# GM's Pontiac brand officially dies today



## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

*GM's Pontiac brand officially dies today,*









_Oct 31, 2010, After 84 years, General Motors officially says goodbye forever today to Pontiac. 
No more Bonnevilles. No more Firebird Trans Ams. No more GTOs._​
*The New York Times just wrote an obituary for the brand:*



> It was 84 years old. The cause of death was in dispute. Fans said Pontiac's wounds were self-inflicted, while General Motors blamed a terminal illness contracted during last year's bankruptcy. Pontiac built its last car nearly a year ago, but the official end was set for Oct. 31, when G.M.'s agreements with Pontiac dealers expire.


The Times pays special attention to the GTO, brainchild of engineering bon vivant John DeLorean, who went on to create the car in his own name and to get caught, and later acquitted, in a FBI cocaine sting.

Even now, long after Pontiac disappeared from the headlines and sales lots but before today's official end, it seems strange for it to be gone.

Remember Pontiac excitement?:

The numerous attempts to revive the brand, and Oldsmobile before it? We thought some of those efforts, resulting in cars like the fun Solstice, above, were wholly worthwhile.

But without Pontiac, it's interesting to see what GM is making of the four brands that it has left. Buick fills the niche now left by Pontiac, and while it's not a performance brand, it's clear that GM is putting a lot more resources behind Buick than it ever did when it was another name in the underfunded pack.

So goodbye Pontiac. We will still be driving the GTOs and Trans Ams that you leave behind for decades.


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

R.I.P. "Great One".


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## pocketmaster (Feb 26, 2010)

Makes me wanna go hug my 05 GTO and say "Its gonna be ok!!!"


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## 06BLACKGTO64 (Oct 30, 2010)

RIP Deffinatly not a brand thats ever going to be forgotten.


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## dustyminpin (Jun 19, 2006)

Hot Rod Magazine just did an obituary for Ford killing off the Mercury brand as well.


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

pocketmaster said:


> Makes me wanna go hug my 05 GTO and say "Its gonna be ok!!!"


I don't know....I also have an 05 but when I reminisce about the end of Pontiac, I think about my 64 GP, the old school GTOs, Catalinas, Chieftans, Star Chiefs, etc. Don't get me wrong, I love my car or I wouldn't have it but the 05 just doesn't remind me of the old Pontiacs at all.


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

^You mean when Pontiacs had "character"? I'd love to have a "new" GTO or G8 or Solstice, they had some Pontiac spirit, but after so many years of rebadged "corporate" cars, Pontiac had lost it's luster.


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

Yep. You won't ever see anyone trying to make an old Pontiac into some sort of left hand drive Holden clone like they do with the new ones. I don't even get that.......


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## BlackJackByte (Aug 31, 2009)

Got a lot of people bashing Pontiac on USA Today. I would bet most all the harsh comments on there are coming from people who have never owned a Pontiac or a sports car for that matter.


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## dustyminpin (Jun 19, 2006)

HP11 said:


> Yep. You won't ever see anyone trying to make an old Pontiac into some sort of left hand drive Holden clone like they do with the new ones. I don't even get that.......


:agree

Those people are smoking better chit then I could ever hope to find down here in 'Bama.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

All they could have done to Pontiac is what they're doing to their remaining brands: Make uninspired cars that are offered automatic-only, in a price range that makes foreign stuff more attractive.

GM's politics of failure have failed, but they'll find a way to make them work again.


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Good work GM.....(sarc):willy:


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## Richtenb (Feb 1, 2010)

But the value will probably rise on our cars... in a couple of years. Car maniacs like myself tend to like cars/brands that doesn´t get produced anymore.

Who doesn´t like to check after spare parts for a week before finding one 

GTO = Great To Own


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## 58mark (Sep 28, 2010)

I think even in the last decade pontiac still had a little of the old magic left in that hat. Look at the 98-2002 trans am, or the g8 GXP and tell me that somebody over in that division didn't have dreams of rebuilding the glory days.

Pontiac was killed off in a polital move to squash the hot rod image of automobiles, and make a sacrifice to those that want green freaking everything. Pontaic didn't fit with that image, and they knew it wasn't worth trying to change the image, so they just got rid of it.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

Too bad Pontiac got axed. Some hard core enthusiast think that Pontiac died when GM decided to go corprate and axed the BOP engines, ect. To me the Pontiac Divison itself is what set it apart from the rest, it didn't matter what was under the hood or what platform it was built on.

To me I think GM was split down the middle, two different ideas what was going on with Pontiac. I think they was confused. They had more new ideas, platforms, money invested in Pontiac in resent years like the GTO, Solstice, G8 than any other division. So what the hell happend?:confused


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## CzyKats44 (Aug 8, 2010)

The last 4 vehicles I purchaced were Pontiacs: Trans Am, Grand Prix, Torrent and the GTO. I purchased the first three because they were the best looking of the sister companies versions. I did own a 2001 Regal GS which only made me want the better looking Grand Prix GTP more and keep with the truely Pontiac 3800 made in Pontiac's Flint Plant in MI. I chose the Torrent over the Equinox because it didnt have all that crappy plasti-chrome and had a better scowl, much better appointments and a sportier feel. The GTO fit my desire for the look and the go and nothing else GM made could come close ... 

I travel to New Zealand yearly on deployments and I saw Holden was doing it right ... I was overjoyed when they brough the "Monaro" over the pond. And then to bring the updated version (G8) in as well I truely though GM was growing a set and moving in the right direction. Then they axed Pontiac ... so I guess not.

In the 2000s Pontiac was in direct competition with Chevy (not a step up or down). Up to the 90s Caddy sets the bar, Buick was the poor mans Caddy. Olds was just Olds not flashy but not luxurious either (hence the first one to go), Pontiac was sporty and Chevy was the baseline. In the 2000s chevy wanted to sport up thier vehicles and absorbed the sporty market Pontiac held already held. I look at the late 80s when the Grand National (GNX) beat the Vette and GM axed the whole G-Body line. Chevy is the Be-all End-all at GM, thats OK I guess (because thats just how it is), but then they start this new fangled Camaro concept and design and I think they saw the G8 rake in more dough because it was a little more sensible but still ripped pavement. This would have blown up thier Camaro hold-out and media frenzy. I believe along with Camaro the other Chevys would theoretically give way to the aptly more attractive Pontiacs within the same markets. GP GXP over the Impala SS for example, I even think the G5 had way more appeal than the Cobalt.

Kinda bummed about it, however, I do own 2 newer Pontiacs at this point in time and am quite happy with them. I drive them proudly because they are representation of past insight and revolutionary vehicles that made history been behind the Arrowhead. :cool


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## Glenn's Goat (Sep 7, 2010)

dustyminpin said:


> Hot Rod Magazine just did an obituary for Ford killing off the Mercury brand as well.


That sucks! I've enjoyed eyeballin the Mercury Babe over the last 5 or 6 years ..."ya gotta put Mercury on your list" She was cute.


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## Glenn's Goat (Sep 7, 2010)

GM4life said:


> Too bad Pontiac got axed. Some hard core enthusiast think that Pontiac died when GM decided to go corprate and axed the BOP engines, ect. To me the Pontiac Divison itself is what set it apart from the rest, it didn't matter what was under the hood or what platform it was built on.
> 
> To me I think GM was split down the middle, two different ideas what was going on with Pontiac. I think they was confused. They had more new ideas, platforms, money invested in Pontiac in resent years like the GTO, Solstice, G8 than any other division. So what the hell happend?:confused


The problem was over the last 20 years, they listened to the Bean Counters and worried about the stock holders over focusing on building and desinging cars!. Now I personally think that the cars were good and they sold alot of them as to the g4 and g6 , but for the most part ,there model lines of late were all the same and lacked identity. What was their target market?


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## 58mark (Sep 28, 2010)

Glenn's Goat said:


> That sucks! I've enjoyed eyeballin the Mercury Babe over the last 5 or 6 years ..."ya gotta put Mercury on your list" She was cute.


she's 90% of the reason I watch wipeout


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

Glenn's Goat said:


> The problem was over the last 20 years, they listened to the Bean Counters and worried about the stock holders over focusing on building and desinging cars!. Now I personally think that the cars were good and they sold alot of them as to the g4 and g6 , but for the most part ,there model lines of late were all the same and lacked identity. What was their target market?


The eighties slogan said it the best for Pontiac: "*We build excitement*". And they did. Chevy didn't have sporty sedans like Pontiac did. It was surprising that the Trans Am lasted as long as it did, I've read talks about axing the Trans Am in the early eighties than again in the nineties. The Grand Am, Grand Prix were all fun cars to drive, and that carried over to the G8. I can't think of any Chevy sport sedan ohh wait what sport sedan? There is where that hole is, Pontiac filled that hole. And as of late it was supose to be a niche market.


Here is my run down of GM divisions:
Chevy: Trucks, Vans, Family Cars, Sport
Pontiac: Sporty sedans, "Sporty Vans", Sport car
Olds: The car that grandpa drove
Caddy: The car that grandpa with money drove
Buick: Pops car


Saturn: ehh what you bought your kids or what you bought on a budget
Hummer: Hey look at me


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## johnasaurus (Sep 14, 2009)

Everybody who is passionate about Pontiacs is a dinosaur.......and I am passionate and a proud dinosaur!!


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## CzyKats44 (Aug 8, 2010)

GM4life said:


> Hummer: Hey look at me


Hahahahaha!


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Pontiacs in general were for drivers who didn't want to drive around in some of the gayest looking American cars ever built.


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

Maybe I'm just too old but I just don't understand what it means for a car to look 'gay'.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

HP11 said:


> Maybe I'm just too old but I just don't understand what it means for a car to look 'gay'.


Because two cars are holding hands or the exhaust sound has a lisp.


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

In that case, my generation would refer to them with much less politically acceptable terminology......


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

HP11 said:


> Maybe I'm just too old but I just don't understand what it means for a car to look 'gay'.


So ugly you could smash it into something prettier.


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## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

johnasaurus said:


> Everybody who is passionate about Pontiacs is a dinosaur.......and I am passionate and a proud dinosaur!!


I'm only 25 and I have always liked the Pontiac verisions of cars better then Chevy for for most part.

*Grand Prix was so much nicer then the Lumina... and had a GTP and GXP option
*Trans Am was much more agressive then the Camaro, even though I owned a few Camaros for some reason.
*G8 rapes all the Chevy line-up sedans.
*G6 had a hard top converable option... not many in that price for any manufacturer
*Solstice > Sky because they had a hard top targa version(even though the top was too big to put i nthe trunk; great thinking GM). Sky had much nicer interior and was more agressive loooking though.


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## GM4life (Mar 18, 2007)

jpalamar said:


> I'm only 25 and I have always liked the Pontiac verisions of cars better then Chevy for for most part.
> 
> *Grand Prix was so much nicer then the Lumina... and had a GTP and GXP option
> *Trans Am was much more agressive then the Camaro, even though I owned a few Camaros for some reason.
> ...


Your talking about all the new stuff. I like the old 60's Pontiacs and 70's-02 Trans AM's. The ole rolln' aircraft carriers that would swallow you up when you sat in them, but that goes for all GM vehicles.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

I like the stuff all the way back into the 20's. 

Now there's an idea... instead of "bringing back Pontiac", the could fire up the Oakland brand again and everyone would think it was something new.


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## jmm88 (Nov 17, 2010)

johnasaurus said:


> Everybody who is passionate about Pontiacs is a dinosaur.......and I am passionate and a proud dinosaur!!


I just turned 22, I grew up with them and I love pontiac. my family has pontiacs down the line! my dad owns a G8 gxp, me, 06 GTO, my brother, G6. And before that it was other models. I think it's safe to say I'm pretty passionate!


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

jmm88, I think you'll need to go back considerably farther than the Pontiacs you've mentioned to get anywhere near the true 'essence' of Pontiac. None of those models really even come close to it; not even the 04-06 GTO. I'm talking Catalina, Star Chief, Safari, GTO (64-74), Grand Prix (RWD-V8), etc. and absolutely nothing that is front wheel drive.


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## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Technically the true "essence" of Pontiac is Oakland.


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## jmm88 (Nov 17, 2010)

HP11 said:


> jmm88, I think you'll need to go back considerably farther than the Pontiacs you've mentioned to get anywhere near the true 'essence' of Pontiac. None of those models really even come close to it; not even the 04-06 GTO. I'm talking Catalina, Star Chief, Safari, GTO (64-74), Grand Prix (RWD-V8), etc. and absolutely nothing that is front wheel drive.


Hey, a fan of Pontiac is a fan of Pontiac, no need to call me out! And those aren't the only pontiacs in my family, I can jump back to my grandparents time if you want. I love my 06 goat, and if I could find one/afford one, I'd love the 64-74s too! But hey. I'm no dinosaur.


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## HP11 (Apr 11, 2009)

No one is calling you out or saying you're not a Pontiac fan. Just stating my point of view referenced to yours. Keep in mind that I'm likely about the same age as your granparents.......:cheers


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## jmm88 (Nov 17, 2010)

Haha that's great. Beautiful cars in your pictures btw.


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## 69LemansCV (Dec 3, 2009)

Damn, I think I'll go sit in my '69 Convertible and remember years gone by and be thankful for the beauty that I own.


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