Pontiac is an amazing brand that Americans loved from the beginning. Wherever a Pontiac steps, it still grabs attention with a commanding presence. The most distinguishing factor of any Pontiac has to be its unmistakable styling.
By the time Pontiac was running out of production in 2009, the brand had clocked 83 years traversing the planet. Like any brand that lives this long, Pontiac had built a vast and loyal fan base, particularly among the American population. GM Authority blog summarizes the people’s feelings quite effectively. It says, “fans and enthusiasts of GM’s Pontiac brand were collectively disheartened in 2009.”
All good things come to an end, and the last new Pontiac rolled out of production only leaving us with good memories and lots of formidably reliable cars as its legacy. It might seem that letting the Pontiac go was a hard battle among executives. GM’s vice president of US sales Susan Docherty stated at the time that “phasing out Pontiac was one of the most difficult decisions of my career but also one of the most necessary.”
The beautiful thing about a good or a bad legacy is that it is written boldly for the whole world to read long into the future. For Pontiac, winning competitions, track and road awards as well as enchanting the American public with its charm are part of its beautiful legacy.
We went back memory lane and compiled a list of some Pontiac models that any car collector would want in their garage. Let’s drive-through.
10 2002 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6
The 2002 Pontiac Firebird is still a favorite of many enthusiasts of the latter-day. It was the last production of the Pontiac and naturally placed itself in a good position to become a collector’s treasure hunt. It’s isn’t merely hunted because of these elements but primarily because it was a good car.
This Pontiac was offered in five trims, with a special one dubbed the Trans Am Collector Edition carrying the distinguished yellow paint and the brand's renowned screaming chicken graphics on the hood and other panels. It rides on a 3.8-liter V6 engine that produces 200 hp, making it a good-enough car for everyday cruising. It is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
9 1964 to 1974 Pontiac GTO
The car that propelled Pontiac to actual global status is the Pontiac GTO, built between 1964 to 1974. It is this car that is popularly acknowledged as the first muscle car and became the pioneer of its class. It’s a vehicle remembered with immense nostalgia. Winning races and being one of GM’s heavily marketed brands helped to raise it to unforgettable status.
The GTO nameplate reincarnated between 2003-2006 but this time as an import version from Australia carrying the platform of an Australian brand known as Holden Monaro. Apparently, GM chairman Bob Lutz drove in a Holden Monaro and thought it would easily morph into a GTO. The GTO carries the LS1 V8 engine from Chevrolet Corvette which pairs to a 6-speed manual or –speed automatic transmission.
8 Pontiac Lemans GT-37
Nearly all Pontiacs have a fascinating story around them, and they make good vibes among gearheads. The Pontiac GT-37 was considered a vehicle built for buyers on a budget. It was offered with a few engine options, but the standard was a V-6 350-cubic inch that produced 250hp.
The Pontiac LeMans already existed from 1961 and the GT-37 easily fell in place within its ranks. However, the GT-37 silently exited the in 1971 and its fate seems to have been permanently sealed.
7 Pontiac Catalina
The Catalina started life as a higher trim within the Chieftan and Star Chief hardtops. It would become a stand-alone model in 1959 and lived a fruitful life until 1981 when Pontiac abandoned the full-size car market altogether.
The Pontiac Catalina is estimated to have sold quite significantly by the time of its exit. You may find a piece or two around through sheer effort and determination. Prices aren’t that low and you might need to fork out northwards of $18,00.
6 1995 Pontiac SLP Formula Firehawk
The Pontiac Firehawk was a different road monster altogether. Its unconventional lifestyle started with the process of acquiring one and having it tuned by the Special Legal Performance (SLP) tuners down the road. Pontiac had a deal with SLP Engineering, an aftermarket partner that helped beef up Pontiacs into super-performance cars
The year is 1992 and Pontiac Motor Division collaborated with SLP to build the Formula Firehawk and made it available through the dealership network. This approach proved a success as they sold out in 1993 and 1994. The ’95 Pontiac Formula is considered the most epic of them all. Wearing the same body as the Firebird, it was upgraded to 17x9-inch Speedline wheels and a ram air hood boosted engine performance to 300hp.
5 1989 Pontiac Trans Am 20th Anniversary
Anniversary celebration cars are meant to raise our curiosity, sharpen our appetite and possibly become collectibles in the future. Pontiac celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Trans Am nameplate with a vehicle that had a turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6 engine under the hood. It was made to sprint from 0-60mph in just five secs.
The 20th edition version was given only with automatic transmission and a pure white body. It was crowned with "20th Anniversary" cloisonné emblems and "Turbo Trans Am" badges.
4 1980 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo
Some enthusiasts consider the Pontiac Trans Am Turbo produced between 1980-1981 the epitome of GM’s engineering in this era. This prowess is exhibited in the Pontiac 301 Turbo V8.
The addition of a turbo onto an already endearing V8 engine was a big deal and became big business. It managed to raise this Pontiac to the realm of 210 horsepower at 4,000 rpm.
3 1974 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD 455
The SD in this mouthful name stands for Super Duty. It helps to tell us what this Pontiac was made to do expressly. Indeed, it featured a more strengthened cylinder block. It was an option rather than a stand-alone model. Legend has it that it almost never came to fruition as a result of a management change.
Only 1,296 SD-455s, most of which carried automatic transmission. Hugely, it’s agreed that this Pontiac marked the engineering apex of the second generation Pontiacs
2 1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400
The Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 derives its name from the engine. It was a 400ci Pontiac V-8 producing 330 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. But the actual attraction was the considerably rare four-speed transmission.
About 7,708 Formula 400s were produced and around, 2,777 carried the arresting manual transmission. Reviewers such as Car and Driver stated a 6.4-second sprint from 0-to-60 and 14.7-second to hit the quarter-mile, which was a remarkable feat back then.
1 1968 Pontiac Firebird Sprint
It was during the tenure of John DeLorean that the Pontiac Overhead Cam-6 engine, aka, OHC-6 came gained a life. This engine was built to produce more power in an American car, ostensibly to compete with the European GT cars.
This engine would become a masterpiece with four-speed manual transmission, Weber carburetors, and feeding air from a shaker-style hood scoop. Although more than 100,000 Firebirds were built in 1968, only 4,662 were proudly Sprint versions. Further, just slightly more than 1000 pieces carried the OHC engine, which makes them truly rare collectibles.