The Bandit Run

Following the same route that Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed) made in the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, a bunch of Trans AM fans got together to recreate the run. This was the brainchild of David Hersey and Dave Hall who wanted to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the classic film. Hall, of [http://www.restoreamusclecar.com Restore a Muscle Car] came up with the idea when Hershey purchased his restored 1977 Pontiac Trans AM from him back in 2006. What they put together is now known as The Bandit Run. The group of about 30 cars started out in Texarkana on May 15, 2007. There they had a send off at the Classic Car Museum with plenty of local media to cover the event. Both Texarkana mayors also got involved and gave a send off speech to the group. Heading east on the three-day trip [http://www.thebanditrunphotos.com/images/newsalert/banditrunmap07.pdf view 2007 map] , they were joined by the Hot Rod Magazine and Automobile Magazine, both capturing the story and pictures. After an evening in Tupelo, the growing group of Bandit Runners received another fantastic send-off at the Tupelo Auto Museum on May 16th. From there, they headed toward Birmingham. The local [http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/ Fox TV] station captured the departure as they headed to their ultimate destination - the [http://www.yearone.com Year One] Facility and Road Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. Before arriving at [http://www.yearone.com Year One] , there was a stop at the [http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/ Taladega Motor Speedway] where they honored the Bandit Runners with a tour of the museum, a priceless group photo and lunch. Then, a short drive to the [http://www.yearone.com Year One] Facility for the annual Year One Experience which is a 3 day event. This year was special because the guys at Year One were unveiling a new [http://www.yearone.com/yodnn/Home/tabid/54/Default.aspx BRE] Burt Reynolds Edition Pontiac Trans AM, built with input from Burt Reynolds himself. The group in Atlanta totaled more than 100 Trans Am's and other cars. Local and national media was there to cover the event, and the Bandit Run was featured on "Hot Rod TV" and the DIY Network. To finish the weekend off, local Bandit Runner Tyler H gave the group a movie location tour around Atlanta, and visited some of the movie's most famous sites.

External links

* [http://www.thebanditrun.com Official "The Bandit Run" website]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/automobiles/27BANDIT.html On This Run, Way More Bandits Than Smokeys (but No Beer)] at The New York Times, May 27, 2007
* [http://www.hotrod.com/eventcoverage/hrdp_0709_bandit_pontiac_trans_am_run/index.html Smokey And The Bandit Pontiac Trans Ams - Bandit Run] at Hot Rod
* [http://www.thebanditrunphotos.com The Bandit Run Photos]
* [http://www.motortopia.com/groups/view/id/210/i/bandit_run Motortopia] .