You just can't fix stupid and you can't erase history. As Sheriff Buford T. Justice of Portague County Texas famously said: "What the hell is the world coming to?"
BY: CHRISTOPHER SMITH
The Detroit City Council allegedly rejected the stunt request because of the car's license plate.
Those steeped in the world of custom cars know all about Autorama. For decades, this Detroit-based hot rod show has been the Holy Grail of builders across the United States, if not the entire world. Occasionally a super-cool stunt is staged outside to kick it all off, and such a plan was in place this year to honor the passing of Hollywood actor and Smokey and the Bandit star Burt Reynolds.
The plan was to recreate the memorable bridge jump scene with a screen-accurate black-and-gold Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am, but apparently, the car was too screen accurate for the Detroit City Council. According to the Detroit Free Press, the council rejected the jump by a 7-1 vote because of the iconic car’s front license plate, which features a Confederate flag like the one used in the 1977 blockbuster film.
Curiously, that didn’t phase council members in 2017. An orange Dodge Charger kicked off the show that year with a stunt jump, and it wasn't just any Charger. It was a classic 1969 Charger painted up to match the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard – perhaps the only other American car to match the Bandit’s Trans Am in terms of iconic Hollywood vehicular stardom. We mention this because the General Lee features a Confederate flag painted on the roof, which is far larger than the roughly 12-inch wide Confederate flag license plate that adorns the front of the Trans Am.
https://www.motor1.com/news/306220/bandit-trans-am-jump-autorama/
