The original movie Smokey and the Bandit really made the T/A a big hit in the late 70's. After the movie, sales increased, the car became more known and popular, etc. And, today the 2nd gens are starting to bring in the big bucks. So, my question is, do you think the 3rd gen would have benefitted like the 2nd did from a good movie that had starred a 3rd gen? Yes, I know they actually had a S&B III that had an '82, but it sucked and didn't even have Burt in it. And, we all know about Knight Rider....lol So, I am talking about a "good" movie or TV show. I know in all honesty Knight Rider did increase the 3rd gen popularity for a brief moment, so I am thinking a true Smokey III or another good movie would have done the same. Your thoughts?

 

Do a search for "Bandit II"

 

I was a huge Knight Rider fan as a kid... I think that has something to do with my love for third gens. They sold TONS of them from 82-86...

82- 190,000
83- 154,000
84- 261,000
85- 180,000
86- 192,000
87- 137,000
88- 96,000
89- 110,000
90- 34,000
91- 100,000
92- 70,000

There's a very clear downward trend... Knight Rider was in production from 1982 to 1986. I bet theres an even stronger correlation with the Firebirds. It's not conclusive but it is interesting.

 

love these cars. I'd buy one in second if I could

do they repo the stripe kit?

http://www.78ta.com/banditiiedition.php

 

Someone in our neighborhood had one a while back. I haven't seen it in three or four years though. My husband loves Bandit so he was always oogling this car. I'd imagine it probably got wiped out- I don't think the owner was meticulous enough to care about the car.

 

Drew, I know about the Badit II's and think the 91-92's look pretty good. I was talking about movies making the car more poular though.....thanks.

 

I don't even understand what you are asking.

If some movie was super popular and had a Thirdgen in it, would it of helped production? Probably. Would it of helped that much? No, not really. The problem wasn't as much the car as changing consumer tastes...

But even then, what does this have to do with History and Restoration?

 

What I was getting at is that someone tried to cash in on the Bandit, and it wasn't very successful. The Bandit movies, like Knight Rider, and thirdgen's, were novel when they came out, and lost support as time went on. Maybe if the cast of Top Gun was driving thirdgen's instead of crotch rockets and F-14's it would have helped thirdgen sales? But it'd have to be a big, popular movie, showcasing the car prominently, to do that, and unfortunately the only shows that did that with a thirdgen were absolutely terrible.

 

Knight rider did has an effect on sales though. It put the car in the public eye, and kept it there for several years.

Though it is true that after 11 years of production the design was getting long in the tooth and the early 90's was the more rounded cab forward shapes that prevaled. And here we are again, back with the harder lines and sharper angles.

Knight Rider had the same effect as Smokey and the Bandit, as well as the Dukes of Hazzard. It popularised the car with the average joe.

 

It did, but not to the same extent... The Dukes and Smokey were much more popular and the car featured was a lot closer to a real car.

 

It's funny to think about the fact that when dukes came out, the charger wasn't available as a new car,but it really wasn't that old a classic. That car was only about ten years old at the time

 

I've loved the decal kits on those Bandit II's since thwe first time I saw one! If I could I'd get them, and the fake shaker too.