In the late 1970s, front-wheel-drive economy cars were finally starting to get popular in America. While the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive cars have always been the standard in America up to this point in history, imports with front-engine, front-wheel-drive set-ups were starting to gain traction in the states due to their reliability, affordability, but most importantly their drivability. Not only were front-wheel-drive cars easier to drive overall as a commuter, but their weight distribution made them handle well in any weather.

GM saw the public’s eye turn to imports for front-wheel-drive cars, and decided to make their own platform dedicated to compact, front-wheel-drive cars. This platform would be called the J platform, or J-body, and run from 1981 until 2005, becoming a huge success.

During the J platform’s run, Americans saw plenty of small commuter cars, entry-level luxury cars, and of course, sport coupes due to the small size of the platform. While most of these sport coupes were cosmetically sporty, they left a lot to be desired in performance, with most of them housing simple four-cylinder engines and automatic transmissions.

But there was one J-body GM car that did make a performance statement, the Pontiac Sunfire GT.

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The Pontiac’s J-Body

Pontiac Sunbird GT
via Barn Finds

The Sunfire was not the first Pontiac J platform vehicle. Originally, Pontiac offered the Pontiac Sunbird, which started as a rebadged Chevy Monza in the 1970s and eventually moved into the J platform with a redesign.

While it sold well, safety standards in America were getting more and more strict, and by the mid-90s, the Sunbird’s body had a hard time passing safety standards. A redesign was in order, and this led to the creation of the Pontiac Sunfire in 1995. A dramatically redesigned car hoping to capture some lost excitement in Pontiac’s lineup.

The Sunfire was a solid car, but it was easy to see that Pontiac’s focus was more on style than performance. Coupe, sedan, and convertible options were all available, but the little 4 cylinder engine hardly produced 100 HP.

Related: The Chevy Monza: The Real Story Behind This Muscle Car Flop

Enter The GT

Via: Bing

To help mend the performance drawbacks of the Sunfire, the GT trim option was also offered both in a coupe and convertible body styles. This Sunfire not only came with more aggressive styled body panels but was also equipped with dual exhaust, a GM “Twin Cam” engine producing over 150 HP, not a bad number for a 90s compact car.

Not only did this little compact impress in a straight line, but also as a sensible commuter car, with MPG ratings of 23 city and 33 highway. Impressive numbers, even for today.

The GT scratched the performance itch for anyone looking for a solid commuter with some capable acceleration, with a 0-60 time of only 7.8 seconds, which blew away other small sporty commuters like the Toyota Paseo, which was only achieving a 0-60 time of 9.5 to 10 seconds depending on your trim level.

Related: These 19 "Cheap" Cars Can Do 0-60 In Less Than 5 Seconds

A Sleeper Through The Years

Pontiac-Sunfire
via cargurus

The Pontiac Sunfire was created as a cheap commuter car with some dynamic styling, and thanks to that public perception of the car, the GT trim flew way under the radar, making for an extremely affordable slice of performance for drivers of all ages.

Many GT owners weren't aware that they had a special Sunfire and sold them cheap to high school students and other first-time car buyers who were pleasantly surprised at the affordable performance found in the Sunfire. Throughout the early 2000s, Sunfire GTs could be found throughout America with simple mods installed that increased the performance of the little four-cylinder even more.

While the economy crashed in America in the mid-2000s, people turned to the capable Sunfire GT again, but not just for its performance, but also for its great fuel economy.

It was a car for every type of driver.

Related: 10 Awesome Sleeper Cars From Brands Not Normally Associated With Speed And Power

The End Of The Sunfire

Pontiac G5
Via: Bing

By 2005, the J platform had reached its conclusion. The GM Delta platform, which would hold the next compact giants for GM, the Chevy Cobalt, and the Pontiac G5, was taking over as the compact car platform, and the Sunfire was discontinued along with the Chevy Cavalier, in 2005.

What was a fan favorite for Pontiac fans everywhere would be replaced by the Pontiac G5, a solid performer and strong offering for GM, but one that would fall flat in build quality in hindsight.

After the G5, Pontiac would soon be phased out as a company entirely, leaving the GM umbrella of brands with only Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac remaining today.

Related: 20 Cars From Defunct GM Brands That Should Make A Comeback

The Sunfire GT Today

via wheelsage

Today, the Sunfire GT can still be had for cheap, but good luck finding a solid example. Many Sunfires were driven hard as daily drivers throughout their lives, so you may need to search just a little harder than usual for these sporty compacts, but the hunt is worth the effort.

Unfortunately, the Sunfire GT was a car so overlooked in its time that many do not know it even exists today, but it is one definitely worth looking for.

While many cars get plenty of attention at car shows across America every weekend, one day we just might see an entire class of car shows specifically for these overlooked sporty compacts.

Maybe, one day!