A true coupe turned sports car

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So, you suspect you know your cars now, do you?  Well, think about this to be a test of your knowledge of Pontiac history.  Twenty-one Pontiacs are featured here : some are current models while others are really classic in all senses of the word, dating back to the early 1960s. 

6000 - Full sized [or almost] front wheel drive sedan of the 1980s.

Aztec - foul is as nauseating does.  This crossover vehicle ashamed the Pontiac fleet for two years during the early 00s.

Bonneville - Full sized Pontiac sedan excitement quit in 2005 after more than 40 years of service.  Part of GM’s huge restructuring and retiring of top model names.

Catalina - This model hearkens back to the mid 60s when 2 door hard tops dominated the day.  Discontinued in the late 70s during GM’s’down sizing’ shell game days.

Fiero - Mid-engine sport two-seater built for Pontiac during the go-go 80s.  GM reached into their parts bin and took out Chevette and other components to create this small roadster.

Firebird - It goes without saying that this’pony’ car is sorely missed.  The excellent news is that it may be back by the point the 2009 model year rolls around.

Firefly - Twin to the Geo Metro, the Firefly was Pontiac’s three cylinder captive import of the late eighties to mid nineties.

G6 - Current compact model in Pontiac’s arms depot available in rakish coupe or sporty sedan.

Grand Am — With its 1973 debut, the Grand Am quickly became the division’s mid-range performance car.  Stood down in 2005 with a host of other Pontiac model names.

Grand Prix - hidden tail lights and a concave rear window marked the Grand Prix’s 1963 debut.  The car has survived GM’s model name shake out and today’s car is a medium sized, front wheel drive sports sedan.

GTO - Introduced in 1967, the GTO was a true coupe turned sports automobile.  Eliminated in the 1970s, the GTO is back thanks to GM’s Australian division, Holden.  Rear wheel drive and a large V8 too.

LeMans - Originally a storm model, the LeMans became its own model once the tempest name was retired in the 1970s.  Retired in the mid 1990s after an inexpensive Korean vehicle was allowed to carry its name.  Sheesh!

Montana — A minivan for Pontiac, if not for the ages.

Parisienne - during the 1980s Pontiac needed a version of the Chevrolet Caprice.  This full sized, rear wheel drive sedan filled up the bill.

Phoenix - Part of GM’s’X cars’ of compact import fighting vehicles introduced during 1979 as a 1980 model.

Sunbird - nothing but a rebadged Chevy Cavalier. 

Sunfire - Compact coupe stood down in 2005 as an element of, you guessed, GM’s model restructuring.

Sunrunner - nothing but a rebadged Geo/Chevy Tracker.

Tempest - From the early sixties until the early seventies, the term’muscle car’ befit this hot coupe.  Especially nice as a convertible!

Trans Sport - appalling looking minivan that debuted in the early 1990s.  Mercifully replaced years on by the Montana.

Vibe - A currently produced compact 5 door sport wagon ; cousin to the Toyota Matrix. 

So, there you have it.  At least another half dozen models were left out from this period of time plus many models that dated to the division’s founding as a part of the Oakland automobile Company in 1926.  Pontiac excitementhave you caught it yet?

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