Smokey and the Bandit episodes of the series. Needham saw an advertisement for the soon-to-be-released 1977 Pontiac Trans Am and knew right away that would be the Bandit's car, or, as Needham referred to it, a character in the movie. He contacted Pontiac and an agreement was made that four 1977 Trans Ams and two Pontiac LeMans 4-door sedans would be provided for the movie. The Trans Ams were actually 1976-model cars with 1977 front ends. (From 1970 to 1976, both the Firebird/Trans Am and Chevrolet Camaro had two round headlights, and in 1977, the Firebird/Trans Am was changed to four rectangular headlights, while
Hal Needham other innovative equipment to the industry. Needham at one time lived in Burt Reynolds' guesthouse for the better part of 12 years. In 1971, he and fellow stuntmen Glenn Wilder and Ronnie Rondell formed Stunts Unlimited. Needham had written a screenplay titled "Smokey and the Bandit" and his friend Reynolds offered him the chance to direct. The film was a huge hit, and the two followed it with "Hooper", "The Cannonball Run", and "Stroker Ace", and "Megaforce". Needham also directed the 1986 BMX film "Rad". In 1977, Gabriel Toys introduced the "Hal Needham Western Movie Stunt Set" complete with a