Miami, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/22/2018 -- Today, while Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino hosts the Barrett Jackson world-renowned car auction, Iconic Premier listed for sale the "Official First-Born Bandit" Trans Am, discovered by world-renowned stuntman Hal Needham and endorsed by the Bandit himself, Burt Reynolds.
As Pontiac's Official 1977 Trans Am SE promotional brochure car, the car was never intended to be released to the public. "This very car was the catalyst for the record-breaking Trans Am sales," noted David Martino, Principal of Iconic Premier. "It was the actual car featured in every dealer catalog, and it has been well documented in cover stories in magazines like Smoke Signals, which dubbed the car 'Split Personality.'" A forensic study, completed by Pontiac Historical Service (PHS) historians for Smoke Signals Magazine, concluded that the car was one of the first, if not the first, off the production line. Additionally, they concluded that it was, indeed, the car featured in the dealer brochure.
"It was fate that I was reunited with, at the 40th anniversary year, the Official Bandit," said Burt Reynolds of the car, which appeared at the San Carlos Institute in Key West during the feature showing of his documentary. "This is the Trans Am, the actual Bandit, that started the whole phenomenon. I remember when Hal Needham and I first saw this car. It was love at first sight. I deem this Trans Am, the Official First-Born Bandit." The car is the only Pontiac factory-assembled 1977 SE Bandit "Big Block" 455ci 4sp in the world.
The glove box of the car is signed by Burt Reynolds, and the car, which has only 44,000 miles on it, includes a Bandit license plate signed by Burt Reynolds, an original Pontiac promotional brochure signed by Burt Reynolds, copies of its cover story in Smoke Signals magazine, the "First-Born Bandit" custom car cover from its official unveiling, and a Certificate of Authenticity as "The Official First-Born Bandit" signed by Burt Reynolds. It has its original hood, front nose, bumper, and shaker scoop.
About Iconic Premier
For more than ten years, David Martino, Principal of Iconic Premier and the Martino Family Collection, desired to acquire some of the world's most iconic vehicles and vessels, well known as "stars" of the big screen and television. In addition to the Trans Am which inspired Smokey and the Bandit, the collection includes motorcycles owned by Nicholas Cage and Bruce Willis; the #1 filming boat from Miami Vice; the Miami Vice Daytona, designed by Carl Roberts for Miami Vice; and the Fast and the Furious Monte Carlo from Tokyo Drift. Also among the collection is the personal 1989 GMC Suburban of Samuel Adams Beer Company founder, Ed Koch.
For more information about Iconic Premier, please visit www.iconicpremier.world.
To schedule an interview with Iconic Premier Principal David Martino, contact Rick Deiters of Trans Am Specialty at 786-218-1763.