EAST BOUND AND DOWN WITH THE TALLEST BRIT I'VE EVER SEEN



If you happen to judge Team Cockney driver, Chris Smith, on looks alone, you'd never realize that you were standing in front of one of the coolest guys you'd ever meet in your life.  Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know I've complimented tons of people on this rally and I seem to like everyone, but Chris is a bit different.  There's an enthusiasm factor that is more overwhelming that his 6 ft 7in body.  It wasn't his shaved head that lit up the room, it was him.

He was well aware that 2007 marked the 30th Anniversary of the original Smokey and the Bandit movie.  This is why he bought a 1978 Trans Am just before the start of Bullrun 2007.  That's right, it took a guy from London to not only run American Muscle, but arguably one of the most famous American Muscle cars in the history of American Automotive.



While walking around the garage in Montreal I came upon the Trans Am.  Part of me was put off by the fact that it wasn't the true Bandit Black and Gold paint scheme, but I wound my neck back in when I saw the machine in action.  While in the Lotus, I rallied behind Team Cockney for over a 100 miles.  I was shocked at how well it performed, pulled away and manuevered tight corners.  I would later find out that it was nothing to see it, you have to be in it to appreciate it.



Here's some info on the car for all of you Trans Am/Pontiac fans

Team Cockney's Engine Consist of:

-426 Stroker Motor
-Eagle Stroker Crank (Forged)
-Eagle "H" Beam Rods
-Forged Hyper Tech Pistons
-Custom Grind Cam (Computer Designed)
-Fully ported/gas flowed and polished heads to round port spec (7F6) and golf ball sized valves!!!
-MAGNAFLOW Headers and exhaust
-Edelbrock inlet
-Quadra Jet carb built to Siper Duty Spec with Larger Jets
-Detroit Locker Read End
-Rotor Conversion to rear
-Hodgkins Suspension all round 2"
-New uprated steering including shorter throw rack
-Balanced a blue-printed
-Miloden twin capacity big wing sump and windage tray
-High Volume oil pump
-High volume-high pressure water pump
-TH350 with 2500 rmp stall converter and B&M shift Kit
-Polyurethane bushings to suspension and all body mountings

As luck would have it, I was looking for passage to Savannah and the Silver Trans Am had a nice back seat.  No air conditioning and the passenger seat not going back up all the way-cruching my legs didn't phase me a bit.  With only an hour and a half of sleep the night before, I managed to get a few minutes of shut-eye back there.

It was every bit of amazing as I would have thought.  We flew down the highway and the car seemed to get better and better into triple digits.  It pulled hard and it broke gently.  I was amazed to find out later that the accelerator pump on the secondaries went out early in the rally without the knowledge of Chris.  That meant the carburator was receiveing half the fuel it was supposed to.  Sucks for me because I still have wonder what the full potential of the car is at full tilt.  It still was a ton of car even with problems.



The car also caught the attention of everyone we passed along the way.  The truckers in particular just lit up the CB with every kind of Smokey and the Bandit reference possible.  I also could have sworn that the North Carolina Smokey that pulled us over in front of Lowe's Motor Speedway called a "SUM BITCH".

Chris' navigator/co-driver was an excellent lad named Freeman.  Freeman was so stoked to be on Bullrun that he wore a smile from ear to ear the entire week.  He completely basked in the glory of it all.  Chris and Freeman met back in England when Chris was Bouncing at a club called the "Double Deace"  No relation to the movie ROAD HOUSE. Chris actually pulled a Daulton on Freeman having to drag him out by his shirt on one occasion.  From then on they became friends and here they are driving 3,000 miles in the US on Bullrun 2007.  Just Classic.



Team Cockney rallied a lot with Lamont Reeves of Team Shaphrang.  "Shaphrang" means MOVE FORWARD, and that is exactly what Lamont did in his 911 Carrera S.  Lamont's 911 had it all, but the Trans Am hung with it pretty well the whole way.  That must have been a site for all watching a CLASSIC Trans AM and sick Porsche 911 S snaking their way through Traffic in the Bandit's old stomping ground.


(Chris & Lamont)

I caught up with Chris and Freeman in Key West for an interview.  I included outtakes at the end.  There is a part of the video that didn't have sound that was hilarious at the time.  I started off the interview normally and shot into a question to Chris that went like this..."Why did you think it was OK to drive like an asshole for 3,000 on US roads"?  At least that was the question before I started cracking up for about 5 minutes.  I finally composed myself and went on with the interview.

Chris is looking forward to Bullrun 2008. Possibly in a Black and Gold '78 Trans Am.  We look foward to also seeing Chris wearing a rather large cowboy hat with feather and the biggest belt buckle ever seen on a Englishman.  He promises full Bandit costume if he brings the Black one. 

We'll hold you to it too mate.



P.S - Chris didn't work at the "Double Deuce", but he did bounce Freeman out one night.  LOL