The Bandit Truck & Legendary Concepts
By Allen Herald
Special to the Journal
Just north of Downtown Mt. Pleasant, there lies an unassuming white and red shop on the corner of Industrial Road and East 14th Street. Driving by, one might not assume much of the place.
With no signage, and little sign of life facing the main road, anyone could be forgiven for not taking notice of the facility, if you failed to look just south of the main building. Atop the slight hill beside the sloped parking lot on the south side of the property, there is a sign of things to come.
Polished black paint, bronze and gold highlights, lowered with a widened stance, the larger-than-life presence of the Bandit Truck is nearly impossible to miss. Watching over the property, the truck formerly known as a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado now sits with custom distinction, bearing the name and branding of the great late Burt Reynolds.
The in-house design directly inspired by the late seventies Pontiac Firebird that swept the nation off its feet, the Bandit Truck holds no punches. If looks could kill, there would be no one left to sing its praises. With a supercharged V-8 engine that punches past seven hundred horsepower, it’s tough to say whether or not the creators of the Bandit Truck have lost their minds or reached complete nirvana.
Roaring to life from a cold start, the beast that resides under the hood of this American muscle never fails to ignite passion within any onlookers fortunate enough to bear witness to this homegrown homage to speed and the classic American muscle car.
Draw closer, if you dare, past the Lady Liberty of Legendary Concepts, through the lot clustered with an eclectic selection of cars, truck and trailers, through the open shop-bay doors into the heart of the beast. This is where the magic happens.
Unbeknownst to so much of the town that surrounds it, the home of the creators of the Bandit Truck, Legendary Concepts, bustles to life each morning in the pursuit of greatness.
I sat down with the man who started the madness, Mr. Jon Anderson, owner and operator of Legendary Concepts, to talk about the Bandit Truck and his company.
“Smokey and the Bandit is what originally inspired the truck… Burt Reynolds’ character, his co-star the Trans Am, and the movie — it’s what we all fell in love with back in the day,” Mr. Anderson said. As the story goes, in 2016 Burt Reynolds and a few of his close associates created the first Bandit Truck Prototype.
“They went into talks with General Motors about producing a Bandit Truck version of the Silverado, but they could never come to terms,” Mr. Anderson concluded.
After that, the Bandit Truck Prototype lost steam.
“Fast forward two years, and I was looking for an old ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ style Trans Am. I stumbled upon an ad online that was exactly what I was looking for.” Mr. Anderson didn’t know it at first, but it just so happened the seller of the old Trans Am was one of Burt Reynolds’s associates involved with the creation of the Bandit Truck Prototype.
“Once I bought the Trans Am, the guy wanted to know if I would be interested in a truck as well,” he said.
A few short conversations later, and Mr. Anderson was the proud owner of the first Bandit Truck Prototype. Through this purchase, Mr. Anderson was afforded the opportunity to meet the late Burt Reynolds, quickly becoming friends. “So that was pretty awesome.” he said, with increasing enthusiasm.
“He was a inspiration… I met him when he was around 82, he was sharp as ever,” Mr. Anderson said. “Extremely kind, good hearted, and very funny,he was a joy to be around”
A few weeks after Mr. Anderson purchased the Bandit Truck Prototype, Burt Reynolds passed away. It was at this time, both Mr. Anderson and Burt Reynolds’s associates felt a calling to continue the Bandit Truck project.
“We all got to talking and thought, man, somebody oughta build those trucks” said Mr. Anderson.
With endorsement from the Burt Reynolds Estate, and the creation of a small production team, Legendary Concepts was born.
It wasn’t long before a design based off the original prototype was created, and in walked seasoned automotive artist and engineer known as “David R.”
He was tasked with taking the sketch artist’s vision of what the truck could be and turning that into what the truck would become.
“I came in to make the images a reality. We call that the Art to Part process” Mr. R remarked.
In short, the Art to Part process takes the imagined design of the car and brings it to life through engineering.
“That can be something as simple as… well, how do you make this part so you can get it out of the mold you just made it in?” Mr. R said. With over 42 years of experience, Mr. R was essential in bringing the Bandit Truck to life and continues to work closely with Legendary Concepts.
In the early stages of development, Mr. Anderson tapped the shoulder of an old friend, Jim Koelliker, to assist in the business and production of the Bandit Truck. Mr. Koelliker was hesitant at first due to personal reasons, but after a short while he was convinced these trucks needed to be made and he wanted to be part of it.
Now the Director of Operations, Mr. Koelliker plays an essential role in the production of the Bandit Truck. “I oversee operations from organizing events, ordering trucks, to overseeing the final product.” Mr. Koelliker remarked.
Throughout the production of the Bandit Truck it was clear to all involved the cultural and historical significance of what it was they were creating. What wasn’t clear was all of the challenges they would face along the way.
“We’re struggling, as any new startup does, but everyday we keep pushing… we get a notch better, and that’s all you can ask for.” said Mr. Koelliker.
COVID was certainly a challenge that no-one saw coming, and with the continued scarcity of computer chips and the temporary shutdown of global supply chains, procuring trucks for production had an entirely new level of difficulty.
However, Legendary Concepts has weathered that storm and now it’s growing and making more trucks than ever before.
“I’m a firm believer that the most successful people are not always the most talented people, but the most determined people,” Mr. Anderson said about the struggles of his company and team. With that being said, the talent of the team responsible for creation of the Bandit Truck is ever present in their work.
Built on the Chevy Silverado platform, the custom, in-house design of the bodywork of the Bandit Truck shines as a tribute to the legacy the truck carries on its broad shoulders. With a wide body stance, custom made bronze-laced spoke wheels, it’s obvious the love is in the details. Each wheel is completed with a center cap brandishing the truck’s signature “BR” logo, a design heavily inspired by the original golden firebird, known inside the industry as ‘The Screaming Chicken,’ worn by the legendary Pontiac so many years ago.
When asking around the shop, the favorite aspect of the truck always came back to two things, the sound of the exhaust, and the bold “BR” signature hood.
Becoming a proud owner of a Bandit Truck isn’t the easiest on your wallet, but what’s clear is it’s a decision that would stick with any prospective owner for a lifetime.
“It’s not just a truck, it’s a story. It’s made with a lot of love, and I love what this truck stands for,” said team member Kristi Stutts. With such an incredible story come storytellers wanting to share the history being made here in Mt. Pleasant. As such, a feature length documentary on the story of the Bandit Truck, Legendary Concepts, and the whole of contemporary automotive culture is now underway. It’s uncertain where the documentary will be made available, or when, but if the production of the documentary is anything like the truck it seeks to immortalize, the end result will most certainly be outstanding.
The future of Legendary Concepts is bright, with hints of a newly designed custom truck currently in the research and development phase, along with a series of other custom vehicles to come to life in the coming years.
Only time will tell how far Legendary Concepts will soar, but what can be said now is that the work of Jon Anderson and his team has connected us all to the past in a way most can only dream of. Legendary Concepts has brought a piece of not just automotive history, but also automotive industry to Mt. Pleasant.
