There was a time when Pontiac cars were the coolest, most powerful cars on the roads. They were the muscle cars that all the “bad guys” wanted when they were in high school. The letter writer – Jeff Slemp – reminisces about those days and is saddened by GM’s announcement to cease producing the Pontiac brand.
In the letter writer’s teen years, the Pontiac Trans Am was a status symbol. The movie “Smokey and the Bandit” had just come out in 1977 and kids all over the United States drooled at the power and style of the black and gold Trans Am featured in the movie.
Slemp saw his first Trans Am in person while at a restaurant in Waynesville, Missouri. It had a shine that he couldn’t believe. According to his description, it “gave the illusion of looking into a bottomless black pool.” He also recalled that every Trans Am he saw in those days was taken care of and always appeared to have a fresh wax job.
The 1970s Pontiac cars defined a generation. “They were an indisputable part of that era even though they were loud, guzzled gas and needed constant maintenance,” recalls Slemp. Today, he still looks nostalgically at pictures of the “Bandit” 1977 Pontiac Trans Am and wishes he could have one of those now.
