My Dad probably rolled in his grave and died again today... He loved the Chief's cars and had several.


Pontiac, Maker of Muscle Cars, Ends After 84 Years
The Associated Press By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer

DETROIT October 31, 2010 (AP)


Undone by poor strategy and changing tastes, General Motors ends Pontiac after 84 years


The Pontiac name plate is is going out of business.

The General Motors brand was known for muscle cars drag-raced down boulevards, parked at drive-ins and roared across movie screens.
The 84-year-old brand has been moribund since GM decided to kill it last year as it collapsed into bankruptcy and was in decline for years before that.
It was undone by a combination of poor corporate strategy and changing driver tastes.
GM's agreements with Pontiac dealers expire Sunday.
Pontiac's sales peaked at about 1 million in 1968, when the brand's speedier models were prized for their powerful engines and scowling grills.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=12016406

 

This is the first one I remember, the 56 Chieftain


(random pic - we kids called it the "Bomb" LOL)

Then a '60 Safari wagon, '66 Bonneville Brougham (with REVERB FTW!), a '69 Custom, '70 Bonneville 455 wagon, '72 LeMans.

 

Only Pontiac I remember us having is a mid-eighties Trans Am. Red with T-tops. I wished it was a Mustang though.

 

Yeah Pop had a 55? Ford wagon that I barely remember. Was in an accident when I was 4 or 5 and had to get stitches. His friend Capt Murphy drove me to the hosp and turned the siren on just for fun. The stuff you remember! Loved those metal dash boards, no seat belts, and no child seats! LOL I remember him saying it had a 'Thunderbird' engine and he loved hitting passing gear flying around traffic!

Then he got Mercury Comet for my sister. But after that he went all Pontiac on us. LOL

So I was the rebel that went back to Ford.

This was what my sisters Comet looked like:

 

once again RIP Pontiac. you were my favorite GM brand

 

Death to plastic body cladding. IMO, Pontiac's life was about 20 years too long.

 

I never owned anything from GM, but a friend of mine has a 1994 Trans Am T-Top. Nice car.

 

Sad to see it go.

 

the G8 and grand prix will be missed.

 

I place most of the blame on the Azztek - Pontiac crossed a line that should not have been crossed.

 

Let's be honest guys, the only pontiacs anyone liked since the '70s were Trans Ams, the Grand Am/Prix GTP, and... The G8, which consumers didn't buy enough of.


That being said, I wish they kept them around

 

Remember the Trans Sport?

My parents looked at one in 1989 I think. Thank goodness I dodged that bullet.

 

The more G8s I see on the road, the more I want one. That'd be a fun DD. There's a GT around here that's been really nicely done and is much faster than me I might add....

 

compared to some of the crap on the rooad today, the aztek is a perfectly normal car

 

 

I had a 99 grand prix gtp, bursted into flames entering the driveway, I get a notice 5 years later that there may have been a fire issue with the car, and that I should claim my loss before 3 years. I end up with $0 and no car.

Thanks GM.

 

One of my favorite Pontiacs had a Buick engine!

1989 Firebird Trans Am Turbo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0qw22Yy-VM

 

A shame in a way. Pontiac was really starting to take off with some really good models.

The G8, especially in GT and GXP (did I get that name right) trim were, I think, some of the finest affordable large RWD sedans ever, anywhere -- 90% a BMW 5 series but 50% the price.

The Solstice was, I think, one of the best styled cars, period, showing a deftness of line and sophistication that stood as a polar opposite to the sophmoric body clad Pontiacs of yore. My wife saw a Solstice Coupe yesterday and thought it was gorgeous, couldn't believe it was American made much less a Pontiac.

Pontiac was cleaning up its other lines but alas, too little, too late.

Now if I can find a clean, low mileage, stick shift GXP for sale...

 

I just met a guy a few weeks ago that has one of those. Of course he also has a 93 Teal Cobra and a '96 Viper too. Oh yeah, and a '09 GT-R.


He bought the Trans Am new when he graduated college. I never knew they existed till I met him.

 

The Aztek is one of the ugliest things i've seen in my life. Youth today enjoy "hip" looking cars, which is why the xB(which I love) is popular and the Smart isn't so bad, either! Of course, the things I would do to a Smart are completely out of this world, but to each their own. I can say though not a single person i've ever met has liked the Aztek.