Pontiac is now officially gone.

by blue81ta Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:55 pm

Yeah, we've heard it all before but now it's officially official. Sad

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by **69_RAG_TOP** Sun Oct 31, 2010 10:34 pm

In my mind it was officially gone about 4 or 5 years ago. There have been very few impact cars released by the Pontiac Division in the last decade.

The Solstice, G6 and Grand Prix were disappointing cars. The G8 and GTO were released with luke warm receptions and sales were very poor. This car division was never more than a second thought to the corporate execs at General Motors after 1996 when the last of the car guys left.

by JohnA. Sun Oct 31, 2010 10:54 pm

I think a moment of silence would be appropriate. Crying or Very sad

by **69_RAG_TOP** Mon Nov 01, 2010 10:23 am

Pontiac Division will always be remembered for its great cars like the Firebird, the Trans Am, the GTO, the Star Chief, the Catalina, the Bonneville, the LeMans and the the Grand Prix.

When General Motors announced a restructuring plan to survice the recession that cut 47,000 jobs around the world and closed five more U.S. factories.

General Motors survived on $13.4 billion in federal loans and presented its turnaround plan to the Obama administration as it worked to win concessions from the United Auto Workers union and bondholders to dramatically resize the company.

They save the United Auto Workers Union but they could not save Pontiac.

by blue81ta Mon Nov 01, 2010 12:55 pm

69_RAG_TOP wrote:

In my mind it was officially gone about 4 or 5 years ago. There have been very few impact cars released by the Pontiac Division in the last decade.

The Solstice, G6 and Grand Prix were disappointing cars. The G8 and GTO were released with luke warm receptions and sales were very poor. This car division was never more than a second thought to the corporate execs at General Motors after 1996 when the last of the car guys left.

Well said Larry. Any chance we can clone or reincarnate John Delorean?? I suggest we Pontiac owners preserve our cars so that people will never forget the great cars Pontiac produced.

by nap Mon Nov 01, 2010 2:00 pm

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Well said Larry. Any chance we can clone or reincarnate John Delorean?? I suggest we Pontiac owners preserve our cars so that people will never forget the great cars Pontiac produced.[/quote]

I second your request Keith. Clone John Delorean and preserve our cars.

by blue81ta Mon Nov 01, 2010 2:13 pm

Well Jim, you're certainly preserving a LOT of Pontiacs. Very Happy

I think we should all retire, move our cars down to where you store your cars and just spend the rest of our days pampering our beloved Pontiacs. Laughing

by **69_RAG_TOP** Mon Nov 01, 2010 11:03 pm

In order for people to get excited about Detroit cars again there needs to be 'car guys' running the GM Divisions again. Here are some Pontiac milestones:

In 1956, General Manager Bunkie Knudsen became general manager of Pontiac, with the help of his new heads of engineering, Pete Estes and John DeLorean.

They introduced the first Bonneville, a limited-edition Star Chief convertible that showcased Pontiac's first fuel-injected engine. The Bonneville raised new interest in what Pontiac now called "America's No. 1 Road Car."

A 1958 Tri-Power Pontiac Bonneville was the Pace Car for that year's Indianapolis 500.

With the 1959 model year, Pontiac came out with its "V" emblem, with the star design in the middle which replaced the 'Indian' logo.

Motor Trend magazine picked the entire Pontiac line as 1959 Car of the Year.

Pontiac used new technology that GM had been working on for several years in the 1961 Tempest. A seven-foot flexible steel shaft, rotating at the speed of the engine, delivered power from the front-mounted engine to a rear-mounted transaxle through a "torque tube." Because it was curved when installed, the so-called "propeller shaft" was dubbed "ropeshaft." The design's father was none other than John DeLorean, and its advantage was twofold. First, the car achieved close to a 50/50 weight balance that drastically improved handling. Second, it enabled four-wheel independent suspension. This was a feature that no other American car could match as well as eliminating the floor "hump" that usually came with front engined rear drive cars.

For 1964, the Tempest and LeMans' were redesigned under GM's new platform A body. John DeLorean introduced the GTO, short for "Gran Turismo Omologato," the Italian for "Grand Touring.

In spite of a GM unwritten edict against engines larger than 327 ci in intermediate cars, DeLorean with support from Jim Wangers from Pontiac's ad agency, came up with the idea to offer the GTO as a dealer option package that included a 389 ci engine rated at 325 or 348 horsepower.

The entire Pontiac lineup was honored as Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1965, the third time for Pontiac to receive such honors.

The February, 1965 issue of Motor Trend was almost entirely devoted to Pontiac's Car of the Year award and included feature stories on the division's marketing, styling, engineering and performance efforts along with road tests of several models.

The 1967 model year saw the introduction for the Pontiac Firebird one of the most successful launches of a model in Pontiac History.

Intermediate sized cars Tempest, LeMans, GTO were mildly facelifted. The GTO lost its Tri-Power engine option and got a larger 400 cubic-inch V8 that replaced the previous 389.

1968 introduced the Endura 'rubber' front bumper on the GTO, the precursor to modern cars' integrated bumpers, and the first of a series "Ram Air" engines, which featured the induction of cold air to the carburetor for more power. This line culminated in the Ram Air IV and V round port cylinder headed engines.
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1969 Pontiac GTO Convertible

For 1969, Pontiac successfully moved the Grand Prix from the full-sized lineup into a G-body model of its own based on the A-body intermediate chassis, with distinctive styling and long hood/short deck proportions to create yet another niche product - the intermediate-sized personal-luxury car that offered the luxury and styling of the higher priced personal cars such as the Buick Riviera and Ford Thunderbird but for a much lower pricetag. The new GP was such a sales success in 1969 as dealers moved 112,000 units - more than four times the number of Grand Prixs sold in 1968.

The GTOs and Firebirds received the Ram Air options, the GTO saw the addition of the "Judge" performance appearance package, and the Firebird also got the "Trans Am" package. Although originally conceived as a 303 cubic inch model to compete directly in the Trans Am racing series, in a cost saving move the Pontiac Trans Am debuted with the standard 400 cubic inch performance engines. This year also saw De Lorean leaving the post of general manager to accept a similar position at GM's Chevrolet division. His replacement was F. James McDonald.

The 1969 Firebirds received a heavy facelift but otherwise continued much the same as the original 1967 model. It was the final year for the overhead cam six-cylinder engine in Firebirds and the Firebird convertible (until 1991). Production of the 1969 Firebirds was extended into the first three months of the 1970 model year.

The second gen Firebirds replaced the "coke bottle" styling with a more "european" body style, with the top of the rear window line going almost straight down to the lip of the trunk lid—a look that was to epitomize F-body styling for the longest period during the Firebird's lifetime. The new design was ithe same until 1975 when the rear window was enlarged.

These were huge marketing success:

Special Edition (popular 'Bandit')
Gold Special Edition
Macho Trans-Am (made by one of the Pontiac dealers)
1976 50th (Pontiac) Anniversary Edition
1979 10th (Trans Am) Anniversary Edition
1980 Pace Car Indy 500 Edition (turbo Trans Am)
1981 NASCAR Edition (turbo Trans Am).

There were two Ram Air 400 cu in engines for 1970: the 335 hp Ram Air III (366 hp) in GTO) and the 345 hp Ram Air IV (370 hp in GTO) that were carried over from 1969. The difference between the GTO and Firebird engines was the secondary carburetor linkage which prevented the rear barrels from opening. Bending the linkage to allow full carburator operation resulted in identical engines.

A distinctive, slant-nose facelift occurred in 1977, redone somewhat in 1979. The huge Box Office success of "Smokey and the Bandit" and the popularity of the Firebird saw huge sales increases.

The 455 engine available in the second generation Firebird Trans Am was arguably the last high-performance engine of the original muscle car generation. The 455 cu in (7.5 L) engine first made its appearance in 1971 as the 455-HO. In 1973 and 1974, a special version of the 455, called the SD-455, was offered. The SD-455 consisted of a strengthened cylinder block that included 4-bolt main bearings and added material in various locations for improved strength. Forged rods and forged aluminum pistons were specified, as were unique high flow cylinder heads.

Some sources suggest horse power was "under-rated," High Performance Pontiac magazine dyno -tested an SD and gave it 371 SAE net rating. During a 1972 strike, the Firebird was nearly dropped. Pontiac offered the 455 for a few more years, but tightening restrictions on vehicle emissions guaranteed its demise. Thus, the 1976 Trans Am was the last of the "Big Cube Birds," with 7,100 units produced with the 455 engine.

Introduced in 1982, the wedge shaped Firebird was the first major redesign of the pony car since 1970. Helped by the hugely successful NBC television series Knight Rider, it was an instant success and provided Pontiac with a foundation on which to build successively more performance oriented models over the next decade. The Trans Am also set a production aerodynamic mark of .32 cd.

The fourth-generation F-body continued the aerodynamic formula initiated by the previous generation, but saw declining sales. As before, the Camaro kept the exposed headlights and the Firebird its pop-up units, with some minor changes. The overall styling of the Firebird more strongly reflected the "Banshee IV" concept car than the 1991 "face lift" received by the Third Generation model.[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
1993–1997 Trans Am Convertible

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1996 Firebird Formula with functional "Ram Air" hood

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One of 12 1998 Pontiac Trans Ams in factory "Bright Purple Metallic"

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The 1999 30^thAnniversary Trans Am

From 1993 until 1995 Firebirds received a 3.4 L V6 with 160 hp or the 5.7 L 275 hp LT1 V8. The 1993 Firehawk (only available in Formula trim for 1993–1997) received the SLP package with a functional hood scoop and other performance enhancements that increased power to 300 hp (220 kW). Only 201 were built for 1993, with the same engine as in the 1993 Corvettes.

The LT1 in the Formula and Trans Am was very similar to the one in the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], except with 2-bolt mains and a more restrictive intake/exhaust system. The 1993 model year V6 models had angular cable driven throttle body units that later changed in 1994 to multi-port fuel injection.

The 1994 model year marked the 25th anniversary of the Trans Am, and another Anniversary Edition was released, painted white with a single blue stripe down the center of the vehicle that was reminiscent of the 1970 Trans Am.

The 1995 models were the same as those of previous years, but traction control (ASR: Acceleration Slip Regulation) was now available. The steering wheel was also changed. It was borrowed from the Grand Prix. An optional performance package included polyurethane bushings, suspension upgrades, as well as a freer intake/exhaust similar to that on the Chevrolet Corvette, supplying 315 hp, but this package was seldom ordered. The 'Perform Transmission' button was available only in the 1994 and 1995 Formula and Trans Am. This option was stopped for the 1996 and later models, but the connections are still there for 1996 and 1997 Formula and Trans Am.
The mid-1995 and later models had a 200 hp 3.8 L V6 as the base engine, and the power rating of the LT1 had been raised to 285, due to a new dual catalytic converter exhaust system that was optional in previous years.

The 1997 [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] LT4 model, made by SLP Performance Parts and sold through Pontiac dealerships, had 330 hp and 340 ft·lbf of torque.

In 1998, the Firebird received a "face lift" dominated by a new front fascia (now with four pop-up headlights) as well as other modifications, the most significant of which was the introduction of the latest Corvette small block V8 engine, the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Initially, the color "Bright Purple Metallic" had been available, however it was discontinued due to poor sales. The color was replaced with "Navy Blue Metallic," but not before a total of 12 Trans Am models with the WS6 Ram Air package (10 coupés and two convertibles) made it out of the factory dressed in "Bright Purple Metallic."

For 1998–2002 Pontiac used the same heavy duty brakes, steering ratios, fuel pumps and shocks (non-WS6) on both V6 and V8 models.

The all-aluminum 5.7 L V8 engine was sourced from the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], and produced 305 hp at 5,200 rpm; 335 ft·lbf and 454 Nm @ 4,000 rpm (310 after 2000) or 320 hp (325 after 2000) in the WS-6 "Ram Air" version. In 2001 and 2002, models equipped with a V8 received the high-flow [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] intake manifold and a high-performance clutch. A Firehawk model, produced by SLP and sold through Pontiac dealerships, had 330 hp (335 after 2000, 345 in late 2002 models equipped with the optional Blackwing intake. The V6-equipped Firebirds were rated at 205 hp.

On June 1, 2009, General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reorganized as a Motors Liquidation Company that acquired the most valuable assets. GM became majority owned by the United States Treasury with the U.S. government taxpayers investing $57.6 billion under the bailout program.

Reference Pontiac History sourced from Wikipedia

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