Celebrity deaths don’t usually belong on Motor Illustrated but like for Paul Walker, we’re making an exception for Burt Reynolds.
Mr. Reynolds partook in over 200 movies in his acting career that spanned a half-century. For us however, 1977’s Smokey and the Bandit put Reynolds on the short list of cars guys that were fun to watch. While I’m the only member of the MI team that was alive then, and for Smokey and the Bandit 2, and The Cannonball Run, and Smokey and the Bandit 3, and The Cannonball Run 2, and Stroker Ace, and a few more, we’ve all seen the movies and love them dearly.
In fact, so prevalent and entertaining are Reynolds car movies that they could account for between a third and 40% of the best car movies of all times. Some of his last car movies were hit or miss, however. In the “miss” category, we fit Driven starring Sly Stallone. In the “hit” classification, The Dukes of Hazzard is a must see.
