Pontiac
Although names like The Judge, GTO, Trans Am, and Firebird are all highly regarded in the car- enthusiast community, the brand responsible for birthing these creations is no longer with us. Pontiac became a division of General Motors in the early 1930s. In the 1960s and 1970s Pontiac became known for its performance cars, yacht-sized road goers like the Catalina and Grand Prix, and muscle cars like the GTO and Firebird. As time wore on Pontiac also produced vehicles as unique as the mid-engine Fiero and as weird as the Aztek SUV. During its golden years, the brand attempted a performance-car-led comeback with honest, racy efforts including the rare Solstice sports car and the hot G8 GXP sedan. It didn’t work. GM decided to axe the Pontiac division and keep Buick, as there was only room for one brand between Chevy and Cadillac in the corporation’s portfolio following the economic Great Recession in 2008.
