Pontiac Trans Am at Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas – Click above for high-res image gallery
One thing you'll find plenty of at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction is Pontiac Firebird Trans Ams from the late '70s. The same black-and-gold, "Smoky and the Bandit," screamin' eagle Trans Ams that beguiled so many adolescent gearheads in their day.
These flamboyant muscle cars have enjoyed a resurgence of late, moving away from disco-era kitsch and into the realm of bona fide collector cars. Not too many cars of that stylistic- and performance-challenged time have made the leap.
"The styling has endured for a long, long time," said admitted Pontiac addict Tom Knight of Albuquerque, N.M, as he eyed a 1976 Trans Am 50th Anniversary coupe. "I think there's been a resurrection now that Pontiac's dead."