More than 35 years after the debut of “Smokey and the Bandit,” Western Star fans are paying tribute to the classic movie with its newest star: “Bandit,” the “Design Our Star Project: Part II” show truck.
The 2017 5700XE was built from the ground up by fans and customers, who selected the truck model, application, engine, interior and exterior options, and more through voting rounds on Western Star’s social media channels. Almost 16,000 votes were cast to create the final truck.
The truck features a distinctive jet black paint job, which is available from the Western Star factory, with gold pinstripes. The custom fenders, modular headlights and steel grille are also trimmed in the eye-catching gold, and a big gold “W” on the hood is an homage to the famous Screaming Chicken logo found on the hood of the movie’s iconic Trans Am. The inside of the roomy cab carries the “Smokey and the Bandit” theme through with a black dash and Premium Prairie buckskin interior.
“Our fans thought about every detail when creating the latest Design Our Star Project truck,” said Andy Johnson, brand manager for Western Star. “Not only does the Bandit truck look great, it is built to perform.”
Spec’d with the integrated Detroit powertrain, including the Detroit DD15 engine and Detroit DT12 automated manual transmission, the 5700XE features Western Star’s full Aero package with optimized roof fairings, back-of-sleeper extenders and chassis fairings, all for maximum efficiency and performance.
The Bandit truck will make appearances at various events throughout 2016 and 2017. More information about the “Design Our Star Project: Part II” is available at www.DesignOurStar.com.
