Bill Mitchell's Trans Am

2009-07-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Bill Mitchell Trans Am/Chicago Auto show Car/The johnny Player Special
SOLD!!SOLD!!SOLD!!
$145,000.00

The Bill Mitchell Trans Am FOR SALE

2009-02-28T15:56:00.000-08:00

The response over this Trans Am has been unbelievable!! In the past twelve months, this car has come out in nine magazines, incredible to say the least. That's twelve magazines and thirteen books that am aware of. I am starting to believe, now, that this is truly the most showed, most recognizable, with the longest history than most any other Pontiac ever.
The 1974 Chicago Auto Show Car (Bill Mitchell Trans Am) will be FOR SALE at Mecum Auctions at Indianapolis Fairgrounds Sat May 16th 2009

2009-02-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

Quotes about the Bill Mitchell Trans Am

John Schinella (Cars Designer) “One of the Greatest GM Pontiacs”

Jim Wangers (signed his book) “The original ‘73 show car is indeed one of the most Famous Pontiacs”

Tom DeMauro (HPP Editor at POCI Con 09) “That car really draws a crowd”

Don Keefe (HPP Dec 05) “This Trans Am became one of the most well-used (showed) show cars Pontiac had ever built”

Firebird Gallery ( http://www.firebirdgallery.com/Edition_78lot1.htm)
“The idea for the Special Edition car was actually founded by John Schinella who was assigned chief designer for the Firebird in 1971. He based the paint scheme on the then popular black and gold John Player Special Formula Gran Prix race cars. Once given the green light to go ahead with the design from Bill Mitchell John debuted the first black and gold Trans Am in the 1974 Chicago Auto Show. Of course this is easily the most recognizable Trans Am of all time to just about anyone born in the last 30 years.”

Firebird and Trans Am by Bill Holder in the forward by Paul Zazarine “One Automotive magazine observed that “the trans am” screaming chicken is now the most recognized car emblem in the world”

Jeff Dennison ( http://www.anglefire.com/) “Rarest of the Rare”
“The rumors about this car run rampant. I've heard everything from it got crushed in 1976, to it was totaled in a wreck, to it's still alive and well stashed away in a Detroit warehouse. If this were true, it would be the rarest of the rare!”

NAFTA Eagle by Jeff Dennison
“John knew that Bill Mitchell liked the black-and-gold John Player Special paint scheme, so he had a black prototype 1973 Trans Am made up with a gold foil hood bird graphic and gold pinstripes. No one can remember if this particular Trans Am had a Super Duty 455 or not, but if Bill Mitchell used it as his regular car, it probably did. Bill already had some of his motorcycles painted in a similar fashion. By pitching the hood bird to Mitchell in a color combination he already liked, Schinella sold him on the idea and the hood bird was finally born.
The hood bird would go on to become an icon, one that would identify the Trans Am for the rest of the second generation's production run. When the 1982 Trans Ams arrived at the dealerships in late 1981, the legendary hood bird and shaker scoop went into the history books -- gone but certainly not forgotten.”

AutoBlog
Breaker, Breaker: Year One recreates Bandit T/As
by Dan Roth
“The distinctive theme, with black paint and contrasting gold pinstripes and accents, traces back to the 1974 show car season. That year, a particularly evil-looking '74 T/A was done up in black metal flake with extensive gold detailing. The car featured a Super-Duty 455 V8 topped with a shaker scoop, and it was stunning. So stunning, in fact, that it went into production in 1976 as the 50th Anniversary Trans Am.”

Firebirdtransamparts
http://www.firebirdtransamparts.com/bandit/bandithistory.htm
The show car had black metalflake paint with a gold and black hood bird and pin striping on various body components including the fender spats, racing mirrors, A-pillar, the roof and trunk lid centreline and the hood scoop surround. It was a stunning car especially with the honeycomb mag wheels. The ’74 showcar also had "Trans Am" in gold gothic lettering on the front fenders.

POCI Convention

2008-07-26T13:20:00.001-07:00

Hauled "The 1974 Chicago Auto Show Car" to the POCI Pontiac Convention in Spearfish SD.
Won 1st Place and received an overwhelming response from all who attended.
Had 4 photographers taking photo shoots of the car!
Tom Demuaro with High Performance Pontiac commented "That car really draws a crowd".
Jim Wangers signed his new book and on the page that mentions the Chicago show car he wrote "The Chicago Auto Show Car" is indeed the most famous pontiac show car ever!"
Met Rocky Rotella and found out that the distributor is pre HEI and only made between 1972-74 and that no other Super Duties had a unitized ignition. He also noted that the lugs on the car were anidized gold to go with the first gold honeycomb wheels. Rocky took pictures to go in his upcoming article on the "1976 50th anniversary edition" TA. I Found out through Rocky that the car was on the cover of June 1974 "Super Stock" magazine. I have always had a picture of that cover but thought it was a promotional poster. Thank you Rocky.
Met Larry Deroy a freelance photographer that actually saw the car at the Chicago Auto Show in 1974! Larry took lots of good photos of car.
Talked with Don Keefe about the car coming out in a future issue of " Smoke Signals". Don also took photos of car.
Had a great time and met alot of great people!

!!!NOTICE !!!!
DO TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES
WE WILL NOT BE GOING TO THE TRANS AM NATIONALS

Thank you,
Bob and Midtown Muscle

Show Circuit

2008-06-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Year One Experience and the Bandit Run at Road Atlanta:We hauled the car to Braselton, Georgia to the Year One Experience May 16-18, 2008. It was a fantastic show. We received a 2 hour photo shoot with Thomas Demauro for several upcoming issues of High Performance Pontiac. It will be in an interview with John Schinella and in an issue talking about Year One Experience and Bandit Run. It will also be in an upcoming issue to update the December 2005 issue about our car (because so much more history has been uncovered since then). We also got a TV interview with Cruise Control TV about our car being at Road Atlanta 32 years ago at the 1976 Trans Am Territories and how much history the car has. Everyone there was amazed to see the car (very few people have seen the car since 1976).We felt like we stole the show! Met alot of nice folks! See Photos

A few questions came up at the show:
Someone remarked that the back glass trim was chrome-and-black (could be a one off)???
Distributor is an older electronic and SD cars didn't come that way???How many SD Blocks are completly unmarked???
Hope to answer these questions soon.

Coming Soon:
POCI Convention, Spearfish, South Dakota, July 8-12, 2008Trans Am Nationals, Dayton (Vandalia), Ohio, August 22, 23“World of Wheels” Kansas City, KS, Feb 2009