MovieChat Forums > Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) Discussion > :::::::::::: L O O K :::::::::: Bandit a...

:::::::::::: L O O K :::::::::: Bandit almost got a Mustang for Bandit 2


Believe it or not .... In the months before Smokey And the Bandit II began filming, there was a bidding war took place between General Motors and Ford Motor Company. FORD Motor Company almost convinced Producer Hal Needham to use this car instead of a 1980 Trans Am

click link to see photo of what the Bandit's Black n Green 1980 Mustang Cobra would;ve have looked like if Ford had won thier bid to furnish automobiles for this film.


http://www.morten.com/cars/mustang/mus90.html


After seeing the runaway sales success of the 1977-78 Firebird/Trans Am after the release of the first Smokey and the Bandit Movie ibn 1977. FORD tried to capitalize when they offered to help finance Smokey and the Bandit II, Only catch was that the Bandit would have to drive one of thier newly redesigned Ford Mustangs instead of a Trans Am. They created a special Neon Green trim paint scheme complete with a neon Green Snake decal that covered the hood of the car (very similatr to the screaming eagle on the hood of a Trans Am)

Ford was hoping to use "Smokey and the Bandit II" as a way to advertise thier newly redesigned Mustang. .......However exectutives at General Motors cought wind as to what Ford was offereing and came in at the last moment and sealed a deal to garuntee that that every car featured in the film (including police cars) were to be all Pontiacs.

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I've been a huge fan of these films for years and this is the first time I heard of this. That Mustang looks square, dull, and was most likely slow as hell as were every muscle car during those years. Neon green on black??? Yuck! Sticking with the tradition of using a black w/gold trim Trans Am was totally the right move. I can't imagine him driving anything else.

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yea i actually own a '90 grey Mustang that I love but this neon green & black 'stang looks hideous. The Fox body Mustangs just didn't look right until 87-93 and though I think they're cool I still don't think they'd work well in this movie, that Trans Am is a classic and totally perfect for the Bandit. I'd still love to own one of those as well (sure I will eventually)

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Plus the only strong performance Mustang for 1980 was the 2.3 Liter 4 Turbocharger engine, they've replaced the 302 V8 (5.O Liter) with the doggy 255 V8 (4.2 Liter) which puts out a very anemic 120bhp, thankfully the 255 didn't last very long and the 5.O Liter was revived, I'm awful glad that they didn't get a Mustang, the early Fox body Mustangs were IMHO the worst era of the Mustang's.

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I had several Fox-bodies throughout my life and they were always modified to the gills but I think that Ford hit a Grand-Slam with a car I bought a few years back - 2001 Cobra. It was amazing, and I regret getting rid of it.

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How could Ford could call a shortened, two-door/hatchback Fairmont - a "Mustang"?

But that's the fork I knew.

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I hate that body style, cool paint job though.

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