After a long and famous history, General Motors has announced the end of the Pontiac brand.
*RIP* Pontiac Motors
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xraytech
Well-known member
It is kind of sad to hear that Pontiac is to be axed now, it was worse hearing of Oldsmobile's end, the last car rolled off of the Olds production line was on my 18th birthday, April 29, 2004, last car was an Alero.
It would be more devestating to me to hear of Buick's demise if that were to happen, better think about trading the DeVille in on a new Buick just in case.
It would be more devestating to me to hear of Buick's demise if that were to happen, better think about trading the DeVille in on a new Buick just in case.
Feh!
Two words: Pontiac Aztek.
More words: lousy reliability, lousy design.
I feel sorry for the people losing their jobs, but I don't feel a bit sorry for the executives who did not take Japan, Inc. seriously.
Even when we drove GM, I never liked Pontiac.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
Two words: Pontiac Aztek.
More words: lousy reliability, lousy design.
I feel sorry for the people losing their jobs, but I don't feel a bit sorry for the executives who did not take Japan, Inc. seriously.
Even when we drove GM, I never liked Pontiac.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
Alero
Actually drove many an Alero as a rental car. Very good, IIRC and was sad to see them go.
Actually drove many an Alero as a rental car. Very good, IIRC and was sad to see them go.
Dan, better tell that to the college kids. There's a row of late model Grand Prixs right behind my apartment. At least they prove to be popular here in the midwest, parked amongst the 'yotas.
Ben and I discussed this recently, Pontiac has some very nice, very well built cars right now, but are totally diluted by the cheap, disposable, G5's and 6's. I hear they're not bad cars, but not my cup of tea.
I do applaud them for building a retractable hardtop a guy like me can afford, and the G8 is damn gorgeous if not powerful to boot.
Confession time....I sorta like the Aztec! A little too whacky for the general public, however. http://www.aztekrally.org/northeast/
Ben and I discussed this recently, Pontiac has some very nice, very well built cars right now, but are totally diluted by the cheap, disposable, G5's and 6's. I hear they're not bad cars, but not my cup of tea.
I do applaud them for building a retractable hardtop a guy like me can afford, and the G8 is damn gorgeous if not powerful to boot.
Confession time....I sorta like the Aztec! A little too whacky for the general public, however. http://www.aztekrally.org/northeast/
classiccaprice
Well-known member
Noo!!!
I really hate how the long term brands are being killed off... Plymouth, Olds, now Pontiac... What next? Buick, Mercury, or the entire Chrysler corp?
I really hate how the long term brands are being killed off... Plymouth, Olds, now Pontiac... What next? Buick, Mercury, or the entire Chrysler corp?
I caught wind of this last night and immediately went to Pontiac's site to request a full line brochure, along with a G8 brochure. We'll see if I get any mail. ;-)
Honestly - the last G8 GTP cars are going to be extremely rare and big money collectors cars. 4.3 0-60 times in a stock production 4 door? Unbelievable.
No secret that I'm a GM guy. Along with Cory, our fathers raised us on varying GM cars - my Dad just happens to be a huge Pontiac and Buick buff. While yes, 1981 was the last year for the traditional V8 301 Pontiac engine - the excitement carried on through the 80's with beautiful EFI powered 350 Trans Am's and all wheel drive STE 6000's - and the 90's brought on the rebirth of the Grand Prix and a super-charged Buick V6. Maybe I find this news a bit more emotional than the end of Olds. We knew it was coming, but it was just a matter of when.
Sold my last Firebird last fall to a kid north of Waterloo. Looking to finish restoring Dad's 1974 Ram Air Formula 400 hopefully next summer.
Below is a picture of Dad doing a burnout in his 1970 400 Pontiac-powered Trans Am. Certainly wish he still had this one around. Taken in the summer of '75.
Ben
Honestly - the last G8 GTP cars are going to be extremely rare and big money collectors cars. 4.3 0-60 times in a stock production 4 door? Unbelievable.
No secret that I'm a GM guy. Along with Cory, our fathers raised us on varying GM cars - my Dad just happens to be a huge Pontiac and Buick buff. While yes, 1981 was the last year for the traditional V8 301 Pontiac engine - the excitement carried on through the 80's with beautiful EFI powered 350 Trans Am's and all wheel drive STE 6000's - and the 90's brought on the rebirth of the Grand Prix and a super-charged Buick V6. Maybe I find this news a bit more emotional than the end of Olds. We knew it was coming, but it was just a matter of when.
Sold my last Firebird last fall to a kid north of Waterloo. Looking to finish restoring Dad's 1974 Ram Air Formula 400 hopefully next summer.
Below is a picture of Dad doing a burnout in his 1970 400 Pontiac-powered Trans Am. Certainly wish he still had this one around. Taken in the summer of '75.
Ben
perc-o-prince
Well-known member
I wondered when they'd make it a done deal...
Oh well. All good things must come to an end.
Last vehicle: Pontiac Transport. Great. Ran it to 150k+ in 9 years and put it through hell (i.e.- 85 typewriters in the back for an 8 hour drive from Guelph, Ontario to Southborough).
Current vehicle: 2004 Aztek. Great car (sorry, Lawrence). Hasn't let me down yet (almost 50k miles). Mine is an '04 where the rear detail on the window was larger, and that does get in the way if you're trying to see a license plate behind you. Other than that, great.
Looks like my next vehicle will have to be a Chevy. Same vehicles, just less appointments.
Chuck
Oh well. All good things must come to an end.
Last vehicle: Pontiac Transport. Great. Ran it to 150k+ in 9 years and put it through hell (i.e.- 85 typewriters in the back for an 8 hour drive from Guelph, Ontario to Southborough).
Current vehicle: 2004 Aztek. Great car (sorry, Lawrence). Hasn't let me down yet (almost 50k miles). Mine is an '04 where the rear detail on the window was larger, and that does get in the way if you're trying to see a license plate behind you. Other than that, great.
Looks like my next vehicle will have to be a Chevy. Same vehicles, just less appointments.
Chuck
xraytech
Well-known member
Around here the Grand Am's and Bonnevilles are the most popular Pontiacs, most Pontiacs seem below average on reliability except the Bonneville with Buick's 3800 engine
other popular American cars here are the Century and LeSabre, and Grand Marquis.
Now all these models are gone, and now Pontiac is done, I am afraid to see what goes next.
Keeps making a new Lucerne look even more tempting
other popular American cars here are the Century and LeSabre, and Grand Marquis.
Now all these models are gone, and now Pontiac is done, I am afraid to see what goes next.
Keeps making a new Lucerne look even more tempting
dnastrau
Well-known member
I agree - sad news
I really hate to see this but I had a feeling it would happen soon. I always liked the older Pontiacs particularly from the years 1955 - 1979. My parents had three Pontiacs over the years: a '56 Star Chief, a '74 Catalina and a '76 Bonneville Brougham. All three were great cars.
I am sorry to see the name go along with Oldsmobile and Plymouth a few years back... Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep are hanging in the balance as well. Another American industry going by the wayside - very sad in my opinion.
Andrew S.
I really hate to see this but I had a feeling it would happen soon. I always liked the older Pontiacs particularly from the years 1955 - 1979. My parents had three Pontiacs over the years: a '56 Star Chief, a '74 Catalina and a '76 Bonneville Brougham. All three were great cars.
I am sorry to see the name go along with Oldsmobile and Plymouth a few years back... Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep are hanging in the balance as well. Another American industry going by the wayside - very sad in my opinion.
Andrew S.
bugsyjones
Well-known member
- Joined
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My previous car was a '99 Oldsmobile Alero. It was a faithful servant throughout the latter half of my high school days. She was the sharp GLX 2-door model. Jet black with camel leather interior. Rear spoiler, sunroof, and aluminum rims. A real beauty. I moved to the country and I needed something more suitable, so I had to say goodbye to the old gal.
I hate to see Pontiac go the way of Oldsmobile. It just won't seem right to have GM without Pontiac.
I have never really fancied newer Pontiacs nor have I owned one, but I did like the 2000 Bonneville. The first year of the new re-design.
So Long Pontiac.
I hate to see Pontiac go the way of Oldsmobile. It just won't seem right to have GM without Pontiac.
I have never really fancied newer Pontiacs nor have I owned one, but I did like the 2000 Bonneville. The first year of the new re-design.
So Long Pontiac.
I read that Buick is safe because they are very popular in China. It seems that GM is only keeping Chevy, GMC (seems a little redundant), Buick, and Cadillac.
I read earlier this week that the Chrysler brand may be going away. They will only keep Dodge and Jeep.
I read earlier this week that the Chrysler brand may be going away. They will only keep Dodge and Jeep.
andrewinorlando
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2004
- Messages
- 1,392
Aside from the fact that folks will lose jobs in an uncertain economic time, these companies now have the opportunity to re-invent themselves and produce vehicles that people really want. Restructure operation, make big changes in management, and get their unions under control. Good luck to 'em....they're gonna need it.
And it'll cause more problems for General Motors Holden here, as exporting the Commodore as the Pontiac G8 was supposed to provide a much needed cash injection of $1bil AUD per year to the struggling GMH.
Sad
Pontiac for a long time was a name used for special cars out of the Buick house. Might end up being this once again.
Speaking as a union member and proud of it, this is not the union's fault, this is the fault of bad management.
In honor of a once noble name, my all-time favorite Pontiac, on the hood of which I once had some serious fun:
Ladies and, er, ladies, I present the GOAT:
Pontiac for a long time was a name used for special cars out of the Buick house. Might end up being this once again.
Speaking as a union member and proud of it, this is not the union's fault, this is the fault of bad management.
In honor of a once noble name, my all-time favorite Pontiac, on the hood of which I once had some serious fun:
Ladies and, er, ladies, I present the GOAT:
dnastrau
Well-known member
GTO
Yep, the GTO is usually considered to be the first muscle car (mid size body with big engine.)
Here is a link to a Youtube video of more pictures along with the song "Little GTO."
Andrew S.
Yep, the GTO is usually considered to be the first muscle car (mid size body with big engine.)
Here is a link to a Youtube video of more pictures along with the song "Little GTO."
Andrew S.
Few people remember that Pontiac was seen as an old-maid's car until the late '50s. Mostly they sold to people who wanted something a little nicer than a Chevy, but wouldn't spend the extra for an Olds or Buick. Bunkie Knudsen, a career GM exec promoted to head Pontiac in the mid '50s, changed that. Under his direction, they introduced the first Bonneville as a fairly exclusive two-door in '57, complete with an optional fuel injected engine (basically the Rochester injection used on the Corvette from '57-'65). Then they went "wide-track" and promoted performance into the '60s. Knudsen's program was so successful he was promoted to head Chevy, and John DeLorean replaced him at Pontiac.
DeLorean continued to push performance and stole the "GTO" name from Ferrari's famous 250 GTO. Under DeLorean, some of Pontiac's high perfromance press cars came through Royal Pontiac, a local Detroit area dealer famous for having a direct line to the factory for perfromance improvements. Sometimes this was reported, sometimes not, and the cars always proved very, very quick.
It's sad to see Pontiac go, but GM worked years to paint themselves into a corner by refusing to make a good, consisent line of small cars at one end of the market and continuously downgrading Cadillac at the upper end. So they've ended out with a compressed range running from basic mid-sized sedans to mid-level luxury cars. It's still a lot of cars, but not enough to keep six GM brands viable in North America.
At the lower end of the market people now buy bottom of the line Hondas, Toyotas, Hyundais and Nissans, while at the high end you see lots of S-class Mercedes, 7-series BMWs, and big Lexuses. GM really has nothing to compete at either end of the market. Billy Durant conceived GM to offer a car "for every purse and purpose", with the idea being that you'd start someone out with a low-end GM car and they've keep buying GM all the way to the top. It worked well, and probably would today if GM hadn't forgotten about the concept.
DeLorean continued to push performance and stole the "GTO" name from Ferrari's famous 250 GTO. Under DeLorean, some of Pontiac's high perfromance press cars came through Royal Pontiac, a local Detroit area dealer famous for having a direct line to the factory for perfromance improvements. Sometimes this was reported, sometimes not, and the cars always proved very, very quick.
It's sad to see Pontiac go, but GM worked years to paint themselves into a corner by refusing to make a good, consisent line of small cars at one end of the market and continuously downgrading Cadillac at the upper end. So they've ended out with a compressed range running from basic mid-sized sedans to mid-level luxury cars. It's still a lot of cars, but not enough to keep six GM brands viable in North America.
At the lower end of the market people now buy bottom of the line Hondas, Toyotas, Hyundais and Nissans, while at the high end you see lots of S-class Mercedes, 7-series BMWs, and big Lexuses. GM really has nothing to compete at either end of the market. Billy Durant conceived GM to offer a car "for every purse and purpose", with the idea being that you'd start someone out with a low-end GM car and they've keep buying GM all the way to the top. It worked well, and probably would today if GM hadn't forgotten about the concept.
Ben, sold your 'bird? Say it ain't so!
This is a 65 Tempest I sold last summer.
This is a 65 Tempest I sold last summer.
