Good bye Pontiac.

I grew up in Pontiac, the city. Yeah, right by the Silverdome. (but it was not there when I was) I worked at an auto parts store on Wide Track Drive. Now our the One has decided that Pontiac must go. The car, not the city. (Although some would argue the City disappeared long ago.)

Firebird 400, Firebird Trans Am, GTO, Tempest,...well here's what Auto Evolution has to say

The Pontiac car company draws its name from the town of Pontiac, Michigan, where Edward M. Murphy first established the Pontiac Buggy Company in 1893, which specialized in making horse-drawn carriages. Several years later, in 1907, when Murphy realized the future was in motor driven vehicles, he turned the buggy company into the Oakland Motor Car Company.

This company was bought by General Motors in 1909 after the timely death of its founder. The first Pontiac car was the Five Passenger Coach in 1926, introduced to the public at the new York Auto Show. It was a six-cylinder engine meant to be powerful enough to outrun the 4-cylinder cars on the road at the time, but still be cheaper than most models.

The success of this first model which sold in record numbers spawned the next six-cylinder car, the Pontiac Big Six in 1929, so named because of the increased displacement and horsepower. At first Pontiac cars were marketed by GM as a low-price version of their Oakland models, but starting with the 30s, the company tried to ditch the image for “reliable but otherwise boring” cars.

But the first defining model for Pontiac was the 1957 Bonneville, the one who introduced the fin design that would define a whole era of American cars. Among American cars manufacturers, the Pontiac was now seen as a car that was flashy like a Chevrolet but reliable and cheap like an Oldsmobile or a Buick.

In 1964, the first American muscle car was born and it incidentally was a Pontiac, the GTO (Grand Turismo Omologato). From then on, the 60s was going to be all about going as fast as you can with the biggest engine possible. The only thing is that you looked good while doing it in a Pontiac. While the other manufacturers were quick to imitate this trend, the GTO remains the original muscle car.

But the GTO wasn't the only cult car to come out in the 60s bearing the Pontiac logo. In 1967 another American symbol saw the light of day, the Pontiac Firebird, a direct contender for the Dodge Challenger and the Mercury Cougar. Then came the Firebird Trans Am in 1969. both these cars continued to be produced by GM until 2002, a testament to their success.

Thanks for the memories Pontiac. Both of you.