This 1988 Pontiac Grand Prix is a former Daytona 500 pace car Autoblog 1/29/2021 Joe Lorio
Hopefully, the fans of GM s W-body 80s/ 90s intermediates can forgive us, but we had pretty much forgotten or had never really known that one of the ways that era s Pontiac Grand Prix bathed itself in glory was by serving as the pace car for the Daytona 500. In fact, the Grand Prix paced NASCAR s marquee race every year from 1988 to 1992, and again in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003.
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That first year, 1988, the Grand Prix was all-new, making its debut on the W-body platform. It was also
Motor Trend s car of the year. The 1988 Daytona 500 marked the 17th year in a row that a Pontiac was chosen to set the pace but the first time a front-wheel-drive car was so honored. The 88 Grand Prix followed a spate of Pontiac Trans Ams.
autoevolution 28 Jan 2021, 18:26 UTC ·
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Even if sales aren t what they used to be, muscle cars remain popular. They re icons of the American lifestyle, recently pushed further with the performance upgrades of the Hellcat or the Shelby GT500. But there s one model that went extinct and deserves to be in this company, the Pontiac Trans Am. 2 photos
The Pontiac brand died in 2010. When the government was bailing out GM, it demanded a slim-down. Hummer is making a comeback right now with that electric pickup everybody is talking about. So why not Pontiac as well?
We think a revival like that doesn t need marketing teams, unions, and government loans. It just needs people who are passionate and want to make the right kind of car, like the one in this rendering by
autoevolution 25 Jan 2021, 14:29 UTC ·
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Take this 2020 Aston Martin Vantage. It features a Jet Black exterior, which happens to match this set of all-new ADV005 Flowspec Series wheels, fitted by Miami-based ADV.1. They measure 20 x 9.5 inches at the front and 20 x 11 inches at the rear, and they come with a Satin Black finish.
Look past the five dual-spoke design, and you’ll also notice a set of Lime Green brake calipers, which add contrast to an otherwise rather dark theme. It’s very Knight Rider-ish, that is if KITT was ever to be something newer and more posh than a 1980s Pontiac Trans Am.
It was love at first sight.
Everyone loves an underdog, especially if the said underdog is rocking a V8 under the hood, a flamin bird on top, and features in one of the best car movies of all time. We re obviously talking about the Pontiac Trans Am. introduced on February 23, 1967, the Firebird range of cars shared a platform with the better known Chevrolet Camaro and was first released with a weedy 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine in base trim and a number of V8 options. Finally in 1969, Pontiac decided to give it some horns when it released the high-performance Trans Am that soon became an American legend after featuring in the now cult classic film Smokey and The Bandit. To dig a little deeper into what makes these cars so great, another American Icon, Jay Leno, takes one for a spin.