Auto Blitz: Pontiac

Showing posts with label Pontiac. Show all posts

Speed Ticket Survey: Mercedes-Benz SL and Toyota Solara Drivers Top the List

We recently told you about how the angriest drivers in Britain tend to be behind the wheel of a BMW. Now we have some speeding/insurance info from the States, and it's a bit surprising.

According to Quality Planning, a division of Verisk Analytics Inc., American Mercedes SL drivers are at least four times more likely to get ticketed than a run-of-the-mill motorist who presumably drives a Camry Solara or...no, wait, the Camry Solara/Coupe and Scion tC come in at second and third.

Oddly, the Pontiac Grand Prix is still on the list and making waves (scroll down for the full list with stats).

For the Australian car buff, Tom Walkinshaw needs no introduction. Here is the man who founded HSV and was responsible for the epic VL Commodore based HSV SS Group A in late '80s. Though no longer working for Holden, 'Walky' continues to turn out some of the most powerful and ballsiest vehicles Australia has ever seen through the performance company named after him.

At the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, Walkinshaw Performance took the wraps off its latest model: the WP Series II Supercar. The Holden Commodore Series II SS derived super saloon is fitted with an Edelbrock WP 230 supercharger, boosting power to 617-horsepower (460 kw) and torque to 780 Nm (575 lb ft).

Car auctions always have some interesting product to show off. Hell, I'm going to have to pick up my Boss '9 at one somewhere down the road, but that's beside the point. The one-of-one Pontiac GTO Judge convertible seen here is about to hit the block in a few weeks at Mecum's St. Charles Auction and here's a little something about it.

What's the deal with cheesy Pontiac-based replicas? Every time I see one, I ask myself how anyone in their right mind would ever think it's a good idea (unless purely testing one's kit building and car chopping talents). This ebay-situated Firebird-based 308 replica can be yours for the low-low price of $6,500; if you'd like to try your luck with the auction, feel free. We won't judge either way (sinner!).

Words cannot describe how mega this crash is. If you haven't seen it yet, do it...DO IT NOW. It must be seen. Even if you have seen it, check it out again. The victim was a 19-year old who was speeding, tried to pass on the left, ended up in the median...then something CRAZY happened, he got ejected from his Firebird, somehow survived, and is now in critical condition.

While Classic Design Concepts (CDC) deliberately avoids the use of the word 'Pontiac', the first thought that comes to mind upon seeing the FireBreather is a modern iteration of General Motor's Firebird Trans-Am pony car.

The 2011 Camaro-based special was originally created as a one-off movie car for Exxodus Pictures' new sci-fi flick, Jinn, but the company decided to build a limited series for sale. And now, the order book has opened with the maker planning to manufacturer a total of 50 exact replicas of the FireBreather, priced at $60,000 a piece.

Found for sale on eBay is a reproduction -and a quite convincing one at that- of one of the biggest icons of our childhood: the Knight Industries Two Thousand, or as most of you know it, K.I.T.T.

Like the original car used in the Knight Rider series during the '80s, this here replica is based on a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am and comes with all the cosmetic bells and whistles of the TV car including the cool to look at, but far from practical, cut steering wheel and electronic displays on the dashboard that lights up like a Christmas tree.

The folks from 'The Smoking Tire' decided to bid farewell to the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible they had for this year's Bullrun by bringing on Classic Design Concepts' Pontiac Firebreather for a brief tet-a-tet.

For those unfamiliar with the Firebreather, the Pontiac Firebird-ized 2011 Camaro was originally created by Classic Design Concepts as a one off movie car for Exxodus Pictures' new sci-fi film, Jinn, but the company took the decision to build a limited series for sale to the public.

Here's another rare oddity found for sale on eBay Motors. The long-nose Zimmer Quicksilver is a custom made coupe with a mid-mounted V6 engine. And yes, as you may have already guessed, it's based on GM's Pontiac Fiero. The car's retro styling takes its inspiration from glitzy Lincoln and Cadillac models of the 1970s.

We never cease to be amazed by the things some people do to their cars. But while we may turn a blind eye to creations such this Acura/Honda NSX turned into a Ferrari 360-lookalike or this Mazda RX-7-powered BMW E30, there's something fundamentally wrong with swapping the original 214HP 3.0-liter V8 powerhouse of a Ferrari 308 GTSi with the... Pontiac Fiero's, Chevrolet-sourced 140HP 2.8-liter V6 unit.

Pontiac never made a 1981 Firebird Formula convertible (or any kind of '81 Firebird Convertible, for that matter), but that didn't stop a lot of people from going out and chopping the tops off of these post-oil-crisis Ponchos anyway.

Usually when cars that were never meant to be convertibles get their brains blown out, it turns into quite an unattractive mess.

While this version - originally done by Coach Works and featuring a manual top and boot - doesn't look too shabby with the top down, I'd have to see it with the top up to get a better idea of what we're dealing with.

Not surprisingly, Pontiac's demise has spurred an interest in the creation of Trans Am replicas based on the new Chevrolet Camaro. We remind you that we've already seen a conceptual proposal for a modern-day Pontiac Trans Am from ASC Creative Services and real-life examples from Lingenfelter and Trans Am Depot.

The latest company to join the list of tuners interested in creating a Trans Am replica is a company called Gearhead Performance Group.

Along with the cosmetic upgrades that include new front and rear fascias complete with unique lights, 21- or 22-inch snowflake wheels, a large rear spoiler and gold interior accents (...), the tuner claims that it will offer an optional twin-turbo LS9 V8 with some 900 horsepower.

Source: Gearhead Performance , Via: Autoblog.com

GM Slashes Prices of Remaining Pontiacs and Saturns by up to 46%

If you ever wanted to buy a Pontiac or a Saturn and you don't mind that both brands will soon pass into the books of history, now's the time as General Motors is offering dealers huge incentives to move a few thousand leftover vehicles from the two discontinued marques, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

According to the paper, the Detroit automaker sent a letter to dealers on December 23 stating that it would pay them around $7,000 for every new Pontiac or Saturn on their lot that is moved to their rental-vehicle or service-vehicle fleets.

With this move, the leftover vehicles will be classified as used (even though they're new, the dealers will technically be the vehicles' first owner) thus allowing dealers to sell them at a huge discount which is said to be as much as 46% off the sticker price.

The daily newspaper said that the offer will expire on January 4 which is the last day of the December car-sales month with GM booking the sales to dealers as fleet deliveries.

Saturn's leftover portfolio includes the Vue compact crossover, Sky Roadster, Aura Sedan, Astra compact hatch and Outlook crossover, while Pontiac's range comprises of the Solstice Roadster and Coupe, G6 Sedan, Coupe and Convertible, and the G8 sports sedan.

However, you'll have to check with your local dealer to see which models are available. And if you do, don't hesitate to leave us a comment here telling us what kind of an offer they made you.

Via: WSJ (Sub. Required)

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