Burt Reynolds to raffle Trans Am from ‘Smokey and the Bandit’

Sheriff Buford T. Justice might never have gotten his hands on the Bandit’s black-and-gold 1979 Pontiac Trans Am — but maybe you can.

The Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre will raffle an impeccably restored replica of the car used in the film "Smokey and the Bandit," signed by the Bandit himself. Reynolds will autograph the car and a cream-colored Stetson like the one he wore in the movie.

The raffle, which costs $3 per ticket and opens Monday, will raise money, in part, for a new theater institute and a Burt Reynolds Museum, which was closed in 2012. Raffle tickets can be purchased online at www.winbandit.com with the promo code BANONE.

Reynolds, who grew up in Palm Beach County and starred as a running back at Palm Beach High, has fans worldwide, including the late wrestler and actor "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, whom Reynolds remembered last week on his Facebook page.

Reynolds was recently honored at the Macon Film Festival, where he spoke to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, about the state where he made several of his movies, including the iconic "Smokey and the Bandit."