The Fourth and Final Prop Car Had To Be Pushed
The production of “Smokey and the Bandit” had many challenges, one of which involved the fourth and final prop car used in the climactic chase scene. This particular car, a modified 1976 Trans Am designed to look like Bandit’s car, suffered a mechanical failure during filming and had to be pushed to complete the scene. During a take, the car came to a stop on the side of the road (via Slash Gear).
Although the production team attempted to fix the car on site, it quickly became clear that the repairs would take too long and delay filming. In a moment of quick thinking, the team decided to push the car instead of repairing it. With a team of crew members off-camera, the car was manually pushed down the highway while cameras continued to roll.