More than 35 years after the debut of โSmokey and the Bandit,โ Western Star fans are paying tribute to the classic movie with its newest star: โBandit,โ the โDesign Our Star Project: Part IIโ 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 Starโs 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 โWโ on the hood is an homage to the famous Screaming Chicken logo found on the hood of the movieโs iconic Trans Am. The inside of the roomy cab carries the โSmokey and the Banditโ theme through with a black dash and Premium Prairie buckskin interior.
โOur fans thought about every detail when creating the latest Design Our Star Project truck,โ said Andy Johnson, brand manager for Western Star. โNot only does the Bandit truck look great, it is built to perform.โ
Specโd with the integrated Detroit powertrain, including the Detroit DD15 engine and Detroit DT12 automated manual transmission, the 5700XE features Western Starโs 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 โDesign Our Star Project: Part IIโ is available at www.DesignOurStar.com.