Dilapidated Trans Am Used in McQueen’s Final Film Sells for Nearly $100K
Bill Shea is at it again. The Massachusetts collector, who specializes in automotive, movie, and World War II items, is the winning bidder for a very rough 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that was used as a stunt vehicle in Steve McQueen’s final film, The Hunter.
The dilapidated Poncho set Shea back $99,750 including fees, which is about six times the average value of a similar model in #4 (Fair) condition, proving once again the power of McQueen’s stardom—and Shea’s love for Hollywood icons. In 2011, he paid more than $500,000 for a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 that appeared in all three segments of the Back to the Future trilogy.
“I’d buy more,” Shea said in a six-year-old YouTube video about the DeLorean, “but I like being married.”
Shea, who owns several McQueen motorcycles, wrote “HELL YEAH BABY!” in the comments section when the McQueen Firebird auction closed and he was declared the winner. Congratulatory messages from other users followed, as did notes of surprise from some about the amount that Shea was willing to pay for a car in that state, McQueen-adjacent or otherwise. This is just the latest sale among many that shows how strong the McQueen factor can be—as we’ve noted in the Hagerty Power List. This Trans Am was, after all, the last special car associated with the noted-car-guy actor; The Hunter was released in August 1980, and McQueen died three months later.
According to Bring a Trailer, VIN #29N100008 remained in the Pontiac Motor Division show car fleet following its assembly in November 1978, but it was sold a year later to Paramount Pictures and used as a stunt vehicle in the McQueen film. It was one of two cars used for an explosion scene, explaining its condition (including missing body panels and burns to the passenger side of the dashboard), and it was gifted to a farmer in Illinois as compensation for aiding the crew in the production of the movie. The Firebird was stored in the farmer’s barn for nearly 40 years before it was obtained by the seller in 2018.
Among the car’s features are a non-running 403-cubic-inch V-8 mated to a three-speed automatic transmission and Safe-T-Track limited-slip differential, along with the WS6 Special Performance Package, which added power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes, a quick-ratio steering box, and a larger sway bar.
The Firebird’s camel-colored vinyl dash features a 100-mph speedometer, a 6000-rpm tachometer, auxiliary gauges, inset analog clock, and a five-digit odometer that shows 1300 miles. The Firebird also has bucket seats and snowflake-style, 15-inch wheels with gold accents and 225/70 Goodyear Polysteel Radial white-letter tires. (The seller notes that the front right tire does not hold air, though we expect that’s not a major concern.)
Originally painted Nocturne Blue, the car was repainted black for The Hunter; the factory paint is visible on the rear fascia. The frame rails were modified with slides, hooks, and chains at the firewall to prepare for the explosion scene. After filming was complete, the car was stripped of its rear spoiler, side mirrors, wheel center caps, and badges. Other defects include a damaged three-spoke steering wheel (which is missing its adjustment lever), rust holes in the floor, and rodent damage to the rear bench seat. The car is also missing side panels, carpeting, overhead lighting, seat belts, and AM/FM radio. Of course, these are all likely of little concern, as restoration is probably not on the docket for this car.
Sale of the Firebird includes the build sheet, a copy of the original window sticker, documentation from Paramount Pictures and Pontiac Historical Services, a 30-foot-long dual-axle trailer, and large vinyl banners and cardboard cutouts of McQueen, which the previous owner displayed at car shows.
The Firebird does not have a title, but it likely won’t need one, since its “as-is” movie condition is likely of considerable value to Shea, who is clearly thrilled with his new acquisition. “We love our movie crash cars!” he wrote, to which one BaT commenter joked, “Good luck with your wife.”
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Stupid price for crazy collectors. Hell it’s missing a lot of important parts. Shea won’t fix it up it’s not all original anyway just a show piece to talk about. IM0 it’s trash
So the writer of the cinema masterpiece “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” didn’t like it. A shock.
Ebert was a grumpy old man before being a grumpy bold man was cool.
He got worse as he got older, so I’m surprised he was that nasty in 1980.
I have a pebble I picked up from Elvis Presley’s driveway at Graceland. As it turned out, as I was picking up the stone, Elvis was lying dead, but not yet discovered, on his bathroom floor. .. What am I bid?
Lots of hateful comments from the peanut gallery here. You don’t have to agree with how another individual spends his or her money. It’s their own choice. That’s how money works. I’m sure if I walked through your homes I’d find very little I would want, even for free. But it’s not for me, it’s for you.
Tell you what: I’ll see Mr. Shea’s (and other’s) right to spend his or her money as they please, and I’ll raise you my (and other’s) right to express our views regarding those purchases. That, I believe, is one of the perks of a free and open forum, is it not?
I certainly am glad that some people have enough money to be able to spend $100K on a paperweight, but I’m not one of them. I would rather spend $30K on a nice driver Trans Am.
I could be wrong, but the article says that this car was used as a stunt car, specifically to be blown up. McQueen probably wasn’t doing any stunt driving at this point in his career, so he probably never even sat in the car. A lot of money for a movie prop with little to no direct connection to the him.
That Shea would rather have this car than $100k is a testament to his passion for his collection. Kudos!
Ran when parked? That car looks rough.
McQueen’s character normally drove a nasty old ’51 Chevy, but when he flew out to a remote city to collect a couple of heads the rental company only had the hotrod Firebird available. McQueen, who lived in fast cars in real life, had to pretend he didn’t know how to drive a performance vehicle. He found his guys but they threw dynamite at him to escape, then stole the T/A and chased after him. The car was blown apart after the guys ran over one of their own dynamite surprises. The whole arc was done for humor, not because the T/A was part of his character.
If the car was sold with the call sheet for its appearance, it would note whether there were any other cars available. Typically any movie that has star cars will have a hero car and a jeopardy car, and possibly one or more cars for closeups, promotional appearances, and similar things. This car was incidental to the story, and just there for a joke, so I think they’d just have the one car. Which means McQueen drove it.
I have a hard time thinking about spending $100k on a fully functional recent vehicle, much less a wreck, but there are people who have the cash and really enjoy stuff like this. Which one of us would let any of the 1974 Dodge cop cars from The Blues Brothers slip through our fingers if we had the means? Or the Charger from Dirty Mary Crazy Larry? A couple of years ago I found out a week too late that one of the hero closeup Chargers from Burn Notice sold on BaT for about $20k. I would have bought that, fixed what needed to be fixed, and drove it every day. Most everyone else would say “$20k for that chunk of garbage?” And they’d be right. 2
If the buyer’s movie car collection is also a “museum” it’s probably registered as a non profit so I’m sure this would be written off somehow.
Just to smell the seat?
We haven’t seen anything yet………considering the remnants of a old Ferrari recently sold for over a million dollars. If James Deans 550 Porsche Spyder were to ever surface, these numbers will seem small.
To all the people that say things like “more money than brains”, “a sucker born every minute”, did you ever stop to think how he became able to afford all these toys? You sound like petty, jealous people.
Hi Jolly Joe
Thanks very much for your kind response. I have worked hard all my life and love collecting many different things. I now own four crash cars from movies. Here is our website. 88mphtimemachine.com We have 20+ cars and offer tours on our farm. We give all the profits from donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to help find a curse.
To all you naysayers, if it was the wrecked Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit that jumped the Mulberry Bridge in the movie and was totaled in real life, would you pay $100K?