Let’s face it, the entire Pontiac division deserved a better fate. A hasty decision during GM’s bankruptcy saw GMC live on, while Pontiac was consigned to die. Pontiac’s sad fate is a metaphor for these five great Pontiacs that themselves deserved a better fate:
2004–06 GTO: Although the last Australian-built Holden recently slid off the assembly line, ending GM’s assembly of cars in Oz, a decade earlier, Holden contributed a pair of truly memorably cars to Pontiac’s legacy, both of which deserved a better fate: The first was the GTO, a thinly veiled version of the Holden Monaro, a truly impressive Australian GT powered by a 5.7 liter V8 (later bumped to 6.0 liters). Its only sin as a carrier of the GTO legacy was its relatively bland looks that looked more like a scaled-up Sunbird than a muscle car. We should have been able to get past that. This was a great car. Well-built, with a tasteful interior and fantastic performance. A few more appropriate styling cues would have placed it in the Pontiac hall of fame. Alas, it remains a phenomenal used car bargain.
2008–09 G8: In the G8 (also built in Australia by Holden), Pontiac briefly had a half-price BMW M5. Everything about the G8 was off-the-charts appealing and set the tone for what Bob Lutz wanted to achieve with Pontiac — an exclusively rear-drive, performance division designed to fight Lutz’s old employer, BMW. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. The aforementioned GM bankruptcy happened and the Holden Commodore-derived G8 disappeared from American showrooms along with Pontiac showrooms. There was a brief revival as the Chevrolet SS, but with its high price tag, Malibu looks and complete lack of marketing support, barely anyone knew the car existed. Anyone who has looked at the resale prices of G8s, particularly manual transmission GXPs, knows that the G8 got the last laugh.
1988 Fiero GT: The Fiero was originally sold to clueless and gullible GM bean counters as a two-seater “commuter car” but anyone with a room temperature IQ saw it for what it was — America’s first volume-produced mid-engine sports car. Sadly, the commuter car bamboozle ensured that most of the Fieros built had to get along with parts from such dubious GM crap boxes like the Chevy Citation. Until 1988 that is. For one model year, the Fiero was the car that it should have been all along, with lusty V6 power and megaphone exhausts plus chassis tuning courtesy of people who knew what they were doing, Lotus. Predictably, after getting it right, GM killed the Fiero after the brilliant 1988 model year.
2009 Solstice GXP Coupe: The Solstice and its twin the Saturn Sky were pleasant enough little convertible sports cars that suffered from packaging problems — when the convertible tops were down, there was barely enough room in the trunk for a toothbrush let alone overnight luggage and there was essentially no room behind the seats, and with the engine up front, no room there either. The Solstice Coupe solved those problems and its fastback good looks gave it a sort of stubby, aggressive, mini Jaguar F-type appeal. Left to develop, it could have developed the strong following among younger buyers that has eluded the much pricier Corvette. Unfortunately, after less than 1,000 cars, GM pulled the plug, shutting down Solstice production and closing the Delaware plant in which it had been built. Buy one now.
2002 Firebird Trans Am: By the end of the fourth-generation, the T/A and the Firebird in general had become fairly sophisticated and highly competent modern performance cars. The 2002 WS6 pushed about 325 hp and was capable of a 13.2 second ¼ mile time. Excellent brakes (antilock combined with electronic brakeforce distribution) and traction control gave the car abilities well beyond any previous Firebirds, even cars from the golden age of the 1960s. Yet, in a move that still resonates today, GM killed the F-body twins Camaro and Firebird after the 2002 model year. While the Camaro was eventually revived, the loss of Pontiac makes any revival of the Firebird seem unlikely. A pity, the fourth-generation cars were so good, they never should have been killed.
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