Will the Pontiac G8 sport sedan be a future classic?

A popular and often heated discussion among gearheads has been debating future classics. The untimely demise of Pontiac has thrown a little gasoline onto the fire, having us wondering, what current Pontiacs will be considered classics 20 years from now.

The once proud brand is, of course, responsible for many models now considered desirable classics including the first- and second-generation Firebirds, original Grand Prix coupes, and legendary LeMans GTO that is widely credited with starting the whole muscle car craze. Back then, Pontiac was defined as the GM brand that brought a sporty image even to its sedans, as loudly touted in the “wide-track” Pontiac ad campaign of the 1960s.

That Pontiac era may be long gone, sadly replaced with an image as largely a manufacturer of cars to be avoided at the rental counter. (Ahem, G6.) But Pontiac may, as its swan song, have provided speculators and future collectors with a slam-dunk candidate for collectability. No, not the Solstice roadster and coupe, but rather the mighty G8 sedan from the land Down Under. 

The G8 represents the culmination of GM’s effort of the past few years to revive the image of Pontiac from the glory days. It’s also a really good car, even if it arrived a little too late. Where the GTO of 2004-6 and more recently the Solstice roadster were bold moves for a company trying to save itself, neither hit their target spot on. With the G8, they nailed it. The G8 is the highest scoring Pontiac in our tests. (However, it is not CR Recommended, since do not have enough data to predict reliability.)

With handling and performance rivaling pricey European sports sedans for thousands of dollars less, the G8, like the collector-worthy GTO before it, combines the brawny V8 power with a sophisticated chassis. In other words, it goes around corners and stops, in addition to being capable of respectable acceleration. And many of us liked its muscular-sounding V8 burble. That it can comfortably and safely transport up to five people at the same time is just a bonus. We think that the G8 would make a nice Chevrolet Impala SS, but according to GM, such models “…will not be rebadged as vehicles for other divisions…”

Sadly for Pontiac and its fans, the 17-mpg G8 arrived last year just in time for $4.00 a gallon gasoline followed by a tanking economy. With consumers crossing even practical cars off their shopping lists, a flashy, muscle sedan made no sense at all, even if it was a bargain.

Maybe that’ll change in 20 years.

—Jim Travers

Read: "GM delivers more viable Viability Plan; Pontiac cut."

Comments

[Charles]

I am glad I got my 2009 G8 GT when I did. Now I may need to add a 2009 G8 GXP to the garage, next to my 1953 Cadillac.

Sad day...
Charles

[John]

I too, am glad I bought a G8 GT when I did. My only regret is that I bought this vehicle to work out of, as I travel for a living, and will put a lot of miles on it in a short amount of time. But every GM car I have had lately has been extremely reliable, so the only real disadvantage is I will rack up the miles but will enjoy it. I am also thinking of just going to GM Performance Parts and buying a new 6.2 liter LS 3, and that way, if the engine ever does need replacing, I will have a GXP engine to install and would actually cost less than getting a GXP from the factory.

As far as the gas mileage, the worse I have ever gotten is 15.9, but most of the time I get 22 to 23 with a 30/70 mix of city/highway, and on the highway only, at the posted limits, I can get 27 mpg.

Just remember this ain't no Prius, but you can always slow down and get better fuel mileage, but in a Prius, or any other economy car for that matter, you WILL BE FOREVER SLOW!

[Grant MacLeod]

Picking mine up tomorrow. Just the 6 cylinder but loaded and it still has plenty of umph! I am now not sure if I shouldn't have purchased the GTP for collectibility $$$. I am trusting government when they say fully warrantied and hopefully parts are around for a while. GM made a mistake getting rid of the only "pretty" (Pontiac) line they own. My 6th Pontiac FYI.

[Nadia Kendall-Diaz]

I just purchased my 2009 G8 GXP last week after deciding that I needed my own G8. My husband purchased his 2009 G8 GT in November and it was a blast to drive - I just didn't get to drive it enough!

With the manual transmission, I could only hope to get the MPG's posted by John (which are amazing and good to see). I'd love to go to the track, spin the tires and drift like the reporter did, but with its potential collectible status, I think its best that I don't.

This is our 4th Pontiac and I am also sad to see it go. Hopefully this platform will continue to see success in other GM vehicles.

[Patrick]

This will be a future classic. The death of pontiac, and the limited production numbers of the G8 and esp. the GXP will ensure that. Here in Canada, we never even got the GXP. With fuel-efficiency becoming priority #1 once again, the future liklihood of another domestic (or even imported) V8 full-sized muscle-car seems unlikely, even from BMW and Audi. Doubly so if you choose to drive one with manual transmission. As the article implies..........maybe in 20-25 years. The best time to buy one is probably a cheery at the bottom of the depreciation cycle in 2020-2025.