Pontiac is dead. Well, dying anyhow; it won’t officially be dead until 2010. Regardless, GM’s performance brand will join Saturn, Hummer and Saab as a victim of GM’s cost-cutting path to profitability. For all you fans, shed a tear.
Pontiac is the only longstanding GM brand to get axed in this current move, and rightfully so in my opinion. Perhaps no other single GM brand exemplifies everything that was right, and horribly wrong, with General Motors over the past several decades. Pontiac was the source of some of GM’s greatest cars, a hotbed of innovation and high-performance. On the other hand, it also boasted the General’s greatest blunders. Once in a while, the bad and good were mixed together within the lifespan of the car. What exactly am I referring to? Click the jump to see what made Pontiac great…and why it’s also pure garbage. If you agree, disagree, or think I missed one or more, sound off in the comments!
Great: 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT
Courtesy 1988 Fiero GT Blog
The 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT boasted a wholly revised suspension, including a brand new multilink rear that finally gave the two seat sports car the handling to back up its miniature-Ferrari looks. The steering was responsive, the suspension stuck the Fiero to the ground, and finally Pontiac had something to kick the Toyota MR-2’s butt with. Unfortunately, it was too late, and Pontiac pulled the plug on the Fiero before the 1988 model year was even over.
Garbage: 1984-1987 Pontiac Fiero
The reason the 1988 Pontiac Fiero was killed early was because of the dismal failure of the preceding four model years. The Fiero looked great, nobody ever denied that, but it was literally built out of Chevette and Citation parts, not exactly the kind of stuff sporting dreams were made of. Sure, Pontiac tried billing it as a two-seat eco-commuter, but if that was true, why did it look so freakin’ awesome? If Pontiac’s engineers had been allowed to give the Fiero the suspension they wanted (the one that eventually showed up in 1988), the Fiero’s story may have been much, much different.
Great: 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
This may well be the best car to ever wear the Pontiac badge. Sure, it’s based on an Australian sedan, but it’s still a part of the GM family, and as a replacement for the Bonneville, it rocks. The 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP takes everything a step further, with a stonkin’ 402-hp V-8, sport sedan handling that rivals megadollar BMWs, and with styling that’s both aggressive and, at least in contrast to other cars to wear the arrowhead, downright subdued. Let me put it this way: You should probably buy this car.
Garbage: Any Front-drive Bonneville
Used to be that the Pontiac Bonneville was a full-size dream car, with power, prestige and style. Then Pontiac made it a front-drive disaster, and the model never recovered. Despite superchargers, handling packages, tons of plastic body cladding and countless electronic gadgets, the Bonneville devolved into a caricature of big American sedans. The final version, shown here, was bulbous and ugly, overweight, underpowered and with a cheap interior. No wonder it got the axe.
Great: 1964 Pontiac GTO
There were other powerful cars made in the U.S. before the 1964 Pontiac GTO. There were other inexpensive cars made here, too. But it was the 1964 Pontiac GTO that brought low price and high performance together for the first time, and thus the modern muscle car was born. By stuffing a powerful V-8 under the hood of its otherwise pedestrian Tempest, Pontiac changed the automotive landscape forever. Say “GTO” to a car nut, and chances are they’ll think of this Pontiac, and not the Ferraris that preceded it.
Garbage: 2004 Pontiac GTO
In all fairness the 2004 Pontiac GTO was a pretty good car by most standards. In fact, it may very well be that the biggest problem with the GTO was that it was called a GTO. Maybe if Pontiac had put a different moniker on it, let’s say Le Mans, it would have sold better. But slapping the fabled GTO badge on this heavy, expensive Australian import was a mistake. Sure, Pontiac added more power and better handling later on, but the generic styling was a clean miss, and I’m pretty sure there’s a picture of this car next to the definition of “brand dilution.”
Great: 1978 Pontiac Trans Am
Courtesy ClassyAuto.com
The 70s were a tough time for performance cars. Gas was expensive, emissions regulations were strangling engines, and really nothing was making the kind of tire-smoking power that it seemed everyone was making just a few years earlier. Talk about depressing. Then, along comes the 1978 Pontiac Trans Am, with at least 220 hp (some people say much more) and a starring role in Smokey and the Bandit. Not only did it look great in a very 70s way, complete with gold trim and of course the Screaming Chicken on the hood, it was also legitimately quick and proved that although times were tough, they were going to get better. Honest.
Garbage: 1976 Pontiac Astre
Sold alongside the Trans Am was the Pontiac Astre. This was a rebadged Chevy Vega that had been sold since day one in Canada, but brought to the U.S. as domestic dealers clamored for a fuel-efficient model to draw in customers that weren’t’ looking to buy a Trans Am. The Astre, like its Vega counterpart, wasn’t entirely without merit, but by 1976 the lousy engine and quick-rust body had already turned the Vega into a joke. Why Pontiac’s product planners thought it would be different for the Astre nobody can say, but the car was a dismal flop. By the way, history repeated itself with the 2009 Pontiac G3, a Canadian version of the Chevy Aveo used to buck up Pontiac’s fuel efficiency credentials. Those who fail to learn from history….
Great: 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe GXP
All Pontiac did for the 2009 Solstice Coupe GXP was add a hard roof. Yet this solved the car’s most exacerbating problem, its lousy hardtop, and made the car worth considering. Yes, it’s still hard to see out of, and no, it doesn’t offer the finesse of a Mazda Miata. But it looks stunning, with the 260-hp turbocharged engine it’s lightning quick, and it handles pretty well, especially with the $1,000 handling package. I’ll admit that there are plenty of candy-asses out there who complain about visibility, but in my opinion the Solstice is finally as good as it should have been all along. Too bad it follows the Pontiac tradition of finally getting it right after it’s too late.
Garbage: 2006 Pontiac Solstice
Credit GM for bringing the Pontiac Solstice to market at all, and doubly so without screwing up the stunning styling of the concept car. But, dammit, why’d it have to be such a poorly executed piece of crap? The top was a terrible joke and destroyed any goodwill the car may have built up on the initial impression when the driver had to put the lousy thing up or down. The interior used the cheapest of cheap plastics, and was uncomfortable to boot. Sure, it didn’t cost much, but neither did the Mazda Miata, which was simply way, way better.
Dishonorable Mention: 2001-2005 Pontiac Aztek
The Pontiac Aztek will, very likely, be fingered as The Car That Killed Pontiac. On the surface the idea was good: The Aztek was one of the first crossovers, admitting that most SUVs never saw off-road duty, and was packed with really clever and innovative features that are still rare today. But man, was it ever ugly. The first time I ever drove an Aztek, I purposely parked it conspicuously so that I could sit back and observe reactions. They weren’t good. Exactly how such an ugly vehicle ever got the go ahead at GM is beyond me, and everyone else. But into production it went, along with its ungaingly proportions, and into the history books as one of, if not the ugliest cars ever built. The Aztek cancer spread to the rest of the line, and ever since Pontiac has been little more than the butt of jokes.
11 Users Responded to " Why Pontiac Was Great…and Got What It Deserved "
I had a 1974 Pontiac Grand Am 4-door–you know, the one with the soft, pointy nose? 400 cube V8, nice stiff suspension, fun to drive, and the mileage was reliable–no matter how you drove it, fast, slow, pulling trailers, whatever, it got a good solid 5 miles per gallon. Never ran into anything with it, though, to see if the squishy nose worked. But I used to go out in the garage at night after everyone was asleep and squeeze it. (Sigh!) Those were the good ol’ days! I’ll miss Pontiac!
Keith,
While you are entitled to your opinion, I take except with you catagorizing the early Fieros as garbage. Yes they have the dreadful Chevette front suspensions but in reality, even the 1984s were solid, if unspectacular cars. Remember…well you might be too young to…but the only reason they got built at all was that they were marketed internally as high mileage commuter cars. Each year afterwards, they were improved; in ‘85 the V6 was offered, in ‘86 the semi-fastback body style, and then the whole program came together with the ‘88 refresh.
I have both an ‘84 and an ‘88 and love them both, albeit, for different reasons. My ‘84 is a one-off, custom-bodied SEMA Show car, the first Fiero ever built with T-Tops and behind the wheel, with the tops stowed in the trunk, it’s 1984 and I’m 30 years old again.
The ‘88? It’s a base coupe with 70,000 miles, the air blows ice cold, and on the freeway on my commutes up to Orange County it gets 34-36 MPG. What’s not to like?
Early Fieros got a bad rap, undeservedly for engine fires (when you don’t keep a 4 QT capacity system filled, fires can happen by statistically far less than Fords equipped with destective steering columns) but by 1985, they were solid, reliable cars, and with the V6 (I’ve owned two), were quick for their time. And what can you say about their handling other than it was nearly supercar state-of-the art for its era.
Too bad it was killed in ‘88. The ‘89-’90 was well along in their development and quite possibly would been a world beater. With a Quad4 or even a supercharged 3.8-liter V6, two popular conversions to this day, it’s something to think about. Funny is that an ‘88 V6 Fiero has almost the exact same performance numbers as a normally aspirated Solstice showing how little progress GM made in almost 20 years. That’s very telling.
As a Fiero owner I’m sad for Pontiac’s demise and am pulling for GM to get through this crisis.
Richard Truesdell
Editorial Director, automotivetraveler.com
What I find interesting is Pontiac was brought about to save GM during a time of financial struggle, and now it will exit under those same circumstances. It began life as a subsidiary of the Oakland Motor Corporation and was the only marque to have the distinction of outlasting it’s parent company. Now it will join Oakland in the hereafter, but only if Pontiac isn’t sent on a fire and brimstone vacation for inflicting the Aztek on the world first.
I have an 2005 GTO. I have to tell you its a great car. Great suspension, great ride, great interior. Whats not to love. Yes some folks don’t like the name GTO attached to this car, but it does everything that a GTO should do. IT will run the quarter mile in low 13’s stock and with the LS2 and some easy mods your in the 12’s. I would bet anyone who drives one, will love them
Robert.
@ Neal J:
Yeah, I remember that car. Was the first thing I ever drove. Looked almost exactly like this: http://www.jagille.com/HTML/AUTOMOBILES/PONTIAC/1973_GRAND_AM/1973PontiacGAm.jpg
@qwikgta:
As I said, the GTO wasn’t really a bad car, just sorely misnamed. As much as I’m generally opposed to heavy-handed retro styling (check out my review of the 2010 Mustang GT), I think the modern GTO’s plain-as-a-cheese-sandwich styling really hurt it. Granted, the original ‘64 didn’t look much different from a standard Tempest, but by the time the Judge rolled around, the GTO had a style all its own. The modern GTO just looked like a Monaro with a Pontiac nose, and the plain wrapper just didn’t send the right message.
You know, in Spanish speaking countries the Chevy “NOVA” did very very bad. Why? Because is spanish “No…Va” means “dons’t go”. So the name matters. As for the solstice, I have one. Yes, it is underpowered, the top sucks (the seals are flawed) and the cheap plastic dash is wrong. they deserve to go under. But like women, I am sucker for a hot body and crappy interior. I feel like bond when I walk to my car.
I own a 2004 Pontiac GTO and would say…garbage? I think not. I bought it for its understated looks and the fit and finish is amazing. Is it perfect, no. It could’ve used a better gearbox and a stiffer suspension and the radio is not competitive at all for this class. But the foundation is there…gear head heaven. The G8 is just the culmination of everything the GTO was suppose to be to the american public. Better handling, better gearbox and four door practicality in none racer styling. It’s a shame, I think GM’s failure is that it didn’t have a high tolerance for risk. Because, as you stated, by the time they did get it right it was to late. They’re concepts never quite made the same impression on the consumer by the time they hit the showroom floor. It’s the details they always seem to miss. How can you make a modern sport car and not throw in a short throw??? Anyway, GTO is awesome and the ride leaves a smile on my face everytime…not to mention the reliability.
So far with the exception of the Pontiac Aztek and Astre all the Garbage cars were the first in a new attempt at a car model so you can’t attack Pontiac for say the Fiero since these cars were still going through the refinement process on and off the assembly line.
I think you miss the boat on the GTO… The 2004 was a good enough car, but the 2005 with the ls2 version was nothing short of a corvette with four seats!!!! It seems you had more to say with style than performance.. What was more ugly than the Mopars of the early 60’s, but who will deny their performance!!!!The 2005 GTO DEFINITELY deserves GTO status…Afterall it was by far faster out of the BOX than most of them!!!!!!!! I think the sleeper looks make the car an understated terror at the traffic lights of America…
I’m still crying on the inside that they killed the ‘88 Fiero GT.
Still believe GM had a big say in that. They were shittin’ their pants because the lovely Fiero was out-performing the Corvette. And they couldn’t have that. Now the ‘88 with the new suspension, vented disc breaks all around and the new models around the corner – the Corvette would have looked like a sissy.
Sometimes I love to read user reviews of Fieros. To 99% they all love the car and some who have a ‘88 Fiero and a Corvette from the same year or 5 years later say that the Fiero turns better and just makes more fun.
Rich earlier on wrote: “Funny is that an ‘88 V6 Fiero has almost the exact same performance numbers as a normally aspirated Solstice showing how little progress GM made in almost 20 years. That’s very telling.”
I rather say – The almost exact same performance numbers of the Fiero and the Solstice were because the ‘88 Fiero was so much it’s time ahead. And if I’m right, that tells even more.
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