One of my favorite movies happens to be Smokey and the Bandit. Jackie Gleason, aka Sheriff Beauford T. Justice, was one of the two most important elements in that movie (in my opinion). The other, of course, was the black Trans Am. Pontiac got a lot of great advertising by providing cars for that movie. The Trans Am was a badass; fast, great burnouts, hell it even jumped a river while outrunning every Grand LeMans cop car in the South.
So, my question to myself was simple: Did Smokey and the Bandit make the Trans Am an icon? The movie came out in 1977, so I looked at Trans Am production numbers for 1977, 1978 and 1979. Not exactly scientific (at all), but interesting and maybe anecdotal.
1977: 68,745
1978: 93,341
1979: 117,108
Based on the huge production increase, it's not entirely unreasonable to think that the movie helped to turn the Trans Am into an icon. Obviously there's other factors involved, but it's enough to make you go hmm...
If a movie can make an icon, can a song? Well, the Corvette was an icon long before the Prince song came out, but could the song have an influence on color choice? The song came out in 1982, so I looked at Corvette production by color for 1982, 1984 and 1985:
1982: 25,407 built. 2,155 were red, or roughly 8.5%
1984: 51,547 built. 12,942 were red, or roughly 25%
1985: 39,729 built. 10,424 were red, or roughly 26%
Do the number really mean anything? Probably not, but it was fun to ask the question and look at some production numbers to see if there was even the possibility of a relationship. The Corvette changed body style in 1984, so it's entirely possible the C4 just looks better in red than other colors. But it's enough to make you go hmm...
Rick and I had been in the entertainment business a long time before the economy crashed and I closed my business in 2010. Having a finger on the pulse of trends as well as an extensive knowledge of American cultural history was tantamount to making the business successful. I can tell you from experience that yes, definitely, that specific cars featured in popular movies and songs or TV shows for that matter raised sales of the cars themselves as well as memorabilia, toys and clothes. Pink Cadillacs, Orange Chargers, White Volkswagons and Red Tbirds, they live in our hearts.
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