During our drive of the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, we chatted with one engineer about GM’s Zeta platform, which underpins rear-drive full size cars. Among remarking how much we adored the Pontiac G8 sedan and how we longed for a revival of the car, the engineer broke into a broad grin and said “well, these things have a way of happening.”

Cut to Saturday, where GM’s Mark Reuss announced the debut of a vehicle based on the Camaro platform at the Chicago Auto Show. The only other car built on the platform is the Holden Commodore, which formerly underpinned the G8 and is the basis for the Chevrolet Caprice PPV, a model only sold to law enforcement agencies for police duty.

In recent weeks, photos of the Caprice have emerged that show it looking very ready for civilian duty (seen above). Gone are the steel wheels, push bars and flashing lights, and to the untrained eye, the car could be any other full-size American sedan.

There’s a strong chance the car will be a new variant of the Caprice, although a high-performance Camaro Z28 is also rumored to bow in Chicago. With Chrysler’s new 300 sedan (and Dodge’s Charger) being the only rear drive full size car on the market (and receiving rave reviews), Chevrolet will certainly want to capitalize on this and smash the 300′s monopoly. The only question is whether the vehicle will be the long-wheelbase police version (based on the Holden Statesman) or the standard length Commodore based car that was previously given to Pontiac as the G8. Engine choices will likely be the familiar 3.6L V6 making 300 horsepower or more, and a small-block V8 of indeterminate output.

[Source: Detroit News]

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 Chicago Auto Show Preview here, with coverage starting Wednesday, February 9th.

Oklahoma car collector Tim Dye is well known in the enthusiast community for his stable of Pontiacs. Now, he’s decided to open a museum dedicated to the now defunct marque, in the town of Pontiac, Illinois, through which passes a stretch of the historic ‘Mother Road,’ Route 66.

The museum will be located in downtown Pontiac, IL in the town square on North Mill Street. Dye will be loaning some of the cars from his own collection, while others are likely to come from other collections or individual enthusiasts. At present the Museum is slated to open by July 21st this year.

Given all that General Motors has been through lately and the way in which Pontiac was unceremoniously dumped, it’s nice to see some enthusiasts looking to preserve the legacy of this once popular and exciting vehicle brand, even if many brand nuts believe the rightful home should be in Pontiac, Michigan. However, given the recent economic crisis and the fact that Pontiac, Michigan is struggling financially and couldn’t fund such a project anyway, one museum dedicated to the brand, even if it is in Illinois, is better than none at all.

[Source: Hemmings Motor News]

It’s a good idea to buckle up in the car to keep you safe, but did you know that buckling up can keep you pants up?

There are a few belts out there from your favorite automotive brands and are worthy of keeping your pants in place. The auto-inspired belts from Pure Detroit make it simple by letting you just click it. The authentic seatbelt belt  shown above is fabricated from real automotive seatbelt webbing, and available in black, brown, charcoal and olive. You’ll find belts from Cadillac, Chevy, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Corvette, Mustang and Pontiac for sale at www.puredetroit.com.

Continue Reading…

Backing up the last reports from a few months back, General Motors appears ready to bring back the only truly exciting product Pontiac had to offer, the G8. Now with Pontiac dead the car will be badged as a Chevy (likely wearing the Caprice name), but the important part is that it will be based on the rear-drive Holden Commodore platform, just like the G8 was.

The latest rumor comes from the LA Auto Show, where a senior engineer told an Australian outlet that the plan to bring back the rear-drive V8-powered sedan was under consideration for the retail market. It should be noted that currently GM offers the long wheelbase Holden Commodore-based Chevy Caprice as a Police-only vehicle in the U.S.

An unnamed source then reportedly commented that the car has been approved by GM’s product planning folks.

With the platform already sold here in the past, federalizing the car wouldn’t be difficult either. Now wouldn’t a V8-powered 6-speed manual Chevy Caprice performance sedan be just the perfect car for the upcoming Detroit Auto Show?

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Heide Performance Products, a Michigan company that helps convert Chevrolet Camaros to modern day Pontiac Firebirds, has unveiled their latest creation, a replica of the 1969 Trans-Am based on the current Chevrolet Camaro.

The HPP Firebird will probably perform just like the Camaro – fast in a straight line, but at it’s best while standing still. Check out our gallery for now, and stay tuned for the car’s official unveiling at SEMA starting November 2nd.

Gallery: HPP Firebird

[Source: HPP]

Back in GM’s glory days, when John Zachary Delorean assumed the mantle of General Manager at Pontiac Motor Division, the flamboyant engineer had begun work on his own pet sports car project – the XP-833 – designed as an affordable two-seater alternative to the Chevy Corvette.

Running prototypes were built and the futuristic Banshee almost made it into production, GM pulling the plug at the eleventh hour, just prior to the 1964 New York Auto Show. Though the Banshee never made it to market, Pontiac’s pony car, the 1967 Firebird, adopted elements of the Banshee, as did the “wasp waisted” 1968 Corvette.

In an unusual turn for an experimental car, both Banshee prototypes survived the crusher, winding up in the hands of GM employees and subsequently private collectors. One is currently owned by famed GM dream car collector Joe Bortz, while this, the other, has emerged from the shadows. In what ranks as one of the most highly publicized online auctions of the year, the car is up for grabs on eBay; presenting the chance of a lifetime for one lucky bidder. This particular car, once owned by Bill Killen, is a fully functioning and drivable machine, but one that displays just 1,498 miles on the odometer. For more information on this special online auction, click on the link below.

[Source: eBay Motors]

Clear of any bad PR for at least a few weeks, Toyota has been hit by yet another safety issue with its cars, announcing a recall of 1.1 million Corolla and Matrix models. The recall involves the 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine in the cars and as such also affects 200,000 Pontiac Vibes. Models affected include the 2005 to 2008 model year cars.

At issue is the Engine Control Module (ECM), which may have been “improperly manufactured.” The unit could crack at certain solder points resulting in the check engine light to come on, harsh shifts to occur or the engine to simply not start.

Three accidents are been reported related to this issue (including one injury) but none have been confirmed.

Toyota will replace the units starting in mid September.

See after the jump for the official Toyota and GM press releases:

Continue Reading…

When the new Chevy Camaro surfaced, ideas immediately began brewing in many enthusiasts’ head about a return of the Pontiac Firebird. With Pontiac out of the picture, thankfully there are passionate enthusiasts like those at Classic Design Concepts.

Classic Design Concepts has unleashed their FireBreather at a retail price of $60,000. That gets you a redesigned Chevrolet Camaro featuring Firebird-style influences. It’s an odd blend of the two designs, the sharp angles that resemble a Firebird with the muscular, bulky lines of the Camaro. Classic Design Concepts also claims the Camaro’s 6.2L V8 will throw down 599-hp to the rear wheels.

We do dig the black with red highlights on the car and can’t help but think about Knight Rider when we see it. It’s also a retro alternative to the Lingenfelter Trans Am and the Kevin Morgan Designs Trans Am.

GALLERY: Classic Design Concepts FireBreather Chevrolet Camaro

[Source: FireBreatherCar]

General Motors’ Australian Holden brand remains the choice of hooligans down under, as police in the Australian state of Victoria announced that 46% of cars impounded under their “hoon” laws. Ford is the second most popular with 16.7% of the impound share, while Nissan is third with 7.8%.

Holden’s Commodore has been Australia’s best-selling vehicle for decades, and the rear-drive chassis and plentiful supply of turbo six-cylinder or General Motors V8s means that cheap, powerful Holdens are easily affordable for young Australian enthusiasts.

Australian police have taken to crushing vehicles confiscated in cases of reckless driving if they are deemed “unsafe”. One police officer cited a vehicle without “ABS brakes and airbags” stating “I cannot, in good conscience, send that vehicle back into the community.” Many older Commodores (such as the VL series pictured above) did not come with these features, but remain immensely popular with young gearheads.

Despite their old-school muscle car flavor, North Americans stayed away from the two Holden models sold in North America, the 2003-2006 Pontiac GTO (based off the Holden Monaro) and the 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 (a rebadged Commodore SS).

[Source: Drive.com.au]

We recently reported on rumors that Chevrolet is planning to bring back the Caprice full-sized sedan, based on the RWD Holden Statesman. This, however, is being denied by the folks at Holden, with Emily Perry, the Australian automaker’s communications director, commenting that “We have no plans to export that vehicle as a civilian car at this stage.”

GM had already announced a police interceptor based on the Statesman and sold as a Caprice to police agencies in North America, and recently even added the Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) Detective Package to the list.

Interestingly, Perry wasn’t as unequivocal when it came to the question of the Commodore returning to the U.S. (sold in North America as the Pontiac G8 from 2008-09). Former Holden marketing director Mark Reuss had commented in the past that the company was looking for ways to salvage something from the G8 program and it has been suggested that GM may be looking to build a small prestige brand of RWD cars within the larger Chevy brand, much like what Hyundai has done with the Genesis.

The entire return of the G8/Commodore seems extremely unlikely however, with an all new platform due out in 2012, meaning that GM would have to act soon in bringing a rear-drive Holden back to the U.S., before the architecture becomes obsolete.

[Source: Carpoint]

Here’s a great David vs Goliath story that’s sure to get you all fired up at “the man” on a Monday morning. G8Board.com member “jackalope” was recently ticketed for having what a police officer deemed to be illegal tail lights. Knowing that the lights are factory equipment on his Pontiac G8 GT, and are certified by the DOT, he took the ticket to court, considering the whole thing to be some kind of mistake. Knowing he was in the right and had the law on his side, Jackalope was shocked when the judge found him guilty and upheld the ticket, meaning he had to pay the $85. Worse still, he was told by the judge (this time “the man” was actually a woman) that she would continue to fine him if he refused to pay. And to add insult to injury, the judge even went so far as to advise the defendant that he should consider selling his car as its not legal in Maryland.

The issue surrounding the tail lights on Jackalope’s Pontiac G8 GT, involves the fact that the clear lenses on the G8 GT’s lights means GM had to use reflectors on the bumper in order to meet regulations. The state law requires the reflectors to reflect the color red, which the officer who issued the ticket obvious felt he couldn’t see.

According to Jackalope, the judge wasn’t interested in what the manufacturer or the DOT said, commenting that the opinion of the officer superseeded that of any other authorities on the matter and that as a judge she would uphold the officer’s decision to issue the ticket.

Jakalope has since contacted Pontiac and has an appointment to speak with them regarding the issue.

But the story doesn’t stop there, with some folks alleging that Jakalope wasn’t sporting factory lights, but rather modified taillights on his car. Jakalope has since both stated that he did have the factory lights on the car when the ticket was issued (although he does have other “show” lights). He also claims that even the modified taillights, which can be seen on his Cardomain page, should be legal as well, as they continue to reflect the color red.

[Source: G8Board via Jalopnik]

Pontiac owners are abandoning the brand when it comes time to purchase their next vehicle, according to a report in Automotive News.

Pontiac’s moderately priced sedans like the G6, Grand Prix and G8 were affordable transportation for many consumers. With those products gone, all that GMC-Buick dealers (who formerly carried Pontiac products) can offer are more expensive fare like the Buick Lacrosse, which starts at $26,000.

Pontiac customers who do stick with GM tend to gravitate towards Chevrolet, which offers larger, moderately priced sedans that are a familiar transition for Pontiac owners. GM has offered a $1,000 rebate to Pontiac owners as well as four free oil changes as an incentive to stay with the company. GM spokesperson Tom Henderson said that “the loyalty rates of Pontiac owners are in line with our expectations,” but declined to give any data.

[Source: Automotive News]

Scott Rothstein was once a prominent South Florida lawyer, famous for his humble roots, flashy lifestyle and philanthropy. But after a suicide attempt and a failed escape to Morocco, Rothsetin turned himself in after federal agents exposed his 1.2 billion dollar Ponzi scheme.

Now, the United States government has seized his assets and is auctioning off an assortment of exotic cars owned by Rothstein and a number of shell companies. The list ranges from the very mild (two Pontiac G6s, a Ford Expedition) to the highest echelons of supercar-dom (two Bugatti Veryons, a Ferrari F40).

If you have the funds, and are looking to score a deal on some serious machinery with, shall we say, interesting provenance, take a peek at the list below and get in touch with the appropriate arm of the federal government.

[Source: Dupont Registry]

Full List After The Jump:

Continue Reading…

In an effort to provide better customer support and head off problems before they get out of control, General Motors has created a new “task force” aimed at monitoring social media sites for complaints about GM vehicles and looking to find solutions.

A report in the Detroit Free Press highlights the story of one woman, Melissa Walker, who’s complaints about her 2001 Cadillac DeVille on Twitter were picked up by GM’s new team of customer service agents. GM wasn’t able to solve the problem, but Walker was left with a positive feeling about the experience, and Tweeted to say as much – exactly what GM is looking for.

Last July GM set up a team of 50 customer service agents to chat online with people about sales incentives and vehicle options. In November, five social media agents were added to hunt out complaints online and that team is set to be doubled in April.

Now if GM’s task force is doing its job, someone from the team will likely be reading this story. If they are, might be suggest they not only scour Facebook and Twitter, but the comments sections of news blogs, like our own. As an example, see the link below on a story we ran about an investigation into Chevy Cobalt steering issues, which got tremendous response before GM officially announced a recall.

Chevy Cobalt Being Investigated for Faulty Steering, Recall Possible

[Source: FreePress]

With the NHTSA likely applying plenty of pressure after it was questioned over Toyota’s recent recalls, General Motors has announced a recall of 1.3 million vehicles due to power steering issues. The recall affects 1.3 million models including the 905,000 Chevrolet Cobalt models in the U.S., assembled for model year 2005-10. The recall also affects the 2007-10 Pontiac G5, as well as the 2005-06 Pontiac Pursuit in Canada and the 2005-06 Pontiac G4 in Mexico.

GM insists that it has notified the NHTSA and has been operating its own investigation since 2009. The recall comes after over 1,110 complaints that have been linked to 14 crashes and one injury.

GM has announced it it working on a fix and will notify all customers as soon as possible.

[Source: Automotive News]

Things just couldn’t get any worse for Toyota Motor Corp. The automaker has announced yet another recall, this one for 1.1 million vehicles in the United States, and is essentially an expansion of last year’s floor mat/pedal recall that affected 4.3 million vehicles.

The recall is for all 2008-10 Highlanders, 2009-2010 Corollas, Venzas and Matrixes, as well as 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibes, where the gas pedal may become lodged under improperly installed floor mats and cause unintended acceleration.

This recall is separate from the recall of 2.3 million vehicles where the accelerator pedal may stick, a move which prompted Toyota to stop selling affected models and even cease production.

Toyota’s fix for this latest recall of 1.1 million vehicles includes re-shaping or replacing gas pedals, as well as changing the mats with a newly designed mat.

[Source: Automotive News]

Several months ago GM’s Australian Holden division announced that it would offer a special edition of the Commodore, dressed up to look like the Pontiac G8. Called the Holden VE Commodore SS V-Series Special Edition, the new model looks mostly identical to the Pontiac model (itself based on the Commodore), except for the absence of any Pontiac badging.

The model has been such a huge success, that Holden has now said it will continue to offer the package indefinitely. Retailing for $1,000 Australian premium ($923 U.S.), dealerships are even ordering stockiles of Pontiac badges so Aussie gearheads can more accurately replicate the G8.

Sadly, the Aussie’s enthuaism for the car isn’t shared by American consumers, or at least not by the execs at General Motors, who killed off the Pontiac brand shortly after it began to offer the G8 – arguably the best product from the company in 30 years.

[Source: CarPoint]

Earlier this week General Motors produced its last Pontiac for the U.S. market, ending the brand’s 82 year run. The final vehicle to roll off the assembly line at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25th at the Orion Township plant was a rather unspectacular white G6 sedan which is scheduled to be sold to a fleet. It’s hardly the sort of send-off one might expect for a brand that has produced such memorable legends as the GTO and Firebird.

There was no pomp and circumstance as the last 100 vehicles rolled off the line and no GM executive was on hand.

The Pontiac brand was highlighted for elimination on April 27, as a part of General Motors’ viability plan. GM agreed to kill-off Pontiac and try and find buyers for Saab, Saturn and Hummer in exchange for a bailout by the U.S. and Canadian governments. To date, both the Saab and Saturn deals have fallen through, leading to the scheduled elimination of Saturn with the same fate likely for Saab. The sale of Hummer to Chinese heavy machinery company Sichuan Tengzhon is still pending.

Watching the Pontiac brand come to an end isn’t an unfamiliar event for may of the plant workers, as many of them were building Oldsmobiles when GM decided to retire than brand in 2000. For workers there is a glimmer of hope as GM has announced that in 18 months it will begin producing a new small car at the same facility.

In the mean time, the plant will stay open as it wraps up final production of the Pontiac G3 Wave, which is sold in Canada.

Since the brand’s inception in 1926 it is estimated to have sold as many as 41 million cars.

[Source: TheDetroitNews]

The Lingenfelter Trans Am Concept wasn’t the only TA on display at the 2009 SEMA Show, with Kevin Morgan Designs debuting its version of the iconic car. Based on a slightly more modern interpretation of the Trans Am, the Kevin Morgan car takes its cues from the 1977-’78 model and is based on the all-new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.

The car certainly looks aggressive with a low slung front air dam and a massive gold Screamin’ Chicken on the hood. And of course, there’s a big ducktail spoiler and a stylish set of golf mesh wheels.

The team even went so far as to built a classic Pontiac logo into the car’s new front end.

On the whole, we like it more than the Lingenfelter design, although the gold interior accents are definitely excessive.

Kevin Morgan Designs has announced a deal with the Trans Am Depot and is expected to start offering the Phoenix Trans Am conversion in the near future.

GALLERY: Kevin Morgan Designs Trans Am

Get out your old Whitesnake muscle shirt because the Trans Am is back… sort of. The Corvette and Chevy tuning experts at Lingenfelter have announced that they will bring a modern Trans Am to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week, taking inspiration from the 1971 second-gen TA. That means it will have a 445-cubic inch V8 engine under the hood making 655-hp.

The car will also get a duck-tail spoiler, fender vents, a twin-port front grille, 20-inch honeycomb wheels and the obligatory screamin’ chicken. Lingenfelter also promises a retr0-styled interior.

Called the Lingenfeler LTA (Lingenfelter Trans Am) Concept the car is a one-off, but there is cretain to be huge demand for the car – especially considering the popularity of the new Camaro – so a limited number of production models is a definite possibility

We’ll be sure to bring you full coverage of the Lingenfelter Trans Am from the SEMA Show starting November 3rd.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

GALLERY: Lingenfelter Trans Am

[Source: InsideLine]

Somebody call Burt Reynolds… the Trans Am is back! Sort of…

With the Pontiac brand officially scheduled for deletion by the accountants at General Motors, the Trans Am Depot has decided to partner with Kevin Morgan Designs to create a Trans Am conversion kit for the new 2010 Camaro.

Set to be unveiled at this year’s Trans Am Nationals, the kit is inspired by the ’78-’79 Trans Am and will be sold as a complete package. Current the the Trans Am Depot is building a prototype model and intends to offer full packages for both coupes and for the upcoming Camaro convertible.

A special Phoenix Edition will also be offered with a lowered suspension, upgraded sway bars, 20-inch wheels and a full decal package.

Full details after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Earlier this week General Motors officially turned off the lights and locked the doors at its Boxwood Road assembly plant for the last time, marking the end of the line for the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.

The two vehicles (along with the Opel GT) were manufactured at the plant in Wilmington, Delaware, which is being closed as a part of GM’s restructuring process.

General Motors has decided to eliminate the Pontiac brand and sell Saturn to the Penske Automotive Group. The announcement to close the plant came on July 1st when GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At the time GM gave short notice to plant workers saying the facility would be shuttered by the end of July.

GM spokesman John Raut said the final vehicle to roll off the assembly line was a silver Pontiac Solstice.

[Source: SaturnFans]

Yesterday we urged GM CEO Fritz Henderson to sit down with his new Vice Chairman Bob Lutz to get their stories about the future of the Pontiac G8 straight. Now they have, and the news isn’t good.

Bob Lutz posted on GM’s corporate Fastlane Blog that the G8 will not live on as the Chevrolet Caprice. In fact, it won’t live on at all. “The G8 will not be a Caprice after all. I’d mentioned it, and said we were studying it, giving it a serious look, because a car like the G8 was just too good to waste,” wrote Lutz, who continued; “But I have to say that, with my new ‘marketing’ hat on, upon further review and careful study, we simply cannot make a business case for such a program. Not in today’s market, in this economy, and with fuel regulations what they are and will be.”

Lutz then expressed his personal disappointment, but said there was just no way to make the car happen and that the company’s resources had to be placed elsewhere.

He then tried to reassure rear-wheel drive, performance enthusiasts saying that, “in no way does this mean we are backing away from performance, or backing away from rear-wheel drive.” He applauded the Holden team in Australia and said that he would like to look to their products to bring another RWD vehicle over in the future, but not now.

Sadly, the G8 will bow out after a short stay in the North American marketplace, an emotional product that fell victim to “further review and careful study.”

How about an apology for getting our hopes up Bob?

[Source: GM Fastlane Blog]

Perhaps General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson and his newly appointed Vice Chairman Bob Lutz should sit down, have a talk and get their stories straight.

After consistently saying that the Pontiac G8 would be eliminated with the rest of the Pontiac brand, it seemed as though Henderson had a change of heart after his newly appointed Vice Chair and product boss Lutz proudly proclaimed that the G8 would live on as a Chevrolet Caprice. Calling it “too good to waste” Lutz said the rebadged G8 would be available for consumers and as a special model for police departments.

Now, according to an Autoblog interview with Henderson , it seems only the latter is true. “We’ve been looking at it for police applications. As for whether or not it’s broader than police applications, I am not a believer in re-branding and re-badging. We’ve been talking about in terms of potential police applications and we’ll leave it at that.”

So there you have it… the official word on the future of the Pontiac G8… at least until Lutz opens his mouth next.

For a company that recently emerged from bankruptcy and that is trying to promote confidence in its leadership, General Motors certainly isn’t doing a very convincing job.

[Source: Autoblog]