1977 – Overshadowed

Burt Reynolds drove a 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am to fame in “Smokey and the Bandit,” one of the great car-chase movies of all time, leaving the revived Camaro Z28 overshadowed by its corporate twin for years. The Z28 received a stiffer suspension, painted rally wheels, fatter tires, quicker steering, a big decklid spoiler, special graphics, and a dual-resonator exhaust system. It even got a 185-horsepower 350 V8. But most people preferred to have a screaming chicken decal on the hood of their GM-built sport coupe.