Skip to main content

The Bandit Trans Am is back June 26-28 at Carlisle GM Nationals


CARLISLE >> This spring, a 1977 Bandit Trans Am owned by film star Burt Reynolds was part of the Spring Carlisle auction, presented by Carlisle Auctions. Not only was the car part of the auction, it sold for a hefty sum to one lucky bidder.

Now, the car owner, who happens to be local to central Pennsylvania, has agreed to showcase the Bandit car as part of the 2015 Carlisle GM Nationals, June 26 through 28 at Carlisle PA Fairgrounds.

It's fitting that a car that garnered so much hype initially is coming back to Carlisle where it was most recently sold. This time, instead of crossing the auction block, it will sit within Building T as a centerpiece attraction to a building filled with Fabulous Fins of the 1950s and '60s, as well as the general indoor invitational displays for GM weekend.

While the Trans Am has been a part of Carlisle GM Nationals for years, the ones themed like those seen in the popular film "Smokey and the Bandit" always turn heads, and this one was owned by "the Bandit" himself, Burt Reynolds.

Purchased by Reynolds in 2014, it was restored by long time friend and Trans Am restoration expert Harold Murphy of Murphy Auto Body and Restoration in West Palm Beach, Florida. After its sale at Spring Carlisle, the car remains in the Hershey area, with GM weekend being its first car show.

Other weekend features: Building Y will host a 30-year reunion event of the IROC Camaro; in Building G, known as the Solid Lifter Showroom, a special part of its display will be 1967 Camaro No. 001 — the first Camaro ever built. It was the first of 49 pilot cars built by Chevrolet at the Norwood (Ohio) Assembly Plant. Run through the factory assembly process, these 49 cars were the set-up for mass production of the first generation Camaro.

In addition, the general show field will be filled with cars that span the history of the brand, which in most cases, means more than 100 years of history.

ADMISSION: $10 Friday and Saturday, $7 Sunday; event pass, $15.

GATE TIMES: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7-3 Sunday

DETAILS: www.carlisleevents.com