Posts from ‘Pontiac’
1985 Buick Electra
Which of the following events was more jarring? The addition of Elmo to the cast of Sesame Street, or the introduction of a front-wheel-drive Buick Electra? Both events, coincidentally, took place in 1985, and both events were met with a certain amount of grumbling.
Review Flashback! 2009 Pontiac G8
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
We lost Pontiac sometime in 2010. A few fleet-special G6 midsize sedans were made available as ’10 models, though many of them found their way into rental fleets before the end of 2009. After that, the lights went dark at General Motors’s Performance Division.
1984 Hurst/Olds
If you were looking for a diverse collection of affordable sporty cars, you’d probably want to set the time-machine dial for 1984. You would be hard pressed to find a broader collection of fun-to-drive rides at any time other than the mid Eighties.
My Favorite Grilles: Fifties Edition
Is your favorite grille on Frank’s list?
Collectible Automobile publisher Frank Peiler has been working around automotive publications since the early Seventies, but his love of cars goes back much further than that.
What Was The Zimmer QuickSilver?
Zimmer QuickSilver
Culinary mashups are hot right now. Chicken and waffles, that time-tested soul-food classic, is now so Twitter-active that even KFC has gotten in on the deal. As a vegetarian, I have never indulged in the savory crispy/maple-y buttery promise of chicken and waffles, but I have good things to say about the improbable pairing of peanut butter and pickle relish. Really.
Auto designer Donald Healey as seen in a Lord Calvert Canadian whiskey ad.
If you’re my age (around the half-century mark), you’ve been programmed since high school to fully appreciate the dangers and potentially disastrous consequences of drinking and driving. And, indeed, since I began college in 1983, the legal penalties for operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol have become significantly harsher.
Review Flashback! 2005 Pontiac Aztek
2005 Pontiac Aztek
I’m not quite prepared to suggest that Pontiac’s Aztek crossover would have sold well if it had been launched as a 2018 model, but I am willing to propose that it might have been better received in today’s marketplace than it was when it debuted back in 2001.
Review Flashback! 1974 Pontiac GTO
1974 Pontiac GTO
Just a thought: What if the 1974 Pontiac GTO was never actually named “GTO?” What if, instead of disappointing GTO loyalists, this extensively upgraded compact Pontiac had instead been called the Ventura GT?
What Was The Iron Duke?
Though technically a Pontiac engine, the Iron Duke found a place under the hood of dozens of non-Pontiac models.
The Chevrolet Vega was meant to be a technical and efficiency tour de force. The good-looking, lightweight little car featured a number of cutting-edge features, and was positioned to prove that the Bow-Tie Brand—and on a broader scale General Motors—was in a position to take on the low-cost and fuel-efficient imports that were starting to show up in dealerships at the beginning of the Seventies.
What Was The Pontiac Firefly?
Most Americans have never heard of the Firefly, but Canadian consumers might well have considered purchasing one of these subcompact Pontiacs. A 1987 “Base” is shown.
Pontiac of Canada was well known for selling gently tweaked variations of Chevy products for exclusive distribution north of the border. The 1976-1987 Pontiac Acadian for example, was actually a retrimmed Chevrolet Chevette.
