My recent soliloquy on a 1981 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am jogged my memory about my buddy Bill's 1979 Trans Am. It was black and outfitted in what you could say was the "Smokey and The Bandit" motif. You know, the gothic golden decals, stripes, the golden "Screaming Chicken" on the hood, the gold "Honeycomb" rims etc. You know, the epitome of '70's, disco-era car chic. It was a real nice car but being Long Islanders, no one chided him for trying to be Burt Reynolds. If anything, he got fist pumps for driving the same car Sylvester Stallone's character Rocky Balboa buys with some of the purse he receives from fighting Apollo Creed. If this is is news to you, you've either never seen "Rocky II" or you've forgotten about Rock's hilariously reckless spending spree in the movie.
In retrospect, the producers casting of a black Pontiac Trans Am in "Rocky II" only appears to be as though Rocky is paying homage to Burt Reynold's "Smokey". That was most certainly not the case even though chronologically, it does make sense. "Smokey and the Bandit" was filmed in 1977 and was in massive circulation and raking in big bucks while "Rocky II" was being shot in 1978. If anything, though, the casting is coincidental.
The "Smokey and The Bandit-izing" of black and gold Pontiac Trans Am's is a fairly recent phenomenon. Seriously, these cars were everywhere in the late '70's and into the '80's so it was only fitting that Burt Reynold's "Bo Darville", aka "Smokey", would drive one as reflective of automotive trends or tastes of the time; good or bad as there's no indifference towards these things. Same with Rocky buying one in "II". Amazing how the passage of time alters pop culture of the past.
"Rocky II" was a surprisingly good movie. Was it great? No. Far from it, but it didn't have to be anything more than it was to give fans of the Academy Award winning "Rocky" exactly what they wanted - to see Rocky beat Apollo out right. Along the way to the oh-so-predictable apex, we get to see Rocky and Adrian get married, they buy a home, have a son and of course, Rocky blows a wad of money on a black Trans Am. Rocky's spending spree all but bankrupting the young family, Rocky actually gives his T/A away because he can't afford it. It's the Balboa's financial strife that more than helps motivate Rocky to accept Apollo's repeated requests for a rematch. Well, that and he gets the ok from Adrian to do so. Win! WIN!
As movie cars go, Rocky's Trans Am of course hasn't gotten anywhere near the publicity in subsequent years that the T/A in the original "Smokey" did. That makes perfect sense since cars were centric to "Smokey and The Bandit" whereas Rocky's car helped illustrate his newly found quasi-wealth; Rocky's spending his winnings like a drunken lottery winner one of the best things about, "II".
Legend has it, four black, 1979 Trans Am's were used in "Rocky II" and they were all "6.6 LITRE" T/A's, "6.6 LITRE" on the shaker denoting they were powered by Oldsmobile, 403-cubic inch V-8 engines. Yes, an Oldsmobile engine in a Trans Am. Heresy! All "6.6 LITRE" T/A's had automatics. If they had Pontiac's own 400 engine, the shaker would have had "T/A 6.6" decals and a manual transmission. The heaving and surging of Rocky's T/A in the movie makes it appear as though he's having difficulty driving a stick, purportedly he doesn't even know how to drive but it's more like Sly is slamming the gas to the floor repeatedly to give the illusion of such. It's pointless but I remember the audience laughing out loud during the scene.
Of curious note, it's telling how little thought the producers put into casting Rocky's car in "II". What with the movie supposedly set in 1976, although there's little if anything alluding to that, Rock's car is a 1979 Trans Am. That quibbling? Perhaps. But this is a blog about cars and nit-picking is what we do. Especially about movie cars.
Allegedly, at least one of the T/A's from "Rocky II" is still around and belongs to a person who lives in New Jersey. There are no shortage of stories about people who own a Trans Am from "Smokey". My friend Bill wrecked his '79 on a rain slicked road. It was repaired but it was never the same. He sold it soon after he got it back from the body shop.
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