9/26/23 Update Click here to see a newer blog post containing even more info on McQ’s Trans Ams!
If you’re an early Trans Am enthusiast, “McQ” needs no explanation.
For others, McQ is a movie in which John Wayne—who also owned and drove Pontiacs in his personal life—pilots a Brewster Green 1973 Trans Am. The Duke portrays Lon McQ—a high-ranking detective in the Seattle Police Department who uncovers an underworld plot to steal confiscated narcotics. McQ then finds an officer from his own department had already carried out the heist and hid the contraband in his Trans Am. The car is crushed in a brazen attempt to retrieve the “junk”.
Most second-gen Trans Am fans can caption this image in their own words. Share yours in the comments below.
Warner Brothers released McQ on February 6, 1974. It’s the first feature film (at least to my knowledge) to prominently include a second-gen Firebird. My first recollection of McQ was watching it with my dad in the early-to-mid 1980s. Then, after acquiring our first VCR, he recorded only scenes in which the Trans Am appeared to effectively create a McQ highlight reel. We watched that VHS recording countless times over the years. So often, in fact, that my mother would yell out, “Not again!” when she heard Elmer Bernstein’s “Bum-Bum, Bum-Bum” background music coming from the living room.
This official McQ press kit distributed by Warner Brothers is part of my collection. It contains about 80 press photos in total—only two show the McQ’s Trans Am. Production notes indicate that the movie was largely filmed during the Summer and Fall of 1973.
Many have speculated how McQ’s 1973 Trans Am was originally equipped. It’s often said that it had a Super Duty 455 under hood. Others say it was heavily modified by the production crew to endure the harsh driving conditions and stunts. Then there were the stories of “I know a guy that had one from the movie...” Nothing, however, was ever substantiated.
I spent hours purposely studying each McQ scene in which the dark green Trans Am appears. We know it was equipped with such options as Air Conditioning, Front Console, Turbo-400, Rear Bumper Guards, and Custom Interior. It was stripped of it “Trans Am” decals and Shaker displacement callouts. The only exterior ornamentation that remained was the “Pontiac” lettering front and rear and the small bird on the front bumper.
It’s easy to see the plush door panels of the custom interior package and manual window crank in this press photo. It also appears that this particular Trans Am was equipped with a tilt steering column.
Some claim that SCCA would not allow Warner Brothers to use “Trans Am” on film due to trademark infringement. I specifically asked SCCA’s then-Chief Steward of Trans-Am series racing, Berdie Martin about this. He quickly replied, “I would have been directly involved with any such decision back then. Warner Brothers never approached us. There’s no way we would have turned down the publicity.” Martin did agree, however, that the production crew may have simply removed the “Trans Am” lettering to preclude any potential conflict. It’s also possible that they simply wanted McQ’s car to have a subdued appearance.
After the infamous chase seen, McQ jumps the railroad tracks to apprehend the perceived assailant only to find he’s pursued the wrong laundry truck. Notice the “Trans Am” lettering was removed from the rear spoiler but that “Pontiac” remains.
Keen McQ fans know that McQ’s Trans Am wears two different Washington license plates—BRN 952 and ICG 587—which suggests Pontiac supplied at least two similar Firebirds for production. We know a Trans Am wearing plate BRN 952 was crushed during the movie. It was so badly damaged that virtually nothing was salvageable and what became of it is unknown. The question of what became of any other Trans Ams postproduction has gnawed at me for years. I searched relentlessly hoping to document one.
After years of searching for the whereabouts of any Trans Am used in McQ, I happen across this 1974 article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. It was printed in a then-recent issue of Pontiac’s News from Pontiac public relations magazine. Finally! We knew the disposition of at least one McQ movie car!
While authoring my book, The Definitive Firebird & Trans Am Guide 1970-1981 in the mid-2010s, I discovered News From Pontiac magazine, Volume 14, Number 4. In it was a clipping from the April 28, 1974 Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper reporting that Pontiac donated a well-used Trans Am from McQ to the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center (or SOIC) for its automotive training classes. Here, was proof of a second McQ movie car!
Shortly after, I was told about a Pontiac collector (named Andy) living in the Pacific Northwest who owned an actual McQ movie car. I immediately contacted Andy hoping to learn more. He shared with me the story of its past and sent a copy of its original factory-to-dealer invoice, which reveals that this particular Brewster Green Trans Am was originally assigned and shipped to Pontiac’s Portland, Oregon zone. Things began to add up.
Pontiac’s Zone Manager for its Portland Zone, Bob Donohoe is seen here (center left) in this unrelated photo from 1971. He was instrumental in coordinating the donation of a McQ movie car to a Seattle-area tech school. What became of any others?
“My brother-in-law’s cousin knew exactly what the car was,” says Andy. “He bugged the Seattle tech school that Pontiac donated it to until they let him acquire it in the late-1970s. The car wasn’t ever supposed to be licensed, but he somehow got a waiver from the state and obtained a title for it. Shortly after, he started putting it back together and got it running and driving. On his way home from the body shop, he was hit by another car. He parked it after that, and it sat for the next several years.” Andy then bought it.
The complete article from the April 28, 1974 printing of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reveals that the Trans Am that Pontiac donated to Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center was in very poor condition.
Pontiac intended for the donated Trans Am to be used as a teaching aide. As such, the SOIC students disassembled and reassembled it many times over the years. The original 455 was damaged during filming and a d-port 455-ci and TH-400 from ’73 Grand Prix eventually replaced it. “It wasn’t completely reassembled and some parts are missing,” says Andy. “Even the cowl tag is gone. One thing that does remain, however, is the Washington ICG 587 license plate seen in the movie.”
I was advised to contact a hobbyist living in the Pacific Northwest, who reportedly owns one of the McQ movie cars. He shared its factory-to-dealer invoice with me, which reveals that it was originally shipped and assigned to Pontiac’s Portland Zone Office. Its list of optional content identically matches what’s visible in McQ. The “Y” in VIN indicates that it was equipped with the base (d-port) L75 455 4-barrel. The last few digits of the VIN was purposely removed.
Unfortunately, the McQ Trans Am is in a storage barn where it’s not immediately accessible for photos. Andy admits, however, “It’s not much to look at. It’s little more than a rolling parts car. It’s not rusty, just very abused. The floor pan is buckled and the lower quarter panels are crushed. It will receive a total restoration someday, but it’s going to need a lot of work.”
The owner of the McQ Trans Am says it still wears Washington license plate “ICG 587” that’s clearly visible in this famous jump scene. After hearing the story of how his Trans Am was acquired, there’s little doubt this is the actual car he owns! Unfortunately, it’s in far worse shape today and in need of a complete restoration.
Based on the story Andy shared with me, unquestionably, his Trans Am is the McQ movie car that Pontiac donated to SOIC. With this one accounted for, and a second destroyed during filming, I question, were there only two McQ movie cars? Or were there others?
What do you think? Please leave a comment!
9/26/23 Update Click here to see a newer blog post containing even more info on McQ’s Trans Ams!