GM's Pontiac division, founded in 1926 by the Oakland Automobile Company, has produced numerous models of distinction as well as disappointment through the years.
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| 21 Classic Pontiac! |
21 Classic Pontiac!
Excellence models
So, you think you know your cars now, do you? Well, consider this to be a test of your knowledge of Pontiac history.
21 Pontiac are featured here: some are current models, while others are truly classic in every sense of the word, dating back to the early 1960s.
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| 21 Classic Pontiac! |
6000 – Full sized [or almost] front-wheel drive sedan of the 1980s. Aztec – Ugly is as ugly does. This crossover vehicle ashamed the Pontiac fleet for two years during the early 00s.
Bonneville – Full sized Pontiac sedan excitement retired in 2005 after more than 40 years of service. Part of GM’s massive restructuring and retiring of top model names.
Catalina – This model hearkens back to the mid 60s when two door hard tops ruled the day. Discontinued during the late 70s during GM’s “downsizing” shell game days.
Fair – Mid-engine sport two-seater built for Pontiac during the go-go 80s. GM reached into their parts bin and took out Charette and other components to create this little roadster.
Fire bird – It goes without saying that this “pony” car is sorely missed. The good news is that it may be back by the time the 2009 model year rolls around.
Firefly – Twin to the Geo Metro, the Firefly was Pontiac’s 3 cylinder captive import of the late eighties to mid-nineties.
G6 – Current compact model in Pontiac’s arsenal, available in rakish coupe or sporty sedan.
Grand Prix – Hidden tail lights and a concave rear window marked the Grand Prix’s 1963 debut. The car has survived GM’s model name shake out and today’s car is a mid-sized, front-wheel drive sports sedan.
GTO – Introduced in 1967, the GTO was a true coupe turned sports car. Eliminated in the 1970s, the GTO is back thanks to GM’s Australian division, Holden. Rear-wheel drive and a big V8 too.
Lemons – Originally a Tempest model, the Lemons became its own model once the Tempest name was retired in the 1970s. Retired in the mid 1990s after a cheap Korean car was allowed to carry its name. Sheesh!
- Montana -- A minivan for Pontiac, if not for the ages.
- Parisians – During the 1980s, Pontiac needed a version of the Chevrolet Caprice.
- This full sized, rear-wheel drive sedan filled the bill.
- Phoenix – Part of GM’s “X cars” of compact import fighting vehicles introduced during 1979 as a 1980 model.
- Sun bird – Nothing but a rebated Chevy Cavalier.
- Sun fire – Compact coupe retired in 2005 as part of, you guessed, GM’s model restructuring.
- Sun runner – Nothing but a readied Geo/Chevy Tracker.
Tempest – From the early sixties until the early seventies, the term “muscle car” befit this hot coupe. Especially nice as a convertible!
Trans Sport – Hideous looking minivan that debuted in the early 1990s. Mercifully replaced years later by the Montana.
Vibe – A currently produced compact five door sport wagon; cousin to the Toyota Matrix. So, there you have it.
At least another half dozen models were left out from this time period, plus many models that dated back to the division’s founding as part of the Oakland Automobile Company in 1926. Pontiac's excitement…have you caught it yet?