In 1976, they came out with the first Special Edtion Trans Am. It was labeled with the Y82 code to signify that it was a Special Edition (Sometimes called Limited Edition). It did not matter if it had t-tops or not, they were all Y82.

This Limited Edition would include the following:

• Black paint with Gold striping and trim
• Gold polycast Honeycomb wheels
• Gold grille and headlamp liners
• Gold anodized instrument panel
• Gold steering wheel spokes
• Gold bird emblems inside and out
• Special Gold 50th Anniversary emblems on the quarter panels
• Hurst Hatch T-tops
• L78 Pontiac 400 (455 was optional)

In 1977, they came out again with the Y82 Black and Gold Special Edition Trans Am. This was the year and the car that was immortalized in the movie "Smokey and the Bandit" If anyone ever asks you if your car is a "Bandit" Edition... this is the one to which they are referring. This Special Edition theme carried all the way through 1981, albeit with a small gap in 1978 when the Y88 came out (you can read more about that in the Y88 section).

This Special Edition would include the following:

• Black paint with Gold striping and trim
• Gold alluminum Snowflake wheels
• Gold grille liners
• Gold anodized instrument panel
• Gold steering wheel spokes
• Red bird emblems inside and out
• Hurst Hatch T-tops (for Y82, cars without T-tops were labeled Y81

The Y88 Gold Special Edition Trans Am was in 1978 only. So, if you have any other year besides a 1978, then you automatically know you do not have a Y88 Special Edition Trans Am.

This Special Edition would include the following:

• Solar Gold exterior with dark gold pin striping
• Gold grille liners, I.P. engine turn, and misc. interior and exterior gold emblems
• Black tail lamp housing, and black windshield and backlite moldings
• Gold glass in Fisher hatches (CC1) with black molding
• Interior trim restricted to base or custom camel tan vinyl or cloth
• Formula steering wheel in camel tan with gold spokes
• Gold 15x7 cast aluminum wheels (15x8 if the WS6 was ordered with it)

In 1979, Pontiac Released the 10th Anniversary Y89 Pontiac Trans Am to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the first Trans Am that rolled off the line in 1969. This was a limited production run of only 7500 Trans Ams. Really, the only options that were available on the 10th Anniversary Trans Am was the powertrain options. You had your choice of either the Pontiac 400 with the 4-Speed transmission, or the Olds 403 with the automatic transmission.

This 10th Anniversary would include the following:

• Custom two-tone silver and charcoal paint
• A special 5 color hood-bird which wings extended over the hood and onto the side fenders
• Silver (mirror) glass in Fisher hatches (CC1)
• Custom Deluxe silver interior with embroidered birds and "shag" carpet
• Special "Turbo" wheels seen on later Special Edition Turbo, Pace Car, and other Turbo Trans Ams
• Special 10th Anniversary emblems on the quarter panels and rear spoiler
• All of the 10th Anniversary cars were fully equipped with pretty much every option available at the time

The Indy 500 race choose the 1980 Turbo Trans Am to pace the race in 1980. This was the first year that the same car paced both the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500. Pontiac made 5,700 of these cars to replicate the car used to pace The Indianapolis 500.

This Pace Car would include the following:

• Turbo-charged 301 motor and was standard with the WS6 handling package set off but the 15x8 inch turbo rims finished in white
• Fully equipped with power windows, power locks, A/C, and more
• A Special ETR AM/FM Cassette
• Custom Oyster vinyl seats with hobnail inserts and the bird was embroidered on the center of the rear seats and on the door panels
• "Indy 500 Pace Car" door decals or the "22nd Annual Daytona 500 Mile Race" door decals were an extra option
• The Indy 500 emblem was located on the side fenders and the rear tail spoilers

Now, there was never a Factory "Bandit Edition" Trans Am. But, to be truthful, there WAS a Bandit Edition Trans Am. Below is an article from Motor Trend Magazine in June 1981 about a company called Trans Am Specialties who did make a "Bandit Edition" Trans Am. As you will se below, the cost of a Trans Am in 1981 was around $8,700 and this Bandit Edition cost around $30,000. Just to clarify one more time......... There IS NO BANDIT EDITION TRANS AM BUILT BY PONTIAC OR GM ! !

The "Bandit" Trans Am could include the following (maybe):

• Universal Studios granted rights to the name for that limited run to Trans Am Specialties, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where new Pontiacs become Burt Reynolds signature models
• 455 Pontiac V-8
• Doug Nash 5-speed gearbox
• Blaupunkt 3001 4-speaker stereo, an Escort radar detector, a motion-sensitive theft alarm and the inevitable CB radio

The Bandit II Firebirds were produced by a company called "Choo Choo Customs" (sometimes referred to as "Chattanooga Customs" or "The Custom Center") out of Tennessee. This Bandit II was strictly an Appearance Package that was performed on Firebirds from 1987 to 1992 and consisted of a "mock" shaker scoop on the hood, custom gold decals and striping reminiscent of the Special Edition Trans Ams, gold snowflake type rims, special ground effects, and custom embroidery on the front seat head rest signifying the "Bandit II", and a plaque on the dash signifying the serial number of the car such as #143 out of 500.

The "Bandit II" Trans Am would include the following:

• "Mock" shaker scoop on the hood
• Custom gold decals and striping reminiscent of the Special Edition Trans Ams
• Custom embroidery on the front seat head rest signifying the "Bandit II"
• Plaque on the dash signifying the serial number of the car

The Macho Trans Am from DKM Design and Performance. Here is a little of what I know about the DKM Macho Trans Am. Dennis and Kyle Mecham back in 1977 wanted to improve the breed of Trans Am that were coming out of the Pontiac Factory. They turned out a limited number of Macho TA's in 1977 and were sold through their father's Pontiac dealership and moved very quickly out the door. Due to their tremendous success, they formed DKM Design and Performance, Inc. in 1978.

The Macho Trans Am would include the following:

• Macho Name decals and badges inside and out
• Plaque in the center console to signify the car was modified by DKM
• DKM Logo on the center steering wheel button
• Each Macho Trans Am was numbered from the year

I always have quite a few people ask me about the SkyBird Edition Firebird Esprit. So, I figured I would devote yet another page about the SkyBird Edition Esprit that was introduced in 1977. Here is a little of what I know about the SkyBird. Unfortunately, there wasn't any production numbers of how many of these cars were produced. Pontiac had a hard time keeping track of cars in 1977 let alone what color the cars were..

"SkyBird" Edition Firebird had for options:

• LOMBARD BLUE EXTERIOR (COLOR 21)
• LOWER ACCENT STRIPES
• LOMBARD BLUE GRILLE LINER
• DARK BLUE SKY BIRD GRAPHICS, FRONT, REAR AND SAIL PANEL
• LOMBARD BLUE CAST ALUMINUM WHEELS

Here is a little of what I know about the RedBird. The RedBird Edition Firebird Esprit was released in 1978. It replaced the SkyBird Edition Firebird from 1977. Unfortunately, there was any production numbers of how many of these cars were produced.

"RedBird" Edition Firebird had for options:

• ROMAN RED EXTERIOR (COLOR 72)
• RED BIRD RED LOWER ACCENT
• ROMAN RED GRILLE LINER WITH RED BIRD GRILLE TEXTURE
• BRIGHT GOLD RED BIRD GRAPHICS, FRONT, REAR AND SAIL PANEL
• GOLD FRONT END PANEL V CREST

The YellowBird Edition Esprit that replaced the RedBird Edition from 1978 and 1979. Here is a little of what I know about the YellowBird. The YellowBird Edition Firebird Esprit (Code W73) was released in 1980 and was the last of three color schemes for the Esprit.

"YellowBird" Edition Firebird had for options:

• YELLOWBIRD YELLOW EXTERIOR UPPER (COLOR 56)
• YELLOW ACCENT LOWER (COLOR 37)
• BLACK LENS TAILLAMPS W/ YELLOW HORIZONTAL RIBS
• BRIGHT GOLD YELLOW BIRD GRAPHICS, FRONT, REAR AND SAIL PANEL
• YELLOWBIRD CAST ALUMINUM WHEELS