Pontiac Power

Spotter's Guide
1977 Trans AM SE "Bandit Edition"

Building on the success of the black and gold Limited Edition Trans Am of 1976, Pontiac again offered the black and gold package but this time called it the Special Edition package. It could be had with (Y82) or without (Y81) the Hurst T-top roof. And unlike the pervious year the majority of these came with the Hurst T-top roof. The car quickly got the nickname of "Bandit" after the huge success of the movie "Smokey and the Bandit".

The 1977 Trans Am SE featured:

Starlight Black - Paint

Gold Hood Bird (3 color - Black/Light Gold/Matte Gold)

Gold Accented Grille

Gold Snowflake Wheels (15x7)

Gold tinted swirl dash

Steering Wheel with Gold Spokes and Gold Bird in Center Cap

Gold Bird on door panels (pwr. windows only)

Gold Bird on Shifter knob (Automatic only)

Gold Pin-striping

Gold bird decal on c-pilar

Black-out Window Trim

Look for these items when looking for an SE. Many people call a black Trans Am a "Bandit" or Special Edition, even though it does not carry these items. And even if the car has the special gold items, doesn't mean it came with them. The SE also have different font for the lettering than the non-SE cars. But these kits with the "gothic" font are readily available from Phoenix Graphix and Stencils & Stripes. Many time after a car is repainted they get the SE strips and lettering, so be careful.

If there is any documentation with the car look for the SE option on it. It should be on the window sticker and invoice for the car. It will also be on the build sheet as well. The Build Sheet is most commonly found in the rear seat back between the springs. Other common places are under the carpet, drivers or passengers side. Behind the kick panels and even between the gas tank and the trunk floor but are usually are in poor condition.

If none of these items are present with the car, the only way to be 100% sure that the car is a true SE is to have it documented with Pontiac Historical Services (PHS). For a very small fee of $35 (or $45 for fax back) PHS will send you a copy of the original invoice or billing history, a letter decoding the car's options, a copy of a dealer order for that model year, a official photo of the year and model, and other miscellaneous info that may be available for that year and model. The information that PHS provides will show what options are on the car. Since the SE package is an extra-cost option it will show on the invoice and therefore provide the proof needed.

Production breaks down as follows:

Engine	Trans	Roof	Total
403 (L80)	Automatic	Coupe (Y81)	180
400 (L78)	Automatic	Coupe (Y81)	748
400 (W72)	Automatic	Coupe (Y81)	549
400 (W72)	Manual	Coupe (Y81)	384
400 (L80)	Automatic	T-top (Y82)	1,217
400 (L78)	Automatic	T-top (Y82)	6,030
400 (W72)	Automatic	T-top (Y82)	3,760
400 (W72)	Manual	T-top (Y82)	2,699
		Total	15,567

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