1990 Pontiac Firebird Bandit II - The Lost Bandit

Tuners and/or dealer packages are great "theme" cars to own and get noticed with. They all look wilder than stock, some perform much better, many are individually numbered, and all are rare.

Across the four generations, there have been many different tuner Firebirds. The First-Gens saw a handful of dealer-modified Pontiacs such as the Bobcat and Comanches. By the time the Second-Gens came around, car modification had become more popular. A slew of tuners began to pop up and offer their own interpretation of what Pontiac should have built. This was a blessing to many of us since it began a tradition of special niche Birds that have become popular among collectors. Most notable Second-Gens are the Fire-Ams and Macho Trans Ams. GM even joined the fray and began offering its own special-edition cars.

These limited number, highly desirable Pontiacs all offered something unique, and this idea was carried over into the Third-Gen Firebirds. With a new platform on which to add their creativity, new ideas emerged.

Last month we told you about the '92 SLP Firehawk. This month we have the Bandit II, a tuner that may not be as rare or nearly as quick as the aforementioned Firehawk, but it certainly seems more rare today. The Bandit II was designed to pay homage to the famous '77 Special Edition Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit. Documentation is extremely limited regarding how many were produced, where they were sold, and variances from car to car.

The $4,500 conversions took place at the Chattanooga Customs Center (a division of Choo Choo Customs) in Tennessee and were offered to nearby dealerships. They began in the '87 model year with 500 proposed conversions, as evidenced by a dash plaque. By 1990, the planned conversions had grown to 600, and they continued until 1992.

Todd and Melissa Christian knew of the Bandit II cars. "I had seen only one in the past 10 years or so, and that really piqued my interest," Todd says. After some searching, in late 2007, the couple found a white '91. It was in need of some TLC, however, and since Todd wasn't looking for a project, he passed on it and kept his eyes open for a cleaner Bandit II.

Early in 2008, Todd and Melissa were at an auto auction and met Mike and Rita Freeman. They shared car talk for a while, and Mike informed the Christians of their friends Ron and Judy Graham who were selling their Bandit II. A meeting was set up for them to discuss the purchase and view the car in Benton, Kentucky, about 45 minutes away from the Christians' home in Kevil. Upon their arrival, the Christians were treated to the site of this pristine, Bright Red '90 Firebird Bandit II. An agreement was quickly reached, and Todd and Melissa drove the Bird home.

The Bandit II package is purely cosmetic and was only applied to Firebird models that came with the 305 V-8, not T/As or Formulas. It included a full aero kit that integrated nicely with the factory bumpers and featured cutouts for the new dual-dual exhaust tips. The hood is dominated by a screaming chicken and a nonfunctional hoodscoop that mimics the design of the Shaker scoop. No Bandit would be complete without gold trim, so gold graphics can be found all around the body, like the '77-'81 Special Edition Trans Ams.

Inside, the seats and floor mats were treated to custom embroidery, and the dash received a gold trim package. There's also a dash plaque displaying the vehicle's build number. Todd and Melissa's Bandit II is number 85 of 600. The final production numbers are unknown and, according to Todd, the cars didn't come with any documentation, which only adds to their mystery.