Buford T. Justice Tribute: 1977 Pontiac LeMans
“That vehicle happens to be evidence, valuable evidence, that’s going to convict a maniac that I’ve been tryin’ to apprehend and that I have been in high-speed pursuit of for 700 miles.” Most of us recognize that Sheriff Buford T. Justice quote and this car from Smokey and the Bandit. This 1977 Pontiac LeMans Sheriff Buford T. Justice tribute car can be found here on eBay in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, home of my favorite museum, the Lane Museum. The bid price is just over $2,000 but the reserve isn’t met yet. Get your bids in, you scum bums! (TV version of the famous catchphrase)
As the last year of the fourth-generation LeMans, this 1977 Pontiac is an interesting enough car on its own, but when it’s decked out in Sheriff Buford T. Justice tribute car mode, it’s on a different level. Just to double-check, a few of you have seen the 1977 movie, Smokey and the Bandit? With Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, and Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford T. Justice? Hey, just checking, you never know.
When you see this grille coming up in your rearview mirror, you’d better be afraid, very afraid. You’ll be pursued across multiple state lines, subject to all sorts of creative cuss words, and living on nothing but Diablo sandwiches and Dr. Pepper. Bonus: you’ll have all the TP you need, it’ll be attached to your shoe glasses (bonus points for knowing that scene).
The example for sale here looks like it needs a little help in the rust department, some of the photos appear to show rust on the rocker panels. The seller shows an underside photo and it looks solid there but there appears to be visible rust in the trunk. A very cool feature of this car is that one of the sun visors was signed by Hal Needham, the highest-paid stuntman in the world at the time that he made his directorial debut with the original Smokey and the Bandit film in 1977.
The seller says that the Buckskin vinyl interior is all original and the front seat could use some help but the back seat as seen above – where all of those car-stripping scum bums will be sitting – looks like new. In case you needed to spend a little less, you can get a scale model of this car at Target or any number of other places.
The engine is a 1972 YR code Pontiac 350 cubic-inch V8 with 7H1 heads and a rebuilt 2-barrel carb. The seller says that it has a new power steering pump, four new tires, and a bunch of law enforcement goodies, such as the “Federal Visibar Twin Beacon Ray blue light bar”, CB radio, etc. Have any of you owned a TV or movie tribute car? And, of course, have you seen Smokey and the Bandit?
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Comments
“I’m gonna BBQ your ass in molasses!!”
Now heres a tribute car you don’t see everyday.
What an awesome fun idea!
I want to know what brand tire dressing was used…so I don’t buy it by accident.
That’s Nashville Hot Chicken grease!
This POS should satisfy all those Ferrari Polizia haters.
Yeah, whats up with that?
Yeah, whats up with that? Also, doesn’t it need the Trans Am shaker hood thingie to be like the movie?
LOL !!! PHS documentation !!!! Oh boy…sorry that kills me….like this is a 69 Trans Am or something !!!! 1 of 23,060 BAAAAHHHHAAAAA !!!! Oh man, this is funny stuff. Like it was 1 of 8, 1969 Trans Am Convertibles !!! Killing me !
Fun car, has me wishing I was a cop just so I could buy it and bring it to cop stuff.
Now, how much bondo is there exactly in those rear wheel wells? Leads me to ask more about rust, mostly in the rocker and pinch weld areas.
To make it more realistic you’ll need to cut the top off!
And remove a quarter panel at the seams, for some reason.
“There’s no way, *no* way that you came from *my* loins. Soon as I get home, first thing I’m gonna do is punch yo mamma in da mouth!”
Wheres the hood scoop?
No hood scoop on Gleason’s patrol car. There were a few other cop cars in the movie with a scoop.
This is actually a very cool build. If one happens to own a ’77 4door LeMans in this very color it’d catch absolutely ZERO interest in the car hobby scene – once done like Buford T. Justice’s cruiser it’ll be an attention grabber wherever it’s driven. I mean, who in the car community has NOT seen the iconic movies???
IMHO this is the most sensible way to utilize this car. There seems to be some issues in the rockers in front of the rear wheels, apart from that I like it very much
What movie?
Just kidding lol
“Put the evidence in the car!” Nice find, Scotty. Unfortunately for our readers, I never realized my dream of becoming a long-haul trucker, a vision formed in no small part because of this movie. Thanks for the memories!
Now this cop car is different. 1st, you’d have to be a doofus to think this was a real cop car behind you ( and a bigger doofus impersonating an officer in this) and 2nd, it was one of the biggest movies of all time. I think Hollywood overdid the classic southern sheriff sterotype, but Gleason played it perfect, and was in his 70’s at the time. In case some may have missed it somehow, like not being born, the late great(s) Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, and Burt Reynolds. I think they wasted 4 Trans Ams (and 2 LeMans) and Reynolds did his own driving. The 1st OTR truck I drove was a KW just like that, and my friend I rode with, around that same time, truly thought he was “Snowman”. This song always perks me up when I’m down. And, no Bufords car did not have a hood scoop. BTW, the focus of the movie, in case some don’t know that either, was in the 70’s, Coors was not allowed east of the Miss. river. Bringing it back home was strictly forbidden. This movie convinced me to be a truck driver!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAG4XXCOj48&list=PLqb9ySHafErwMoeA-xxgw8iwRlbDybGif
Did you really see the movie Scotty??? No bonus points for you…
The TP wasn’t stuck to Buford’s shoe… Sheriff Justice was cleaning his sunglasses with it and unbeknownst to him, it trailed behind him as he excited the diner.
Ha, you are 100% right, JimBo! I get -100 points for that. It’s been two decades since I’ve seen it but that’s no excuse.
And Buford’s words at the end of that scene, referring to the restaurant worker.
“Nice ass.”
With Rally IIs or snowflake wheels, these looked great. With these wheel covers, they looked like something Great Aunt Matilda drove to bingo on Wednesdays and church on Sundays.
No, Buford’s car did not have a hood scoop. The 1975 Plymouth Fury police chase cars did have hood scoops though.
I prefer the topless version
Even with the roof lites off this car, i suppose driving around with THOSE decals on the doors could get you into even bigger trouble than driving an old police car around with all its police equipment still on. lol
You scum bum! That was from the edited version. Fun fact, actor Henry Corden did the voice over for that. He was probably best known for being the voice of Fred Flintstone from 1977 to 2006.
Buckle up Junior, we’re gonna make a lotta time now!
You’ll need a blue interior to be an accurate version; Gleason’s car had that odd color scheme. I always assumed they just painted one of the blue Pontiacs brown.