likely considered one of the worst movie sequels of all time, Smokey and the Bandit II from 1980. This stinker is bad even for a Burt Reynolds film, which is really saying something.

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Amazon (video for sale)

Admittedly, the original Smokey wasn’t exactly Chaucer; much of the humor is cringe-inducing today even if you’re barely politically aware, let alone correct. Still, it was big dumb fun that Jerry Reid, Sally Field, and Burt-as-a-dufus made watchable.

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Universal Pictures (screenshot)

However, none of Burt’s self-deprecation or breaking the fourth wall was going to save the sequel. Everything was worse; a terrible story, lamer jokes, and a far worse hero car. Like the first movie itself, the 400 cubic inch V8 1977 Trans Am featured in the original wasn’t ultra-sophisticated, but still mighty amusing.

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Universal Pictures (screenshot)

The 1980 Trans Am Turbo in the sequel can be considered an analog for the letdown that was Smokey II. Like other malaise turbos (Ford Mustang 2.3, early Buick Regal), the Trans Am Turbo was a desperate attempt to get the power of a big motor with the gas mileage of a smaller one. As with those other early turbo cars, the force-fed 301 V8 in the 1980 Trans Am offered worse performance (over 1.5 seconds slower to sixty) and similar fuel lack-of-economy, while throwing in poor reliability from early engine management systems to prevent detonation. Brilliant. At least the hood featured a screaming chicken decal breathing fire and had funky, vague TURBO CHARGE lights on the back of the scoop.

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source: General Motors

Ah, but what about the mystery? I won’t get into what poses for a plot in this film but the ending involves a massive battle between police cars and trucks that results in carnage that was likely a lot funnier to the producers than the audience. In this wreck-fest, you quickly notice that a large number of the cars being destroyed are in fact brand new cars, namely 1980 Pontiac LeMans (LeManses?).

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Universal Pictures (screenshot)

There are a lot of older cars in the mix, too, but I count at least ten or a dozen of the new rides. Adjusted for inflation, these are around $45,000 apiece, and considering that you could buy almost anything to decorate as a cop cruiser, why would you waste a half million of the movie budget on anything other than old sleds (especially a film that, by Burt’s own admission, was a cash grab)?

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Universal Pictures (screenshot)

The commonly told explanation is shown on Wikipedia, with zero citations:

The roundup sequence in the desert shows many new Pontiac Le Mans sedans decorated as police cars being destroyed. The cars were originally ordered by a car rental agency which refused to accept the delivery as they were not equipped with air conditioning. Pontiac took the cars back and eventually gave them to the producers to be used in the film.

I’ve read this on other sites as well, yet nobody has any confirmation. Does this make sense? Could they really “forget” to check the A/C box on the order sheet? I mean, these 1978-81 A-bodies (later called G-bodies) famously had fixed rear windows so they would have been unusable by the alleged rental agency in the southwest. But destroy the cars?

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Universal Pictures (screenshot)

Admittedly, a similar thing happened with similar A-bodies when Iraq refused to take delivery of the 12,500 of strangely-equipped Malibus they ordered. The “Iraqi taxis” or “Iraquibus” had a 3.8 liter V6 with a three-speed floor shift manual, dog-dish-car steelies, and cloth seats (but, in fact, air conditioning). They ended up being sold at a deep discount in Canada.

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CBC News (screenshots)

But what about the Smokey and the Bandit II LeMans carnage? Why didn’t these end up in the land of poutine and Moving Pictures where A/C could begrudgingly be lived without? You guys can identify a car from taillight fragments, right? Can anyone verify the story?

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Evan Shealy
Evan Shealy
2 days ago
Reply to  Evan Shealy

This is a copy of an interview that High Performance Pontiac did with Hal Needham. He talks about getting the cars from Pontiac. Basically they agreed to giving him 50 new lemans because he sold so many Trans Ams. It was probably cheaper to give him the cars than place an ad during the supper bowl and more effective.

Gregory A Hasselbach
Gregory A Hasselbach
15 days ago

I would just like to give the Bishop well deserved props for that subtle reference to the greatest Canadian rock trio ever! I love you, man!

Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
15 days ago

Compared to Blues Brothers: 104 cars crashed

4jim
4jim
16 days ago

I am old enough to remember seeing this movie in the theater and when these cars were new. Good riddance to bad garbage on all accounts.

Joe The Drummer
Joe The Drummer
6 days ago
Reply to  4jim

I was five when SATB came out, and as you can tell by my profile picture, it had an impact on me.

I do not acknowledge either sequel. Despite the fact that I had toy black Trans Ams in three or four sizes, had dressed as the Bandit for Halloween by then, and was the first kid on my block to get a Huffy Bandit bicycle, I saw the second one at the movies and was like, “It’s okay… I guess…” I liked the car stunts, but I thought it was kinda dumb. And that’s coming from a kid who religiously watched “The Dukes Of Hazzard” every Friday night and thought it was the greatest thing ever.

JC Miller
JC Miller
16 days ago

well ashes to ashes trash to trash 🙂

Jeffrey Johnson
Jeffrey Johnson
16 days ago

Forget and Rental Car company surely go together. I know of a certain big name rental car company, that lost their airport location in a certain large city, because someone forgot to send the lease renewal back to the property owner.

Thomas Metcalf
Thomas Metcalf
16 days ago

I had no idea that they made a sequel. Do I watch it to see just how bad a movie can get or do I drink until I forget that it exists?

Fordlover1983
Fordlover1983
15 days ago
Reply to  Thomas Metcalf

There was actually a part 3! In that one, Jerry Reed impersonates the Bandit, as even Burt Reynolds says “hell no” sometimes!

Thomas Metcalf
Thomas Metcalf
15 days ago
Reply to  Fordlover1983

Lol

Along with Martin, Dutch Gunderson, Lana and Sally Decker
Along with Martin, Dutch Gunderson, Lana and Sally Decker
15 days ago
Reply to  Thomas Metcalf

IIRC Smokey & The Bandit II featured Jackie Gleason playing multiple versions of Buford T. Justice and Bandit coming out of a post-first movie alcoholic stupor to transport an elephant with Snowman.

All I remember of Smokey & The Bandit III was Snowman driving a Gen III Firebird and yelling “I get to be the Bandit!”

Thomas Metcalf
Thomas Metcalf
15 days ago

Yeah, the original film had a pretty thin plot. An elephant is even dumber. I can’t imagine how bad the Burtless third one would be

Along with Martin, Dutch Gunderson, Lana and Sally Decker
Along with Martin, Dutch Gunderson, Lana and Sally Decker
16 days ago

It wasn’t just Smokey And The Bandit II. There were so many movies made in the 70s and 80s that featured GM vehicles that I’ve always assumed that GM had some connections to the studios beyond Burt & Hal and gave them super-sweet deals.

KITT222 aka The Vibe Guy aka Nick
KITT222 aka The Vibe Guy aka Nick
16 days ago

There were, and one particular outfit got GMC into The Fall Guy, The A-Team, and Knight Rider (the mobile lab and other semis were GMCs). The Knight Rider Historians go over how this worked, and have the data, such as VINs, from the office at the time.

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