The 1977 classic, Smokey and the Bandit, starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field, was an iconic movie that has remained popular for decades. The plot centers around a cross-country mission to transport beer from Texarkana to Atlanta in a semi truck.
The truck, a 1977 black and gold Kenworth W-900 owned by Bandit (Reynolds), is driven by Cledus Snow (Jerry Reed) while Bandit drives a black Pontiac Trans Am. It’s a wild ride with plenty of high-speed chases, stunts, and hijinks.
The semi truck plays a major role in the movie and is responsible for transporting the ever-important cargo of Coors beer from one state to another. It’s no surprise that this truck has become an icon in its own right. There have been numerous replicas of the truck made over the years and it has even been featured on television shows like “Dukes of Hazzard” and “King of the Hill”.
The original truck used in Smokey and the Bandit was built by customizer Dean Jeffries using a 1977 Kenworth W-900A with a Cummins 400 engine mated to an 18-speed manual transmission. The interior was stripped out and detailed with custom gauges and dash panels fabricated by Jeffries himself. The exterior was given its iconic black-and-gold paint job along with custom stacks, visor, grille guard, bumpers, headlight trim rings, air horns, fuel tanks, mud flaps, fifth wheel plate cover lettering which said “Bandit” on it.
In addition to being seen on screen in Smokey and the Bandit films 1 & 2, this iconic semi also made appearances at various car shows throughout the country where fans could get up close look at it in all its glory. Unfortunately for these fans though the truck eventually disappeared from sight shortly after its last known appearance at a car show in Las Vegas around 2002 or 2003. To this day it remains unclear as to what happened to the truck or where it is currently located if indeed it still exists at all.
All that can be said for certain is that this semi played an important role in helping shape one of America’s most beloved films into the classic that it is today. It’s no wonder why so many people are still searching for answers as what happened to this famous vehicle after all these years?
Conclusion: What Happened to the Semi Truck in Smokey and the Bandit? The iconic semi truck used in both Smokey & The Bandit films has not been seen since 2002 or 2003 when it made its last known public appearance at a car show in Las Vegas. It remains unknown what happened to this famous vehicle after all these years or where it is currently located if indeed still exists at all today.
