The story of the Pontiac G8 GXP (thought of by some to be a future traditional) and why it was canceled begins with reinvention. Within the early 2000s, Common Motors was using excessive on the gross sales of its vans, however its passenger automobile gross sales had been on a gradual decline by the Nineties within the face of ever stronger competitors from Japanese auto producers. In an try to show round their flagging automobile gross sales, in 2001 GM employed trade veteran and father of the Dodge Viper, Bob Lutz, as Vice Chairman and tasked him with reimagining what automobiles from the automotive big may very well be.
Lutz, believing that the Pontiac was nicely positioned to be Common Motors’ import fighter model, and as a part of his restructuring plans, started to trim mannequin traces as a part of an effort to steer the mark in a brand new path. Gone had been fashions just like the Grand Am and Grand Prix and their acres of plastic physique cladding. They had been changed with the clean-styled Solstice roadster and G6 mid-size sedan.
Nevertheless, Pontiac lacked a signature automobile that captured the spirit of what Lutz believed Pontiac stood for – reasonably priced efficiency. In a little bit of artistic pondering, he appeared to Common Motors Australia and its rear-wheel drive Holden Monaro as the right companion with which to create its halo automobile with a storied identify — the Pontiac GTO.
The 2004 Pontiac GTO was the conceptual sire of the Pontiac G8 GXP
In 2004, Pontiac reintroduced the GTO model again into its lineup after a thirty-year absence. Primarily based on the Holden Monaro coupe, it signaled the return of rear-wheel drive automobiles to Pontiac, bringing pleasure to followers of the model who had mourned the lack of the Firebird when it was discontinued two years prior. With a 5.7 liter LS1 V8 underneath the hood and an out there guide transmission, it on paper was a superb system to carry again Pontiac loyalists and appeal to new consumers to the model.
As is many instances the case, the idea didn’t translate to actuality. The GTO was discontinued in 2006 because of lackluster gross sales, partially brought on by its poor vital reception and a complete package deal that did not resonate with the car-buying populace in the way in which Pontiac had hoped. Regardless of the disappointing gross sales of the GTO, Common Motors took the idea of the fashionable GTO’s origin and utilized it to introduce one other Holden-based automobile, this time with 4 doorways, that may fill the house previously occupied by the Grand Prix within the type of the 2008 G8 mannequin line.
The Pontiac G8 GXP fell sufferer to an financial downturn
Basically a Holden Commodore with Pontiac badging, the G8 was underpinned by the identical zeta platform that may finally be the idea of the Chevrolet Camaro. With the GXP trim launched for 2009, the G8 was powered by a 6.2 liter LS3 V8, additionally used within the Camaro and Corvette, and pushed by a six-speed guide transmission. Complete gross sales of the Pontiac G8 line by its two years of manufacturing, 2008 and 2009, had been a meager 38,159 items. Through the lifespan of the G8, just one,829 G8 GXP fashions had been produced – making it a little bit of a rarity. However its meager gross sales numbers weren’t the rationale the G8 was canceled.
As a result of monetary disaster that was in full-swing the 12 months the G8 was launched, Common Motors entered chapter safety. The Federal Authorities intervened, and mandated GM to restructure with a purpose to obtain monetary assist. As a part of the restructuring, Saab, Saturn, Hummer, and Pontiac had been all eradicated – and the G8 GXP was gone after just one 12 months of existence.
Right now, regardless of its relative rarity, the value of a used Pontiac G8 GXP varies vastly primarily based on the situation and mileage. An instance with over 119,000 miles and an accident restore on “Carry a Trailer” in April 2024 for $23,311, whereas a clear two-owner instance bought on “Carry a Trailer” in January 2024 for $52,000.
[Featured image by Alpha2hz via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]